World Bowl XXII RP/Roster Thread

[Saintland]

OOC: Just a reminder that RP bonuses for these next tiebreaker rounds will not carry over into the group stage. As mentioned in the Discussion Thread, I'm going with this format rather than an extended Casaran so that the final 7 spots can be determined in 2 days rather than 4-6. This next day will determine opponents for the teams ranked 26th-28th in the sort order. The remainder of the matchups will be announced in the results thread soon.

Tiebreaker Playoff Qualifying Round Schedule

#38 Anditia vs. #43 Anarchist States of America @ Royal Stadium, Saintland
#39 Torisakia vs. #42 Azurlavai @ Civitate Dei Stadium, Saintland
#40 Thatius vs. #41 The Sova Empire @ Via Damascus Stadium, Saintland

[The Fanboyists]

Allamunnic States Daily
World Bowl XXII Coverage

Regulars dominate Karditan 26-0
Both teams play starters, Regulars finish Casaran round 6-2

Both the Ironworkers of Karditan and the Regulars of the Allamunnic States entered their ninth meeting in five World Bowls eager to improve their positioning for the playoffs, coming in ready to play another defensive classic in a growing rivalry. Well, at any rate, the rivalry grew. But only the Regulars seemed to be truly ready, as they utilized a balanced attack and swarming defense to batter the Ironworkers into submission with a 26-0 shutout win, the fifth such result that the Regulars have recorded against Karditan.

The shut-out win also sees the Regulars finish the Casaran round with the #1 scoring defense, having only allowed 77 points in 8 games, or fewer than 10 points per game, while scoring an average of almost 24 points per game. The Regulars also finish ranked 5th out of the advancing teams, having quietly put together a very good campaign despite not grabbing the flashy offensive stats or headlines (positive or negative) that Cassadaigua, Saintland, and Gregoryisgodistan were.

Leif Erikson put together a solid game against Karditan's starting defense, going 15/20 for 205 yards and a touchdown (a 34-yard strike to Izaak Rolle) without any interceptions. Meanwhile, the Regulars fed all three running backs, giving 14 carries to Daanyl Wyndhorst (who rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown), 16 carries to Graagur Baaltrsunn (who rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown) and six rushes for Ole Nurdsunn (who rushed for 29 yards), resulting in a total of 440 yards from scrimmage for the Regulars as their return game was, as it has been throughout the 22nd World Bowl, a complete non-factor. The Regulars also scored on a 28-yard field goal by Justin Connors.

The defense also put together a dominant effort to shut down Karditan's previously-explosive offense, compiling 11 sacks and four turnovers as they prevented the Ironworkers from ever scoring. Two turnovers came off Norris interceptions, one snagged by Maarkus Staalhelm after he jumped a slant route. The other came on a heads-up play by Erik Dahlhorst to get under an under-thrown pass. One fumble was forced by Garrett Jorgesun and recovered by Henrik Baaldr in the first quarter, the second coming in the early third after Waldr Baersvylk dove on a ball jarred loose by an Honorius Waalturs sack (one of his three). Baaldr and Staalhelm also combined on a safety in the third quarter, part of the effort that definitively put the game away.

As a result, the Regulars will get to rest while eighteen teams play for playoff spots in a special tie-breaker round. They will have to watch to see who they draw when the playoffs take shape, but if the way they ended the qualifying stage was any indication, they should be ready to face whatever Saintland's selection committee can throw at them.

[The Fair Republic]

The Fair Republic Toucans lose today to the Equestrian States Fire Ponies 23-0 costing them a chance to qualify outright and forces them into a tiebreaker vs Kinzar. The Toucans had only 155 total yards on offence but did not turn the ball over. "Our offense could't score today." A sad Buck Naters said while speaking to the press." We had 2 chances to qualify and we lost both times and now we have to play and extra game to get into the group stage. Frankly I think were lucky to be only 1 spot out of qualifying. We played like total crap the last 2 games and now instead of having a couple of days off to rest and recuperate, we have to play another game or two. If we are going to advance tomorrow, we have to play our best football." The Toucans are 33rd currently in the standing and only need a win vs Kinzar to advance to the group stage.

Scoring Summary;
1st Quarter:
TES: 23 yard throw from Score to Hoops, Extra Point Good (2:15) Plays: 10, Yards: 63, TOP (6:57) 7-0 TES
2nd Quarter:
TES: 42 yard field goal by Blackstone, (0:11) Plays: 8, Yards: 54, TOP (2:29) 10-0 TES
3rd Quarter:
TES: 3 yard run by Lightning Bolt, Extra Point Good (7:47) Plays: 5, Yards: 24, TOP (1:45) 17-0 TES
TES: 55 yard field goal by Blackstone, (1:55) Plays: 9, Yards 42, TOP (2:16) 20-0 TES
4th Quarter:
TES: 47 yard field goal by Blackstone, (9:55) Plays: 4, Yards: 6, TOP (1:49) 23-0 TES

Game Preview:
#32 Kinzar vs. #33 The Fair Republic
This is it, win or go home for both teams. Kinzar has scored 26 points per game compared to the Toucans 18 points per game, giving them the slight offensive edge. However since the Wildcats have allowed 27 points a game compared to the Toucans 20, it is far from a sure thing for either the Wildcats or the Toucans. It will be important to see if the 67th ranked Wildcats defense will step up in the biggest game of their lives. For the Toucans after playing an elite Fire Ponies defense, this will them a chance for Buck Williams and company to thrive after a lackluster game.

Prediction:
Too close to call

[Anditia]

A tough loss against the Wolfen - Still a chance at group play
Ala D'Aubin -- FREE REPUBLICS

Coach Gregor Nestori knew the immeasurable odds that were facing them as the Wolves battled the Wolves during the final day of normal Casaran play in World Bowl XXII. Unfortunately, Anditia was not on the winning side, forcing a playoff vs the Anarchistic States of America during a short playoff round to break ties before the pool play.
Unusually humble and lacking some of his normal bravado during the post game conference, Coach Nestori was hopeful "We have a chance. No matter how we play, we've had some pretty tough games behind us and our boys played well. If we learned from those mistakes, we'll have a fighting chance against the ASA."
"I don't know what Nestori is talking about. We have more than a fighting chance, they're lousy!" Defensive Coordinator Myles Gallo commented. "They've allowed 217 points! Any team that allows that many have got to score, and they score about as well as we do - and we've been shut out twice!"
For my prediction this week, I expect the Anditon Wolves to do well in the game if everything goes as expected winning by a decent margin:
Anditia 24- Anarchistic States 13

[Qazox]

WGU 27
QZX 16

5-3 record, 21st overall ranking of the playoff teams. Good. We got everyone where we want them.

