What a great show ON-LOCATION at Rafael’s in Westminster! We were joined by the Carroll County Cannons, our own semi-pro football team! We were first joined on the air by Cannons Head Coach, Mike Kraus and Defensive Coordinator, Gino Spescia. They announced that the Cannons kicked off the season with a win by 42 points! This is the Carroll County Cannons’ 5^th year of existence and the team is continually evolving. There are many new players on the Cannons this season on the roster of 52 players and the fan base continues to increase. Charlie encouraged football fans to go check out the Cannons because of the possible NFL Lockout, you never know the next time you will be able to watch a game! Also, our own host, Steve Aquino will be out on the field playing fullback for the Cannons. Gino Spescia explained that semi-pro football players are not paid athletes, the players are in the league for the love of the game, and possibly to stay on their talents on the field for a shot at progression.

Mike Kraus also explained that the Carroll County Cannons are in a new semi-pro league this season. Now, they are a part of the AFA, the Atlantic Football Association. This is a great organization with more input and opportunities for the teams. However, along with switching the league, they also now have all new opposing teams to face. Their strategies must be adjusted on each game day to better play against the new teams. Dedication by the coaches is crucial, they have been studying the new teams, watching film and even attending some of the other teams’ games to better prepare themselves for their own game days. Preparations and dedication are what make successful teams. The Cannons coaches definitely have both. Coach Kraus explained that football is a year round event for him. In the late summer and fall, he coaches High School Football and then in the Spring and Summer, the Cannons season has him traveling the State. It’s a juggling act with the busy game schedules, practices, prepping for games and his own family life. He said he does it all for the love of the game. 

Defensive Coach, Gino Spescia has also been involved in the game for over 20 years. Between playing, coaching High School teams and the Cannons, he has seen a lot of great talent over the years. We asked him what types of changes he has seen increase from the high school levels to the semi-pros. He said, speed. From high school to the college level and then to semi-pro level, players speed and precision definitely changes. He explains that the more mature a player gets, his training increases and eliminates hesitations and enables the player to execute actions more quickly. It goes to show you, practice does make perfect.

Our next guest to join us at Rafael’s was John Luster, the father of the Cannons starting quarterback. He announced to us that he has set up a program with the Community Media Center for a new show on channel 19, “Sports in Carroll County”. Justin Cavey, Jim Naylor and himself have formed the show to air 28 minutes of sports activity and updates of local teams and events all over Carroll County. This will include everything from Cannons updates, to track meets, horse shows, swimming, etc. He explained that they will have a website online in the near future. Check it out!

Continuing with Coach Kraus and Coach Spescia, our next topic was the Carroll County Cannons players. What background do the players on the team come from? Coach Kraus  explained that 30-40% of the Cannons played on the college level on division 3, 2 and several in division 1 teams. All of them played competitively in high school. And one player, Mike Brown, a starting wide receiver, played for a professional Arena Football team in Florida.

Speaking of players, our next guests to join us were Cannons football players: Tyler Kraus, Safety; Andre Daniels, Defensive End; and Mike Brown, Wide Receiver. First we spoke with Tyler Kraus about his football career. He explained that he has played football since he was 5 years old and after high school he played for West Virginia University. After college, he was not ready to stop, which is how he ended up on the Carroll County Cannons. Andre Daniels told us that he was once a player for the Cannons’ rival, the Frederick Outlaws. But he liked and admired the Cannons’ community values, the team values and made the switch. He also has come to respect and value the coaches and after several years in the game, he wasn’t ready to stop playing either. He also explained that with all the talk of the NFL Strike, he feels very fortunate to be able to play the game he loves. The Cannons wide receiver, Mike Brown also joined the Cannons after being on the rival team, the Outlaws. He feels that the team is a great unit and enjoys playing for great coaches. Mike Brown has played on many teams in several leagues and he said that the competitive level varies in teams and players, but the Cannons are definitely a team with heart. We asked him what his main motivation is and he says, he wants the ring! We want to see the Cannons win it all this year, too.

Another guest to join us for our football discussion is a past semi-pro player from the Carroll County Chargers, John Yingling. The Chargers were the original semi-pro football team for Carroll County from 1970-1983, and they paved the way for the Cannons and the semi-pro football leagues. John played college ball for Towson University from 1968-1969 and played for defensive line back for the Chargers from 1970-1974. The Chargers had a huge fan following and John recalls that the stadium had up to 5,000 fans during a game. John Yingling expressed his support and well wishes for the new semi-pro football team and admires their athletic abilities.

We wrapped up our first successful sports show with a few announcements, the Carroll County Cannons will be playing their last game on May 21^st at home field, Taneytown Memorial Park and there will be a festival at the park and an autograph session for kids. It will be a great event for families and football enthusiasts!  Also, they will be participating in Toys for Tots and a food drive. Please check out their website at www.cannonsfootball.com for more information about these events.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Rafael’s for our ON-LOCATION show and GO CANNONS!