We got a little appetizer last week with AF1 Week 0 with SW Kansas & Nashville, but the first multi-game slate in the inaugural season of Arena Football One arrived and it was... something.
That's right folks, the moment we have been waiting for ever since the the inaugural AF1 schedules were announced in November, then shuffled around, then shuffled around again, than shuffled ONCE MORE in March, had finally arrived. We made it.
We had three games total for the week, with 1 taking place on Saturday night and 2 taking place on Sunday evening. All 3 games were massive blowouts and never had a chance for an exciting game past the middle of the 2nd quarter in any of them.
There was shock, there was awe, there was good football, there was bad football and there was the legend that will be forth known as #Brendan.
Here's what we learned in Week 1 of the 2025 AF1 Season:
Billings Outlaws @ Oregon Lightning
Result: 78-36 Billings
What We Learned: The Billings Outlaws offense has evolved & Oregon has some work to do
Billings was going to be a very interesting team to watch in the first couple of games of the season. Last year, they had built out their roster with ironman rules in mind and developed an offensive identity that really catered to that style of two-way player at the skill positions. Fast forward a couple of weeks into the season and suddenly POOF ironman rules went bye-bye.
But Billings leaned into it, stayed the course and eventually won ArenaBowl 33 with a very ball control focused offense with short, rhythm-based passing plays throughout -- showing shades of the late '90s Arizona Rattlers all year. With Offensive Coordinator Sed Bonner at the helm last year, that shouldn't be a surprise.
Fast forward to 2025, we introduce new Offensive Coordinator Randy Hippeard -- who shredded defenses last year as the Nashville Kats QB after signing on with the team halfway through the year. His approach was much more aggressive and pass-happy as a QB last year, but how would that translate as OC? Well, it turns out that the Hippeard magic dust was exactly what this Billings offense needed to evolve to the next level. This Outlaws team looked unbelievable on offense against the Lightning, merging the run-oriented offense of last year with the high octane Hippeard offense we saw last year in Nashville.
If last year's offense was a Wartortle, it looks like this year's offense is set to be a Blastoise all year long. (if you don't know original 151 Pokemon, just trust me that's a great reference).
RB Shawn McFarland had himself QUITE A DAY and was an absolute battering ram from the jump running behind an Outlaws O-Line that was throwing their weight around and controlling the line of scrimmage. (note: final stats were not populating on TheAF1.com at the time of this blog being published, but trust me -- he was AWESOME)
QB Braden Wingle had a really solid game as well, with some throws he probably would want back but still a good performance for Week 1. But the most concerning part of the game for the Outlaws was the defensive secondary -- which was shocking because I viewed them as a strength of the team heading into the season.
Not even the refs were safe in this one
There were several blown coverages that resulted in wide open touchdowns for the Lightning in the first half, and it seemed like they eventually got things dialed in, but there was a moment where it seemed like this game was going to dissolve into a shootout.
Billings looked fantastic on offense and is set to have another great season in 2025, but the defense has some fine tuning to do -- which I fully believe in Coach Cedric Walker to get it fixed. .
On the other side, Oregon has got some work to do.
This doesn't just apply to the players on the field, either. If you watched the game live (or watched the replay on demand at EvergreenNow!), you know what I am talking about. The walls weren't anchored to the floor and were moving ever time they were contacted, the camera work was missing major moments of the game, the announcer had minimal knowledge of the sport and we haven't even begun to talk about the team that got beat by 40 yet.
While the chaos of the broadcast all was slightly enjoyable in a arenaball sicko, sadistic way, it was frustrating to see as someone who believes in this sport and what it can be when done right. AF1 spent a lot of time in the offseason boasting about being the premier 50-yard football league, but the product that was put on display in Salem, OR was far from that.
For the on-field play, I don't know how to feel about the Lightning just yet. They managed to score 36 points, but a chunk of those points came off of blatant blown coverages by Billings, where anybody in the arena that night could have scored on those plays. QB Dalton Cole started off doing well, but eventually started regressing as the game went on. Parker Lapsley was a name that I thought we'd see get involved in the offense more often and we hardly heard his name.
Oregon has a talented WR that should have more opportunity to shine as the season progresses and they get things figured out, but there is a lot that needs to be fixed in Oregon -- and they have a chance to bounce back against Washington next week.
Salina Liberty @ Corpus Christi Tritons
Result: 40-12 Corpus Christi
What We Learned: Salina needs a new QB ASAP & the Corpus Christi defense is legit
I consider myself a big fan of not just 'arena football', but 'indoor football' as well. I watched the majority of IFL games last year, and as part of that voyage I had the pleasure/displeasure of taking in many Duke City Gladiators games. At the beginning of the 2024 season, Duke City had a QB by the name of Javin Kilgo, who previously had spent some time in Salina.
