soonerfromgeorgia
6/22/2011, 06:44 PM
Albany's Savage emerges as Panthers’ Superman
When former Westover star Antwone Savage went down with an injury last year and was unable to be the force he usually is, he vowed to return this season better than ever — and that’s exactly what he’s done.
ALBANY — Antwone Savage still has that step.
That’s what the former Westover and Oklahoma University star receiver suggests — and so do his statistics — as he leads the Albany Panthers into Columbus on Saturday in a semifinal bout with the division-rival and defending SIFL champion Lions.
The Panthers’ leader in touchdown receptions this season stands two wins away from adding a SIFL crown to a BCS Championship in 2000 with the Sooners and an ArenaCup championship at the af2 level with the Spokane (Wash.) Shock in 2006.
So what’s Savage think of those who feared the 30-year-old had possibly lost that step?
“That’s why I go out here and play every weekend,” Savage said Tuesday. “For all the doubters, I mean, hey, you come watch me play, you’ll see what’s going on. So hey, I just do what I do.”
Savage backed up that assurance last weekend on the biggest stage yet this season.
The receiver caught four of quarterback Cecil Lester’s seven touchdown passes in Albany’s 68-43 breakthrough playoff win against the Erie Explosion in a first-round contest at the Albany Civic Center.
Savage’s effort in that game added to a 20-touchdown regular season after the Albany native drew doubts about his ability to return from an injury-plagued 2010 campaign in which he reeled in just six scores.
Panthers coach Lucious Davis said he noticed a chip on Savage’s shoulder entering 2011.
“I feel, personally, he had something to prove by coming back this year,” Davis said. “Word was going around that he was washed up, he didn’t have it anymore, so I think he had something to prove. He came into camp with a totally different attitude, and he’s been lights-out for us.”
Of course, Savage might be quite acquainted with proving himself by now, despite ending his career at Oklahoma ranked in the top five all-time in career receptions, receiving yards and kickoff return yards.
After winning the ArenaCup with the Shock, Savage became the first player in that franchise’s history to sign an Arena Football League contract in joining the Dallas Desperados in fall 2006, only to be cut from the roster shortly thereafter.
He played with other AFL franchises before returning home to Albany and playing with the town’s arena teams — the South Georgia Wildcats first, then the Panthers after the Wildcats folded — all while teaching physical education at Turner Elementary School.
Despite a slow start in his first season with the Panthers, Savage said he has discovered a newfound satisfaction in 2011.
“It kind of reminds me of the year I was in Spokane and we won a championship,” he said. “Then again, I feel like last year, I didn’t come out and play the best I could because I was kind of injured after the first play I got out there. This year’s been just a comeback year for me, and I’m also trying to win another championship.”
Savage isn’t the only one benefitting from a bounce-back campaign. His resurgence also has helped Lester and fellow Panthers receivers Clenton Rafe, John Harris and Antwon Cutts give Albany the SIFL’s fifth-best pass offense.
Cutts, who ranks in the Top 10 in the league in both receptions and receiving yards, said Savage has served as a valuable mentor.
“He’s a vet in the game,” Cutts said Tuesday. “He’s healthy, so he’s giving us young guys who don’t have as much experience (some help). He’s teaching us how to run routes better and get open against certain coverages. So it’s an advantage to us to have him as a player and a coach.”
Davis took Savage’s value a step further.
“With him playing the way he’s playing, I think it really gives us, I believe, the best receiving corps in the league,” the second-year coach said.
Whatever the implications of his presence and production might be, Savage said he now plans to add a third championship to his career résumé — and bring one to his hometown.
“There hadn’t been a team, I guess, a pro team to come through Albany, pretty much, to bring a championship home,” Savage said. “For me to be a teacher around this area and to have students, and I’ve coached a lot of players around this area, and bring home a championship, hey, it just shows them, hey, with hard work, you can win a championship, too.”
http://www.albanyherald.com/sports/headlines/Albanys_Savage_emerges_as_Panthers_Superman_124330 019.html
When former Westover star Antwone Savage went down with an injury last year and was unable to be the force he usually is, he vowed to return this season better than ever — and that’s exactly what he’s done.