Score Summary
WGU- 99 yard KO return for TD by Lucos. PAT by Yshimo good. (7-0 West Guiana)
WGU- 34 yard TD run by Lucos. PAT by Yshimo good. (14-0 West Guiana)
QZX- 3 yard TD run by Marcos. PAT BY Haqemdal good. (14-7 West Guiana)
WGU- 33 yard FG by Yshimo. (17-7 West Guiana)
WGU- 9 yard TD run by Jemni. PAT by Yshimo good. (24-7 West Guiana)
QZX- 18 yard TD pass from Jackson to Reed. PAT by Haqemdal missed. (24-13 West Guiana)
QZX- 44 yard FG by Haqemdal. (24-16 West Guiana)
WGU- 37 yard FG by Yshimo. (27-16 West Guiana)

[Caek of the Wolfen]

(OOC: Sorry for the gap in my RPs, I had the flu so really wasn't able to do much...)

Wolves Narrowly Enter Group Stage!

The Iron Wolves today beat the Andita Wolves 31-7. What a coinicidence, however, that the Iron Wolves play the Wolves! Anyways, the game was sprinkled with spectacular plays from Caek, A.J Kendrickson, Alan Martellus, and Derek Monroe. To celebrate his final score, Caek jumped into crowd with some Wolfen fans, tooka nd posted a selfie with the Saint and posted it on several social media sites, including Howler (OOC : basically Twitter), Caek of the Wolfen's number one social media site. Andita's only score came from RB #20 Jeremiah Werner, who punched in a goal line run after the Wolfen had fumbled it. After the loss, Andita's coach, Gregor Nestori, was still hopeful that they could beat the Anarchist States this next week in order to stay in the running. However, the Wolfen have this off due to not having a mediocre record. They ended the Casaran stage with a #16 ranking.

Also, the reports of the signings of new players from the deaths of several players at the Gregoryisgodistan game a few games back. To replace Benjamin Morris comes in Dimitri Douglas, from Baal. Douglas one of the better linemen from the Baal Thunder. To replace Hershel Shannon comes Tit Mikaelsson from Lobos. Mikaelsson played 5 seasons with the Lobos Coyotes. To replace Jake Kidd comes Heckie Tjäder from Fenrisia. Tjäder has never played football before, as Fenrisia has no professional team, or sports really in general, but is known as one of the best warriors in the town. To replace Hunter Gaius comes Adrian Murdoch from Ale Island. Murdoch had over 2 sacks per game with the Ale Island Brewers. Lastly, to come in for Roy Kronjarn, is Gutrot Magork, who is an ork. If you don't know what an ork is, think of a huge, green-skinned, muscular man, who is slouched over and always wants to fight. (OOC: this may help explain better http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Orks) This is the makeup of the entire town of Thrakaton. This ork, however, is one of the most agile, and most civilized orks on the Thrakaton WAAAGH!

The Wolfen will enjoy their bye week as time to train these new recruits onto the National level.

[Lunar Republic Isands]

SHOCKING DEFEAT

Lunar Republic Islands 3–16 Texacano

The LRI started many backup players today to rest the starters since they were already advanced to the next round. It showed that they did indeed start backup players with 16-3 loss to Texacano.

"I know we started backup players but if we want to win the World Bowl. We have to beat these teams, no excuses. It's the only way. We gotta beat these teams. We're going to come ready to play with our starters." Coach Back said.

"It's devastating. Never want to lose like that." Quick Drift said. However he gave quite an inspirational that only made the team get hyped for Pool Play. They hope to win and move on.

[New Wolfopolis]

New Wolfopolis Falls to Taeshan, enters Tiebreaker
by Javier Johnson, International Sports Correspondent
johnsonj@lupiniatribune.nw

Our Wolfpack on the gridiron lost in the most crucial game of the World Bowl so far, 16-7 to the Taeshan Fitin' Falcons. Falcons quarterback Jeremy Dramona threw for 193 yards, going 21-43 with two touchdowns. Defensively for the Falcons, Jemilee Andrews had 7 sacks, including one for a safety, and 4 other TFL. Drew Lansbury contributed with two interceptions and a forced fumble. For the Wolfpack, Peter Plourde threw for 103 yards, going 13-31 with one touchdown and two interceptions. Alshon Manzera ran for 85 yards on 12 carries, one of his worst performances so far in the World Bowl. Here's what some Wolfpack players had to say about the game.

"We didn't play well," said Plourde, "plain and simple. Our defense did enough for us to win that game, and I couldn't pull it together. That one's on me. If my team and I had been better, we would've won that game. The defense did great, they only gave up 14. The offense needed to score more points and not make stupid mistakes, and we just couldn't do that. We couldn't score points. That game was bad, and it's on me. Now we need to make sure we play better against HopNation. They looked great in the Baptism, they look great so far in the World Bowl, they're a good team, and they're going to continue to be good for years to come. This year, however, we need to make sure we shut them down. We're going to have to play hard to with this one, and it will be a tough game."

"Oh, now that's a bunch of bulls***," said Manzera, about Plourde's remarks. "We win as a team, we lose as a team, and as a team, we didn't play well. Peter can't say he's the reason we lost, hell, I only ran for eighty-some f***ing yards. We, the entire offense, didn't play well, and that's not his fault, that's everyone. I'm not going to let you take Peter's words and make him the scapegoat just because he said so. He's modest, alright? We needed to play better, and we didn't. We definitely need to play better against the Malts. They'll be a challenge. We need to have some offense, not just defense."

"You think Plourde was full of bull," said Domanech, about Manzera's comments, "so was Manzera. The offense under-performed, sure, but the defense sure as hell didn't play well either. We didn't force any turnovers, and we didn't support our offense. We let Taeshan convert way too many third downs, and that really cost us. They're both wrong, it's not just the offense that needs to step it up, the defense does too. We really do. The Malts are definitely a tough team. Quarterback Fran Bradanning has played very well this cycle, and we're going to need to stop him if we want to have any chance of winning. I'm not letting one player or even one side of the ball take the blame for that loss. Manzera was on the right track with 'we lose as a team,' but we lose fully as a team, not just a half of a team. That's on everybody."

