NSCF 14 (Everything Thread)

[Vangaziland]

This was a game where Imperial Military Academy's offense got off to a slow start. They managed a field goal on their first and third drives. The second drive fell short in the middle of the field.

"Things lagged for a bit", said fullback Taye Poconos. "Innusburg is tough. They beat us once. We had to push."

One of the plays that motivated the Rangers was a run by the FB, where he picked up 7 yards and a first down. That drive ended on a red zone touchdown pass to tight end Fred Loxingsen. Loxingsen would finish with the game with 65 yards receiving as the big man proved himself a viable receiver.

Z.J. Pryus would get the next touchdown off of a 5 yard run.

"The line has been giving us so much", said the halfback. "They made the smallest opening on that play. I still had to fight my way in, but it was the space they created that made that touchdown possible."

Bader has done well transitioning to the center position. The line looked solid once again, helping to force the run and keep a pocket around their quarterback.

Don Adebaygo threw 19-25 for 210 yards. He picked up 2 touchdowns and managed not to throw any interceptions this time around. He also scrambled for 18 yards on 4 runs.

"Sometimes people forget I'm a mobile quarterback", the QB told reporters. "If there is space, I'm not scared to dart for a few yards. Coach challenged me to wait more this year... To stay in the pocket and look for the pass.. To trust the line."

"Nobody is more surprised at our offensive production than I am", said Coach Franklin. "Don is having the best stretch of his career. He is looking more like an upper-classman than he did at the start of our domestic season."

Tony Toucant caught a touchdown late in the 4th quarter. Again, the Academy went to a route that sent the 6'4 receiver into the corner. He won the leaping match, quickly tucked the ball in and fell still inbounds. The receiver had 99 yards, with 25 of those after the catch.

"The elephant in the room was our defense", said linebacker Taylor Barnacles. "It's not easy keeping a team like Innusburg out of the end zone. That takes a coordinated effort, a big stand up front on the line and serious interference from the secondary."

The blitz worked tonight and Imperial constantly put pressure on the opposing QB. They got to him a few times, mainly with defensive end Jalen Baffadil. Safety Miller Keynote also picked up 1 sack. The Rangers seem to utilize the safety blitz at least a few times each game. This is probably because of Keynote and his abilities. Sometimes a player on the college level affects what the coordinator does.

The Academy definitely has a large backfield of players. There are plenty of people that can be sent forward. So even if a team is expecting the blitz, they don't know where it will come from.

The linebackers did an aggressive job of shutting down the run early and forcing Innusburg to throw. Maybe Innusburg was forcing the throw on purpose because of their latest scheme. Maybe they should have ran more.

Freshman cornerback Brad Lawner had one of the biggest plays on defense, with a leaping deflection in the end zone. The Imperial secondary got to the ball time and time again. The Rangers seemed especially focused on stopping 3rd down situations. The result limited one of the top teams to one field goal.

News reports came in that some people from Innusburg were complaining after the loss.

"The score was what it was", said Coach Franklin. "When we lost, you didn't see us whining. The officials did just fine. This is football..."

Reports that the officials had a poor performance were unsubstantiated media claims stretching for an excuse for an effort that came up short. Illegal plays are not in the style of what makes an IMA cadet. The "call" was exaggerated from the start, the refs knew it and told the player to man up... An IMA cadet would not get in a referee's face and cry about a call either.

If nothing else, Vannish athletes and journalists have proven themselves to be humble and fair competitors. Tonight was not the night they suddenly started cheating. Neither would tomorrow night be.

[Valanora]

Valanora Times
Vanorian Schools Prepare For Titanic Clash

Mar Sara Tech and Raynor University are preparing for what looks to be the potential game to decide the fate of the conference in Raynor City this evening. With the two sides standing at one and two in the conference, with only the University of the West of Ethane (editor: That is quite the mouthful, why couldn't they have come up with something easier to say?) having a winning record in the conference besides the two Vanorian schools, both look still good to win the conference. While the Ethane school still has a really good chance of stealing the conference from either Raynor or Tech, both teams still have them to play and will be favored to win the game having have beaten them once already.

Tech has been a major force to reckon with, even despite their surprise defeat at the end of the first half of conference play, though Raynor's loss on that fifth matchday gave them the edge they currently continue to hold over their Vanorian rivals. The raiders have been playing to their strengths, keeping up the short passing game and running game before exploiting opponents defenses on play action passes and two move routes for the big plays that often result in touchdowns or long gains. That methodical approach to the offense keeps them with the time of possession advantage and keeping their defense rested to be at their very best when they do hit the field. This was best on display last week as they had scoring drives of eight minutes, seven minutes, and another eight minutes in their twenty-one to nil blowout of Mjasa Tech away from Mar Sara.