ALBANY — Antwone Savage still has that step.
That’s what the former Westover and Oklahoma University star receiver suggests — and so do his statistics — as he leads the Albany Panthers into Columbus on Saturday in a semifinal bout with the division-rival and defending SIFL champion Lions.
The Panthers’ leader in touchdown receptions this season stands two wins away from adding a SIFL crown to a BCS Championship in 2000 with the Sooners and an ArenaCup championship at the af2 level with the Spokane (Wash.) Shock in 2006.
So what’s Savage think of those who feared the 30-year-old had possibly lost that step?
“That’s why I go out here and play every weekend,” Savage said Tuesday. “For all the doubters, I mean, hey, you come watch me play, you’ll see what’s going on. So hey, I just do what I do.”
Savage backed up that assurance last weekend on the biggest stage yet this season.
The receiver caught four of quarterback Cecil Lester’s seven touchdown passes in Albany’s 68-43 breakthrough playoff win against the Erie Explosion in a first-round contest at the Albany Civic Center.
Savage’s effort in that game added to a 20-touchdown regular season after the Albany native drew doubts about his ability to return from an injury-plagued 2010 campaign in which he reeled in just six scores.
Panthers coach Lucious Davis said he noticed a chip on Savage’s shoulder entering 2011.
“I feel, personally, he had something to prove by coming back this year,” Davis said. “Word was going around that he was washed up, he didn’t have it anymore, so I think he had something to prove. He came into camp with a totally different attitude, and he’s been lights-out for us.”
Of course, Savage might be quite acquainted with proving himself by now, despite ending his career at Oklahoma ranked in the top five all-time in career receptions, receiving yards and kickoff return yards.
After winning the ArenaCup with the Shock, Savage became the first player in that franchise’s history to sign an Arena Football League contract in joining the Dallas Desperados in fall 2006, only to be cut from the roster shortly thereafter.
He played with other AFL franchises before returning home to Albany and playing with the town’s arena teams — the South Georgia Wildcats first, then the Panthers after the Wildcats folded — all while teaching physical education at Turner Elementary School.
Despite a slow start in his first season with the Panthers, Savage said he has discovered a newfound satisfaction in 2011.
“It kind of reminds me of the year I was in Spokane and we won a championship,” he said. “Then again, I feel like last year, I didn’t come out and play the best I could because I was kind of injured after the first play I got out there. This year’s been just a comeback year for me, and I’m also trying to win another championship.”
Savage isn’t the only one benefitting from a bounce-back campaign. His resurgence also has helped Lester and fellow Panthers receivers Clenton Rafe, John Harris and Antwon Cutts give Albany the SIFL’s fifth-best pass offense.
Cutts, who ranks in the Top 10 in the league in both receptions and receiving yards, said Savage has served as a valuable mentor.
“He’s a vet in the game,” Cutts said Tuesday. “He’s healthy, so he’s giving us young guys who don’t have as much experience (some help). He’s teaching us how to run routes better and get open against certain coverages. So it’s an advantage to us to have him as a player and a coach.”
Davis took Savage’s value a step further.
“With him playing the way he’s playing, I think it really gives us, I believe, the best receiving corps in the league,” the second-year coach said.
Whatever the implications of his presence and production might be, Savage said he now plans to add a third championship to his career résumé — and bring one to his hometown.
“There hadn’t been a team, I guess, a pro team to come through Albany, pretty much, to bring a championship home,” Savage said. “For me to be a teacher around this area and to have students, and I’ve coached a lot of players around this area, and bring home a championship, hey, it just shows them, hey, with hard work, you can win a championship, too.”
http://www.albanyherald.com/sports/headlines/Albanys_Savage_emerges_as_Panthers_Superman_124330 019.html