He was of the Jameis Winston mold where he could produce, but he was also destined to get himself into some trouble and turn the ball over -- so when it was announced that Kilgo was the QB for the Salina Liberty, there were two scenarios:
We get pre-Duke City / Salina Liberty Javin Kilgo
We get Duke City Javin Kilgo
10/32 for 106 yards, 1 TD & 6 INTs
Folks, not only did we get Duke City Kilgo -- but we got an evolved version. If Duke City Javin Kilgo was a level 25 Grimer, this version we saw in AF1 Week 1 was a level 55 Muk (another OG 151 Pokemon reference, I will not apologize). This was bad-bad and I was begging for it to stop.
Multiple Pick Sixes, bad throw after bad throw, bad decision after bad decision -- it was impossible for the Liberty to have won this game. I don't even think the 2006 Bears could have salvaged this one. But all things considered, Salina's defense played pretty well in the spots they were given. Two of Corpus Christi's TDs were on INT returns, so that knocks the points scored by the Tritons offense down to the high 20s, which is pretty damn good in arena ball. But the turnovers were just way too much for them to overcome.
On the other side, Corpus Christi capitalized big time on the mistakes of the Salina offense and were able to pounce to a 27-0 lead at half time and hold on to it for the remainder of the game. QB Fred Payton ended up getting the nod at QB1 and did okay for a first start, but will have to do better when he doesn't have the luxury of the other guy throwing 6 INTs.
WR Darius Prince was able to get his piece of the pie on offense, hauling in 6 catches for 86 yards and a TD and really helping stretch the field and find space to operate. The Corpus Christi offense didn't have to do much in this one, but it was a decent starting point for them to build on moving forward.
But the Corpus Christi defense deserves shine for their performance as well -- DB Dwayne Hollins, who served as the Defensive Coordinator for the Albany Firebirds last season before coming out of retirement for the 2025 season, looked great and was making plays on the ball consistently. He was even delivering some big hits on 4th downs to cause turnover on downs. This entire secondary was swarming and will be a very entertaining one to watch as the season progresses.
Corpus Christi impressed in their first game of the season and the broadcast quality was really nice. Now we just gotta get both sets of rebound nets up for the next game.
Southwest Kansas Storm @ Washington Wolfpack
Result: 63-33 Southwest Kansas
What We Learned: The SW Kansas defense is extremely opportunistic & Washington is stuck in 2024
At any level of football, is 13 forced turnovers in the first 2 games of a season good on defense? What about averaging 2 Pick Sixes per game? Is that good?
Yes. The answer is yes.
This SW Kansas Storm defense caused 7 turnovers in Week 0 and forced another 6 in Week 1, while leaving Sed Bonner absolutely speechless on commentary in the first half of this game. Their defensive line was disruptive and able to bully the Washington QBs into making some really poor throws and the defensive backs were able to feast. Storm DB Dontra Matthews was able to keep his helmet on for most of the game and got an early interception return touchdown from 5 yards out, while LB Matt Friess Jr. got in on the action with a Pick Six of his own.
Little did I know that they had ONE MORE in them
The Storm were clicking in all 3 phases of the game, with an efficient 6 TD (3 Pass, 3 Rush) game out of QB Jalen Morton, the defense doing their thing, & Daquan Bailey-Brown returning a kickoff for a touchdown as well! The Storm were rolling early, but still had things they could have improved on.
Their biggest test of the season so far is coming next week when they head to Albany to take on the Firebirds on a short week.
On the other side, Washington looked rough. This was pointed out on the broadcast multiple times, but they seemed to be having a lot of trouble with basic alignment and shooting themselves in the foot with self-inflicted penalties. Watching this game was very reminiscent of last year's Wolfpack, where they seemed disjointed and kinda winging it all game long.
They were optimistic about QB Joseph Hess heading into the season, but he was taken out after a rough start while things just couldn't get going in the right direction. (note: he was also bandaged up at the end of the game, so it may have been due to injury).
Eventually QB Adam Kruse came in for the Wolfpack and managed to get some things going, connecting with 4 different WRs for touchdowns while constantly running for his life. WR/DL DeShon Williams was the clear number one target on the day, with 12 targets and 9 receptions for 137 yards & a TD, and is already proving to be a dynamic two-way player.
The receiving weapons are there for Washington, it is just a matter of getting some of those basic things cleaned up -- formations, legal alignments, people on the line of scrimmage, etc.
This year's Washington team HAS to be better than last year's strictly with the talent they have on the roster, but until they can steer clearly of self sabotage, the jury is out on if they actually are.
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