Between them, Albany Firebirds quarterbacks Sam Castronova and Tyler Kulka put up numbers this season that leave every other passing attack in Arena Football One in the dust.
Castronova and Kulka each started six of Albany's 12 regular-season games, combining for 3,199 yards and 76 touchdowns through the air against just seven combined interceptions. But, when it came to selecting his starting quarterback for the AF1 playoffs, Albany head coach Damon Ware knew he had to lean on experience.
That means Castronova, who won championships in Albany with the defunct Empire in 2022 and the undefeated Firebirds in 2025, will start Saturday's 4 p.m. semifinal game against the Minnesota Monsters at MVP Arena.
"Sam's at the top of his game, so Sam gets the slight nod," Ware said. "He's been there, done that. He's just such a phenomenal player."
Castronova hasn't played since a June 20 loss to the Nashville Kats, as he was away from the team due to personal reasons for the final two games of the regular season and Albany - which went 9-3 during the regular season - has also had three bye weeks during that time.

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