For Raynor University, the explosive offense that they are renowned for has simply not materialized this season and they have had to grind out some results that many thought would be roll overs. It is a frustrating time to be a fan of the school, as you can see the potential in the players, they just do not seem to have the drive to play up to that potential and instead have been playing down to the level of their opponent. That bit them in the last week of the first half, as they were defeated in surprising fashion and may bite them again if they do not shape up for these last four games. While a loss against Mar Sara will not be the end of the world, they will need to win the remaining three games as well as their out of conference if they would have any hope for making the playoffs and not be settled into just a bowl appearance.

[Allamunnic States]

[OoC: Okay, after the last few matchdays, I thought I had a little more time to get an RP done. Didn't realize we were back to the original cutoff/scorination time. I will be editing in an RP for this matchday as well.]

Innusburg Tribune
Sports - Collegiate & Minor-League Gridiron

Barons solidify hold on group lead with win over Ceneisis
13-3 win gives IU home revenge for Week One loss

The quick-and-dirty transition to a ball-control offense bore fruit, giving the defense the opportunity to make plays that let the Barons take control against defending-champions Ceneisis Naval Academy on an intermittently-rainy day in Innusburg. A relatively balanced attack managed to move the ball when necessary, and MLB#07 Rikard Andriks took control of the game once again, tallying 8 tackles (including two for loss), 1 sack, and forcing a key fumble. His impact was clearly felt, even as he was helped off the field, limping, late in the fourth quarter after an awkward tackle.

The win sets up a key road match against Vangaziland's Imperial Military Academy, who have been on a roll since the Barons stomped them in Innusburg, 20-3. What looked to be a match-up of middling contenders early in the season will have major playoff implications, as the two teams currently sit at first and second in the Zephyr Conference. Not especially promising is the fact that Andriks will be forced to miss the game. Additionally, DT#53 Kaarl Lukas seemed more than a little battered by the end of the game. It was certainly not an easy win, score aside.

---

Innusburg Tribune
Sports - Collegiate & Minor-League Gridiron

Barons fall to Rangers in sloppy, penalty-ridden match
23-3 loss locks in IMA's tie-breaker over IU

Coming up a capable defense and a good offensive line, an injury-ravaged Innusburg University could not get anything moving against Vangaziland's Imperial Military Academy. Hampered by the losses of QB#04 Theo Rikken, WR#19 Mikel Theodur, and the temporary absence of LB#07 Rikard Andriks. Andriks' loss, in particular, devastated the ability of the defense to contain the run, aggravated further by DT#53 Kaarl Lukas trying to play through injuries of his own, leaving the middle open.

Equally to the point, frustration manifested early and often. The game was actually more competitive than the score indicated, with the Barons losing two different touchdowns to penalties (a holding call in the second quarter, and an illegal man downfield in the third quarter, despite the player, OT#52 Erik Baerun reporting as eligible). In fact, the officials turned in a somewhat poor effort in general, as well, aggravating an already sloppy performance by IU. Several members of the team reported that penalties by the opposing side were not being called (the already nicked-up Lukas reporting an illegal chop-block at one point in the third quarter that went uncalled). As a result, anger and tension festered, and the team as a whole began playing rougher and sloppier, having their limited successes wiped out by senseless penalties (when they were not phantom penalties).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Barons' offense had trouble getting moving against a capable front-seven, given the relative weakness of most of the line. Poor execution in the passing game also hurt, as, despite IMA coming out ready to stop the run, the designed pass-heavy early attack, obviously characteristic of Innusburg University's recent teams to anyone capable of research, foundered, with the tight coverage making it hard for the weaker-armed QB#17 Jana Kroedur to fit the ball into even tighter windows.

Hopefully, Kroedur will be able to pick up some confidence in the team's next game, because even their attempt at ball-control still called for a lot of short passes and screens, making her importance still significant. As it was, when forced to try to fall back on the running game, the Barons had some serious issues, and they were unable to keep up as the IMA's offense hammered an injury-ravaged defense.

"They shouldn't have beaten us. At full strength, they wouldn't have," Kaarl Lukas said after the game. "But the best teams find ways to win even when injuries and bad breaks get to you."

The loss is a damaging one to the Barons' playoff hopes, as they will now have a tie-breaker disadvantage against IMA, who have a 3-point head-to-head score differential, despite the split record. Unless the Barons finish with more wins than IMA, or slide farther back, they will be locked into second place.

