PLAY-IN FOR THE PLAYOFFS IN FISHERS

You never quite know what kind of impact the final week of the Indoor Football League season will have when the schedule is put together and released. There are games this week that will have no impact on the playoff picture as all Western Conference playoff teams, seeds, and matchups have been determined.

There are also contests that will determine playoff seeding as Tulsa visits Quad City while Jacksonville hosts Green Bay. The Oilers and Sharks are both vying for the second seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round home playoff game.

But the IFL schedule makers really deserve a pat on the back because what we also have in week twenty is essentially a playoff game to determine the final piece of the Eastern Conference playoff field as Fishers Freight (8-7) hosts the Orlando Pirates (9-6) on Sunday at Fishers Event Center (4pm ET Yahoo Sports).

The winner goes to the playoffs while the losing team's season will come to an end.

A ROLLER COASTER RIDE IN FISHERS

To say that Fishers Freight has had an up and down regular season would be an understatement.

They began the campaign with five wins in their first six games but then endured a five-game losing streak. The tide would then swing back in their favor as Fishers has won three of their last four games to keep their playoff hopes alive. If they win on Sunday, Fishers will pull even with Orlando at 9-7 but Fishers would take the tie-breaker based on strength of schedule.  

After all of the ups and downs, the Freight is in position to punch their ticket to the postseason.

"I'm super-excited," said Fishers Freight Head Coach and General Manager Dixie Wooten. "Being a young franchise, being able to have a meaningful game at the end of the season is huge because you feel like you have a chance to have a home playoff game. I'm excited to have the game here." 

This will be the second meeting of the season between Orlando and Fishers with the Pirates winning 60-57 on May 2nd in Orlando. The Freight had a 57-54 lead late in the fourth quarter, but Pirates quarterback Paxton DeLaurent threw the game-winning one-yard touchdown pass to Teo Redding with no time remaining.

This Sunday, Fishers gets a chance to more than even the score as a win would put them in the postseason.

"Everybody is healthy and everybody is ready to go," said Wooten. "The mindset is that they are excited. We learned a lot about ourselves in that five-game losing streak so my guys are practicing great and they're ready to go." 

And their opponents are feeling the same way after a regular season filled with twists and turns.

DRAMA TO PLAYOFF CONTENTION IN ORLANDO

It's been an eventful up and down season for the Orlando Pirates as they went through a coaching change prior to their third game of the season. The team has been able to rally around interim Head Coach Rod Windsor to put themselves on the precipice of a playoff spot.

"We feel like we had an NBA type of season," said DeLaurent. "We had the in-season IFL Cup and now we feel like we're in the play-in tournament. This is what you do it for. You spend 22 weeks counting training camp to get ready for the playoffs."

Orlando began the season with three straight victories but then dropped three of their next four. The Pirates subsequently alternated wins and losses in their next four games before winning three of their last four games to put themselves in position for a postseason berth.

The Pirates have gotten hot at the right time. 

"I think we're really starting to peak," said DeLaurent. "We fought through coaching changes, lots of injuries and lots of change in the roster. We've stuck with who we got this past three or four weeks and I think that's really helped us. We've come together as a team so we're excited and ready to prove that." 

MUTUAL RESPECT

As Orlando and Fishers head towards Sunday's showdown, both teams are well aware of what they will be up against in this do-or-die contest.

As they get set to battle it out for a playoff spot, both teams have a mutual respect for each other.  

"They have a ton of talent," said Wooten of the Pirates. "They have a great coaching staff, so those guys are going to be ready to play. They're 9-6 for a reason so we're looking for a great game." 

The Pirates needed that last-second touchdown to knock off the Freight in the last meeting so they know what Fishers is going to bring to the table on Sunday. Orlando knows that Fishers has a ton of talent and that they are also a resilient team. 

"They won the games the past couple of weeks that they've had to, to make this game matter and give them a playoff opportunity," said DeLaurent when asked about the Freight. "I think they're well-coached. They play with tons of energy and they play with high effort. They have a good scheme on both sides."

The scene is set for what amounts to a playoff game to get into the playoffs and the home team is working hard for a festive atmosphere this weekend. 

A FRENZY IN FISHERS

After just falling short of a playoff spot in their inaugural season, Fishers Freight has an opportunity on Sunday to earn that first postseason berth in franchise history.

And they can do it on their home field in front of their fans.

"Our whole city is rallying around the team," said Fishers Freight Director of Operations and Alternate Governor Katherine Snyder. "None of the other Indianapolis suburbs have a professional sports team named after them. It means a lot to our community. Our front office is preparing for, hopefully, an exciting end to our regular season." 

This Sunday will be "Fan Appreciation Night" at Fishers Event Center as the team will have a pre-game fan fest and tailgate party. Coming off of a bye week, the team has had two weeks to promote the game and they've been hard at work getting out in the community, including television and radio appearances, to create a buzz for this huge contest. 

"It's going to be fun," said Wooten. "We've been pumping the game up since we beat Quad City. We'll probably end up getting like 6,000 people and if you get 6,000 in there it's going to be rocking." 

This will be Fishers first home game since a 55-13 win over the Iowa Barnstormers on June 20th. So, for the first time in five weeks, the Fishers faithful will get a chance to see their team in action.

"There's a lot of exciting stuff that we have planned," said Snyder. "We're doing a pre-game fan fest and tailgate that we're really excited about. We will have a pretty good crowd out this weekend." 

You can't ask for a better regular season contest with two teams battling it out for the final spot in the Indoor Football League playoffs. It's a winner take all scenario as the Orlando Pirates face Fishers Freight in front of what should be a raucous crowd in America's Heartland.