St. Louis, MO - What would be the final game of the 2011 Season took place on this muggy night out in the MidWest. How this game would play out would answer if the Interceptors had the greatest season ever. Short answer: yes.
The first set began with Kyle (INT) throwing to Jared. Jared caught the ball seemingly setting the tone, but he threw a good one to Salem only to be 'intercepted'. The crowd went absolutely crazy and it was pretty much a wrap from there. The set ended 5-2. The second set was just a land slide. Ausonio and Jared continued their poor play and the Interceptors rode to a 5-1 victory. You can finally crown them!
Best season ever? Yes. They won 90% of their sets this year. One in ten sets they lost! It takes 2 lost sets to lose a game, so you know that wasn't very common this season. Salem became the 1st player since Vincent of the Empire to win the Championship and MVP the same season, oh yea, and the first Adonis to win 2 MVP's! The Interceptors were first to go 10-0 regular season, first #1 seed to win the Championship?!?!? Who doesn't want to be a 'sniper' right now?
Where to go from here? Well, Dian retired a day after the game. But they have 2 solid rookies in their hands and Ricky and Salem for years to come hopefully. I can't say if the league will be more competitive next year because the North is basically crumbling and the Scarlet Ember and Gremlins are blighted right now. The Reapers will be right there for sure, hoping to add to the solo defeat of INT. Dynasty could be in the cards, the Toros are definitely not done yet, so we could see a Championship of all Championships next year in a 2010-2 rematch. Dragonfish are returning all key members. Don't be surprised if the Silverbacks turn out a stellar season. But for now, let's just soak up the DBL Champion Interceptors.
This is huge for the entire culture of the Interceptors organization. They have been battling the same identity as the Margays: development squad. Get your bearings on the league and then go to greener pastures. That's the route of Dale, Theo, Travis, Paolo... just to name a few. "Nobody retires on the Interceptors" was a highly believed stat... until the team had to prove that in fact it had happened before. Dian actually becomes only the 2nd player in history to do so. Salem is the only player on the roster from 3 years ago. But now, after 2 consecutive Conference titles and a Championship, the Interceptors are looking like the team de-jour. Everybody will be rolling out the red carpet when they stop in their city for a game. And I say it's about time. Nobody is above anybody forever. Who would have thought the Empire and Gold would be completely out of the equation in a season?Things fluctuate and no organization is content with being a development program. Hat's off to the St. Louis Interceptors.
"There is no better feeling on earth. In front of this crowd, we knew we had to end it this game, they helped immensely, I swear this is the only game all year I didn't break a sweat. We will be here a long time DBL, keep us on your radar!" - Salem #25
"Why would I ever want to play another season, game or set? I played in a dream for an entire year. Why ruin it? This is my 2nd retirement so it shouldn't surprise anyone. I finally got a ring on the best organization in the land." - Dian #98
"There are no curses in this game. Everything is earned. We just didn't play up to par. I have to admit, it was wild playing in STL, the crowd was something else. But we will be back." - Jared #8 Cat's