[Valanora]

Celestia Conference
Vietussia Academy (UNV) 27–3 University of Angelwood-Aprilia (USS)
Loyola University (BNJ) 54–7 Leopord Central University (FND)
Northern Moravica University (BNJ) 30–10 Kanza University (USD)

P Celestia Conference                    Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD
1 Loyola University                        7    6   1   218   85 +133
2 Vietussia Academy                        7    5   2   155   92  +63
3 Northern Moravica University             7    4   3   110   87  +23
4 Kanza University                         7    3   4    96  101   −5
5 University of Angelwood-Aprilia          7    2   5    71  167  −96
6 Leopord Central University               7    1   6    82  200 −118

Horizon Conference
Drawk Corps University (DRK) 19–3 Sacred Heart University (YSP)
South Seas University (ALU) 17–0 Freedom's Altar University (YSP)
Stoneshore College (COS) 14–3 Ramusok Capital University (COS)

P Horizon Conference                     Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD
1 Ramusok Capital University               7    6   1   138   54  +84
2 South Seas University                    7    6   1   131   50  +81
3 Stoneshore College                       7    5   2   112   59  +53
4 Drawk Corps University                   7    3   4    81   93  −12
5 Freedom's Altar University               7    1   6    38   91  −53
6 Sacred Heart University                  7    0   7    43  196 −153

[Yesopalitha]

Mineral Conference
Redland College (SCT) 13–41 Mjasa Tech (ANG)
University of the West of Ethane (ETN) 30–3 Paputian National University (PAP)
Raynor University (VAL) 30–7 Mar Sara Tech (VAL)

  Mineral Conference                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Raynor University                         7    5   2   133   66  +67
2 Mar Sara Tech                             7    5   2   141   90  +51
3 University of the West of Ethane          7    5   2   151   28 +123
4 Mjasa Tech                                7    3   4   121  122   −1
5 Paputian National University              7    2   5    82  130  −48
6 Redland College                           7    1   6    47  239 −192

Woodlands Conference
University of Iqaluit (QUE) 10–0 Great Valley State University (HCL)
Hampden College (QUE) 30–7 University of Damushuto (DKI)
Utica University (OSR) 23–20 Universite St. Croix (QUE)

  Woodlands Conference                    Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Utica University                          7    7   0   194   83 +111
2 University of Iqaluit                     7    5   2   113   56  +57
3 Universite St. Croix                      7    4   3   120  109  +11
4 Hampden College                           7    3   4    96  112  −16
5 Great Valley State University             7    2   5   132  137   −5
6 University of Damushuto                   7    0   7    67  225 −158

[Abanhfleft]

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven Part Twelve Part Thirteen Part Fourteen Part Fifteen Part Sixteen Part Seventeen Part Eighteen Part Nineteen Part Twenty Part Twenty-one Part Twenty-two Part Twenty-three

There's the Way, Where's the Will? Part Twenty-four

Matt Koppelberg ducked into the drivers' waiting area while trying to remain out of sight of the man walking towards him. As he sat down on one of the plastic benches in the waiting area, one of the other drivers, also wearing a chauffeur's uniform, looked at him. "Problem?" he asked.

"No, not really," Matt replied sarcastically. "Of course, I'm hiding, you nitwit!"

"Who are you hiding from?" the chauffeur guy asked.

"That guy!" Matt said, pointing outside the waiting area.

"Who, Congressman Green?"

Matt nodded his head silently as he took the seat immediately beside the chauffeur guy so that he wouldn't be immediately seen by anyone looking at the waiting area from the outside. "Hey, easy there, big guy," the chauffeur guy said as Matt tried to himself behind the guy's average frame.

Congressman Green walked past the tree behind which Matt had hidden before going into the drivers' waiting area and looked to continue on, and then Green changed his mind and turned back. He walked right to the tree, looked around for a moment to make sure that no one was looking, and then he unzipped his trousers and relieved himself on the tree. "Oh, wow," Matt muttered. "The Honorable Matthias Green, Member of Congress and Representative of the 15th District of Riuwiee, pissing himself on a tree? What has the world come to?" He thought about taking an incriminating picture of the congressman, thought against it, and then decided to take the picture anyway. He had a feeling that it might be of use sometime in the future, although how exactly he'll use it to protect himself against the congressman, he didn't know.

Then, to Matt's great surprise and chagrin, Congressman Green turned and walked towards the waiting area. "Shit, shit, shit!" Matt muttered as Green went into the waiting area. He hastily pocketed his phone and stuffed it deep into the inside breast pocket of his cheap suit.

Congressman Green sat down on the chair beside Matt, took out a cigarette from a silver-plated case inside his suit, lit one, and took a deep drag. "Oh, thank God for that!" he muttered in apparent relief. "Goddamn Club America and their non-smoking policy!" he said in a louder voice. "If my grandfather wasn't an esteemed member of that club, I wouldn't have bothered with them in the first place!"

He then seemed to notice that there were a few other people inside the waiting area, so Green turned to face them and asked, "So, gentlemen, what's happening in your little corner of the world right now?"

"Nothing much, sir," the chauffeur replied. "We just lost our fourth straight game in the World Lacrosse Championships. We're certainly not going to get that three-peat now."

"Oh, go away with that 'sir' stuff," Green said. "I'm only in politics because I'm basically a Balwujik. I'm going to serve my term, and then I'm out of the politics scene again. Please, feel free to call me Matthias. So, what about our lacrosse team? How are we faring on that front?"