The Wolfpack takes on the HopNation Malts in a win-and-you're-in game to advance into the playoffs. The game will be on at 11:05 NWT on NWSN, with "Wolfpack Gridiron Live" going on before and after the game. You don't want to miss it, it'll be a great game!

[Stretta]

Daily news from the capital

BET SHOP KILLER IS CHARGED
by Keith Sutherland

A 44-year old man by the name of Jase Marks has today been formally charged with the murders of 3 people in downtown Giroux.

Police were called to the Galbrookes betting shop on Duncannon Street yesterday following a violent incident in which Marks savagely attacked 4 members of the public, one of whom is still in intensive care for his injuries. Marks was taken to the nearest police station, where he was held and questioned through the night.

A district-court judge sat the primary hearing this morning after it was rushed through as a point of national interest. Judge Frederick Hollings described the acts of Marks as "barbaric, without reason, and without cause". During the initial primary hearing, no verdict can be passed, but cases are heard in brief and passed on to another court for a full judicial hearing.

As part of todays primary hearing, the People's Prosecution submitted evidence collected by the police, and assured the judge that "their duty was not yet done, and that work is continuing to ensure complete and irrefutable evidence is in place for the trial". They also took time to describe the injuries of the 4th victim to the judge, and asked for a pending charge to be ammended to the case notes to reflect the condition of the 4th victim. Marks will either face 4 murder charges, or 3 murder charges and 1 attempted murder charge.

Police described how Marks placed a larger-than-normal bet on the final outcome of the Stretta-German-Zerabithea World Bowl match, and after losing, how he flew into a fit of rage at losing his money, taking out his aggression on those closest to hand. When police arrived minutes later, he was in a hightened state of aggression, yelling at the public and the officers present. They spoke of how he had shown no remorse once apprehended.

Following this evidence submission, Marks was asked for his plea. Sat stony-faced and reluctant to move, his lawyer stood in his place to issue a "not guilty plea on grounds of temporary insanity" - a plea that caused outrage in the courtroom.

A case has been scheduled for the 1st February to give police further time to collect evidence. Marks will be held in custody until the trial, and will be assessed by professionals for mental stability, Judge Hollings ruled.

Politicians have been talking about a review of gambling in light of the incident, with calls for more stringent legislation on betting stores. Meanwhile, the Strettan national gridiron football team released a statement on behalf of the players. "Our deepest sympathies are with those who have lost loved ones in Giroux. We are shocked and appalled by the news, and cannot begin to understand how such a horrible act could occur."

Stretta have since progressed into the second round of the World Bowl, and are said to have taken a day off from training for private reflection and a period of calm following the news.

[HopNation]

HopNation takes on Baptism of Iron runner up and wins, again. This win puts the Malts into a semi-playoff in order to make it into the next round of World Bowl XXII. The team was elated that they could back up one win against the Free Republics with a follow up performance. This time the score was a little further apart than one measly point, instead this time it was three whole points. So what does this mean, not much, well maybe next time the Malts meet the Republics the separation will be nine points. But for the Malts it really doesn’t mean much, except they are a step closer to their ultimate goal of someday winning the World Bowl, it is a baby step but still a step in the right direction. They have a long way to go as they will still need to win an additional game in order to actually make the big dance. The Malts have the day off and will get some much needed rest as they will be taking on New Wolfopolis. New Wolfopolis or the Wolfpack as they are known is currently ranked number 46 in the world and is holding down the number 29 spot in the Casaran stage of this World Bowl. We’ll have more on them prior to the match tomorrow, but for now we wish those bottom six teams luck in tonight’s games.

[Saintland]

This is your

Cutoff for the Tiebreaker Playoff Qualifying Round

EDIT: Results

[Free Republics]

OOC: RP bonuses obtained during the qualifying round have been reset. This only affects yesterday's RP from Anditia, as neither Torisakia nor Thatius RPed. As previously stated, bonuses are non-cumulative in the tiebreaker playoffs. For the 11 nations that did not have to qualify for tomorrow night's playoff games, RPs posted since last night's cutoff will count for tomorrow. Any RPs posted by a nation that has already advanced to the Group Stage between the end of the Casaran Stage and the start of the Group Stage will be counted for the first day of the Group Stage and will be cumulative.

Tiebreaker Playoff Schedule

#26 Nassau-Hessen vs. #39 Torisakia @ Podvez Field, Free Republics
#27 New North Aqmuland vs. #38 Anditia @ RayDome, Free Republics
#28 San Jose Guayabal vs. #40 Thatius @ Olden Stadium, Free Republics
#29 New Wolfopolis vs. #35 HopNation @ Gem of the Oceans Stadium, Free Republics
#30 Zhenovia vs. #36 Super-Llamaland @ MilaneseDome, Free Republics
#31 Osarius vs. #37 Shadowbourne @ PetroDome, Free Republics
#32 Kinzar vs. #33 The Fair Republic @ Church of Saintland Stadium, Free Republics

[HopNation]

Game Day 8.1 Preview – Loser Goes Home

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New Wolfopolis (46) vs HopNation (75)

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Gem of the Oceans Stadium, Free Republics | 101,208 cap |

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New Wolfopolis #29 – Wolfpack

The Wolfpack is a decent squad and is sitting a bit lower than we thought they would be after the major portions of the Casaran Stage concluded, but nonetheless they are where they are and need to win in order to move on. The team finished with 172 points for and 153 against, so they know how to put the ball into the end zone and through the uprights. The team started off okay as they beat The Glorious Commune in their opener, but then lost the next two games to German Zerabithea and then to Texacano. Their fourth game found them winning again, this time over Jeckland, this was followed by up by a loss to Shadowbourne. Games six and seven both resulted in wins for the Wolfpack, game six over The Stonedsurfers and game seven over Super-Llamaland. The final game of the stage was lost to Taeshan and this loss sent them into the tiebreaker. So, the team is coming off of a loss and will surely want to get back on track with this game and enter into the next stage of the World Bowl. The team runs more than they pass, they look to be lead by QB Peter Plourde and HB Alshon Manzera on offense and probably Thomas Domanech on defense, the team might be in their alternative reds for the game since this is somewhat of an alternative game, although they typically wear blue when listed as the home side.

