The Battle for the South
Christopher M. Duchene
Friday April 23, 2004
And if it’s going to be someone, why not have it be the other expansion team in the division, the Austin Wranglers? The headline has been set; this game is simply “The Battle for the South.”
This game is going to come down to not who has the most talent, as we know both teams are loaded, but it will come down to who has the most hunger. This is going to be a battle of Offensive Specialists. On one side, you have Austin Wrangler rookie sensation Tacoma Fontaine. On the other side, you have New Orleans’ three-year veteran Aaron Bailey. Both players are capable of setting off a spark to ignite their team to a victory.
Maybe one of the best matchups to watch though, will be how John Kaleo responds to that unfortunate fumble in overtime that resulted in a loss last week against the Tampa Bay Storm. The Wranglers, with the second-ranked offense in the league, will have to come out with some intensity and match the VooDoo in every aspect of the game to upset New Orleans. New Orleans brings their third-ranked defense in to Austin behind DS Monty Montgomery, and week after week he has shut opposing offensive players down. Austin will need the confident attitude of Fontaine to overcome Montgomery’s talent. Fontaine fears no man out in the secondary and he will have to be up for a physical game if he expects to have success.
This game could ignite a rivalry that will lead to great divisional games down the line. If the game lives up to the hype, it will be one of the best Arena Football League games of the regular season, hands down. This is what AFL football is all about and what more could you ask for? Offensive playmakers, defensive playmakers, and most importantly, everything on the line for two young expansion teams looking for respect from one another.
Christopher Duchene is from El Paso, Tx. He currently lives in Austin, Tx and is a Freshman at Austin Community College majoring in Sports Management. After college he hopes to attend law school where he will study sports law hoping one day to become a successful sports agent.
