Post by Gene on Jul 27, 2008 9:58:04 GMT -5
By Steven J. Gaither
Staff Writer
When the Florence Phantoms stunned the Fayetteville Guard 39-38 in the Crown Coliseum on April 13, no one was more pleased than Jonathan Wedlock.
“It felt really good to beat them,” he said. “Especially at the Crown.”
The game and the 2008 season were nothing short of poetic justice for the Fayetteville native and former Seventy-First High School running back. In his first season as a professional, Wedlock led the Phantoms in rushing and scored 14 touchdowns in the regular season.
After a slow start, Florence is on a roll, having won 10 of their last 11 contests.
The Phantoms will play the Wyoming Calvary in the American Indoor Football Association Championship today in Florence, S.C.
Florence head coach Tavares Bowens said Wedlock is an important part of his team.
“He’s a very coachable guy,” Bowens said. “We wouldn’t be where we are without him.”
Causing a stir
After graduating from Winston-Salem State, Wedlock caused quite a stir by posting a YouTube preview of his self-produced video “So Hard To Be A Ram.”
The video showed student-athletes drinking alcohol and using profanity. The school’s athletic director was upset by the clip and said the language used in it was “deplorable and disapointing for college-level students.”
Wedlock said he tried out for the Guard prior to the 2008 season, and although he felt he performed well, he never heard back from the team.
He said he felt he did well at the tryout, but the team never got back in touch with him.
“I kept calling the GM every day,” he said. “And the coaches gave me the run-around.”
Reggie Pinkney, who coached the Guard at the time, said that the team was pretty limited and that the roster was basically set at the time of Wedlock’s tryout.
“Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time,” he said. “I wish him well.”
Tryout by video
Ironically, it was another YouTube clip that helped Wedlock land with the Phantoms. The clip, which showed the fullback running over defenders, attracted Bowens’ attention and earned Wedlock a tryout.
He responded by rushing for a team-high 251 yards and helping lift the Phantoms to the top of the AIFA.
After his season ends today, Wedlock plans on coming back to Fayetteville and getting his entertainment company, World Champ Entertainment, off and running.
“I’ll be producing documentaries,” he said. “No actors, no scripts. Just real life.”
www.fayobserver.com/article?id=300169
Staff Writer
When the Florence Phantoms stunned the Fayetteville Guard 39-38 in the Crown Coliseum on April 13, no one was more pleased than Jonathan Wedlock.
“It felt really good to beat them,” he said. “Especially at the Crown.”
The game and the 2008 season were nothing short of poetic justice for the Fayetteville native and former Seventy-First High School running back. In his first season as a professional, Wedlock led the Phantoms in rushing and scored 14 touchdowns in the regular season.
After a slow start, Florence is on a roll, having won 10 of their last 11 contests.
The Phantoms will play the Wyoming Calvary in the American Indoor Football Association Championship today in Florence, S.C.
Florence head coach Tavares Bowens said Wedlock is an important part of his team.
“He’s a very coachable guy,” Bowens said. “We wouldn’t be where we are without him.”
Causing a stir
After graduating from Winston-Salem State, Wedlock caused quite a stir by posting a YouTube preview of his self-produced video “So Hard To Be A Ram.”
The video showed student-athletes drinking alcohol and using profanity. The school’s athletic director was upset by the clip and said the language used in it was “deplorable and disapointing for college-level students.”
Wedlock said he tried out for the Guard prior to the 2008 season, and although he felt he performed well, he never heard back from the team.
He said he felt he did well at the tryout, but the team never got back in touch with him.
“I kept calling the GM every day,” he said. “And the coaches gave me the run-around.”
Reggie Pinkney, who coached the Guard at the time, said that the team was pretty limited and that the roster was basically set at the time of Wedlock’s tryout.
“Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time,” he said. “I wish him well.”
Tryout by video
Ironically, it was another YouTube clip that helped Wedlock land with the Phantoms. The clip, which showed the fullback running over defenders, attracted Bowens’ attention and earned Wedlock a tryout.
He responded by rushing for a team-high 251 yards and helping lift the Phantoms to the top of the AIFA.
After his season ends today, Wedlock plans on coming back to Fayetteville and getting his entertainment company, World Champ Entertainment, off and running.
“I’ll be producing documentaries,” he said. “No actors, no scripts. Just real life.”
www.fayobserver.com/article?id=300169
