Sharks clinch south division title

It is the 4th straight south division title for Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With the Tampa Bay Storm's loss to the Spokane Shock, the Jacksonville Sharks have clinched the 2013 South Division title, the Sharks and the Arena Football League announced Saturday. Jacksonville has now won a division crown in each of the franchise's first four seasons in the AFL, a feat unmatched in league history.

Jacksonville (10-5) has secured the division title based on tiebreaker advantage over the Storm (7-8). Even if the two teams finish with identical 10-8 records, splitting the head-to-head series, the Sharks are guaranteed to finish the season with a better record in divisional play than the Storm, thereby clinching the second tiebreaker.

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The Sharks have now captured an outright division title in each of the team's first four seasons in the AFL, becoming the first franchise to do so since the League moved to a divisional format in 1992. The Sharks are also the first team to win four consecutive division titles since the San Jose SaberCats accomplished the feat from 2000-03.

Winning the South Division ensures that the Sharks will enter the postseason as either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the American Conference. The Sharks will host a first-round playoff game on Saturday, August 3, with kickoff on Sea Best Field at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena set for 7:00 p.m. ET. Details regarding the purchase of playoff tickets will be announced in the coming days.