HopNation #35 - Malts

The Malts must win in order to move on, but standing in front of them is the Wolfpack from New Wolfopolis. The Malts have the same record of 4-4, but they lack on the points scored as they have only scored 114 points. However, they have allowed less points than their opponent by only allowing 138 against them. They will need to make it past this minus twenty four point differential if they have any chance at making into the next stage. The team will be looking for Fran Bradanning to have a good game, but will most likely give the ball to AP Goreyou to see if he can continue his 100 yard per game streak. The Malt Marauders will look to continue their defensive dominance and hold the Wolfpack to minimal points, if any at all.

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Results
MD1: Malts 10 – 7 Ati Kaluraya
MD2: Karditan 20 – 0 Malts
MD3: Estope 52 – 21 Malts
MD4: Chunnan 3 – 16 Malts
MD5: RKQ 13 – 0 Malts
MD6: The Glorious Commune 21 – 14 Malts – OT
MD7: The Knox Valley 0 – 28 Malts
MD8: Malts 25 - 22 Republicans
MD8.1 (tiebreaker): Wolfpack – Malts
Record
4-4
Win|Loss

Prediction: Wolfpack 7 – 10 HopNation

This game is win or go home for both squads. Will the Wolfpack stumble again coming off a loss in their previous game? Will the Malts continue their two game win streak and make it three in a row? We think both of those will be answered with a resounding YES. The Malts will control the game, keeping the ball on the ground in order to burn clock, while their defensive unit will hold the Wolfpack at bay. This win means that the Malts will be heading into the second stage of World Bowl XXII while the Wolfpack will be packing their bags and heading home with their tail between their legs.

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( ) number next to each team in the versus section is current World Bowl Rank after BOI 15
# next to each team in the team overview section is current Casaran round rank.
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec was shortened to RKQ simply for space in the results section, sorry for that, but it messed with the look to have it all spelled out.

[Anditia]

Anditia wins in a Rout
Ala D'Aubin -- SAINTLAND

Quarterback Marc Barnhardt threw for two touchdowns and ran in another during Anditia's 47-14 rout of the Anarchistic States of America. Not to be outshined by his QB, running back Liam "The Rhino" Uberrara added an additional 172 yards of rushing and two touchdowns.
"It was a surprise to us as much as it was to everyone else, but it truly shows what a bit of gumption and a nice hard pounding of the rock will get you." Coach Gregor Nestori was excited following the win. "We've had a nice run so far, but we're still facing the uphill. Next up we've got the (New North Aqmuland) Maroon Lions - and our boys are focusing their efforts on them right now. Can't celebrate too much yet - its a tough road to hoe."
While it may be "a tough road to hoe" that road may not be as rocky as it had been in the past. The Maroon Lions, coached by Mikel Dumsakwire, have been inconsistent at best during their run in WBXXII. Their record (4-4 +40 points) has been helped by a recent drubbing of New Tebow, 57-14 and weakling Baughmerica during Casaran 4. Aside from that, the team has failed to score more than 14 points in three of their 4 losses - scoring only 3 in one and shut out in the other.
"It seems as though when they win, they win big. When they lose, they lose big. We've got to make sure that we don't let them get out in front and we'll be okie-dokie." Defensive Coordinator Myles Gallo analyzed. Strangely, it seems as though Gallo could have been talking about his own Wolves - who have failed to break 9 points in 3 of their losses- being shut out twice.
This reporter has got to agree with DC Gallo - we've got to make sure that they don't get out front and continue the spectacular scoring run that we've been on. With that said, I figure that it will be a decent game, with Anditia winning.
Anditia 27 - New North Aqmuland 14

[Gregoryisgodistan]

THE LORD'S WORD

OOC: This is an article from a Gregoryisgodistani newspaper, which is essentially state propaganda mixed with a wee bit of fact.

Gregoryisgodistan Advances to Group Stage of World Bowl

The Gregoryisgodsitan Grid Slaves got out of the Casaran with a 6-2 record, and more importantly, never had to travel to Saintland once. Now, they have advanced to the Round of 32, and will play a single round robin against three other teams in Saintland and/or Free Republics. The top two advance to the round of 16, and it will be single elimination from there out. The brave and noble enemy crushers will look to dominate opponents once again, but the team will once again be without Enemy Crusher Porky von Porker, who is still sitting in Republican prison, now being held in solitary confinement after attempting to crush a guard and escape.

However, Porky von Porker only played approximately 3.2 percent of snaps, so this is no great loss. More important is the looming threat of war with Free Republics. Lord Almighty Gregory has threatened to drop solar powered bombs on Free Republics and kill up to 50 million people, perhaps more, if Enemy Crusher Porky von Porker is not released. According to the Lord, "Being held in solitary confinement is inhumane. Being held in those Republican prisons is inhumane. Enemy Crusher Porky von Porker has done his duty and has been punished for it. We must condemn the Free Republics. I urge them to release Enemy Crusher Porky von Porker immediately, or I may be forced to bomb that nation. Furthermore, any additional arrests of Enemy Crushers, Pervert Chasers, or any other members of the Gregoryisgodistani delegation by either Sanctii or Republican authorities will be responded to very harshly. We are not afraid to bomb your nation and completely anhillate it."

The draw for the group stage will be held once all teams have advanced, but for now, there are still several other qualification matches to be played in the tiebreaker round. Gregoryisgodistan did not need to play in that round due to their strong performance in the Casaran, a unique format used for this World Bowl after Saintland was unable to use it in the World Cup due to the brave and noble World Cup president stopping that wicked man who does not deserve a name from cheating.

We here at the Lord's Word encourage Free Republics to release our brave and noble Enemy Crusher Porky von Porker, and encourage Lord Almighty Gregory to annihilate them if they fail to do so. For now though, we wish to cheer on our Grid Slaves in the Round of 32, wherever they end up. It will certainly be an interesting rest of the World Bowl, and we are really looking forward to it.

Finally, we wish to remind everyone that the original King Paulus XV was killed by Gregoryisgodistani military in the raid that freed a Sanctii activist group from prison school and that the man who is claiming to be King Paulus XV is his identical twin brother, also named Paulus, who succeeded him to the throne. Furthermore, the woman claiming to be Sister Maria Polus is not her, because she was killed in retaliation for trying to assassinate Lord Almighty Gregory. We have been unable to ascertain her true identity, but Gregoryisgodistani investigative intelligence forces are currently looking into it. (OOC: None of this paragraph is remotely true.)

