'09 SEASON TRYOUTS BEGIN IN THE SPRING - MORE INFO HERE

CHECK OUT THE NASHVILLE STORM ON MYSPACE AT HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/NASHVILLESTORMFOOTBALL AND ON FACEBOOK AT HTTP://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PEOPLE/BILL-CALDWELL/693162567

THE ROAD TO MIAMI HAS BEGUN

THE BAZOOKA ARM OF NASHVILLE STORM QB PHELLEPE HALL (MAPLEWOOD/TSU) PRODUCED A RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCE IN SATURDAY NIGHT’S 64-14 VICTORY

NASHVILLE STORM OPENS NAFL REGULAR SEASON WITH 64-14 VICTORY OVER INDIANA WARRIORS BEHIND PHELLEPE HALL’S 7 TD PASSES

NOTES ON THE GAME:

• Saturday night, June 11, the Nashville Storm opened their 2009 NAFL regular season with a 64-14 victory over the visiting Indiana Warriors. The Storm outgained the Warriors 435-31 in total offense (the Warriors’ total offense was actually in the MINUS column until they threw a 51-yard TD pass on their last offensive snap of the game). The Storm held a 50-0 lead at halftime.
• Saturday night, June 11, the Nashville Storm opened their 2009 NAFL regular season with a 64-14 victory over the visiting Indiana Warriors. The Storm outgained the Warriors 435-31 in total offense (the Warriors’ total offense was actually in the MINUS column until they threw a 51-yard TD pass on their last offensive snap of the game). The Storm held a 50-0 lead at halftime.
• The Nashville Storm’s performance in this game broke several Storm team records: Storm QB Phellepe Hall (TSU) threw 7 TD passes for a team record, while WR Jeremie “Bird” Whittaker (Coahoma CC) set another team record with his 4 TD catches. The Storm’s 64 points broke the team’s record for points in a game (the previous record had been 58 points, a figure that the Storm had reached in 2006 against the Tennessee Xtreme and in 2008 against the Capitol City Wardogs) and the Storm’s 50-0 halftime lead also set a team record.
• The Indiana Warriors brought their mascot to the game, a bizarre-looking figure swinging a sword and dressed and made up to look a lot like Darth Vader in “Star Wars”, and during the Storm’s slow offensive start in the 1st Quarter, he actually showed up on the STORM sideline making a ruckus. After the Storm got started piling on the points, however, the mascot wasn’t in evidence to any degree.
• The Nashville Storm observed a “moment of silence” before kickoff to honor the memory of the late Steve McNair, and the Nashville Storm players wore decals with the number “9” on the back of their helmets during the game in honor of McNair. The Nashville
  Storm’s Honorary Captain for the game was longtime TENNESSEAN sportswriter Mike Organ, who joined the Storm captains at midfield for the pregame coin toss.
• The Nashville Storm observed a “moment of silence” before kickoff to honor the memory of the late Steve McNair, and the Nashville Storm players wore decals with the number “9” on the back of their helmets during the game in honor of McNair. The Nashville
  Storm’s Honorary Captain for the game was longtime TENNESSEAN sportswriter Mike Organ, who joined the Storm captains at midfield for the pregame coin toss.
• Storm QB Phellepe Hall (TSU) finished the game with 15 completions in 18 pass attempts for 286 yards, no interceptions, and a Storm record-setting 7 touchdown passes. 4 of the TD passes were to Jeremie “Bird” Whittaker (Coahoma CC), covering 13 yards, 13 yards, 36 yards, and 29 yards. He also threw 2 TD passes to former TSU WR Ivan Burley (30 yards and 26 yards) and a 42-yard TD pass to WR DeQuinn Watford (Bethel College/St.Ambrose College). Other than the 1st Qtr high shotgun snap recovered by the Warriors, Hall was not sacked trying to pass in the game.
• The Storm running game was also highly effective; despite a couple of double-digit yard losses in the first quarter, the Storm gained 149 rushing yards in the game, led by Marcellus Tibbs (Hillsboro HS/Dodge CC) with 97 yards in 12 carries. Anthony “Batman” Martin (Hillwood HS/Mesa CC) and Arrenzo Ocasio (Cumberland University) both had 32 yards each in 6 carries each, and former TSSAA “Mr. Football” Kelcey Williams (Humboldt HS/Northwestern Oklahoma) and Julius Johnson scored rushing TDs.
• HIT OF THE NIGHT- Actually delivered by a RUNNING BACK--- on the Storm’s first possession, Storm RB Marcellus Tibbs concluded a 14-yard carry with a
  collision with a Warrior tackler that could probably be heard on Gallatin Road. The Warrior tackler had to be helped off the field. We hope he’s okay.
• “HIGHLIGHT FILM” PLAY OF THE NIGHT- DeQuinn Watford’s 42 yard TD catch was actually a 15-17 yard route where Watford ducked and dodged several Warrior DBs to take it to the house.
• The Nashville Storm are now 1-0 in NAFL play, 3-0 overall, while the Indiana Warriors are 0-1 in the NAFL and 1-1 overall.
• GAME RESULTS OF PAST AND FUTURE NASHVILLE STORM OPPONENTS- The Tennessee Central Xpress (the Nashville Storm’s first 2009 opponent) defeated the Tennessee Crush 26-0; the Memphis Panthers were defeated 67-6 by the Birmingham Wildfire at Birmingham’s Legion Field; the Storm’s next opponent (the Louisville Saints) defeated the MCFL’s 2008 runner-up (the Louisville Bulls) 18-13; the Memphis Blast were defeated by the Gateway Soul (from St Louis) 13-6; the Arkansas Rhinos (now 2-0) defeated the Arkansas Wildcats 13-0; the Asheville Grizzlies defeated the Frankfort Falcons 40-6; and the defending NAFL National Champions, the Indianapolis Tornados, who will visit the “BoDome” on August 29 for a much-anticipated collision with the Nashville Storm, defeated the Chicago Wolverines 40-0.

