World Bowl XXIX- Everything Thread (IC-Only)

[The united states of Saints]

Paladins advance to Quarterfinals! Win first playoff game against Abanhfleft 6-20

Aprilian Times -- The Paladins defeated Abanhfleft 6-20 in their first ever international playoff game. The offense and defense were very solod as both handled their respective sides of the ball really well. Abanhfleft, a more conservative offensively styled team had played really well to get into the playoff, but could not do much against the Paladins defense that awaited them. There was one injury in this game and that was Defensive End Josh Holloway from The Paladins. Josh Holloway has been an exceptional player for this defense and they will surely miss him, but Coach Agresta responded to this saying, "The defense will still be as strong as ever because when one falls the rest rise up to hold the opposition. Now for who shall replace him...well I have two other very talented defensive ends which its hard to choose but seeing who our next opponent is I think that Kay Butler is the one with the capability to fill the hole that has appeared in our defensive front." Holloway was injured on a 2nd and 4 down with 7:38 left in the fourth quarter. As he tackled Abanhfleft Tailback Dimitri Faure, his right shoulder slammed into the ground, it was reported that when the Athletic trainers looked at him his shoulder was sprained and that a nerve was most likely aggravated a lot as Holloway said his arm and shoulder felt numb but his shoulder hurt to move in certain ways. He is expected to be out for the next playoff game.

The Paladins offense were sound once again as they put 20 points on the board with seven points coming in the first half and 13 in the second. Matt Whelan scored the Paladins first touchdown near the end of the first quarter on a 17 yard Touchdown pass. The second Touchdown was scored by Fullback Diego Sanchez from 4 yards out in the middle of the third quarter. Louis Nakamura kicked a fieldgoak from 44 yards out on The Paldins' first possession of the second half and another from 38 yards out in the end of the fourth. Matt Whelan went 26-35 passing for 236 yards, 1 TD, 0 interceptions, and was sacked once. Miguel Black rushed for 101 yards on 24 carries without fumbling the ball. Diego Sanchez rushed for 21 yards on five carries, 1 TD and also did not fumble the ball.

Abanhfleft's offense could not get much going against The Paladins they scored all 6 of their points in the first half specifically the first quarter. On their opening drive they managed to kick a field goal from 40 yards out. The field goal was kicked by Cleveland Hyneman. In the last drive to end the first quarter, Hyneman kicked a 48 yard field field goal. Abanhfleft's Quarterback, Radomel Santos seemed to have a disappointing game, went 19-34 passing for 159 yards, was sacked 3 times, and had the ball intercepted twice. Damitri Faure rushed for 70 yards on 18 carries. The bad performances by these two can be traced back to the offensive line who struggled against The Paladins defensive front.

The defense for The Paladins were once again outstanding. They were constantly beating the offensive line to get to the Quarterback sacking him 3 times and hit him 7 times. They didn't cause a fumble this game but didn't let the Tailback do much only gaining 70 yards for Abanhfleft. The secondary intercepted the ball twice and deflected the ball 4 times. Abanhfleft's defense seemed to do almost as bad as the offense but managed to sack Matt Whelan once and deflected the ball twice.

In other Playoff matches in Drawkland, Allamunic states defeated Gregoryisgodistan 10-3 @ Metro arena in the city of Metropolon. Anglatia beat San Jose Guayabal 21-14 @ Hellenmack Stadium in Hellenmack. Previously undefeated team, Equestrian States fell to Ethane 7-10 @ Lookout Stadium in Drawk City. Allamunic States will face off against Anglatia in Metropolon in the quarterfinals while The Paladins will play against Ethane in Hellenmack.

---

The players all celebrated their first playoff win while Coach Agresta walked in. They all stopped knowing he was about to speak and looked at him.

"Boys, we are headed to the quarterfinals. Now don't start yelling and screaming because at this point it is a bit annoying and like I said last time save it for when we win the World Bowl. You all know about Josh Holloway and is Injury so I want you guys to give him a hand for his performance thus far in the tournament and for when he played today."

All the players stood and gave a round of apllause to Josh who was sitting on a bench holding his right shoulder while giving off a huge smile.

"How you feel Josh?" Coach Agresta asked.

"I feel fine but it hurts to move it."

"Well then rest up on the way to Hellenmack because that's where we play next. Kay Butler you will fill in for Josh in this quarterfinals and possibly the semi's if he is not fine by then and I want you to help him load his stuff on the bus because we leave in 2 hours. So everybody pack up your stuff so we can get their and rest for our match against Ethane, oh and make sure to give everyone one heck of a game. Dismissed!"

[Anglatia]

OOC: Shorter than I wanted because I'm sick right now. Let's just say the part about Trista's anemia was written from firsthand experience...
ETID - Part Eight

Trista Prust blamed the first death entirely on herself. She should have seen it coming, really, the death that came before the San Jose Guayabal game. It was so obvious how Kris was feeling, when she ran up to Trista and confessed her feelings, it was clear that she was desperate enough to do something stupid if Trista rejected her, but somehow Trista couldn't see that. "I'm sorry, Kris, we're better off as best friends. I'm not into girls, anyway," she stated, staring as the crying girl ran off to her room, slamming the door behind her.

Trista walked down the hall, trying to open the door and finding that it was locked. "Kris? Are you okay? I wasn't trying to make you cry," she sighed. She tried getting in again, but the door was still locked. "Can I come in?"

The gunshot came fifteen seconds later. "Kris!" shouted Trista, banging on the door but receiving no answer. She had ruined everything with how she handled their most recent conversation, and it looked like she wouldn't receive a second chance to make things right. "Why?" she asked herself, wanting to know why she had to lose one of the best friends that she had ever known, because she wasn't more sensitive to her feelings.

She should have seen that Kris was on edge, enough to do something like this. She hadn't adapted well to the move to Anglatia, and she was always homesick. She didn't even hang out with Ty Leroux much anymore, even though the two had became unlikely best friends because they were both young corners on the squad. And now she had admitted feelings for Trista that were probably hard to talk about, and Trista basically shrugged it off. "I'm so sorry, Kris," Trista said, tears of her own running down her face. "I'm so sorry," she repeated, before running off. The others would be investigating the noise soon, and she couldn't face them. No, she needed a long time to reflect on herself and to pull herself together before she would be able to do that...

---

Word spread quickly to the fans that one of the Anglatian players had shot themselves, but one thing wasn't clear and that was which player had done it. Most fans had taken to counting the players as they got onto the field in their round of sixteen game, but there were three players not present. Kris Berksson, Taesha Kendrick, and Ciar Slane. Most believed that Ciar had heard the rumors about him trying to eliminate the competition, and snapped, but there were also certain circles that believed that all three of them were dead in a triple suicide. Whatever the truth was, Anglatia was playing on edge and with a certain desperation that only came when something was wrong.

Nobody had more of an edge than Trista Prust, as she lined up on third down in the third quarter when the game was still 14-14, before Storm Staford would burst through the line near the end of the game to secure the win. Her lower body was inflamed, and it hurt like hell, but she forced herself to keep fighting. If she left the field, she would only break down into an emotional wreck because of thinking about Kris. She would only have her own mistakes to reflect on, and right now, she couldn't bare to face them.