"There's just something that's not clicking with our team right now," the chauffeur said. "Fatima Alsambis doesn't look like she's fully in the game. I don't know if the rumors about her breaking up with Luke Edwards have any truth in it, but she's obviously being affected by the rumors. If Luzviminda doesn't get sacked after this, she'll have to bench Fatima and let her get some time off even though she's one of the best players in our team. In fact, we'd be bottom of our group if we hadn't beaten Kaboomlandia in our first game in the tournament. That's the only reason why we're fifth in the group."

"Are there any bright spots in our team, or are they all consistently, pardon my French, shit?" Green asked.

"I think one of our new players, the Indian, Chandra Koothrappali, she looks a good player for someone who's thirty. It's a shame that she's already at that age. If she was any younger, I'd say that she's the future of our team. But I guess we'll have to clear out the whole team and get some fresh talent in there."

"Well, isn't that the way of life?" Green asked. "To make something new, sometimes you must destroy the old. How about you, mate?" he asked Matt. "What's your take?"

"I don't really follow lacrosse that much, to be honest," Matt replied. "I'm more of a footy person. United till I die."

Green then examined Matt a little closer. "Have I seen you before?" the congressman asked.

"No, I don't think so, sir," Matt said. "I'm just Selhurst Kuroma's new driver."

"Oh, are you?" Green said. "Well, good for Selly! Although I must say that you've got yourself in a very delicate position right now, my good man. Tell me, what's your name?"

"Er, Matthew Copper."

Matthias Green squinted at Matt one more time. "Are you really, really sure that we haven't met before?" he asked once again.

"I am absolutely positive, Mr. Green," Matt said.

Matt held Green's gaze, and then the congressman finally leaned back and said, "Okay then. Since you're now Selly Kuroma's driver, let me give you some advice. The man gets some very weird cravings at the most unexpected times. There's no way you can predict what he'll want, and when he'll want it. All you can do is hope to hell you can find what he wants ASAP, but at least he doesn't scream and shout at you like some of the other rich guys when they don't get what they want. Kuroma's family worked hard to get to where they are now, and Selly appreciates that hard work, so he's not going to slag you off if you don't get what he wants quickly. Although if you don't get it to him quickly enough, he's not going to want it anymore, if you know what I mean."

"Okay, I think I know what you mean," Matt said, nodding his head.

The room was quiet for a moment before the chauffeur spoke up again. "So, how about that Matt Koppelberg guy?" he asked Green. "What's happened to him anyway? Do you know anything about it, sir? Do you know something that you could tell the man on the street, anyway?"

"No one's seen neither hide nor hair of Koppelberg ever since his scam was uncovered," Green said. "The RBI's working hard on finding his trail, but it's proving much harder than we thought. It seems as if there's someone inside the Bureau who's actively working to take us off Koppelberg's trail as much as possible."

"What? That's crazy talk!" Matt said in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone, but deep inside, his heart was pounding. The RBI was on to Clement DeVille! Surely, he's the guy that Congressman Green was talking about. Who else would be working to protect Matt from the RBI and the government? But Clem himself had told him that the RBI had no idea that he was involved up to his knees in Matt's "business", so how could they determine that Clem is the one hiding Matt from the RBI? Were they tracing his finances or something?

"Well, Koppelberg had an estimated one trillion new penenks just before his scam was uncovered," Green said in response to Matt's statement. "And that's not counting the money he's got squirreled away in other places. He can certainly buy a lot of people with that kind of money. Hell, I'll even say that he came close to buying me. Well, to be honest, it was I who bought something from Koppelberg, but you can say that there was some kind of unspoken mutual understanding about how things are supposed to go between us. But the man stole my inheritance from me, and I'd like nothing more to wring his neck and then see him hanging from the gallows. Sadly, we'd abolished the gallows as a death penalty method, and extortion doesn't merit the death penalty at all in our current constitution. What I would give to see the bastard hanging from the gallows like in the old days. Have I told you that you look like that bastard?" he told Matt.

"Do I?" Matt said in what he hoped was a surprised tone. "No wonder people have been shitting on me recently!"

To Matt's great relief, his phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was Selhurst Kuroma calling him. "Well, that's the boss," he said. "It was nice talking to you guys. Hope they finally catch Koppelberg!" And Matt ran out before anyone could say anything else to him.

Matt had the Escalade waiting right in front of the Club America when Selhurst Kuroma came out of the club. "Ah, Mr. Copper! Good to see you!" Kuroma said as he got into the back of the Escalade. "Now, take me home, my good man. Dinner has been quite productive, I believe!"

"Yes, sir," Matt said as he drove the Escalade away from the club.

"Matthew, did you by any chance see Congressman Matthias Green while you were waiting for me?" Kuroma asked.

"Why do you ask, sir?" Matt asked.

