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!