Nashville Storm goes to Playoffs

[Nashville Football Admin]

NEXT HOME GAME (NAFL PLAYOFFS)- NASHVILLE STORM vs. ARKANSAS RHINOS, SATURDAY NIGHT, OCTOBER 13, 7 PM, STRATFORD HIGH SCHOOL, 1800 Stratford Avenue, Nashville, TN 37216.


THE PLACE- Buster Boguskie Stadium at Stratford High School, 1800 Stratford Avenue, Nashville, TN 37216.
THE TIME- Saturday Night, October 13; Admission Gate opens at 6 PM; Kickoff of the game is at 7 PM.
THE STAKES- The winner of this NAFL playoff matchup between the Nashville Storm and Arkansas Rhinos will advance to play either the Port City Monarchs or the Alabama Lightning in the 3rd round of the NAFL playoffs on October 20. The 2007 NAFL football season will end for the loser.
THE TEAMS- The Arkansas Rhinos (7-3), coached by Head Coach Sebastian Stargell (TSU), have won their last 5 consecutive games and were the 2005 NAFL South Champions. On offense, the triggerman of the Rhino win streak has been QB Lawrence Copling (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), backed by one of the NAFL's best running backs, TB Calvin Withers (Arkansas-Pine Bluff). The Rhinos have several excellent wide receivers led by FaQuan Harris (University Of Arkansas). On defense, the Rhinos are led by LBs Michael Shack (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) and Oscar Malone (University Of Arkansas), and DBs Sam Witcher (Henderson State) and Ben Witcher (Henderson State), both of whom also play for the AF2 Arkansas Twisters. The Rhinos also have arguably the NAFL South's best kicker in Garrett Morgan (Central Arkansas).
The Nashville Storm (12-2, 9-1 in NAFL play), coached by Head Coach Charles Hunter (TSU), are the defending 2006 NAFL South Champions and advanced in 2006 to the National Championship Game of the 124-team NAFL in Orlando, FL. On offense, the Storm is led by stellar QB Phellepe Hall (Maplewood/TSU), who has thrown 30 TD passes in 2007 after throwing 35 TD passes in the 2006 season; Hall's favorite receiving targets include Albert Winn (TSU- younger brother of Baltimore Raven WR Derrick Mason), Gary Peete (AF2 Memphis Xplorers), Mario Merriweather (Clarksville HS/Bethel College) and Taris Frederick (Clarksville HS/Bethel College), Ernest Ramsey (TSU), Roger Moore (Glencliff/Missouri Western), and Antonio Dilworth (Lane College). Storm RB Johnathan "Bama" Carter is averaging over 6 yards per carry in 2007. On defense, the Storm feature DL's Lonnie Harris (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), Desmond Scantling (TSU), Dell Merritt (Friendship Christian/Cumberland) and Danny Roberson (TSU), LBs Nathaniel Claybrooks (Maplewood/MTSU), Justin Ely (Overton/Cumberland), Will Stilley (Eastern Kentucky), and Bryan Holt (Whites Creek/TSU), and DBs Cromwell Stewart (Father Ryan/UT-Martin), Fred Beard (TSU/AF2 Tulsa Talons), Chane Price (TSU) and Jeremiah Weaver (MTSU).
THE ENTERTAINMENT- The lovely ladies of the Nashville Storm Dance Team, led by Tennessee Titan Cheerleader Sissy Gillespie and the Stratford High School Band, led by Mauricio Richardson.
THE COST- Adult Admission $8.00, Ages 5-14 $4.00, Children under 5 FREE.

[pking34]

Many thanks for the "love".
I've said to more than one person that the only football experience in Nashville comparable to watching our team play was watching the Nashville Kats from the first 10 rows of the stands. The strength, speed, and force of top-notch adult athletes playing a "collision" sport is a STUNNING experience when you see it UP CLOSE; it's much different from seeing it in a big stadium like LP Field or on TV.
I've shied away in the past from the "semi-pro" tag in the past because a lot of the public has been sold an image of semi-pro football as the athletic equivalent of watching a karaoke competition (and the proof of this is the number of tryout inquiries I get every year from guys who either never played football or who last played it at the youth level). That image is very misleading.
The truth of the matter is that if you take the last 10 players on each NFL roster (320 players), there are 20-25 players for each one of these guys that are VERY CLOSE to them in playing ability at any given time (6400-8000 guys). Many play Arena Football, some play in Canada. A lot of them now make a full-time living doing something else besides playing football, but don't want to end their playing careers at the age of 22. So a lot of these guys play for the Nashville Storm or our peers.
So this isn't "athletic karaoke". It's more like watching that really good bar band you love that you know has big-time talent, but hasn't had that hit record yet (there's a lot of that in this town).
If you come to one of our games, pay attention to our QB Phellepe Hall (#1- Maplewood/TSU). He's thrown 65 TD passes in 2006-2007 to a WR corps that has a 4.28 40 guy and a 4.31 40 guy in it. He's a scrambling QB with a rocket arm. This season, one Kat fan approached me and Patrick Abernathy after a game and said "We need to make a trade. We'll take Phellepe and give you Smoker". What made the comment interesting was that this particular Kat fan was the mother of a very prominent Nashville Kat player.
So why isn't Phellepe Hall playing at the Arena or even NFL level?? He's 5'9", that's why. BUT THE GUY CAN STILL PLAY. There's a lot of stories like Phellepe's that the press never tells you about.
Like the ORIGINAL Kats, we're built around guys whose HS/College careers were local. On the downside, we can't serve alcohol at our games.
But we ARE close to all of Larry's favorite East Nashville bars.

[greylon]

I'll chime in. I go and watch a couple Storm games each season. It's hard to beat the price for the entertainment given! Everyone should give them a look see at least once.

Affordable tix, affordable concessions, and a competent team on the field. What the heck more do you want?!

(though to be honest, I'll be glad when they get back to McGavock next season. Stratford's a pain to get to!)