NEXT UP- THE NASHVILLE STORM HEAD TO LOUISVILLE TO TAKE ON THE SURPRISING LOUISVILLE SAINTS (2-0)

Despite being a first-year team, it is now clear that the Nashville Storm’s next opponent, the Louisville Saints ( http://www.louisvillesaints.com ), “ain’t no joke”. The 2008 MCFL runner-up, the Louisville Bulls, who have been playing continuously for 21 years, found this out Saturday night in a game billed as “The Battle Of The Ville”---- a game where the Saints emerged as an 18-13 upset victor.

The Saints have now won their first 2 games for a 2-0 record thus far in 2009 and figure to provide a stiff challenge to the Nashville Storm’s 17-game winning streak in road games (a streak dating back to June of 2006). They are QBed by former Kentucky Wesleyan QB J D Meyers, who has the option of throwing to WRs Antonio Dishman (Union College) and Ta’Shawn McBroom (Georgetown College) or handing the ball off to former University of Tulsa RB Cauvey Jackson.

The Nashville Storm will travel to Louisville this Saturday, July 18, to take on the Saints at Fern Creek High School (9115 Fern Creek Road, Louisville, KY 40291) in a game
with a 7 PM kickoff EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME (in other words, the same time as 6 PM in Nashville).

Can the Saints hand the Nashville Storm their first road loss in over 3 years? Stay tuned, or better still, come to the game and find out. A link to a Google map to the game site is below.

Link: maps.google.com/ 1.webloc



2009 NAFL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WILL BE PLAYED IN MIAMI, FLORIDA

EDEN PRARIE, MN- It’s official. The NAFL is proud to announce the site for the 2009 NAFL Championship Weekend.
Miami, Florida will be the site for all of the NAFL Championship Weekend festivities. All NAFL players, coaches, staff members, and fans are encouraged to make the trip to Miami and enjoy the fun and sun that South Beach has to offer.

The Championship Weekend games will be played at North Miami High School Stadium. At press time, it was determined that there will be a total of 5 games played. Those games include the NAFL National Championship, NAFL Consolation Championship, North/South All-Stars, East/West All-Stars, and All-American Bowl.

“Our primary goal since the end of last season was to make the 2009 NAFL Championship Weekend the best one ever. By selecting Miami as the site for our event, we (NAFL) are well on our way to achieving this goal”, states NAFL General Manager Dave Kmiecik. “A lot of credit goes to the entire NAFL staff, as they have been busy working on securing the site during recent months. Their efforts are greatly appreciated.”

On Friday night of Championship Weekend, the NAFL will be hosting an awards banquet and launching the NAFL Hall of Fame. This is another ground-braking event for the NAFL in 2009.

More details on the 2009 NAFL Championship Weekend will be released throughout the season as they become available.

MORE NEWS