Fairhope Storm Owner Susan Riley was recently honored by American Football Alliance Commissioner David Holt as the league’s Owner of the Year.

The Storm had their best season in their third year of operation as they rattled off 10 wins in a row and registered a spot in the AFA semifinal. Although Fairhope’s perfect season ended one step away from the championship, it was another round deeper than the previous year.

Storm Head Coach and General Manager Fred Riley Jr. said they’ve learned more in each offseason which seems to fly by faster than the previous as well.

He said after some time off following the end of the season June 11, player interviews will restart in September before tryouts in October. Last year, the team held a minicamp in December and was wearing full pads in January before the season kicked off in March.

“Every year we learn a little bit more, what do we need to do – we think we have a fantastic franchise. We don’t think there’s anybody in the country who has a better franchise than we do, but what do we need to do to win the whole thing,” Riley Jr. said after the season. “(The semifinals were) a great learning experience for us.”