And so she played. She played her heart out, despite giving up two touchdowns because of her pain. She was born a fighter, had lived a fighter, and if necessary, would die a fighter. When she looked into the eyes of that receiver, the world around her colored grey by her own visor, there was a certain fire in her own eyes. A fire that said that she wouldn't be burnt three times for touchdowns. And that fire was much hotter than the burning in her legs.

"Three nine liberty, three nine liberty, set, go!" shouted the opposing QB, and Trista started her run back a split second before the ball was snapped. She was all alone, Dieter was guarding the other side of the field, and it became apparent that this play was designed to isolate and pick on her weakness. She couldn't tolerate that. She couldn't let another team capitalize on her weakness like this. She was slower than average, but she felt like she was running like she had never ran before, and she would likely never again put this much effort into running. Her legs were ready to give out, she felt herself tripping, but she saw the ball in the air and channeled the last of her strength.

They always said that she would be a star receiver if she had decent hands, but right now, her hands came through for her big time. She felt herself lay a hand on the ball, tipping it away from the receiver and sending it to the ground. But she had used all of her energy on that, and when she hit the ground, she didn't get back up. She felt like she was about to die there, she almost wanted to die there to end her suffering. Before she could get up, her teammates were gathering around her. Ty Leroux first, then her sister. "That was fucking incredible," Ty said, staring down at her in awe. "How did you make up for all that ground you lost when you were tripping?"

"Don't know, I just knew that we would lose if I messed up," Trista muttered. She was feeling drowsy, but the pain was keeping her awake. It wasn't the type of sharp pain that hit for a moment and left just as fast, it was the dull kind that lasted all day and night and was always there in the back of your mind, keeping you awake. The kind that ground away at you slowly, making you think that you could handle it at first but causing you to go crazy from the pain by the end of a couple days. It was an awful kind of pain.

"Sis, are you okay? You look like you've been shot," Sanja said, concerned. She crouched next to Trista, leaning over her and staring into her sister's face. It was like looking at herself, really. She was a spitting image of her sister that was four years older, except Sanja didn't know what it was like to suffer this pain.

But Trista wouldn't reply. She had passed out. And after giving everything to help her team win in what was likely her last World Bowl, she could only hope that they were grown up enough to keep rolling on in the quarterfinals, without her.

[Ethane]

Explosive News: Sports
World Bowl XXIX

[Football] [Cricket] [Rugby] [Hockey] [Tennis] [Baseball] [Basketball] [Gaelic Football] [Other Sports]

Doesn't need much

Ethane have won against Equestrian States in a narrow victory, securing the game against The united states of Saints, the surprisingly successful debutant to the tournament.

The victory was by no means a decisive one, and the game by no means a clean one, but the Ethanese players have secured the win, even if the win happens to be by as small a margin as a Libertarian government would be.

The game, which took place at the lookout stadium at around 7 o' clock, proved to be a difficult one for the Ethanian team, who have also run into difficulty progressing from the groups, but managed to pass by, squeaking into second, progressing on seven wins and three losses into the playoff matches.

It sure was a tough defensive game at the back for the Ethanese players, who were occasionally having to deal with a 7 man onslaught, but they held off, instead, slaughtering the horses that are Equestrian States, pipping the win with some remarkable plays.

Ethane certainly benefited from some miscommunication at the back within the Equestrian States team, who were unable to prevent the threat posed by the Ethanian attack, unable to coordinate a defensive strategy to hold off the baying wolves from coming to snack on them.

With the gap as small as the size tht the US government would be under a Libertarian party, both teams had to capitalise on full effect on mistakes such as miscommunication, but it was the Ethanian players that were able to surpass the seven wonders of the world, which is the score of Equestrian States, instead building a tenth wonder of the world.

Now the team will have to face usoS, who have been having a remarkable season for a debut team, and the hope is that with their team so young and small in terms of experience, much to the same level of experience that the Libertarian Party has running countries, the Ethanese players will be able to succeed against them.

[Drawkland]

What's this? A relatively on-time cutoff?! Incredible! Speaking of Incredible ...

Your Words: Frisky, Sausage, Orphanage. I swear this is what the random word generator came up with.

---

Quarterfinal Match 9, @ Metro Arena
Allamunic States 9–13 Anglatia

Quarterfinal Match 10, @ Hellenmack Stadium
Ethane 0–20 The united states of Saints

---

SF13: Anglatia vs. The united states of Saints

Third Place: L13 vs. L14 (Scorinated by ME!)
Final: W13 vs. W14 (Scorinated by Frenline)

[San Llera]

OOC: A continuation of this

San Llera defeated the #1 football team in the world today, by two touchdowns. 23-9. To advance to the World Bowl semifinals. I'm not even joking.

When the final whistle blew, and we actually had won, I was excited. And rightfully so, this is one of the biggest results in San Lleran sporting history, and I'm one of the most passionate fans out there. I was excited to the point in which I was willing to forgo my reporting professionalism and title this article "WHAT THE FUCK WE WON??!!" or something of the sort.

I was caught up in this youthful, patriotic fervor. I have a tendency to do so, be caught up in some sort of frenzy, and do something reckless. Like that time in the casino parking lot. Or when I got married.

Now I am old. Well, not really. I'm 38. Could you believe that? If I stay healthy, probably not even halfway through my life. But I feel old. And I reflect on the mistakes I made as a young man. Boy, I made a lot of them. Marrying Arabella was probably the first. The incident with the 5'6", maybe 160 pounds, dark-haired, sweaty man in the casino parking lot was somewhere in the thirties.

I was supposed to write about football.

I think about eating people on an almost daily basis. It's always been kind of a fantasy of mine, since I was 8 or 9. I didn't really realize it back then. It was just the occasional thought, you know, 'Oh, I wonder what Henry would taste like.' Now I can't get it out of my head. The problem is I probably will go through with it eventually. There are times when I can't really control my desires. They just take over. It happened tonight, with the win over Schottia.

I think I'm going insane. I have moments of clarity, and others of anything but clarity. I think I'm witnessing my own descent into madness.

There it is again. The itching. The itching to eat people. It will manifest itself eventually. I've been trying to handle it on a day-by-day basis. Today, I won't eat anyone. That's what I tell myself first thing every morning.

That's the end of the article.

OOC 2: Sometimes words just come out and you hit submit, y'know? I'm sorry to anyone forced to read this.

[Banija]

The All-Banija Sports Magazine
The only nationwide publication that is all sports, all the time!

Two touchdown passes by Myles Debaba along defense's 6th shutout of the tournament put Banija in the semifinals after 17-0 win over Chromatika


Vena Resnick celebrates scoring the game's first touchdown in the 1st quarter

BLOODBENDEROPOLIS- Banija has gotten to where they are in this tournament because of their defense. In the group stages, they had the #2 scoring defense in the entirety of the World Bowl, allowing only 3.6 points per game, which was second to the Equestrian States, who allowed less than 3 points per game during the group stages. Still, with a defense that pitched shutouts in 5 of 10 games during the group stages, and that allowed barely more than a field goal per game, everybody knew that this defense had some serious talent. However, the true test would come, of course, in the knockout stages of this tournament. They played Kaboomlandia in the Round of 16, who had the #1 scoring offense of the tournament. The high-scoring Kaboomlandians were brought down to Earth by the Banijans, as they forced 5 turnovers and kept Kaboomlandia out of the end zone for the entire game as they pulled off a hard-fought, 6-3 victory to reach the quarterfinals.