[New North Aqmuland]

It's game day for the Maroon Lions, as they take on Anditia and their Wolves in a winner takes all match to advance to the World Bowl proper. For the first time, the Enquirer has provided us with match analysis and some basic knowledge of the teams for the big day.

Jackson March wrote the following commentary about the team and their chances on his blog, [url]themarchofjackson.nq[/url].

"Maybe it's just me, or maybe I'm confused. I don't know, it just seemed like we didn't really deserve the ranking we got. I mean, we didn't score as much as a lot of other teams, and we only really won big against teams like New Tebow and bottom rock Juan del Pastel. I don't think it's entirely fair to Anditia that they had to play an extra game.

However, this is big for us. The Wolves will be tired, and we have had a day of rest for which we trained. Hard. I think these boys have a good chance in this one. Call us ahead of ourselves, but I think we can look forward to being in our first World Bowl this year.

Anditia Wolves
Rank: Unranked
Seed: 40
Biggest Win: 47-14 over Anarchist States of America
Biggest Loss: 0-31 to Estope

The Wolves have been on both sides of the spectrum as of late, with their largest win, by 33 points, coming in their last game to get out of the playoff, while they also endured their largest loss to Estope not too long ago.

The Wolves had a point differential of -32, scoring only 93 points. However, a staunch defense will be hard to fight, as they only gave up 125 points, one of the best in the tournament.

On the other side...

(OOC: Mostly because I don't know how much time I'll have, I'm skipping the in depth stuff for my own team.)

New North Aqmuland Maroon Lions
Rank: T-100
Seed: 27
Biggest Win: 53-12 New Tebow
Biggest Loss: 14-47 Kinzar

Without further ado, I give you the prediction for the winner takes all match of this World Bowl qualifying stage.

New North Aqmuland Maroon Lions 33 vs. 30 Anditia Wolves

Why?: The stronger defense and offense for the Maroon Lions prevail, and Anditia falls in a close match well contested by both sides.

[Super-Llamaland]

Crisis in New Llama

Gregoryisgodistan strikes against peace-seeking president, president alive but 3 killed

An unnamed man who was identified as being from Gregoryisgodistan has made an attempt on the life of President Christopher O'Reilly, 52. O'Reilly survived a gunshot to the knee and is recovering in a nearby hospital that will remain unnamed for quite obvious reasons. However, three of O'Reilly's guards were murdered in the assassination attempt.

The assassin snuck in through a back door, shot the guard there with a pistol or handgun that was later disposed of, and then killed the two guards in O'Reilly's room. A shot on O'Reilly hit his knee, while two shots on Mrs. Nora Barlow O'Reilly, the First Lady, missed. The assassin then attempted to escape out the window, but guards knocked him unconscious, forcing him to drop the gun onto the pavement below, shattering it.

The assassin was taken to solitary confinement in a nearby prison. He did not identify himself but claimed repeatedly that "Lord Almighty Gregory" would punish their "Free Republics-loving ways".

In other news, the Llamaland Gridiron Warriors will play third-place BoI finisher Zhenovia for a chance to qualify for the World Bowl 22 Group Stage. You can't miss it tonight at 6:30 LST.

[Free Republics]

This

Cutoff for the Tiebreaker Playoff

is brought to you by Sporting World Magazine, which has been covering the world of sports from a fair and balanced perspective for over 100 years.

[Saintland]

Pots for Group Draw

Pot 1: Allamunnic States, Cassadaigua, Equestrian States, German Zerabithea, Qazox, Saintland, Stretta, West Guiana
Pot 2: Accardola, Darmen, Karditan, Ko-oren, Osarius, Taeshan, The Royal Kingdom of Quebec, Vettrera
Pot 3: Estope, Gregoryisgodistan, Lunar Republic Islands, New Wolfopolis, Texacano, The Fair Republic, The Serbian Empire, West Angola
Pot 4: Anditia, Ati Kaluraya, Caek of the Wolfen, Cosumar, Gaveo, Nassau-Hessen, Super-Llamaland, Thatius


Group Draw

Group A (Royal Stadium, Saintland)

Ati Kaluraya
New Wolfopolis
Darmen
Saintland

Group B (Civitate Dei Stadium, Saintland)

Super-Llamaland
Estope
Taeshan
Equestrian States

Group C (Royal Park, Saintland)

Caek of the Wolfen
West Guiana
West Angola
Vettrera

Group D (Via Damascus Stadium, Saintland)

Texacano
Accardola
Stretta
Cosumar

Group E (MilaneseDome, Free Republics)

The Fair Republic
Qazox
Gaveo
Karditan

Group F (Church of Saintland Stadium, Free Republics)

Cassadaigua
Gregoryisgodistan
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Nassau-Hessen

Group G (PetroDome, Free Republics)

Ko-oren
Allamunnic States
The Serbian Empire
Anditia

Group H (Olden Stadium, Free Republics)

German Zerabithea
Lunar Republic Islands
Osarius
Thatius

Schedule

Group Stage Day 1 - 1v4, 2v3
Group Stage Day 2 - 4v3, 1v2
Group Stage Day 3 - 2v4, 3v1

[The Fair Republic]

The Fair Republic Toucans win over Kinzar 30-15 in the tiebreaker, clinching a spot in the group stage. Adrian Crawford ran for 3 scores and 200 yards while the defense forced 3 turnovers. "We scored when it counted." An excited Buck Naters exclaims. "Now we know that we can win under pressure and have a chance to advance further in the World Bowl.

Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter:
KNZ: 45 yard field goal by Matt Victorino (10:36) Plays: 7, Yards: 55, TOP (4:24) 3-0 KNZ
TFR: 75 yard run by Adrian Crawford, Extra Point Good (10:27) Plays: 1, Yards: 75, TOP (0:09) 7-3 TFR
TFR: 16 yard run by Adrian Crawford, Extra Point Good (5:03) Plays: 5, Yards: 63, TOP (2:23) 14-3 TFR
KNZ: 32 yard field goal by Matt Victorino (0:17) Plays: 11, Yards: 72, TOP (4:46) 14-6 TFR
2nd Quarter:
KNZ: 2 yard run by Jack Stackhouse, 2 point conversion failed (10:32) Plays: 6, Yards: 15, TOP (2:02) 14-12 TFR
KNZ: 54 yard field goal by Matt Victorino (0:25) Plays: 9, Yards: 46, TOP (2:03) 15-14 KNZ
3rd Quarter:
TFR: 23 yard field goal by Brandon Yarlson (9:34) Plays: 15, Yards: 83, TOP (5:26) 17-15 KNZ
TFR: 46 yard field goal by Brandon Yarlson (4:25) Plays: 3, Yards: 6, TOP (1:16) 20-15 KNZ
4th Quarter:
TFR: 41 yard field goal by Brandon Yarlson (12:24) Plays: 6, Yards: 13, TOP (2:15) 23-15 TFR
TFR: 8 yard run by Adrian Crawford, Extra Point Good (5:55) Plays: 17, Yards: 90, TOP (6:11) 30-15 TFR

Group Stage Preview:
The Fair Republic (32) vs Karditan (10):
The Toucans face a stiff opening challenge by Karditan. The Ironworkers went 5-3 finishing 20th in overall. A well balanced team, it will take a team effort by the Toucans to pull off the victory.

The Fair Republic (32) vs Qazox (1):
They are #1 for a reason. The defending champs shook off a sluggish start to finish 21st with a 5-3 record. There are so many things that could be said about Liam Abbot's spread option attack led by Nate Jackson at QB, but the one thing that sticks is that you could be blown out of the water in a blink of an eye. Defence will be the key if the Toucans wish to remain competitive in the game.

The Fair Republic (32) vs Gaveo (27):
Little is known about 27th ranked Gaveo. Despite having no official roster and a defense that allows 24 points a game, they have qualified with a 5-3 record in 25th place. This will be the most winnable game for the Toucans and a win in the other 2 games could give them a chance to get into the round of 16

[Ko-oren]

Playoffs and Group Stage

25 nations were lucky enough to make it to the World Bowl without playoffs; 17 were not. The lowest ranked 6 of these first played each other: these included our old opponents Thatius (whom we beat 13-7). The playoffs also featured Anditia: one of the few teams who did not manage to score a hundred points in eight games. This includes all of the nations who did not make the playoffs at all, too! The first playoff round consisted of these games:

Anditia 47–14 Anarchist States of America
Torisakia 9–3 Azurlavai
Thatius 29–13 The Sova Empire

In which our low-scoring Anditia makes it from under 100 to exactly 150 in one game, and Thatius easily beat the Sova Empire. Anditia's Marc Bernhardt had a great day passing, and Uberrara followed in his quarterback's form by rushing 172 yards and adding 12 points to the team's total. Other presses refused to comment on their team's failure or victory, but Torisakia's staff couldn't have been too happy at the meager win. A win is a win, but building confidence for the second playoff round is something else. The second round:

Nassau-Hessen 20–16 Torisakia
New North Aqmuland 13–22 Anditia
San Jose Guayabal 14–21 Thatius
New Wolfopolis 10–0 HopNation
Zhenovia 20–33 Super-Llamaland
Osarius 40–24 Shadowbourne
Kinzar 15–30 The Fair Republic

Torisakia fell to Nassau-Hessen, but at least they scored more points than earlier. Anditia upset New North Aqmuland, and Thatius had a good 7-point victory over San Jose Guayabal. New Wolfopolis shut out HopNation, Super-Llamaland was the second highest scoring team during the second playoff round against our earlier opponents Zhenovia (3-43 for Ko-oren), and our other opponents Osarius (27-14 for Ko-oren) were the highest scoring team against Shadowbourne, but they ended up conceding a lot of points as well. Lastly the Fair Republic had double the amount of points as Kinzar.

The Malts from HopNation had good faith they could beat the Wolfpack, but they knew they would have a difficult game against a high scoring opponent. In the end, that high scoring opponent even shut out the Malts, something that happened twice before to them in the Casaran (two losses against Karditan (20-0) and RKQ (13-0)). Another Wolf team (Anditia), was thought to have the lower ground against New North Aqmuland due to the extra playoff game they were forced to play. It turned out that didn't work as the Maroon Lions hoped. Both teams were adamant that they would win, too. The Wolves were a bit more hopeful than the Maroon Lions, so that was slightly realistic. The Fair Republic beat Kinzar, two teams that were close to another after the Casaran: 4-4 and where Kinzar had -11 PD, the Fair Republic had -12. Three turnovers allowed by a bad Kinzar offense saw the Fair Republic advance.

Now it is time for the group stage: the final 32 teams. 25 from the Casaran stage and another seven from the playoffs. The pots were arranged by pre-Casaran ranking, so some eyebrows were raised by well-performing teams that were set back a pot because they did not do as well in earlier World Bowls. As far as our own record goes: we started in the 19th, in Michael VII, where we went 0-10 immediately, not the best start. Still not the least scoring team (49 points in 10 games): that honor went to Banthegia (16(!!) points in 10 games, and they still managed to win one). In our second attempt, we still could have made the final 16 on the second-to-last day behind Thrilledge, but Yesopalitha qualified. Still, the Greenblues won 10 out of 14 games, which is a pretty drastic improvement from our first cycle. Going 10-4, we still managed to get a barely positive PD. The next World Bowl, in Carasatoga, we were in a difficult group with German Zerabithea and Thatius, along with the surprising Konariona and the up-and-coming (yet at the time not as destructive) Gregoryisgodistan. After a short group stage, the Greenblues qualified with 5-1, being by far (very, very far) the least scoring final 16 team with just 75 points in 6 games. The second group stage was not as forgiving, and against West Angola, West Guiana and West Allamunnic States, the Greenblues went out scoring just 9 points in the 12 quarters (another 14 points were scored in the overtime versus the Allamunnic States after the game ended 0-0).

After one self-destructive cycle, one cycle where we just missed out on the action, and one fairly good cycle, the Greenblues are in the Group stage again. This time as a second pot team, behind (once again) Allamunnic States, and before the Serbian Empire and Anditia.

Allamunnic States
Casaran: 5th, 6-2, +113 PD
Ranking: 5th
Last game: 26-0 win over Karditan

The Serbian Empire
Casaran: 24th, 5-3, +37 PD
Ranking: 18th
Last game: 23-17 win over San Jose Guayabal

Anditia
Casaran: 38th, 4-4, -32 PD
Ranking: UR
Last game: (Casaran) 31-7 loss against Caek of the Wolven, (Playoffs) 22-13 win over New North Aqmuland

Some variety of teams here. One that is ranked far above us, and even ranked above us in Casaran. The team that we also played 0-0 against in last World Bowl, and despite their 0-3 in that group stage, it seems like it is going to be another nailbiter during this group stage. Hopefully one with us advancing. Still, with just a one-game record against Allamunnic States, we are 1-0. Chance we will win this one? Not too high, we're afraid.