"I couldn't help but notice the honorable congressman walking out of the club after having drunk a few too many drinks," Kuroma said. "Then again, the lad's never really liked Club America anyway. I heard from a friend of a friend that were it not for Ambassador Dzerzhinsky Balwujik being a member of the club, Congressman Green wouldn't bother with the membership at all!"

"Yes, sir," Matt said. "He came into the drivers' waiting area and we talked about some stuff, mostly lacrosse. From back-to-back titles to losing four games straight... I'd say something happened to our lacrosse team that made them regress this badly. It might even have something to do with those rumors about Fatima Alsambis breaking up with Luke Edwards."

"Poor girl," Kuroma muttered. "She's already gone through a lot of stuff in her life; she deserves a break from all the suffering. Fatima and Luke looked like a perfect match, in my opinion. Whenever we would meet at the Club America--Luke Edwards is an honorable member of the club, by the way, mostly because of his contributions for Riuwiee United, although I admit to not really following the sport of football--the two of them were always together, and you could tell that they really loved each other. I really hope that there is no truth to these rumors of Fatima and Luke splitting up. I never liked gossip anyway, but I really do hope that they stay together."

"Yes, sir," Matt said absentmindedly.

"Ah, I suddenly have a craving for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!" Kuroma exclaimed suddenly. "Matthew, will you be a good man and get some peanut butter and jelly for this old man?"

"As you wish, sir," Matt said. "Can I ask you if there's anything specific that you would like tonight?"

"Yes, you can ask me, my good man," Kuroma replied. "And no, there is nothing specific which I would like to eat tonight. At this time, I don't particularly care for whatever kind of peanut butter and jelly hits my stomach. Although I would like some of that Chunky Monkey peanut butter with some gelatinized Burthnasian grape juice."

"I know where we can get some Chunky Monkey, Mr. Kuroma," Matt said. "But I'm not so sure about Burthnasian gelatinized grape juice. Those haven't been seen ever since Burthnas cut exports of their grape juice to Copper Cuprum."

"Oh, don't worry about that Burthnas jelly," Kuroma said. "I've got a one-gallon jar of the purple heaven right here with me."

"Wait, what?" Matt couldn't help but say as he turned around to try to get a look at the aforementioned gallon of jelly.

"Keep your eyes on the road, man!" Kuroma said loudly, not really a rebuke but not a suggestion either. "You could crash the car and kill the both of us! I haven't settled my will yet!"

"You really shouldn't be saying that out loud, sir," Matt said as he turned his focus back on the road. "About your will not being settled, I mean. I don't think you will like it if that information went public, would it?"

"But it wouldn't go public, right, my boy?" Kuroma asked.

"No, sir, of course not," Matt said. "Whyever would you think that?"

Matt stopped in front of yet another corner shop, went inside, bought some Chunky Monkey and regular sliced bread, and then he ran back to the Escalade and put the bread and peanut butter on the seat beside him. "Sorry to keep you waiting, sir," he said as he brought the vehicle back on the road.

"Excellent," Kuroma said as he began preparing a sandwich inside the car. "Did you, your fellow drivers, and Congressman Green talk about anything else besides lacrosse?" he asked as he tucked into his sandwich.

"He also talked about the thing about that scam and this Koppeling guy or something like that," Matt said carefully.

"What a bloody mess that was," Kuroma muttered through his peanut butter and jelly. "There are really some people in this world who can't be satisfied with what they have. They have to have more and more until they have everything, and even then, I don't think they would be satisfied with that. Personally, I don't know that Matthew Koppelberg fellow, and I'm glad I don't, but from what I've seen of the fellow, he really is the type who won't be satisfied with having everything and everyone in his pockets. I almost made the mistake of going into business with him, but a gut feeling told me not to throw my lot in with the fellow, and I'm glad that I listened to my instinct. Who knows what would have happened to my money if I had gone through with the deal."

Matt finally brought the Escalade to the doorstep of Kuroma's substantial mansion which was in one of Riuwiee's most affluent neighborhoods. "Ah, finally, home sweet home," Kuroma said in relief. "Well, Matthew, it's been a fun ride with you. I'll see you again tomorrow. Oh, and I think I'd like to have a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches waiting for me when you come to pick me up on the way to the office."

"I'll be sure to do that," Matt said, smiling as Kuroma went into his house, while inside he was wishing, Dear God, if you can let Kuroma get over his craving for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, then I promise that I won't ever scam anyone ever again.

I'm only posting this so that when I post the next part of TTWWTW, I won't have to start in the middle of a storyline. Also, this will be my last post in NSCF for this edition as I'm going to be focusing on the World Cup, provided I don't get distracted by whatever comes my way in the next few days.