Of course, Chromatika would be the same type of opponent. They also have a very potent offense, and are very capable of scoring lots of points in a small amount of time, as they beat tournament co-hosts Drawkland 31-0 in the Round of 16. While Banija slugged it out punch for punch with Kaboomlandia, Chromatika cruised against Drawkland. They put up touchdowns in bunches, and honestly, put on an offensive clinic against Drawkland. That gave their team some confidence going in against Banija, but the Banijan defense was simply too strong. Chromatika only managed 122 yards of total offense against Banija, and they could barely move the ball against this suffocating defense. Chromatika had 9 possessions against this team- they punted the ball 7 times, and the other two drives ended on interceptions. This Banijan defense dominated this matchup, and it is always much easier to win if you keep your opponent off of the scoreboard.

Banija's field goal came on the first drive of the game, where the Banijans took a nice drive to the red zone, and Banijan kicker Beyne Yeman nailed one from 34 yards to give his team a 3-0 lead with slightly over 10 minutes to play in the 1st quarter. In the 2nd quarter, however, Myles Debaba broke the game open. With 8:50 left in the quarter, he had the ball on 1st down as his own 33 yard line. The Banijans were uncharacteristically aggressive, and the move paid off. A long pass down the sideline turned into a 53 yard gain to give Banija a 1st & 10 at the oppposing 14 yard line. A post was thrown to Vena Resnick over the middle, and he caught the football in the back of the end zone for 6, to give his team a 10-0 lead in the quarterfinal.

The next score was very similar to this score. Of course, the second score was an even quicker score, that was the result of a big play. On Banija's next drive, starting with 6:44 left in the quarter and the ball on their own 34 yard line, Abesalom Kahsu found a hole, and he hit paydirt. On the first play from scrimmage on the drive, Kahsu ran the ball 66 yards to the house and give Banija a 17-0 lead. That seemed to break the spirits of Chromatika. Everything seemed to be working for Banija. On the last two drives, Banija had killed their opponents on the big play, and the Banijan defense was suffocating every single move that Chromatika was trying to make. Banija's opponents had only reached the red zone once, but in the red zone were picked off by Urian Panagos in the back of the end zone in the 3rd quarter.

Head Coach Ezekiel Daniachew was extremely happy with his team's performance. "Like I said, at this stage, we need to leave everything on the field. We did exactly that in this game, and this is why we're going to the semifinals. Chromatika was a very talented opponent. You knew that they had very talented players at every single skill position, but our defense did a great job to shut them down. Once again, our ability to control the line of scrimmage is what won us this game. There was never a point where anybody imposed their will on our defense- we stood up and never gave ground, which is why they ended the game with the same amount of points that they started the game with - 0. Add in a mistake free game from our offense, without any senseless turnovers and no short fields for our opponents, and 9 times out of 10, that'll translate into a victory. I'm happy for this victory, but the opponents only get tougher from here on out. We're in the semifinals of the sport's major tournament. All 4 teams, at this point, have an equal chance of winning this trophy, and we want to maximize our chances here, because we don't know when we'll have this opportunity ever again."

San Llera, of course, are our next opponents, and the early betting favorites to take home this trophy due to them being the highest ranked side remaining. The San Llera football team is ranked #7 worldwide, and the nation may sound familiar, because the manager of Banija's men's national soccer team is a San Lleran native. They have an experienced, veteran leader at quarterback with the name of Agusti Basso. Of course, Banija has played its fair share of offenses, including the Kaboomlandia offense and the Chromatika offense, and they held those two teams, over the course of 120 minutes of football, to a combined total of 3 points, and no touchdowns. This will present a new challenge, and we'll see if the San Llerans can find a way to crack this defense. The big play ability of receivers Dak Delle Valle and Octavius Llena could change the game, but ultimately, it all comes down to whether or not the San Lleran offensive line can prevent the Banijan defensive line from wreaking havoc at the line of scrimmage.

Of course, that is only half of the game. Defense does definitely win championships, but the offense needs to be putting points on the board. The guy leading that offense, of course, is Myles Debaba. He is also an experienced veteran quarterback, but he is going to be playing against an extremely confident defense. One that just defeated the #1 overall ranked and defending champions Schottia. That was a massive confidence booster, as it is always a big deal when the #1 overall team is knocked out of the tournament. They like to throw a variety of looks, and it will be up to Myles Debaba to make sure that he does not make any big turnovers with the spotlight and pressure that being in a semifinal brings to the athletes.

Ultimately, Banija's first trip to the knockout stages of this tournament is going extremely well, as they have made it all the way to the semifinals. Even though they are ranked 26th in the world, they cannot be called cinderellas because of the United states of Saints, which is an unranked side that has made its way to the semifinals, but just on the Drawkland side of the bracket. Regardless of going on elsewhere, this semifinal is expected to easily be the most viewed football game in Banijan history, and will likely be the 3rd most watched sporting event in Banijan history. 2nd of course was the 1st qualifier of the World Cup 74 campaign, where native San Lleran Jan Cassallerus made his debut, and 1st was the United Valhaven Regional Football Championships semifinal, in which the men's soccer team fell 1-0 to eventual champions Devonta. This just shows and continues to prove the popularity of the sport here at home, where it is the only non-soccer event to make it into the top 5 of most viewed sporting events in Banijan TV history.

Regardless, good luck to our boys in green, and hopefully they punch us a ticket to the Blue Horse Coliseum for the tournament final!

[The united states of Saints]

I wasn't sure how well Kay Butler would do filling in for me. I had a lot of doubt as did many others. During practice he never got a whole lot of reps in so I never thought he knew all the plays, but Coach assured me saying that "everything will be fine Holloway just trust in your teamates. If you don't then they will never perform well." Then the doctor Finally arrived to check out my shoulder. He said it was bruised and partially dislocated. I would not be able to play for the rest of the World Bowl, much less the next game. How disappointing, I want to be their on the field helping my teamates win! Now...I can't do anything.

I hear the door open again and see "Spiderman" walk in. I think to myself: What a guy, I admire him so much because he is such a good player for his size. Most likely because of the energy and ferocity of how he plays. Heck he inspires most of the defense to play with the same ferocity and ability he has. Best of all though he has a great personality and is easy to make friends with. He walks to me and asks, "hey, how you feeling?"

I respond back saying, "I'm fine but won't be able to play for the rest of the World Bowl."

He sighs, "Well that stinks my best man is out so I have to rely on his backup."

"Sorry I can't help you when you're helpless" I joked.

"Ah its fine besides Butler is a good player I have a lot of faith he will step up. In fact I often see him going over the defensive plays with Coach Robert. He works hard because he wants to do his best when he is in just like the rest of us so we don't let each other down. He's a good guy."

I'm surprised to hear how hard Butler works, to me he just seemed like a guy who was just on the team because he had some ability but not a lot. He certainly didn't seem that good. Spiderman sees this in my face and says, "I'm sure you've been told this before but you need to trust your teammates."

"I know but I'm still worried we'll get knocked out."

"We have been at risk of fetting knocked since the first playoff match, heck near the end of the group stage we were at risk. Look, just trust in us and him. We'll win I promise you that." He walks out the room afterward and I am just left praying.

Spiderman certainly kept his promise and was right about Butler. In the Quarterfinal game against Ethane, Kay Butler did an amazing job and we managed to win 20-0! I guess I'll trust my teammates more from now on.

