Venom win big in franchise debut

AIFA 2009 team statistics
AIFA statistics for 2009

Taking it, dishing it out
In the pass-happy game of indoor football, a lot of emphasis is put on the guys who can catch the ball. As a result, it’s just as important to have players who can keep the ball from being completed. The Venom’s coaching staff knows this, and that’s why it put together the dynamic duo of cornerback Kofi Amoah and safety Ruschard Dodd-Masters to lead its secondary.

Venom dance team
The Wenatchee Valley Venom dance team: (seated left to right) Lupe Rubio, Jayme Allstot, Kathleen Long, and Alyssa Castro; (kneeling left to right) Aracely Pulido and Melissa Moreno; (standing left to right) Kristina Li, Vanessa Chanolla, Jessica Johnson, Lyndsey Bohr, Amanda Spaeth, Brianna Hibbard and Jamie Helm. The squad is coached by Cassie Helm, and Jackie Helm is the choreographer.

2010 American Indoor Football Association schedule
The AIFA schedule for 2010

Venom nickname: Meant to intimidate
WENATCHEE — Last year, shortly after the moniker became known, opinions were aplenty about Wenatchee’s indoor football team’s choice of Venom as a nickname. “The name’s kind of different, like from a snake,” said Wenatchee’s Paul Turping, striking out with his hand to imitate a viper.

Venom spotlight: Isaiah Wily, linebacker/running back
Venom spotlight on Isaiah Wily

Westward, ho for indoor football
WENATCHEE — The American Indoor Football Association is all about second chances. The league, based in Harrisburg, Pa., grew out of Michael Mink and John Morris’ desire to give young men a second chance in the game of football — and perhaps a shot at the NFL down the road.

Yakima Valley Warriors at Wenatchee Valley Venom
Saturday, March 20 at 7:05 p.m. at the Town Toyota Center, Wenatchee. Radio: KPQ-AM

Venom trace their start to one simple question
WENATCHEE — It all started with one question. In August 2008, Mark Helm was talking with his good friend Rob Cline on the shores of the Columbia River.

Ronnie Simpson is way more than your average quarterback
If you’re looking for an exciting quarterback with experience in the indoor football game, Ronnie Simpson is your man. If you’re looking for someone to fix a chip in your windshield, Ronnie Simpson is still your man.

Not your average expansion team
Picking the first head coach for an expansion team is a very important decision, to say the least. For the Wenatchee Valley Venom, they went with Keith Evans, an experienced coach who has made his mark all over the state’s football landscape. Evans is a former star running back for Ingraham High School and Spokane Falls Community College. He broke into indoor football in the 1990s, then coaching in the early 2000s.

Former Rams players adjust to Venom’s indoor football game
WENATCHEE — There is an undeniable difference between indoor football and the version to which most are accustomed. Local products Dave Mott, Matt Martinez and Kolt Thompson are learning the differences first-hand.

Venom to make cuts on Tuesday
WENATCHEE — Wenatchee Valley Venom head coach Keith Evans said Sunday that versatility, health and desire will be determining factors when he and his staff make final cuts to the indoor football team’s roster. The team must be trimmed to a 20-man roster, a five-man practice squad and a five-man inactive list by Tuesday.

Wenatchee Valley Venom wide receiver says he’s learned from past mistakes
It’s appropriate that the expansion Wenatchee Valley Venom have put so much faith and trust in the abilities of wide receiver Phil Goodman. They’re both starting from scratch.