The Serbian Empire is almost at exactly our level. Ranking-wise. 18th, versus our 16th, is not too much of a difference. Their Casaran did not go as expected though, and they ended up with three losses. They have a tendency to allow points though, which is exactly what we need while we keep our defense shut.

Anditia is the underdog-feelgood-story still in the World Bowl. 4-4 in the Casaran stage, they went to the first round of playoffs... second round... group stage. Unranked when they started their first World Bowl game on MD1 of the Casaran stage, they showed that rank means nothing.

The bad thing: if the pots are actually arranged top to bottom, we are in a group with two pot leaders: Allamunnic States, first in pot 1, and Anditia, first in pot 4.

Predictions:
13-3 win v. Anditia
7-17 loss v. Allamunnic States
10-7 win v. the Serbian Empire

The PetroDome in the Free Republics will be a new venue to us: we have dodged it throughout the Casaran stage. Only Anditia has played there before.

All eyes on Group A though: Saintland, Darmen and New Wolfopolis are in there. The hosts, with an excellent 8-0 record (which we sadly weren't able to best on the last day...), together with the team we like to see lose, and an impressively improving team. Group B has the big names: Estope, Taeshan and the Equestrian States... all in the top 20 of the world. Super-Llamaland might be unranked, they sure want to prove themselves. Like last World Bowl, the two western teams are together: West Guiana and West Angola. This entire World Bowl is a big WB XXI reunion, with them together and us together with the Allamunnic States. Group D is going to be interesting: no large teams, but mainly lower ranked teams here. Group E has world's number one Qazox, Group F has both the 6th and 7th team of the world (Cassadaigua and RKQ), together with Gregoryisgodistan's fireworks. Group H, lastly, has two of our earlier opponents, Thatius and Osarius, with German Zerabithea, the team we dodged in Casaran despite us lurking around their seeding for a while, and the Lunar Republic Islands.

[Cassadaigua]

Sarah Reynolds was beginning to feel as though the case was slipping away. CRIU seemed to be getting all the breaks, and so far she didn’t have the one technicality she could use against Katie Parker and the prosecution. Her defense, that it would have been impossible for Kinson to have been on the plane had obvious holes in it. While it was great that CRIU still had never come up with a fake ID in the name of Danielle Sutterby in Kinson’s possession or at her residence, that did not seem to be enough to give jury enough of a reasonable doubt to get a verdict of “not guilty”. She was aware of the people that Parker had lined up to testify, and to this point she did not have the lineup. The news was mentioning the firing of Marie Tannenbaum and proclaiming it as having something to do with this case and that Tannenbaum would testify for the defense. Reynolds let the media say that, because it gave the appearance that she had a better case then she really did. However, she knows why she was fired, and in fact, was the one who probably got her fired in the first place for taking the breath mint out of Kinson’s mansion; so there would be no desire to talk to her.

Meanwhile, Sarah’s cellphone was lighting up, and her e-mail overflowing, not with things that can help her in this case, but from other people wishing to hire her as their attorney. As the most successful defense attorney in Cassadaigua, there was never a shortage of people willing to pay for her services, and she was beginning to wonder if she should be focusing her attention elsewhere at this point. Reading through the messages, she clicked on the one from Cordelia Naylor. You may recall that Naylor was the second of the two CRIU officials that Beckett had named, and was promptly forced to take a “paid vacation”. The media hadn’t attached itself to that story as much as the Tannenbaum one, but Naylor wanted to meet Reynolds privately, and Sarah agreed to meet her at Cordelia’s estate.

“Hello Sarah, welcome, come inside.”

“Very impressive house, you have.”

“Thank Meghan! Now, we really have to talk. I can help you. Has Meghan talked about me?”

“Not a whole lot, but I am aware of who you are. I’m a little hesitant to talk to you with your CRIU affiliation, but I guess right now it is ok.”

“Thanks. Now, how do we survive this?”

Sarah hated that. She represented too many people who would admit to her that they did the crime, and right away would ask her what her plan was for her to get them off. That is never why she got into this field, she always viewed herself as an important cog of the justice system, protecting those who were innocent against false allegations, or protecting those who may have done something wrong, against an excessive punishment. If she didn’t initially believe Kinson could be innocent, she wouldn’t have accepted this case to begin with, and was now becoming frustrated with all the layers of corruption that were involved with it. It became an accepted part of her job, but she never liked it. But to hear someone like Naylor, someone who had a great job, be an accomplice in a murder and then have them look in you in the eye and ask you how they survive; it made Sarah want to smack her in the face. Hard.

“Cordelia, I must admit that you are in trouble right now. If they get a conviction on Meghan, the dominoes are going to fall with you and Marie. You were both accessories to the murder.”

“Shhh, don’t say that too loud. Don’t want the kids to think mommy did that.”

Sarah sighed, wanting to smack her once again, not just because of the comment but because of the annoying chuckle after it. “Well, Cordelia, the case will be beginning soon. Jury selection is tomorrow, and quite frankly it is not my job to get you off. Meghan Kinson is my client. Not you.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. I’m going home.”

“Sarah Reynolds, the hero of criminals everywhere, putting the bad girls and guys back out on the street whenever they can so they can commit more crime; is backing down? Look how much money will it take?”

“I don’t need your money. Most of it already belongs to my client anyway, doesn’t it?” Reynolds got in her car and left with nothing more being said and immediately headed to speak to Kinson one more time. Katie Parker began the same bit of gamesmanship that was so customary between the two, but stopped when she saw that Reynolds seemed to be quite bothered with something. Katie liked that. A lot.

Once inside, Reynolds began one last talk with her client before the jury would be selected the next morning.

“Meghan, hello. How is everything, all things considered.”

“I’m really tired of being in here.”

“You do know that Marie is fired and Cordelia is on paid administrative leave, right?”

“Yes I heard. Stupid reason to fire Marie but Cordelia is a hero for us.”

“Cordelia is a bitch.”

“Oh Sarah don’t say that. If it wasn’t for her, well, you know.”