---

Paladins earn second shut out against Ethane, Advance to Semifinals!

Aprilian Times -- Another fantastic performance by the Defense led The Paladins to victory as they shutout Ethane 20-0. Ethane, one of the surprise teams besides The Paladins could not doing anything against the fierce defense led by Matthew Palencia. "Spiderman" as many call him had an exceptional game, but that was not what surprised people the most. After the game against Abanhfleft, Josh Holloway injured his right shoulder. It was later reported that a doctor said, he bruised and partially dislocated it and would not be able to play in the rest of the World Bowl. This concerned many fans as he was an integral part of the Defensive Line. However Coach Agresta assured the fans that everything would be fine. He put in Kay Butler, a Defensive End that hadn't played a lot throughout the group stage. Many fans wondered if he would be able to fill in the hole Josh Holloway's injury left. Boy did he certainly fill in that hole. What surprised fans and others alike was how well Butler played, he did not let anything get past him on his side of the line, sacked the quarterback twice, and caused a fumble. Coach Agresta said, "I can't be anymore proud of him, what you don't know about this kid is that he works his tail off everyday. Even after practice he'll come up to Coach Robert to work on his stance, what to do each play, how to tackle better. He has been waiting for a chance to shine and when we gave it to him, he certainly took it." Ethane's offense has been ok throughout the Tournament considering they are a defensive heavy team, but this may have been their worst performance.

The Offense of The Paladins performed about as well as they did against Abanhfleft. They Put 20 points up on the board while the defense manhandled the Ethane offense. Matt Whelan went 26-33 for 207 yards, 2 TD, an interception, and was sacked once. Miguel Black rushed for 93 yards on 21 carries, a touchdown, and did not fumble the ball. Louis Nakamura missed one extrapoint attempt in the second quarter on Whelan's second Touchdown. He was upset he missed it after the game and said he will make sure it won't happen again. The Ethane offense, led by Quarterback Christopher Stewart, couldn't find a way to break through the Paladins Defensive wall. Stewart wen 12-30 for 112 yards, 2 interceptions and was sacked three times. Their HalfBack, Jerry Lawrence was stuffed at the line of scrimmage for most of the game, even when he ran to the outside he didn't gain much. He rushed for 53 yards on 22 carries and fumbled the ball once.

The Paladins defense Were like monsters on the field. The defensive line was like a brick wall hardly allowing any yards to be gained rushing. They sacked the quarter back a total of three times, two coming from Kay Butler, one coming from Matthew Palencia. Kay Butler also caused and recovered a fumble. The secondary managed to intercept the ball twice, deflected the ball 9 times, and covered the receivers really well making it difficult to throw to them. This could be the Secondary's best performance.

In the other Quarterfinal game on the Drawkland side of the bracket, Allamunic States fell to undefeated Anglatia. On the Frenline Delpha side of the bracket, San Llera upset the now ex-defending champs, Schottia, 23-9. Banija shutout Chromatika 17-0.

For the Semifinal's, The Paladins will face Anglatia @ Metro Arena in Metropolon. San Llera will face Banija @ Cornell Kilpings Stadium in Port Peak, Frenline Delpha.

---

In the Locker room Coach Agresta addresed the players the situation of Josh Holloway. All the player leaned in to hear the news on his condition.


"The Doctor said that Holloway...will not be able to play for the rest of the World Bowl."

All the players Groaned and were definitely discouraged to hear the bad news.

"However," Coach Agresta started, "There is a silver lining in this, Kay Butler showed off his talent and Intellect today. He stepped up and played the best he ever has when I told him he would replace Josh. A lot of players that haven't played much would be nervous, but this guy was as calm as...well as calm can be. Of course we will be heading to Metropolon in a couple of hours so pack up your stuff and all that and meet me at the bus. But before you go, let me tell you that our next opponent is an undefeated team, and yes we are still underdogs and I love it. So I want you guys to all show everyone once again what an Underdog can do to a Big Dog. Dismissed!"

[Frenline Delpha]

Who will be welcomed to our house?

Your three words today are why, even, and bother. Just kidding, it's gender, tape, and garage

---

Semi-Final 2
San Llera 6–6 Banija (12–6 OT)

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Championship @ Blue Horse Coliseum

Anglatia vs San Llera

Third Place @ Metro Arena

United states of Saints vs Banija

[Anglatia]

ETID - Part Nine

Every generation, there seemed to be a special player that could change the fate of a game in an instant. Cara Devlin was that kind of player, capable of completely changing the tide of the game despite starting slow, like she did against the Allamunic States. The team from Anglatia that was becoming known as the comeback kids for their great second half performances was down 9-6 with four minutes left, but Devlin didn't intend to let that lead stand.

She trotted from the sideline to the field, observing the defense. She changed the protection at the line, holding Ray back to block. She'd need extra blocking for what she was considering. The play was designed to have all four receivers running vertical, and if they did their jobs right, she would be able to run for a first down when the corners were pulled up top to defend the passing routes.

The snap count was only at one, to catch the defense by surprise, and it certainly worked when Cara called the cadence and took the snap from Karl, dropping back three steps. One of the defensive ends jumped with near perfect timing, and almost reached Cara, but she managed to side step him and run out of the pocket, running off of a block from Ray on the edge. There was a split second decision to be made: whether to run or to pass.

But then Cara saw that Zero had switched his route to run in between the corners and safeties, and she planted her feet and hurled a bullet of a pass down the middle of the field to him as she was drilled by a linebacker. The eighteen yard gain put them twenty yards from the goal line.

"Back to the line!" Cara shouted, jumping up and running to the line of scrimmage. She was improvising here, calling a hurry up play. She looked to the sideline to see what Kyo wanted to do, and he signaled for a slants pass. Cara nodded and called the cadence. "Lightning, lightning, GO!"

Karl snapped the ball high and Cara nearly dropped it, looking to her blind side and finding a linebacker about to hit her. Frustrated, she spun around that defender and stepped up in the pocket, before realizing that there were no open receivers and taking off down the sideline, where there were surprisingly only a couple defenders. Tyree blocked one, and Cara cut around the other one, a safety. If she was slower, they could have caught her from behind, but Cara ran like a track star when she was in the open field, and she was home free.

As soon as she crossed the goal line, she threw the ball over her shoulder and leapt into the stands, as fans rushed to the front row to celebrate with her. Her team had the lead now, all because of her near superhuman skill at not getting tackled. Yes, she was leading this team to heights that had never been seen before...

---

Ty Leroux had entered the field with an unusually low profile, drowning out the noise of the crowd with a pair of headphones that were under his hoodie and not bothering to practice before the game. He usually showed off in the warm ups, but in this case, he was very reserved. It as because of Kris, really. His mind wasn't on the game, but rather her, and if he had done something to contribute to her suicide.

He had a quiet game too, not taking his usual risks and keeping his aggressive playing style. He was determined to get to the bottom of what had happened, no matter how difficult that was. And that meant he couldn't focus on football. "Coach, I don't think I can play in the semifinal. My head isn't into it," he told defensive coordinator and DBs coach Haru Ito. "I can't stop thinking about Kris."

"Really? We need you to help cover for Taesha, since she hasn't left her hotel room since... You know. She won't even talk to us. You can't play in one more game until we can get her back?"

