This is what the “War on I-4” is really all about. On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at St. Pete Times Forum the Orlando Predators and Tampa Bay Storm battle for the American Conference Championship and the right to advance to ArenaBowl XXIII.

The Predators defeated the Storm 75-60 during the final game of the regular season and hold a slim 23-22 lead in the all-time series.

Last week the Predators went on the road and upset the Jacksonville Sharks 73-69 to advance past the opening round of the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The Sharks won the South Division title while Orlando backed its way into postseason play with an 8-8 record after winning three of four games to close out the regular season.

Bobby Sippio scored six touchdowns in the win, including the game winner with eight seconds to play when he caught a pass in the corner of the end zone from quarterback Nick Hill.

Sippio has seen this sort of scenario play out once before. As a member of the Chicago Rush in 2006 he was a huge part of a team that went from 5-9 with two games to play in the season to winning ArenaBowl XX against none other than the Orlando Predators.

It’s a lesson in perseverance that’s not lost on anyone in Orlando.

“All you’ve got to do is get in the tournament and anything can happen,” said head coach Pat O’Hara after the Preds wrapped up its 18th-straight trip to the postseason with a win at Amway Arena over the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgs on July 24.

Sippio knows what O’Hara speaks of all too well.

“It’s like old times,” said Sippio, a Kissimmee native. “The great thing about it is I can be in the locker room and tell these guys about the experience. And now that we’re in that position it gives us something to look forward to. We know it can be done and that’s all that we need to know.”

Such as it was while with the Rush, it’s been a season of ups and downs for the Preds. They started the season 0-3 then won three in a row before dropping five of the next eight games they played. The Preds carried a mediocre 6-8 mark into that crucial home-finale against the Yard Dawgs.

“The low times are the key,” said Sippio. “When we have the low times we take it personal. It makes us make ourselves better. When you’re a great team and you play bad games, you use that to make you better.”

So Orlando kept fighting. And they are now just one game away from putting all the memories of inconsistency behind them for good.

“We were taking a few losses there, but now it’s time to take advantage of the opportunities that they’re giving us to win a championship, and do it,” said Sippio.

The winner of Saturday’s game advances to the ArenaBowl to face either the Spokane Shock or Milwaukee Iron, who play tonight at 8 p.m.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

– Photos by Chris Schubert –