Heading into their regular season finale, the Eau Claire Crush won't be one of the teams in the Northern Elite Football League scrambling for a playoff spot.

Thanks to a 5-2 campaign thus far, the Crush are already penciled in as the West Division's number two seed in the NEFL postseason.

While a win or loss won't affect their playoff standings, the Crush won't be taking it easy Saturday when they travel to face the Minnesota Phoenix. Coming off a bye week on July 4th and a 31-2 loss to the Chippewa Valley Predators on June 27th, Eau Claire is looking at their final regular season game as an opportunity to prepare for what they hope is a long playoff run.

Todd Trapp/Eau Claire Crush Head Coach says, "It doesn't mean a lot as far as a win or a loss for us, but we're getting back to fundamentals, preparing for the playoffs," Crush Head Coach Todd Trapp said. "We're going to straighten up certain aspects of our game. That's what we're using this last game for. Our goal, of course, was to win a championship, and we started that goal by making the playoffs, so we're happy with that.

"We played them the first time, they're much improved from the first time," added Trapp. "They've got a bunch of skill players from a Minnesota team that folded. They'll have good athletes. They're better than they were when we played them first, so we expect a little bit more of a challenge."

"Against the Phoenix, we're just going to offensively try and run the ball and pass the ball, limit our mistakes and kind of tune-up for the playoffs," Crush offensive lineman Matt Schauf said. "Minnesota, they've got some good ballplayers. They're going to bring it on Saturday."