"It's not that I can't. But I won't be at my best. I don't want to cost us a trip to the final because I'm not focused," sighed Ty. "Just give me one game off, and I'll see if I can play in the final."

Haru ran a hand through his hair, frowning. "Assuming we make it in without you. But if you feel that you really can't play, we won't force you to. It's been a rough couple of days for all of us, I understand why you need a break..."

---

The atmosphere around the hotel was strange, because all of the players didn't know who had died or why. They were nearly as uninformed as the media and fans, making wild guesses to explain, and many of the players actually believed that Taesha had died, because she hadn't been out of her room for so long.

Ty, as one of the players who was more in the loop than average, knew the truth, but he didn't know the full reasons why this had happened. That was how he found himself looking for Trista, and why he was so on edge when he found her alone in the gym. "You're working out at a time like this?"

Trista jumped in surprise after hearing him, and looked up at him. "It's either this or I'll sit in my room and cry. At least this is distracting..."

Ty was amazed that she could work out after how much pain she was in for the last game, but he didn't ask about that yet. "My best friend is dead because of you," he said calmly, after learning from Ciar that Trista was connected with what had happened.

"I know... I had no idea that she would react like that... But in hindsight, I was really stupid," sighed Trista.

"You ruined everything. Kris is gone, Taesha is going back to Batavia after we're out, I can't even step on a field now without getting emotional... Why did you have to ruin everything for the rest of us on your way out?"

"I might not be retiring yet. I can play through pain, I can handle these health issues for one more season. And-"

"Hold up, you can't keep doing that. I don't care how high your pain tolerance is, you got roasted by their receiver all game long except for that one tip," Ty stated, rolling his eyes at his cousin. "It's time to hang up the cleats and move on... Before you make your condition worse."

Trista sighed again, turning her back to Ty. "I can handle myself. I don't want to retire until I get that ring that I've been hunting... And I don't know if I can get that this time."

Ty paused, turning towards the door. "Yeah? Well Ciar said that the Emperor isn't bringing us back for another tournament. This is your last chance, for better or worse."

"Wait, what? Explain!"

"Only if you explain fully what you did to Kris," replied Ty. And Trista, while she didn't want to talk about it, let her curiosity get the better of her, beginning to explain. She could only hope that her cousin would forgive her afterwards.

[Drawkland]

Cutoff! I just got back from a concert, here's one of the songs we played.

Your Words: Drumbeat, Trust, Accident. Because there's like 2 of you.

---

Semifinal: Game 13, @ Metro Arena, Drawkland
Anglatia 8–6 The united states of Saints

---

Third Place: The united states of Saints vs. Banija (Scorinated by ME!)
Final: Anglatia vs. San Llera (Scorinated by Frenline)

[Banija]

The All-Banija Sports Magazine
The only nationwide publication that is all sports, all the time!

Raising the Bar: A look at the progress of the Banijan national football team after their performance in the 29th World Bowl
An editorial by Head Coach Ezekiel Daniachew of the Banijan national football team


Myles Debaba walks off of the field after his pick six in overtime that put San Llera in the championship game of the World Bowl

PORT PEAK- When we first entered the World Bowl in World Bowl 27, our country did not know what to expect. We were generally starting off in international sports- around then was the time of our first world cup appearance, our first run for a World Lacrosse Championship gold medal, our first run in the NSCF, etc... In terms of international sports, Banija was just getting her feet wet. Of course, in the two most popular sports in Banija, which are football & soccer, which are leaps and bounds ahead of the other sports, Banija got utterly embarrassed. Everybody knows about the reforms at the Royal Banijan Soccer Association which are bringing our soccer team up to a place where we want to be. Nobody has made much, however, of the reform efforts here for Banijan football.

The 0-10 performance in the World Bowl, to put it simply, was absolutely and utterly embarrassing. We were outmatched, outplayed, and to put it simply, we were dominated in every single phase of the game for 10 straight weeks. Of course, Banijan football officials met during that tournament and knew that we needed a new path forward. We needed to give our players more regular international exposure, we needed to do more to improve the skills of our players not only against other Banijans, but against the rest of the world. Of course we started putting our college athletes out there. We had Northern Moravica join the NSCF, soon followed by Loyola University @ Istria. We had Loyola University @ Istria compete in the Multiverse Games on behalf of their country, where they won us a silver medal. But our first big step was World Bowl 28.

World Bowl 28 occurred almost immediately before the start of NSCF 13. And that was where our path to redemption started. Instead of simply getting ran over, we decided to hit back, and we found out we were good at this sport. Of course, most unfortunately, we could not get Banija's professionals to play, but this was a start. Northern's season in the NSCF had put them on an entirely different level, and they competed against some of the world's best. Of course, we were eliminated in the group stages, but we did beat historical powerhouses Rennidan, as well as Kaboomlandia. We gave both Frenline Delpha, this year's host, and Gregoryisgodistan, who is now ranked #2 in the world, a run for their money in the group stage at a neutral site.

Of course, everything came together at this World Bowl. The schedule for this World Bowl could not have started any tougher. Week 1 was a trip to 11th ranked Taeshan, and week 3 was a visit to the group's seed, and the worldwide #8 squad, Nassau-Hessen. Of course our defense played lights out then, as they did for this entire tournament, where we've recorded shutouts in 6 of the 13 games that we've played so far. We raised our level of play and surprised almost everybody who had observed this team, and we built a tough, old-school, fundamentally sound football team that can no longer be considered a serious underdog on the field, no matter who we play. Considering we're just two tournaments away from an 0-10 debut, that is one heck of an improvement.

Of course, not every story has a happy ending, and this was didn't. We caught a tough break- the play ran was an option route, with a curl or a streak. Myles read the curl route while Robel Kassa went for the streak. As a result, the ball went right into the hands of San Lleran cornerback Tomas Guardiola, who saw all of that green grass in front of him and took the ball 45 yards to the house. It was a crushing way to lose a football game, a sudden death pick six, and made worse by the fact that it was in the semifinals. Myles had a heck of a tournament, but in a game as close as this, playing against a team as talented as San Llera, one mistake will cost you, and it cost us. It happens, but Myles is an extremely talented player with a great upstanding character. He will learn from it and use this experience at the World Bowl to catapault his career forward.

While we are disappointed at the fact that we did not get the chance to play for a World Bowl title at the Blue Horse Coliseum, we are still very excited with the fact that we will play at the Metro Arena in Drawkland for the bronze medal of this prestigious tournament, which we so badly want to bring home to our nation. Going into this tournament, nobody thought we'd get this far, and most people thought we'd get eliminated in the group stages. But what this tournament marks is a turning point for this team. That is why the tournament's motto, raising the bar, has been met and wildly exceeded by this fantastic group of players.

With our team's deep run in this tournament, we have raised the bar for future generations. It can no longer be considered an accomplishment to simply scrap out of the group stage only to get eliminated in the Round of 16. The bar has been raised, and a new standard for excellence has been set. The next time we take the field, in the next tournament, it will be far different. We will no longer be 'hoping for the best', we will expect to compete for a championship. And that is where we want to be. That is where the Schottias of the world are, that is where the Gregoryisgodistan's of the world are, heck, that is where San Llera is, who will be playing at the Blue Horse Coliseum for a championship.