[Banija]

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

Loyola-Istria scores on every single possesion en route to a 54-7 blowout home victory over Leopard Central University


Loyola-Istria teammates celebrate a 2nd quarter touchdown in their blowout victory over Leopard Central University

ISTRIA- Everything almost went absolutely perfectly for the Celestia Conference leaders Loyola-Istria. They had 10 possessions throughout this football game, and they did something very rare. They scored points on all 10 offensive possessions, and in this case, that means they scored 6 touchdowns in addition to 4 field goals, which allowed them to put a Banijan NSCF record 54 points on the scoreboard against their overmatched Leopard Central University opponents.

Leopard Central University, of course, was coming off of their first win of the season against the two-time defending champions Northern Moravica, While they were still firmly in the basement of the Celestia Conference, the fact that they were able to defeat Northern Moravica gave them a confidence boost heading into this game. This game, of course, was setting itself up as the perfect trap game for Loyola-Istria- with Northern paying a visit in 2 weeks, and Loyola-Istria not having been in this kind of position before at this level of football.

Loyola-Istria, at the Istria Lightning Yard of course, showed their opponents who the most dominant team was in the Celestia Conference. This game, of course, was an exercise in complete domination from the first play to the last play, where Loyola-Istria thoroughly outplayed their opponents in every aspect and every single phase of the game. Dennis Zervos lit up Leopard Central University through the air. He only played in the 1st half, but he threw 4 touchdown passes and for 233 passing yards in that half, as Loyola-Istria raced to a 38-0 lead at halftime.

While Leopard Central University did return the opening kickoff of the 2nd half for a touchdown, they could not muster any sort of offense from their actual offensive unit. They got good returns from their special teams, but the Loyola-Istria defense was able to clamp down on any scoring threats. Head Coach Alastair Jobs, of course, had to pleased at this performance. "We were moving the ball extremely well today. Scoring on 10 out of 10 possesions? That's unheard of, especially at this level, so I applaud the entire offensive unit, no matter where they are on the depth chart. I got playing time for every single player on this roster today, which I was extremely happy with, and this game takes us one step closer to accomplishing our goals coming into the season."

Of course, with this win, Loyola-Istria left no doubt in anybody's mind that, at least for this season, they, rather than Northern Moravica, are the best team in the conference and are clearly the team to beat in the Celestia Conference. Of course, their next game is a trip to Kanza University, who is 3-4 this season, but is 0-9 all-time against the two Banijan schools, which include the season sweep by Loyola-Istria last season, their week 3 home victory this year, and 3 consecutive season sweeps by Northern Moravica University. Of course, Kanza University is definitely talented enough to win what is the perfect setup for a trap game, as the big North v. South Showdown will be played at the Istria Lightning Yard just two weeks from now. And, if Loyola-Istria win next week, that will set up an opportunity to clinch a playoff berth against their archrivals, which is exactly what Loyola-Istria fans want to do.

Northern Moravica University

Northern Moravica begins to right ship with 30-10 victory over Kanza University


Redshirt Freshman quarterback Bastiaan Rodo(#18) celebrates his first victory in his first start as Northern's starting quarterback

HERZEGOVINA CITY- Bastiaan Rodo was supposed to be the quarterback of the future at Northern Moravicva. Everything, of course, was going according to plan. He was learning last year under Slawomir Kovach, who though he was not the most prolific quarterback, he truly battled and was a proven winner, winning two outright Celestia conference titles in his two years as a starter in the NSCF, and earning consecutive automatic playoff berths for his squd.

Of course, this season has not gone according to plan. He was supposed to learn behind Davorko Siroky, and then go out and win the starting job next season in the summer against redshirt sophomore Bratislav Vlaeva in training camp, and then start for the next 3 years. Davorko Siroky, however, has largely struggled this season, especially in the last 4 weeks, where all three of Northern's losses have come from. He turned the ball over more than he put it into the end zone, and the offense has been stuck in neutral for 4 weeks. Since Bratislav Vlaeva couldn't do much better, there was an open competition at quarterback this week. The winner, of course, was the prodigy, Bastiaan Rodo.

Rodo was able to get the offense to start moving the football. The team scored 4 offensive touchdowns, which in addition to a 2nd quarter safety, was where the team was able to put 30 points on the scoreboard, compared to Kanza University, who could only muster 10 points. Northern Moravica is now 6-0 all-time against Kanza University, who has never beaten a Banijan school on the gridiron, as they are now 0-9 all-time against Northern Moravica and Loyola-Istria.

Maybe that is why you cannot read too much into this performance- this is an opponent that Northern Moravica has typically dominated, and simply more of the same happened today, on their own home field. However, it was an encouraging performance from Rodo. He did not turn the ball over, and he threw one touchdown pass, which was early in the 4th quarter to Gregos Banis, the team's sophomore #1 wideout. Of course, we'll see how he can do in future weeks, as he has the starting job right now, even though Horace Browning has shown that he is clearly capable of switching quarterbacks if one is playing poorly.

