The Pittsburgh Maulers continue to turn heads during the 2023 USFL season.

They gained a spot in the postseason by earning their fourth win Saturday, beating the New Jersey Generals, 26-6, in the regular-season finale.

Once the final weekend’s games were completed, the Maulers (4-6) were awarded the top seed in the North Division and will face the Michigan Panthers (4-6) at 8 p.m. Saturday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

The Birmingham Stallions (8-2) will play the New Orleans Breakers (7-3) in the South Division championship game at 7 p.m. Sunday in Alabama. The winning teams then will meet in the USFL championship game at 8 p.m. July 1 at Tom Benson Stadium.

A strong defensive effort has guided the Maulers throughout the season, and three members of that unit were honored Wednesday with selection to the All-USFL team. In all, five Maulers were part of the 28-player team.

Middle linebacker Kyahva Tezino, cornerback Mark Gilbert and safety Arnold “Tre” Tarpley III were joined by punt returner Isiah Hennie and kick returner Josh Simmons.

Tezino was second in the USFL with 94 tackles, including nine for a loss, and also had two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Gilbert led the USFL with four interceptions, and Tarpley, a Central Catholic grad, tied for second with three interceptions and totaled 42 tackles.

The Maulers embraced special teams, creating jaw-dropping moments the entire season. Simmons and Hennie led the league in kickoff return yards and punt return yards, respectively.

Simmons set the league record with 862 kick return yards and added a TD return, and Hennie is the USFL record holder with 297 punt return yards and a score.

“There were a lot of difficult decisions to help determine the best players at 28 positions on offense, defense and special teams,” said Daryl Johnston, the USFL’s president of football operations. “There were many players who were worthy of recognition in our highly competitive second season. Every team had at least two players named All-USFL, which is proof of the remarkable parity across the league. USFL fans are the ultimate winners as they got to enjoy watching these outstanding athletes play some incredible football.”

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