The biggest accomplishment of this tournament that we have had so far, is the fact that the bar has officially been raised for future teams to put on Banijan green under their shoulder pads. Future Banijan teams will expect to go out there and be the best team on the field. We will no longer be rooting for the upset- we will be the team that other teams get up to play for. Instead of being the upstarts, we will be feared. That is the best place to be in football, because that's when you know that you are a legitimate championship contender, and that is how you know the World Bowl is in reach. Thanks to this team, future Banijan teams will be able to go into the World Bowl knowing that they are just as talented as any team they face, and that they deserve to be on the main stage, and can compete for a championship.

[The united states of Saints]

Paladins' title hopes smashed to pieces as Anglatia wins 8-6!

Aprilian Times -- Many fans of The Paladins were disappointed today as the game against Anglatia came to a close with Anglatia coming out on top. Anglatia was the number 12 ranked team and went undefeated throughout the tournament. They will now face off against San Llera in the Championship. The Paladins' offense and defense played well today but when it came down to it Anglatia played better. Anglatia's offense managed to drive down the field and score two field goals in the first half. The Paladins' responded with the same, driving down the field twice to kick two field goals, both of the attempts were successful and this was done in the third quarter. However, with 5 minutes remaining The Paladins were at their own 18 yard line. They were in shotgun formation, 1st and 10, but Hunter Cerise the center snapped the ball high barely going over Matt Whelan's hands all the way back to the end zone. Whelan recovered the ball but a second later was tackled in the end zone for a safety. Anglatia got the ball but went three and out. This gave the Paladins offense one last attempt to come within field goal position starting from their 23 yard line. They managed to get to the Anglatian 49 yard line and were on 3rd and 3. Whelan handed the ball off to Diego Sanchez but he was stuffed for about a 1 yard gain. 4th and 2, the ball is handed off to Miguel Black, the defense blitz and stuff Miguel black as well for another 1 yard gain, turning the ball over to Anglatia. There was only 1:34 left on the clock and Anglatia kneeled three of their downs to end the game.

The offense for the Paladins played well against a team such as Anglatia managing to put 6 points on the board and almost winning. Matt Whelan went 20-35 for 167 yards, 2 interceptions, and was sacked three times. Miguel Black rushed for 68 yards on 20 carries, and did not fumble the ball. Diego Sanchez rushed for 13 yards on 6 carries and also did not fumble the ball. Louis Nakamura kicked two field goals one from 32 yards out and the other from 47 yards. Cara Delvin, one of Anglatia's star players and starting quarterback, struggled by her teams usual standards of offensive performance. She went 25-37 passing for 188 yards, 1 interception, was also sacked three times. Their Running Back, Storm Staford, was worse. He went 54 yards rushing on 22 carries, did not fumble the ball. This is a surprise considering how offensively potent Anglatia is. They have a fantastic quarterback that could easily have taken advantage of the Paladins' secondary. However, their Running Back could not yet anything going at all against a defensive front such as the Paladins. The Paladins defensive front has always been the strong point of the defense. They may be young but they play with a ferocity and tenacity few have ever seen.

The Paladins defense played well against a team with such a talented offense. They stopped the run consistently against a Running Back notorious for his speed and power. They did not get a fumble but managed to get to the Quarterback sacking her three times and hitting her a total of 8 times. The Secondary was the surprise of the day though. With the secondary still being young, the struggle against the pass often and should have against a talented Quarterback such as Cara Delvin. However, they managed to pick her off once and deflected the ball four times. Also covering their receivers really well. Their performance in the playoffs so far have been good and consistent and shows how much they have grown throughout this tournament.

In the other Semifinal, San Llera defeated Banija 12-6 in overtime to move on to the finals against Anglatia in Frenline Delpha @Blue Horse Coliseum. Banija, another very strong defensive team, will face The Paladins in the the Metro Arena in a fight for Third Place. This is going to be an exciting matchup, with an exceptional half time performance done by the Drawkland Drum Corps. Showing us how skilled they with all kinds of Drumbeats.

---

"It was an accident coach I'm sorry I let y'all down."

"That's ok Cerise I trust you, everybody makes mistakes sometimes its just unfortunate yours happened today." Said Coach Agresta. He looked around the room and saw sad defeated faces. some soaked with their tears, some still crying. He hated that look. "Listen to me fellas. It. Is. Not. Over. You hear me?! Its not over, its just not. This will definitely not be the last World Bowl we will be in. We will be in the next one and you can be sure that because of what you did today and every other day of the tournament, people will be watching you. You have made History in the World Bowl and The united states of Saints. You shocked the world with how you played each game and how it made you successful. You can also be sure of this. Next year's teams will be wary of you, making it more of a challenge to win, but that doesn't matter because we'll win anyways. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Now stop your crying and get your mind focused on our last game, the game for Third Place. Our opponent is Banija a team very much like us being a defensive team. However they have more experience then you do. What I want to know is, do they have as much energy and ferocity as we do or do they even have faith in each other like we do? If they don't, well then...looks like we have one heck of a chance to win here. Now the game is going to be played in this stadium so rest up and focus on the game. Dismissed!"

[Chromatika]

The Iron Legion- Edition XXIX - Final

It was with a somber heart that the Chromatika Iron Legion boarded their plane from Frenline Delpha after their crushing defeat in the semifinals to Banija, a shutout loss by seventeen points. The normally high-flying offense had run into the stout wall of the Banijans, and failed to score at all, only generating barely over a hundred yards and contributing many turnovers. Although this was only their first competition ever as a team, the squad had come to expect more out of each other, especially due to the fact that this had been the first loss suffered by this squad.

That being said, they'd still defied all expectations coming in, and more experience would only help them grow even stronger in the years to come.

It was only the second World Bowl they'd ever participated in, and the first one with the full backing with the CFL, anyways.

[Drawkland]

Cutoff! WHO'S READY FOR THIRD PLACE? Other than my marching band, who's gotten 3rd place for the last 3 years.
Here's something we played from this year.

I have no words.

---

Third Place Match, @ Metro Arena, Drawkland
The united states of Saints 13–3 Banija

---

Congrats and Commises to you two, fantastic effort throughout this whole tournament. Thanks for making it fun for me.
Is Commises a word? Can I really say that?

[Anglatia]

ETID - Part Ten

The headlines seemed to write themselves after the semifinal game that sent the Explorers to a shot at the title. "EXPLORERS WIN GAME OF THE CENTURY" was what the Ross Star printed immediately after the finish. The Valerian Free Press was just as impressed, as seen by their headline; "COMEBACK KIDS DO IT AGAIN". And as Taesha Kendrick looked through those headlines, she realized that this was the one shot at redemption that she had, redemption for costing her team the championship in college.

It had been a hard fought semifinal. One that was fought without Taesha and without Ty and Trista, the ones who made up the backbone of the secondary. It was a miracle, really, that they had made it through. But the front line and the linebackers had stepped up and somehow pulled it off, holding the Paladins to six points and bailing out the offense, which was slow all day.

And now because of that, the team would be playing in a game even bigger than that national championship loss. To play or not to play was a choice that Taesha had to consider long and hard, but deep down, she really wanted that shot at getting a ring so she could retire. And with Trista Prust unable to play because she still wasn't completely well after passing out in the quarterfinals, the team needed a vocal leader. Someone to push them to play harder and remind them what was at stake. That leader would be her. If she could manage to handle that job...

---

"You're pissed about something," Rory stated, dodging another blow from Cara as they were sparring in MMA after practice. "Either that, or you've brushed up on your Muay Thai."

