TOUCHDOWN STORM - STORM WR ALBERT WINN (TSU) SCORES ON HIS 21ST TD CATCH OF HIS STORM CAREER IN THE 4TH QTR

TOUCHDOWN STORM- STORM WR JEREMIE “BIRD” WHITTAKER’S DAZZLING 31-YARD CATCH AND RUN HITS PAYDIRT
PENSACOLA LIGHTNING’S 2 TD RETURNS OF BLOCKED FIELD GOALS END STORM SEASON- PENSACOLA LIGHTNING 19-NASHVILLE STORM 14- NASHVILLE STORM FINISH 12-1 FOR 2008

The clock struck midnight on the Nashville Storm’s 2008 season at Stratford High School on the 3^rd Saturday  in October (the same day that used to be the annual date of the Tennessee- Alabama game), in a clash between the South’s 2 best minor league football programs.

It was well known that this COULD happen; the Pensacola Lightning were the defending NAFL South Champions and had ended the Storm’s 2007 season with a 31-24 playoff win in Nashville (also on 2007’s 3^rd Saturday in October). What left everybody who watched Saturday night’s Nashville Storm- Pensacola Lightning playoff game going away stunned was the way it DID happen.

The Nashville Storm defense remarkably kept a Pensacola Lightning offense that came into the game averaging 37.8 points a game out of the end zone for 4 quarters, while the Storm offense reached the end zone on TD passes from QB Tye Forte (Arkansas State) to Storm WRs Jeremie “Bird” Whittaker (31 yards) and Albert Winn (28 yards). But once in the 1^st Quarter and once in the 4^th Quarter, the Lightning Field Goal defense unit blocked short Nashville Storm FG attempts AND RETURNED BOTH BLOCKED KICKS FOR TOUCHDOWNS (1^st Qtr- 81 yard return by Lightning’s Seth Cumbie, 4^th Qtr- 92 yard return by Lightning’s John Joiner); the 2^nd Lightning TD return came with just 3:18 left in the 4^th Quarter and turned out to be the winning score in Pensacola’s 19-14 victory.

The Pensacola Lightning will travel to St Louis, MO to play the St Louis Bulldogs for the NAFL South Championship on Saturday, October 25. The Nashville Storm finish the 2008 season with a W-L record of 12-1.

NOTES ON THE GAME:

• The Nashville Storm outgained the Pensacola Lightning in total offense 314-196 in Saturday night’s game; Storm RB Johnathan “Bama” Carter led the Storm rushers with 14 carries for 97 yards; Storm QB Tye Forte was 17 for 33 passing for 190 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT.Lightning RB Demarcus Blount (North Alabama)was Pensacola’s biggest offensive threat, running for 88 yards in 13 carries.
• Lightning K Jacob Matlock (Southern Mississippi) hit FGS of 30 and 27 yards for the only points generated by the Lightning offense; Matlock was also unsuccessful on 2 other FG attempts, from 48 and 31 yards.
• The Storm defense held Lightning QB Donald Rich (Ouachita Baptist College) to 5 completions in 14 attempts for only 59 yards and intercepted 2 of Rich’s passes (one by Michael Curtis and one by Danarius Fowler). Curtis , the first-year Storm S who played at Aaron Academy and Campbellsville University, finished the 2008 season with 6 interceptions, leading the Storm in that category.
• Storm S Jonathan “Gurney” Weaver (Solano CC) blocked a Pensacola punt in the 4^th Quarter, giving Weaver (the son of former USC/Detroit Lion DE Charlie Weaver) 6 blocked punts for the 2008 season, a Nashville Storm record.
  

HERNDON STADIUM, MORRIS BROWN COLLEGE, ATLANTA, GA
NAFL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WILL BE PLAYED ON NOVEMBER 15 AT MORRIS BROWN COLLEGE IN ATLANTA, GA

The NAFL has announced that the 2008 NAFL Championship weekend will be held in Atlanta, GA the weekend of November 15^th.

The 3 day event will take place at Herndon Stadium on the Morris Brown College campus in Atlanta, Georgia. Herndon Stadium is designed to seat 15,000 spectators and was the Field Hockey venue during the 1996 Summer Olympics.

The weekend events will include the following:
NAFL National Championship Game
NAFL Consolation Bracket Championship Game
NAFL2 National Championship Game
Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference All-Star Game
Northern Conference vs. Southern Conference All-Star Game
Nationals vs. Americans Bowl
Stars vs. Stripes Bowl
Pro Evaluation Workout

Championship Game players will have free hotel rooms. First team all stars will receive a FREE all star jersey, but will be responsible for all other costs. There will only be 24 first team all stars per conference (96 total). Second team and honorable mention all stars are encouraged to play as well.

Anyone from the NAFL can play in one of two bowl games. See http://www.nafl.org for details. Arena League team scouts and NfL team scouts will be attending all games throughout the weekend. The NAFL has never had less than 8 players sign pro contracts during the championship weekend the last 5 years. In 2007, over 20 players who participated during championship weekend were signed to pro teams.

Private pro evaluation workout- If a player thinks he has what it takes to play in the Arena League of NFL, please see http://www.nafl.org for details. Players must be prequalified before participating in the pro evaluation workout.

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH- The NAFL is promoting a diamond in the rough program where at least one qualified NAFL player will be entered into the 2009 NFL Draft. See http://www.nafl.org for details.

This will be the most organized and most active championship weekend in the history of the sport. There is expected to be up to 15,000 people at the event this year due to the entertainment activities associated with championship weekend. Several Atlanta area team owners who are also business owners are supporting in pre-game and after-game entertainment. This is a first class event.

NASHVILLE STORM DANCER DESTINY RAINE IN A PUBLICITY PHOTO FOR
CHANNEL 19’S “HIP HOP IN THE VILLE”
SOUTHERN ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS; VOTE FOR NASHVILLE STORM DANCER DESTINY RAINE FOR “SLEPT ON MODEL OF THE YEAR”

 

Nashville Storm Dance Team member Destiny Raine (real name: Destiny Claybrooks) has emerged as a nominee for “Slept On Model Of The Year” for the January 2009 edition of the prestigious annual Southern Entertainment Awards ( http://www.southernentawards.com ). AND BECAUSE DESTINY’S GORGEOUS, AND BECAUSE SHE’S ONE OF THE NASHVILLE STORM’S OWN, WE’D LIKE YOU TO VOTE FOR HER.

Destiny, along with another lovely Nashville Storm Dancer, Tamara “Model Mommi” McKissack, co-hosts the popular Comcast Channel 19 TV Show “Hip Hop In The Ville”, a show which highlights videos by local independent Hip-Hop Artists (the show airs on Thursdays at 4:30 PM and Fridays at 12 Noon).

ANYONE CAN VOTE IN THE SOUTHERN ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS BALLOTING (WHICH IS OPEN BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER 15). We’ve got a link to the ballot below ( there are between 50 and 70 categories; Destiny’s category, “Slept On Model Of The Year” is in the section at the bottom of the ballot). Anyway, thanks for your vote in advance, and here’s the link:

http://www.southernentawards.com/ballot/vote.html

VOTE DESTINY RAINE!!!!!!!!!!

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