SAN ANTONIO —
The San Antonio Gunslingers and West Texas Warbirds played a nearly perfect arena football game on Star Warz night at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio. The Gunslingers scored on ten of their twelve possessions, and the Warbirds scored on eight of their twelve possessions. The teams scored a combined 124 points, making this game the fifth highest scoring of the season.San Antonio’s Arvell Nelson completed 21 of 25 passes including four touchdowns and scored his 19th rushing touchdown of the year. Brian Robinson and Kadir Chisolm both pulled in two touchdowns each. Calvin Fance rushed for his first two touchdowns as a Gunslinger, and Kali Rashaad likewise scored his first rushing touchdown for the team. Both Bikembe Kearney and Phillip Barnett scored touchdowns on special teams, with Kearney returning a bar ball out of the air and Barnett returning an onside kick. San Antonio kicker Drew Pearson made seven of nine extra points and a deuce to finish the scoring for San Antonio.
West Texas’ quarterback Chris Ware was impressive in his return to the roster, completing twenty of thirty-three passes with four touchdowns and rushed for three more. Jalen Childress collected three touchdowns through the air, and Jalen Wilson caught the fourth Warbird passing touchdown. Kevin Didio-Weber completed four of seven extra point conversions and kicked three deuces, equaling his output from the previous week and bringing his total to a league-leading fifteen deuces on the season.
Coach Fred Shaw of the Gunslingers had this to say after the game, “West Texas came and gave us everything they had. We kept playing, we kept fighting, and we know we are the better team. We put it all together in the fourth quarter and we got the win.” Arvell Nelson said, “I appreciate the city of San Antonio for showing up today. The fans were crazy, it was loud, and we got a couple of delay of game penalties (on West Texas). Hey, San Antonio, keep showing up like this, and we are going to win a championship.”
San Antonio remains atop the league with an 8-1 record and has now clenched a playoff spot, while West Texas falls to 2-8 in their first season in the National Arena League. The Gunslingers are scheduled to play the Orlando Predators (3-5) in Orlando on Saturday, July 1st. The Warbirds are schedule to play the Carolina Cobras (5-3) in Greensboro, also on Saturday, July 1st.
ABOUT THE SAN ANTONIO GUNSLINGERS
The San Antonio Gunslingers are members of the National Arena League (NAL) and were awarded Franchise of the Year by the NAL for their overall performance during the 2022 season. Gunslingers play all home games at the Freeman Coliseum. Follow the Gunslingers on Facebook at @210sagunslingers, on Twitter @SA_Gunslingers and Instagram @sanantoniogunslingers. For Gunslingers season tickets, group packages or partnerships, visit https://www.sanantoniogunslingers.com/tickets or call (210) 298-6900.
ABOUT NATIONAL ARENA LEAGUE
The National Arena League was founded in 2016 and hosted its inaugural season in 2017 as the premier league in arena football. The National Arena League has kicked off its seventh season in 2023. For more information regarding expansion opportunities or partnerships, contact Commissioner Chris Siegfried at [email protected] . For more information about the NAL visit www.nationalarenaleague.com, facebook.com/nationalarenaleague, twitter.com/NALfootball, Instagram.com/nationalarenaleague.