"I can't believe that you can't tell the difference between when I'm angry and when I'm fighting with Muay Thai," sighed Cara, dodging his counter punch and striking with a hook from her right hand. The blow barely grazed Rory, but it made him lose his balance enough for her to take him down to the mat.

"All I know is that I end up taking knees and elbows to the face when you do that, or when you're angry," Rory replied, as Cara transitioned into a full mount.

"Why wouldn't I be angry after this? I'm having the best year of my career, I'm keeping us in games that we shouldn't be in, and how do the team repay me? We decide to screw ourselves with internal problems that will probably cost us the title."

Cara struck at Rory's face, missing. But she wasn't done yet, she transitioned into half guard and searched for his arm to put him into an armbar. "Yeah, because Kris totally shot herself to make sure that you never get a ring. And Ciar was only thinking about you when he decided to try to take out his rivals."

"Whatever," muttered Cara, but she was distracted enough that she let Rory flip the hold, so he was in full guard and she was on the bottom. "That's not even everything I'm mad about, you didn't let me finish..."

"Oh? What else is there?" asked Rory, but Cara managed to break the hold first. She couldn't get back up, though, before he grabbed her leg and used his hold on it to throw her back to the mat, forcing her to land on her right shoulder. He knew that he had made a mistake when Cara screamed a string of German curses, immediately rolling over and cradling her arm. "Are you hurt?"

Cara just screamed back at him in German, writhing on the mat in pain. "Get Kyo," she said eventually, but Rory didn't move yet.

"What happened? Your shoulder is hurt again?"

"Yes... That's what I was about to tell you about. I tore it partially in the quarterfinals, I thought it was better now but you just tore it again," Cara managed to say through her pain, gritting her teeth. "I was trying to keep it a secret because all our opponents are going to go after my arm if they know I hurt it again."

"I can't believe I just did that... I just threw away our shot at winning this thing, didn't I?"

"As long as I'm on the field, we have a shot," Cara said, sitting up. "I might be able to play through it... I probably can. I'll have to throw with my left hand, which means no deep balls... But I can still throw short and run."

Rory sighed, folding his arms. "Should... Should I get the coaches?"

"No way. I have to play and I don't know if Kyo will let me. But... There's actually one person who needs to know about this. Raven. Go find Raven Adachi's number and call her. Tell her to call me as soon as possible."

---

The mistake still haunted Taesha Kendrick. It seemed that bad luck followed her everywhere, but this was the one play that really made her consider the idea that she was actually cursed. It was the national championship game for the college title in Armeia. Indies University was number one and undefeated. Bastille Tech was number two, with one loss. They were champions of the Interior Conference and Indies were champs of the Pac North. It was the exact same situation as the title game that IU had lost earlier, because of a last minute blocked field goal being returned for a touchdown.

For the citizens of Batavia, the large city that Indies hailed from, it was business as usual. They were used to heartbreak, seeing their heroes fold late in games. Taesha had grown up in that city, and she knew about that legacy better than anyone. She had been in the bleachers when their perfect season in college basketball had been ended in the first round of the playoffs by a buzzer beater against Los Anjos, that small town Armeian team that loved to ruin the days of the favorites. She had also watched in person what had been known at the time as the worst college football loss in school history. Their hated rivals from Illara had stormed into their stadium and dropped fifty points, shutting out the Warhawks, who only had two losses at that point.

She wanted to be a part of the group who turned that legacy around, and she had her chance. They were up and just had to hold onto the lead, but their quarterback was exhausted and Taesha had come in as a wildcat QB to run a trick play originally pioneered by Lofus College, one where the quarterback would take the snap and throw a shovel pass before running out wide as a receiver.

It didn't go as planned. The opposing band was making too much noise, their horns hitting a high note that made it impossible to hear any audibles. And then Taesha called for the snap anyway and it went high, bouncing off of her hands and then her face mask just as one of the blitzing linebackers dove over the line, in perfect position to make a miracle catch.

That linebacker would run all the way back for a touchdown, sealing the comeback for the Fireflies and crushing the dreams of Warhawks fans everywhere. It was the last year that Taehsa would play for the team, too. Her legacy would be one of underachievement, of failing to reach the greatest heights despite her incredible athleticism and the good teams that typically surrounded her. Unless she could do something to change that, by finally leading a team to the title.

[San Llera]

San Llera vs Banija was everything is was expected to be. Evenly matched, physical, and low scoring. The two teams went to battle for 60 minutes, and each scraped out two field goals. 60 minutes wasn't enough. Fittingly, the game went to overtime.

That was when the greatest play in San Lleran football history occurred.

It was a 2nd & 10 for Banija, at their own 37-yard line. Myles Debaba was in the shotgun. His tailback, Kahsu, was immediately to his right. There were three receivers lined up on the field - Kassa, Resnick, and Yafet - and one tight end, Cosse. It was a formation they had used intermittently throughout the game. San Llera were in their usual 4-3 set. Tomas Guardiola was lined up inches away from the star receiver Kassa, just on the other side of the line of scrimmage. The ball was snapped. Guardiola and Kassa immediately made contact, with Kassa getting the better of his defender, earning a step of space. Seeing this, he went for a streak - it was an option route. Meanwhile, San Llera sent a blitz with their two outside linebackers. Kahsu did a decent job in neutralizing Cecil Dinson's rush for the quarterback, but it was only a delaying tactic. Debaba knew that he had to let got of the ball quickly. He looked for his favorite receiver, and saw him. Debaba read a curl route. He threw the ball well behind Kassa.

It was not, however, that far behind Tomas Guardiola. Guardiola, always keeping his eye on the flight of the ball, planted his foot in the ground and stopped. His quick stop caused him to partially lose his balance. He was still able to trap the ball between his gloved hands and his shoulder pad. He regained his balance. Kassa's momentum had taken him far away; he had no chance of tackling Guardiola. In fact, no one did. Guardiola sprinted and traversed a sea of green. He entered the end zone, and then jumped into an ecstatic sea of blue. The game was over. 12-6. San Llera was headed to the World Bowl XXIX finals.

San Llera's opponent is Anglatia. Like the San-Men, the Explorers are in their first World Bowl final, reaching the championship from a rank of 12, give ranks behind the San Llerans. This is not to say that Anglatia are underdogs, as they have arguably had a better road to this game than San Llera has. They dominated in the group stage, finishing 10-0 in a group containing powerhouse Ko-oren, upstart Ethane, and Fatalulu. They then knocked San Jose Guayabal out of the tournament in the Round of 16, defeating them by a touchdown. The big win, however, came in the quarterfinals against Alamunnic States, a 13-9 victory over the many-time World Bowl champions. In the semis, the Explorers ended the cinderella run of United States of Saints.

This is not to say that San Llera's journey has been unimpressive. They also topped their group, albeit at 8-2. The San-Men defeated perennial powerhouse Cosumar in the Round of 16, and then shocked defending champion Schottia in the quarterfinals. Of course, they then topped a very strong Banija team to make it to the championship.

Predicting the game is a toss-up, really, given the amount of weapons boasted by both sides. For San Lleran fans, it is Cara Devlin who should be feared. The 22-year-old is already a World Bowl phenom, combining the instincts and vision of a seasoned veteran with incredible athleticism.

