by Aidan Napier

In a game on Mother’s Day that was going to be played against the Philadelphia Soul, Music City’s finest faced the Salina Liberty from the Central Division.

Quarterback Romone Atkins and Braxton Haley were the heavy hitters for Nashville’s offense, Atkins scoring and throwing touchdowns through the air to Haley. The Kats even got an early safety early thanks to defensive linemen Ezekiel Rose.

Despite Nashville’s impressive offensive production early it would be no match for the Liberty as they would score 30 unanswered points in the second quarter. The third quarter wouldn’t provide many points for either team, the exception being a one yard touchdown run from Atkins. Salina kept rolling and would cruise to a 50-30 win in Nashville.

The Nashville Kats sit at 1-2 in the East Division after week 3 although division realignment may be in the works after a few teams folding or planning to return in 2025. On May 14th, Nashville Kats president of football operations, Jeff Fisher was appointed the new commissioner of the AFL. just two days after the last Kats game due to much concern about the longevity of the league.

The Arena Football League will have many schedule changes moving forward because of the Georgia Force, Iowa Rampage, Louisiana VooDoo, Minnesota Myth, Oregon Blackbears, and Philadelphia Soul withdrawing from the season with intent on returning or outright folding. ArenaBowl XXXIII which would’ve been held in Minneapolis will presumably also be moved to an unannounced location, although many fans would be in favor of the team with the best record after playoffs to host, like what was last used in the AFL in 2019.

The Arena Football League will continue the 2024 season with the Albany Firebirds, Billings Outlaws, Nashville Kats, Orlando Predators, Rapid City Marshals, Salina Liberty, Southwest Kansas Storm, Washington Wolfpack, West Texas Desert Hawks, and Wichita Regulators.

The Kats will host Wichita in Clarksville at F&M Arena for Armed Forces Day this upcoming Saturday as Nashville looks to bounce back from two straight losses.