Arena football: Soul look to get back on track, maybe without top receiver Aaron Wascha
Philly is 2-3 and will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak when it hosts Columbus on Saturday night.
The injury bug made its season debut and lingered, and unfortunately for the Soul, they haven’t come up with any repellent.
“We just seem to have a revolving door with injuries,” coach Clint Dolezel said.
The Soul (2-3) have lost their last three games, their longest losing streak since the Arena Football League was at 14 teams during the 2014 season. They scored only 10 points in the second half of last week’s 45-30 setback to the Baltimore Brigade. In the loss, receiver Aaron Wascha went out with a PCL strain and another key receiver, Lonnie Outlaw, suffered a concussion.
The team will host the Columbus Destroyers at 7 p.m. Saturday, the opener of a three-game homestand. The Destroyers are 0-5, last in the six-team AFL, and are averaging a league-worst 30 points.
“We’re looking to put it behind us and try and score every drive," Dolezel said. "It seems to be one stop here and there that ends up costing us, and we are definitely trying to fix that.”
For the Soul, injuries paired with new faces have led to the losses. Soul quarterback Dan Raudabaugh says that despite the team’s being young in spots up front and at the receiver position, he hopes the offense will be on the same page soon.
“We’re just trying to teach the guys the nuances and the quirky things about this game that make it such a wonderful sport and make it its own little thing,” Raudabaugh said. “We’re not going to panic. We’re going to keep working hard.”
With Wascha and potentially Outlaw being out Saturday, the plates of Darius Prince and Jordan Williams will get a lot heavier. Outlaw is day-to-day and has not been cleared through the league concussion protocol.
“Obviously, Aaron is a big part of our offense,” Prince said. “If my number is called, then I just have to go out and make more plays. When Coach calls your number, you just have to execute. We really can’t have any room for errors on that end.”
With the team losing in different ways over the last three weeks, Raudabaugh says everyone in practice this week has just focused on minimizing mistakes. He says the fourth-and-long situations that have crippled their offense also have been a focal point.
“When the opportunities present themselves you have to be advantageous and take advantage of them," Raudabaugh said. "Luck is when hard work and preparation meet so hopefully we can get things going our way.”