Carolina Focused on Winning
Ron Groh
Friday July 20, 2001
The turn-around from a 3-11 last place finish as an expansion team to a possible 8-6 first place finish in their second season should make coach Doug Kay the front runner for Coach of the Year. “Our goal is to reach the playoffs. And that has always been the focus of the football team,” said Kay.
Now with one team between the Cobras and the goal that had been established many months ago, the time has come to realize the dream. Last Friday night’s 65-28 victory over the Los Angeles Avengers brought the team one step closer to the fifteenth game.
As the Cobras prepare for a showdown with the Toronto Phantoms, one player has emerged as a true AFL star. Former Georgia Bulldog Corey Johnson has electrified the fans in Raleigh. Leading the league in kickoff returns with 5 TDs and a 25.4 yards per return average, Johnson makes things happen when he’s on the field. “I like to get the ball in my hands. Anytime I get the ball I feel that I can do something,” said Johnson after the LA victory.
Kay knows how important the five foot nine inch speedster is to the success of the Cobras, “We have to have him on the football field, he makes big plays, he’s just a tough kid.”
The return last week of OL/DL Carl Reeves, who is the emotional leader and heart and soul of the defense should make things difficult for Toronto QB Chad Salisbury. “He does things on the line of scrimmage,” said Kay. “He’s active, he’s energetic. He may not get home, but he creates enough problems that the QB always kind of feels Carl Reeves.”
All-Ironman Corney White and his teammates have stepped up the emotion and intensity on the field. The final game, and for that matter, the season, is in the hands of the Carolina players. “We had a couple of meetings just between the team without the coaches there. We needed to get this thing rolling on track,” White said.
The Cobras are gearing up and preparing to do battle on Friday night at the ESA in Raleigh. “We’ll get back to the drawing board, watch films and try to do the things we did well against Toronto the first time and correct those things we didn’t do so well,” said Johnson.
It is hard to believe that the season has boiled down to this winner-take-all finale, but it’s true. The Toronto Phantoms have peaked at just the right moment and the Carolina Cobras have recovered in time to save what looked like a sure thing a few weeks back. Hang on to your seats Arena fans, because this will be the most exciting finish of the year.
Ron Groh was a writer for ArenaFan Online during the 2001 season.
