There’s an age-old adage in sports that “defense wins championships.”

If that’s the case, the Chicago Rush are in good shape. Sitting one win away from ArenaBowl XXIV, the League’s top-ranked scoring defense is firing on all cylinders.

And they need to be. They’re about to face off with the 17-2 Arizona Rattlers, who rank second in scoring offense and scoring defense this season, not to mention first in the League in kick returns.

Of course, with playmakers like Reggie Gray and Jason Simpson on the field, the Rush are far from slouches in those categories themselves. And they just got one key piece back in the fold.

After missing the final month of the season with a toe injury, Vic Hall returned to the starting lineup to help lead the Chicago Rush to a 54-51 victory over the Dallas Vigilantes in the opening round of the AFL playoffs last weekend.

Hall picked up right where he left off a month ago, finishing with a game-high 10.5 tackles. He also broke up the final two passes to ensure a victory and an appearance in the National Conference Championship game for the Windy City.

“I couldn’t wait to get back,” Hall said. “I was like a kid in a candy store. I was just back doing what I love to do.”

There’s no doubt Chicago is glad to have him back as well. Despite missing the last five regular season games, the Defensive Player of the Year candidate played a large role in helping the Rush to hold opponents to a league-low 46.3 points per game and post new League records in takeaways (56) and interceptions (42) this season.

Hall set new franchise marks with his 109 tackles and AFL rookie record 15 interceptions, despite playing in just 13 games. He actually tied Pro Football Hall of Famer Dick “Night Train” Lane’s nearly 60-year-old professional football record for most interceptions through 12 games. Lane set the record with 14 interceptions in 1952 as a rookie with the Los Angeles Rams. It remains the NFL’s single-season interception record.

It’s no wonder that Chicago Rush President and General Manager, Gene Nudo, has called Hall the best rookie defensive back he’d seen in his 24 years in the AFL “by far.”

Still, Hall is quick to spread the praise around.

“I’m surrounded by guys like Coach Pettigrew, our defensive backs coach, and Coach Housman, our defensive coordinator, as well as guys like Jason Simpson and Kelvin Morris,” Hall said. “They’re guys who’ve played this game, who know Arena Football and I’ve learned from them.”

Hall credits his seemingly instant success in Arena Football to simply watching and listening.

“I’ve been blessed to adapt quickly and be a sponge, taking in everything I can,” Hall said. “I try to watch everybody. You can learn from anybody at any time about anything. Every time football is on, I’m watching how the corners play. It’s really helped me on the field.”

The other thing that’s helped Hall is his impressive “Football IQ,” which has come from playing all over the field.

Dubbed “Do-It-All” Hall at the University of Virginia, the 5-foot-10, 190 pound Gretna-native played quarterback, cornerback, wide receiver and kick returner for the Cavaliers in college.

“I was recruited as a quarterback,” Hall recalled. “Once I got to school, I got transferred over to DB and I played DB for three years and my last year I played quarterback. I was a guy who could play multiple positions, but once I got to camp, I just felt more comfortable going at defensive back.”

When Rush starting quarterback Russ Michna went down with an injury late in the season, some thought Chicago might actually look to Hall as a temporary replacement under center. But Hall says there were never any plans to switch back over to offense.

“To be honest, not at all,” Hall said. “We had a backup and then we brought [J.J. Raterink] in. We’ve got our quarterback situation taken care of.”

And with #4 back in the lineup, Chicago has its defensive secondary taken care of as well. The Rush travel to Arizona this Saturday for a meeting with the number one-seeded Rattlers for the National Conference Championship. The Rush beat the Rattlers 50-49 earlier this season, thanks to a Chris Gould 33-yard field goal with one second remaining in regulation.

But while the Rush have beaten the Rattlers the last five times the two teams have faced off, the last two meetings have been decided by a combined total of six points. With a trip to the ArenaBowl on the line, fans can expect another down-to-the-wire ballgame this weekend.

“We have to match their intensity,” Hall said. “They’re at home, so it’s going to be a hostile environment for us.”

Arizona is led by the AFL’s most efficient passer and a top contender for the Offensive Player of the Year award, Nick Davila, who passed for 297 yards and five touchdowns against the Rush in Week 10. Despite a rare shaky game last week against Spokane, in which he threw two interceptions in a game for just the third time this season, the Rush know how quickly Davila and the Rattlers can strike.

“Don’t make many mistakes,” Hall said, regarding how to contain the Rattlers offense. “That’s the key. And from there we have to compete. We have to compete on every play. We can’t take plays off or make mistakes.”

Hall had 8.5 tackles against the Rattlers in the first meeting this season and if the Rush are to beat Arizona on the road once again, they’ll need another strong performance from their defensive standout.

“I’m feeling good,” Hall said. “I’m blessed and fortunate to be back after the four weeks off. But now it’s time to help my team get to a championship.”

Defense wins championships, right? We’ll find out Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. EST.