They face a tricky trip to Angelwood-Aprilla, who admittedly is not that strong of an opponent, but they are one that came to Herzegovina City and left as winners, so it is more than clear that this team cannot be overlooked just because it is the game before the North v. South Showdown. They'll have to get more out of their offense than they did in week 3, or else they may find themselves in the same position they did after week 3- another loss, which will mathematically destroy their admittedly slim chances of winning the Celestia Conference. We'll see how Rodo can do in his first away game, as that will be his preparation for the very tricky trip to the Istria Lightning Yard, when there is much more on the line, 2 weeks from now.

[Costa Aluria]

---

Honu, Kainoa Run A Muck Against Freedom’s Altar
Story by Abraham Shepherd


Mosaic--The South Seas University football program notched another important win in the NSCF on Thursday, defeating Freedom’s Altar University 17-0. The game was underscored by sloppy field and weather conditions that made the game tough going for both sides.

In what may seem as a bit of an unfair advantage for the home Honu, Freedom’s Altar had been forced to make their incoming flights on short notice after the game had been moved from Saturday to Thursday in the oncoming wake of Hurricane Kainoa. The storm created double havoc for the visiting team, as on-field conditions added to the woes of a short preparation week and long incoming airline flights. With rain sometimes coming down in a deluge, the natural grass of The Plumeria Garden was covered in four inches of mud by early in the second quarter, making progress that much more difficult for any called plays.

The sloppy field conditions provided ample opportunity for the Honu defense to run amok in the muck and mire. Defensive Coordinator Samson Fisafua’s unit has been perhaps the biggest surprise this season for the otherwise unsurprising Honu team. In what has--thus far, at least--been a complete role reversal for South Seas University, it has been the lack of creativity and buzz that has given the Honu their identity in NSCF’s 14th season. Savvy observers have noted for the past few seasons the defensive prowess of Fisafua, but it has been head coach Goose Carneghy’s 180 degree rotation in philosophy that has now highlighted it for even casual fans.

While the Honu entered the season as one of a select few teams favored to lead the ranks in total offense, it is the team’s defense that may put them in the best spot to make a push deep into the playoffs. The double-edged sword, however, is that should the Honu experience continued success with their newfound old philosophy, Fisafua’s name might be a hot ticket item when it comes to teams looking to rebuild in the offseason.

In Thursday’s match, it might have been difficult to tell which was the greater influencer--Fisafua’s defensive unit or Hurricane Kainoa. The tandem combined to force four fumble recoveries against Freedom’s Altar, and a near fifth that resulted in a safety in the third quarter.

The remainder of the scoring came via the Honu offense, though perhaps not in the fashion that many might have expected from this Honu team. In an unforeseen plot twist, the unconventional-turned-conventional Honu turned back to some of their unorthodox offensive strategies despite a very bland approach.

While Goose Carneghy has never been shy about about attempting two point conversions after touchdowns, Thursday’s two failed two point conversions came more as a result of the weather than any game flow or gamesmanship. Due to the slippery field conditions and the wind-tunnel effect of the stadium design, the Honu completely abandoned the kicking game after a Camerynne Eider field goal on the opening possession. Three South Seas possessions stalled when Carneghy elected to venture fourth down conversions rather than attempt a field goal. Likewise, Carenghy forewent punting on a number of occasions in the game as well.

For South Seas fans, the hope will be that once Kainoa passes the islands, The Plumeria Garden will return to its garden like setting. While the stadium was designed to caress the tradewinds under normal Costa Alurian conditions, designers could not take into effect a hurricane playing with the dynamics in creating a wind tunnel. But as a once-in-several-years occurrence, the wind may be the least of the worries for the stadium maintenance crew.

A more pressing factor will be the replacement of the stadium’s natural grass turf, which was absolutely destroyed in the gridlock of Thursday’s gridiron. And while South Seas heads on the road to Horizon Conference leader Ramusok Capital University for the next game, the timeline of the projected landfall of Hurricane Kainoa may not be conducive to replacing the turf for the ensuing home game in two weeks.

And that is if there is a stadium to play in at all. Nobody knows what effects to the stadium might come if Kainoa hits the South Seas Islands with its full force.

For now, while most Islanders turn their attention to Hurricane Kainoa, the South Seas football program must turn its attention to a storm on a different front--Ramusok Capital University. The Dragons currently sit undefeated atop the Horizon Conference and look to be perhaps the best team in college football this season.

The reality of the situation is that the muck on the field on Thursday may in fact be the calm before the storm--on the gridiron just as much as it is off the gridiron.