“What? You need to be telling me everything.”

“Cordelia was in there the night I was arrested and got anything out of there that could incriminate me.” (Pauses) “Come on Sarah, smile!”

“There is no way we are going to win with the current defense. None. So, the only way I can save you is to pin the blame on Marie and Cordelia. Call them out, and say you were just there to get Ashley to open the door to her hotel room, because she would trust you. Marie and Cordelia have plenty of motive also, to want Ashley dead, because if the rape allegations ever came true, they are getting fired and going to jail as well, for quite a long time. Their firings now easily point to the corruption that went on within CRIU. They were leaders in the rape investigation, so they were able to have that investigation go exactly as they planned. Oh boy, if Ashley ever confessed to what happened there, they were in real deep shit, not only you. In fact, they may have been in even deeper trouble.”

“Interesting.”

“So when Ashley called you after game one, you became scared that she would confess. You then contacted Marie, who became petrified and immediately planned out the murder of Ashley Stokes. You did not want to participate, but were scared of retaliation by CRIU if you refused, so you went along with it.”

“I like it.”

“It’s not going to get you off completely, but if we approach it this way, the jury will certainly have reasonable doubt as to who actually pulled the trigger, and render a verdict of not guilty. Then, CRIU will apprehend these two, and any blaming of you will look like a move of desparation. You will still eventually have to face charges of being an accomplice, but CRIU will take a plea bargain there, I am sure, to minimize any time you serve. CRIU doesn’t want to look like the enemy here, and if the shooter came from within, they will want this story to die down real fast. The approach really makes some of the testimony they’ll get from people like Beckett and Geraci meaningless, because it’s not going to be something that you actually deny either. Beckett admitting to a rape can easily being torn apart in court. Don’t worry about that.”

“You’re the best, Sarah!”

“Thank you, I love pulling these out when least expected.”

Reynolds got back in her car and headed home. No, she didn't like what she was about to do, but was motivated by the arrogance of Tannenbaum and Naylor and refused to let them get off completely. After all, they were not her clients.

[Lunar Republic Isands]

Group H (Olden Stadium, Free Republics)

German Zerabithea
Lunar Republic Islands
Osarius
Thatius


The LRI is set to play German Zerabithea, Osarius, and Thatius in Group H of the World Bowl. The current goal is to win.

"We made it this far, we sure as heck aren't stopping here. At least two wins can get us to advance. Winning all three would even be better. We gotta go out there, focus, concentrate and play hard." Coach Billy Back stated.

"We can do this. We can win. We gotta continue doing what we have been doing. It's all about winning and getting the points to advance. We want to make this country proud and strong in football and we've shown it so far." Quick Drift stated on HoofBook.

"I am very proud of this team. They've gotten far. The team will have full strength and hopefully we can win Group Play. Good luck football team!" Prince Gray said in an interview.

[Anditia]

Wolves beat Maroon Lions in a smash and bash affair
Ala D'Aubin -- FREE REPUBLICS

"Holy Mother of the Great Protector! That was a good one!" Defensive Coordinator Myles Gallo stated during the final seconds of the Anditon Wolves 22-13 win over New North Aqmuland. The surprising score of 22 points came largely due to the Anditon defense who scored a touchdown and safety during the first half - bringing the score at the half to 9-7. The second half was dominated by the ground-and-pound styling of "The Rhino" as he rumbled his way to 97 yards and a touchdown during the second half. An additional two field-goals by each team brought the final score to 22-13.

Despite winning their past two win-and-in games, the Anditon Wolves once again see themselves at the bottom of the proverbial ladder. Luckily, hopes are high in Anditia with the World Bowl XXII out performing the local Järvboll National Championships in local media and on national television. This surprising turn of events has made AMFL commissioner Hallah Vartus quite pleased. In a statement to the media, saying:
"WBXXII has done nothing but good for our sport at a national and international level. We were expecting our team to fight its way to the round of 32 and they've made it. For our first go-round at one of these types of tournaments, we as an association, could not be more pleased. Remember the joy of these games when the AMFL season starts in spring. Go Wolves!"

As the 38th ranked team the Wolves have been placed as the 4 seed in a decently tough division including 5th ranked Allamunnic States, 7th ranked Ko-orean and 24th ranked The Serbian Empire. The venue for the group play will be the PetroDome of the Free Republics where the Anditon Wolves beat the Moose of Jeckland 13-0. Hopefully, the Wolves will be able to either make their way through the group stage and continue their Cinderella like run or at least play spoiler to the higher ranked teams in the group.
Our predictions are as follows:
vs. Allamunnic States loss - 21-7
vs. Ko-orean loss - 17-13
vs. The Serbian Empire win - 20-17

Good luck Wolves!

[Qazox]

THE GROUP STAGE

FAIR REPUBLIC (5-4)
How they got here: Beat Kinzar 30-15 in playoff.
Pre-World Bowl Rank: 78th
OUTLOOK: While not a contender, not yet anyway, The Fair Republic will be the most likely team to go 0-3 in this group. Not a slam against this upcoming team, but if they win a game, it will likely be vs. Gaveo.

QAZOX (5-3)
How they got here: Automatically qualified
Pre-World Bowl Rank: 1st
OUTLOOK: To be honest, the Sharks have underwhelmed this World Bowl. If they wish to repeat as Champs, they have to start playing like it now. Expect a 2-1 group record though, with another loss to Karditan.

GAVEO (5-3)
How they got here: Automatically qualified
Pre-World Bowl Rank: 27th
OUTLOOK: The only auto-qualifier to be out scored by their opponents, Gaveo slid in as the final team to qualify directly. A very streaky team that can play with the best teams, but will likely not advance. Already beat Fair Republic once.

KARDITAN (5-3)
How they got here: Automatically qualified
Pre-World Bowl Rank: 10th
OUTLOOK: Started 4-0, but slid to a 1-3 finish. Did dominate Qazox 33-17 before the slide. The Ironworkers have the talent to win a World Bowl, and despite the preliminary record are the favorites to win this group.

PREDICTIONS:
Karditan 27- Fair Republic 17
Qazox 31- Gaveo 10
Karditan 30- Gaveo 17
Qazox 24- Fair Republic 20
Fair Republic 30- Gaveo 20
Karditan 28- Qazox 23

KRD 3-0
QZX 2-1
TFR 1-2
GAV 0-3