Vipers Are The 2008 AF2 Champions!

It's been a long time coming, but the wait is finally over. The Tennessee Valley Vipers are the 2008 AF2 Champions after defeating the Spokane Shock(18-2) in overtime 56-55 monday night in front of the largest ArenaCup crowd in AF2 history(10,662). It's no shock to this fan that the Vipers pulled off what most considered an upset because I saw something special in this team even from the first game of the 08' season when the Vipers lost on the very last play of the game to South Georgia. Dean Cokinos proved that he was what the Tennessee Valley needed in a coach to bring glory back to the Vipers organization on the field, and he brought in some very special football players along with his coaching abilities. I wouldn't be surprised to see several Viper players move on to the AFL and beyond next year(Eric Scott, Terrance Ford, Alonzo Nix, Maurice Brown, just to name a few)...the loss of these players would certainly be a hit for the Vipers, but these guys deserve it and Coach Cokinos has proven that he can bring in more talent to fill the void of any guys they may lose. Kudos to Spokane for playing a hell of a game in what is considered to be the greatest ArenaCup to date and for the generous fan support in what was a sellout record crowd. The Vipers are having a Championship Celebration Party at the VBC in Huntsville Wednesday August 27th, at 5pm(and I hate that I'm going to miss it due to work, but I'll be there in spirit)to welcome home our reigning AF2 champions!!! Tony "the last samuri" Colston did what probably no one else could have Monday night...come off the bench after throwing only 4 passes all season with the Vipers and win the cup in what was his best performance in his AF2 career. Tony Colston had what could be considered a very mediocre career in 06 and 07 with the Vipers and had some injuries as well. The 08' ArenaCup proved that given a good offensive line with excellent pass protection and a capable receiving corp. Tony Colston is a legitimate quarterback with a lot of talent and a true Champion!! Tony went 20 of 30 for 288 yards, 7 touchdowns and no interceptions monday night, but the 2 point conversion he ran in to win the game proved the biggest and best of his achievements in this game. Tony also won the Offensive Player Of The Game award and this was well deserved as he carried the Vipers offensively to the Cup Win!(in no way does this discredit the rest of the offense/defense). The defense played a solid game with Desmond Foster getting the lone interception of the game, and Eric Scott blocking both a field goal and a pat. The D-line also put a lot of pressure on star rookie quarterback Nick Davila causing him to miss quite a few key throws in the game. Alonzo Nix and Gary Elliott were certainly the receivers of the night for the Vipers with both guys hauling in 4 td's a piece(tied for an ArenaCup record), Nick Hayes played well only missing one field goal and one pat on the night, and of course the offensive line played exceptional giving Tony Colston plenty of time to make the throws he needed to make. At least for now the faded memories of a 3-13 season, a 7-9 season and a Tennessee Valley Raptors team coached by "Sleepy Dick Adams" are just that....faded memories. It's been a wild ride and the best Vipers season in the 8 years they've been around. I can't wait for 2009 and again Congrats Vipers, this fan couldn't be happier.

Title Match(Round 2)

The title match in round 1 was for the south division title against South Georgia. The Vipers blew that one in the last few seconds of the game with about 7 chances inside the 5 yard line to put the game away. Round 2's title match is for the bigger championship....the American Conference Championship. This time things are sure to be different, as long as they've learned from their past mistakes. Last saturday was probably one of the most exciting(if not THE most exciting)playoff game in the past 5 years(or EVER) as the No. 4 seed Tennessee Valley Vipers upset the No. 1 seed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers in their own backyard. Sweet revenge!! The first time the two teams met in the regular season was also on Pioneers turf only the Vipers were lucky to get out of there after a 77-49 thrashing(well, they played hard up until the 4th quarter when turnovers let the game slip away). In less than impressive fashion the Vipers this time were able to pull out the upset with a 34-30 win. The offense was less than impressive that is... The defense on the other hand was more than impressive. Recording 3 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception returned for a touchdown on one of the leagues best quarterbacks in Ryan Vena, and they D held the leagues best offense to a total of 140 or 158 yards(depends on which article you read, the numbers differ), and a season low 30 points....13 of which were not scored by the offense(an interception returned for a td and a kickoff returned for a td). Saturday Aug. 16th will mark one of the most exciting nights in Vipers history when they take on the No. 7 seed Manchester Wolves at the VBC in Huntsville,Al. If they win this they will be in the Arena Cup for the first time since 2000(the inaugural AF2 season, when they faced Quad City for the Cup and lost). The Vipers would play on the road in Spokane or at home against Amarillo depending on who wins that match. Look for this game to be the most exciting game all year with two very good teams fighting for a shot at the Cup. If Eakin can recover from his less than stellar performance last week, and not turn the ball over the offense for TV can light the boards up w/an oustanding receiving corp, and a great rushing attack inside the red zone. The defense needs to play their best game of the year to keep a hot Manchester team from putting the game away as well. Vipers win by a touchdown in a heated battle.
Go Vipers! And Go Amarillo!