Many paths lead Phantoms to brink of AIFA title

FLORENCE — When the Florence Phantoms hit the field Friday night to take on Wyoming for the American Indoor Football Association championship, fans at the Florence Civic Center will see a group of players who have taken various, if not unconventional, routes to get to this point.

Each member of the Florence roster has a story to tell. But they all wear the uniform with goal in mind — to win a title.

“There have been some ups and downs, but the ride has been great,” Phantoms running back Jonathan Wedlock said. “Ever since I got here, we were told we were going to win a championship. We’re one win away now.”

“They say America is a melting pot. So is this team,” Florence coach Tavares Bowens said. “There are a lot of different personalities here. It’s about getting together, living together and working together as a team.”

Surfing the Web

Two members of the Phantoms can credit the Internet for giving them the opportunity to play for a title in Florence.

Defensive captain Nick Freet was surfing the web one night at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter when he found out about the open tryouts the team was holding in October.

From there, he became the only member of the roster to make the squad through those three workout sessions.

Wedlock used an even more unorthodox method to make the team. Using the expertise he gained as a mass communication major at Winston-Salem State, he produced his own workout tape which he then posted on YouTube.

Bowens viewed the highlight film, gave Wedlock a tryout and offered him a spot on the roster.

Logging the miles

Life for a kicker normally isn’t a rough one.

Unless you’re Derek Scott. The Phantoms’ placekicker was playing semi-pro football in his hometown of Tampa, Fla. when he e-mailed Phantoms’ general manager Bennie King about a potential opening for a kicker.

After making the team, commuting to Florence and back became an interesting odyssey for Scott.

“I’ve taken a train, I’ve driven and I’ve flown to games,” he said. “The only thing I haven’t done is take a boat.”

Scott also balances his love of football with a full-time job working for a landscaping and fertilizer company.

“I’ve got a cool boss,” said the 35-year old placekicker. “How many chances do you get at my age to do something like this?

“Every week I’m (with the Phantoms), I lose money. But it’s fun, and it’s all about getting that championship ring.”

AF2 to the AIFA

Florence picked up two key members of its team from Arena Football 2.

Defensive lineman Al’Tariq Brown won a title with Lakeland last year. After the game, Brown found himself with AF2’s Florida Firecats.

Brown said the Phantoms are a better organization than the Firecats were, and that the proof will show itself Friday night.

“Things started off slow for me,” he said. “The biggest difference between AF2 and the AIFA is its organization. It’s turning out great now.”

After spending last season with the now-defunct Montgomery Bears of the AIFA, receiver Reggie Glover spent the first part of the 2008 season with AF2’s Lubbock Renegades.

Glover was put on waivers, however, and the Phantoms immediately scooped up the speedy flanker as a replacement for wideouts Tres Moses and A.J. Bennett, who missed the final three weeks of the regular season due to various injuries

Glover was an instant success. In the final three games leading up to the playoffs, he pulled down 24 passes for 302 yards and five touchdowns.

In two postseason wins over Huntington and Reading, Glover racked up 12 receptions for 189 yards and three more scores.

The best of a bad situation

One year ago, the Lakeland Thunderbolts won the first AIFA championship at the Civic Center.

Four months later, the team suspended operations due to problems with the ownership group.

Lakeland’s players, coaches and management staff scattered throughout the league. Several players found themselves in Huntington along with coach Teddy Keaton.

Things seemed to be rolling along as the Heroes got off to a 5-1 start. But then the bottom fell out when financial problems crippled the team.

Players weren’t getting paid, causing a player defection two days before the team’s game with Florence.

Four of those players, including defensive back Larry Thompson and linebacker Eric Potochney, reunited with Bowens and King in Florence and became the final pieces of what might be a championship puzzle.

“We followed coach Keaton to Huntington,” Potochney said. “After the stuff happened there, coach Bowens wanted me to come to Florence and I took his offer.”

“I had to get out of (Huntington). We weren’t playing for free,” Thompson said. “Florence was one of several teams that wanted us to come play for them. They gave us the best chance to play.

“Everything happens for a reason. We had a team in Hunting that no one was going to beat. When I got here, (the Phantoms) were 2-3. They’ve only lost one game since I’ve been here and now we’re playing for a title.”