"We have to make tackles," said Xavier Pan of Devlin. "We simply have to tackle her." Obvious as it may seem, Pan is completely correct - many Anglatian touchdowns in this tournament have been the result of missed tackles on Devlin. If the likes of Cecil Dinson and Enric Parella and Denis Chara and Emilio Vela - I could go on ad nauseam - can bring her to the ground, San Llera has a real chance of stopping the Anglatian offense. With that said, it is really the defense where they are strong. Even in a very defense-focused World Bowl, Anglatia has somehow allowed only 84 points in 13 games, a clip of 6.46 points allowed per game. This easily trumps the 139 points San Llera's (pretty strong) defense has given up.

"Generating offense against them will not be easy, but we plan on sticking to our game plan," stated Pan. San Llera will most likely feed Normando early and often, with a healthy dose of long Agusti Basso passes. "I am confident that our guys will outmuscle their guys."

Who will win? I've no idea. But the biggest game in San Llera's football team's history awaits.

[Frenline Delpha]

Since both finalists posted their final RP(s), I am cutting off now.
Who will get to be the Champions of the world?

---

Championship
Anglatia 10–0 San Llera

Congratulations to the champion, and commiserations to the loser. Silver ain't half bad. As per my norm, here's a list of everyone we'd/ I'd like to thank.
We'd like to thank Allumanic States for opening up the sign-ups and trusting us with this tournament. We hope we haven't let you down.
Thanks to all who believed in us and voted for our bid, all three of you.
And thanks to all those who RP'd, especially those who did our challenge. You made this a fun World Bowl to host.
Finally, thanks to Drawkland for agreeing to host with me. It's been a joy.

[Anglatia]

ETID - Finale

Cara Devlin stepped onto the field, her heart pounding more than it ever had before. On her right arm as a white sleeve that covered her shoulder brace, and matched the all white jerseys of the Explorers, the ones that were paired with white helmets with a purple star on each side. The brace was designed by an old friend of the team from the sports science department, who was now in the Navy and living on a ship off the coast of the Keystone Islands. Cara made a mental note to thank Raven for her help, because without her, she likely wouldn't be playing.

Her own coaches were disappointed in her, after she had hidden her injury until right before the game started. If they lost, it would be blamed on her. The other team saw her throwing short passes with her left hand, and they could smell blood in the water. Playing with her left hand as her dominant hand had some strange elements to it, too. She could still run, but when she ran to the right, she had to take a few extra seconds to spin around before leaving the pocket.

But right now, all of the eyes in the stadium were on her, and she held the team's fate in her own hands. It had been a slow game. A grinding game. The score was 3-0 to Anglatia, because of Rory Besic intercepting a pass over the middle in the third quarter and setting up a thirty yard field goal attempt when the offense stalled out four plays later.

She forced herself to focus, calling out the adjustments at the line and taking two steps back, staring over the line at the defense. "Set! Go!" she called, and she took the snap and immediately rolled out to the right, stepping up and looking for a receiver. But there wasn't anyone within her range, and so she did what she did best. She ran.

Cara tucked the ball and took off, looking to reach the end zone that was ten yards away. Bojan made a diving block to aid her, and she cut around him and dove for the goal line, taking a hit on her hurt arm in the process. She could feel herself rolling out of bounds onto her back, but she looked up at the referee, who ruled it... A touchdown.

---

The broadcast booth for Anglatia had quite the electric atmosphere, especially as the game winded down and the result became clear. "This looks like the last play, and the Explorers are making some changes... Trista Prust is coming on for her sister, Kendrick is being replaced at safety by Sachs," the lead commentator stated. "I don't think we'll see a comeback, that would require a touchdown here and a good onside kick return. Basso is stepping up to the line... He's dropping six steps but Ali is chasing, the clock is at seven, Basso rolls forward... The pocket is still staying up, he's scanning for receivers but sees nobody and... The pass into double coverage has been intercepted by Prust as time expires! THEY'VE DONE IT! THE EXPLORERS HAVE SURVIVED AGAIN, AND THE EMPIRE ARE WORLD CHAMPS! There were some doubts about whether or not these players were real Valerians, but not anymore, they've just won Anglatia the first piece of silverware in our country's history!"

Down on the field, the players rushed to the fifty yard line as soon as the clock hit zero. Rory and the other linebackers hugged excitedly. Storm went to his knees and pointed to the sky. Cara, after taking her helmet off, immediately ran to her backup, Kyle Raj, and leapt into his arms, which prompted strange looks from some of their teammates.

Taesha, Ty, Sanja, and Trista made their way to the north stand where most of the traveling fans from the Empire were. They all felt like someone was missing, Kris. It would become an iconic photo of them, that moment would. All four of them with their backs turned and their helmets on, the only thing identifying them being their numbers. Numbers 36, 14, 8, and 15. Number 7 was missing, and everyone seemed to be thinking that. It would be the last time that the four of them would stand together on a field, even if they weren't completely sure of that yet. While the others sung with the fans, Taesha broke off from the group and went to the one player who was alone in the end zone, Ciar. She was probably apologizing for ruining his career, although the damage was already done.

By the sideline with the coaches and staff, Kyo was riding on the shoulders of a couple members of the offensive line, after they had dumped Gatorade on Haru Ito and Takumi Maki. Torrace, like the superstar that he was, was being interviewed by the press as the defensive player of the game.

But everyone came together when the trophy, the Drumming Snakes Cup, was finally brought to the field. The whole team squeezed onto the stage that had been set up, and before they lifted the trophy, Trista was going to address the crowd. "Man, I never thought we would be here," she said, taking the microphone. "It's actually been a crazy last six years, and this is an even crazier conclusion. Six years ago, I was a wide eyed and hopeful freshman at Illara West. I wanted to prove that my dad, who was an all star quarterback, wasn't the best football player in the family. And you fans, by which I mean both the fans from Armeia and the ones from Anglatia, you guys pushed me through all of it. In these six years, I've gotten to play every role that I can think of. I've been the superstar college player, the rookie fighting for a place on the team, every position on the national team from fringe player to star to leader... I've been the hero, the villain, and just about everything in between, during those six years. Thank you."

Trista paused, before looking back up and continuing. "But I think we're forgetting someone. Kris Berksson. Number seven. I don't think any of us knew what we had with her until it was too late, and I want everyone to know that she was the heart of this secondary. She was the one who made sure there was no tension between us, she was the one who kept us together all this time. I know the coaches want to retire my number, but if anyone deserves it, it's her. Thanks, Kris. For everything."

When Trista finished, Taesha took the microphone. "I have a bit of a surprise announcement to make. I'm retiring young. I just wanna run back home and coach for Indies, I can't take this kind of pressure anymore. What can I say? I've done everything that there is to do. I came in and nobody knew my name, and I'm retiring an all time great."

Taesha literally dropped the mic, and it was time for the trophy lift. The team didn't know who deserved to lift it first. They wanted Trista to do it, but she refused and gave the trophy to Haru, who gave it to Maki, who gave it to Kyo. The young coordinator shrugged and took the first lift, fireworks simultaneously bursting in the air and behind them. It was another moment that would become iconic in team history. A moment that everyone wanted to last forever.

And for that one moment, that moment where everyone felt like the ghost of Kris Berksson was looking down on them, the Nordic Commonwealth of Armeia and the Empire of Greater Anglatia could say that they were on top of the football world.