The Soul claimed a spot in the 2012 Arena Bowl with a methodical 89-34 victory over the Jacksonville Sharks at the Wells Fargo Center Friday night.

The Soul will face the winner of the Utah-Arizona game (Saturday 10 p.m.) for the chance to win the second Arena Football League championship in franchise history.
The Arena Bowl is scheduled for Friday August 10, 2012 in New Orleans at the New Orleans Arena.

The Soul jumped out to a 45-12 lead at the half and cruised to the victory.

The Soul won its first Arena Football League title July 27, 2008 with a 59-56 win over the San Jose SaberCats. The Soul along with the rest of the Arena Football League shut its doors after the season because of financial troubles.
While the league returned the following year, the Soul did not return until the 2011 season.

In just one season the Soul are poised to win a title. It was a goal coach Doug Plank asked his team to make its only goal.

“There were a lot of people who criticized us for making that our goal,” Plank said after the game. “If you can’t play in the championship, why are you doing anything? Think about it. That’s not bragging. That’s just what we were trying to accomplish.”

Soul quarterback Dan Raudabaugh and his backup Adam DiMichele connected for five touchdown passes with Larry Brackins times to lead the Soul to its 17th win of the season (17-3).

A lively crowd of 12,332 saw the veteran receiver finish with seven touchdowns overall. Brackins scored on a 12-yard kickoff return and a two-yard run.

It was his best performance since helping the Soul to the title in 2008. Brackins had been used primarily on special teams, but when standout receiver Tiger Jones was signed by the Eagles a few weeks ago, Plank turned to the only player left from the championship roster of 2008 and his decision paid off.

“Larry has been there all year long,” Plank said. “We didn’t need him in all the games, but we needed him tonight.  With Tiger Jones gone, Larry just filled that vacuum, that space…what a competitor. He can play in any league he wants.”

Pitting the AFL’s top two playoff finalists against each other, the 2012 Arena Bowl will be played at the New Orleans Arena on Friday, August 10.

This will be the third time the Arena Bowl has been held in New Orleans, the previous years being 2007 and 2008.

The first two Arena Bowls in New Orleans drew over 17,000 fans, nearly one-third of whom came from out of town. Only Las Vegas has hosted as many Arena Bowls as New Orleans. This is the 25th Arena Bowl overall since the league began play in 1987.

This year’s Arena Bowl will also be the fifth sports championship held in New Orleans in the past year, the others being the already-played BCS National Championship for college football and the NCAA Final Four, plus the upcoming Allstate Sugar Bowl in January 2013 and the NFL Super Bowl in February 2013.

For the Soul there is just one game left and just one goal.

“It’s so good now to know we’re going to get an opportunity to win a championship,” Plank said.

Plank was asked if he was going to keep Brackins as a key player in his offense in the Arena Bowl.

“Without a doubt,” Plank said. “With what Larry did tonight, that was outstanding. We needed Larry Brackins. He really came through.
“He did such a great job for us on special teams this year, he’s just shifting that responsibility to the offense.”

Tickets for the 2012 Arena Bowl are currently on sale and can be purchased either through the VooDoo ticket office or through Ticketmaster. For more information call the VooDoo ticket office at 888-277-5526. For tickets go to www.Ticketmaster.com.
Some information for this article was obtained from neworleansonline.com