---

Box Score	1	2	3	4	OT	F
South Seas University	3	6	2	6	N/A	17
Freedom’s Altar University	0	0	0	0	N/A	0

Scoring summary:
1st Qtr, 9:17 (SSU) Camerynne Eider 26 yard field goal [FAU 0-SSU 3]
2nd Qtr, 4:24 (SSU) Brigham Cooke 1 yard rush (2 point conversion failed) [FAU 0-SSU 9]
3rd Qtr, 2:59 (SSU) Adawale Jesumbo tackled FAU player in the endzone for safety [FAU 0- SSU 11]
4th Qtr, 3:31 (SSU) Jaelen Bush 5 yard rush (2 point conversion failed) [FAU 0 - SSU 17]

---

OOC: This news post is written from the perspective of a forced Thursday night game, and therefore as a Friday news article. As such, it is written from the perspective that Ramusok Capital’s loss to Stoneshore College has not yet happened.

[Osarius]

Anthony Channa's team will travel to Halleconia tomorrow knowing that a win would all-but secure Utica's status as Woodlands conference champions for an astonishing tenth time. While it is entirely possible that the Tigers could drop their remaining two games, and lose out on a tiebreaker with Iqaluit, it doesn't seem likely. A crushing 26-0 victory over Hampden College -- Utica's week nine opposition -- a month ago would seem to indicate that the Tigers are in little danger of letting their stranglehold on the Woodlands conference loosen any time soon.

Most impressive about the Tigers' perfect run thus far -- which sees them top all available NSCF ranking systems with the only perfect record in the league -- is that there is a feeling they could be doing more. "LeDallas [de Jeruselem] and Antoine [Myers] are doing enough," said head coach Anthony Channa, "and Kendrick [Lloyd] hasn't made many mistakes." It has become almost expected to speak of Utica playmakers in glowing terms, drawing attention to monster numbers, but this season there has been no such talk. Quebecois runningback de Jeruselem leads the team in rushing yards with 601 -- almost 200 of which came in the 50 point torching of Damushiuto in week six -- which seems some way off his near record-breaking numbers in previous years. "It's not really the same this year for LeDallas," explained Utica's runningbacks coach Ishmael Johnson. "He's splitting carries, we're not going with a blocking back a lot of the time, and we're using more passing plays this season than we did, so his production, in terms of numbers, will be impacted."

Despite talk of the Tigers splitting carries, their two lead backs still only total 937 yards between them. Though Johnson talks of the Tigers using more passing plays, Kendrick Lloyd has only passed for a total of 1,141 yards. While this is by no means a poor total after seven games -- Lloyd averages 163 yards per game, which would have ranked him fourteenth among starting quarterbacks in OCGL this past season -- it is some way off the lofty totals achieved by his predecessors. Even the much-maligned Alexander Logan averaged similar numbers as a starter for Utica. So why are the Tigers thriving?

Some have pointed to a considerably weaker level of competition from other Woodlands conference teams this season, most notably St Croix, who currently languish three games behind the Tigers and cannot win the conference. "It says a lot about the Woodlands conference as a whole that Iqaluit are the only team who pose any threat to the Tigers right now." Said OSN analyst Saul Cerrada. "The Tigers are strong, no doubt, but they were there for the taking this season. That chance will have passed by next year, and those talented freshmen they have? They'll be experienced, battle-hardened and ready to push a claim or a fourth Utica title."

There is some truth in Cerrada's analysis. The Tigers have never been particularly strong defensively and this season shows it. They rank twenty-third in adjusted defense, and seem to be benefiting greatly from a weaker schedule. "We can take adjusted offense and see Utica in the top five, we can take adjusted win margin and see Utica in the top five... but if we look at Utica's adjusted defensive record, and compare to their adjusted offensive record, they average out to having lost every game so far by a single point. That is not the record of a championship contender. They have by far the easiest schedule among the teams in the top five for adjusted win margin. This is why they will be in the playoffs. Nothing more." Looking at the OSPI standings, three Woodlands teams rank in the bottom third of the league. Aside from Utica, only St Croix feature the top eight, and barely. And even then, the Quebecois school would likely miss out on the playoffs based on current performance, as they would require committee vote, which seems almost certain to go to the runners-up in two of the Horizon, Mineral or Zephyr conferences.

[Costa Aluria]

There were boards on all of the windows at the wooden structure on Harbor Avenue, and the lights were off. Nobody was in sight. With debris all around, and broken glass littering the streets, the amazing thing was not that there was damage. No, that was to be expected after the onslaught of Hurricane Kainoa.

Costa Aluria’s South Seas Islands had unfortunately found itself in the direct path of the storm. And while a storm like this doesn’t come around all too often, the ones that do tend to besiege with the full brunt of power that makes everybody in the islands remember why they are blessed--blessed to live in such a wonderful place, blessed that the “storm of the century” comes so infrequently, blessed to be alive, blessed to have ohana. While the past week had been tumultuous--rainy, windy, and otherwise just plain nasty--it was Monday that Kainoa devastated the islands, making its landfall and destroying so many things in its path. And now that Kainoa had moved on to ravage elsewhere, the time had come to size it all up.

So, as stated, the amazing thing was not that the Whaler Mercantile had sustained damage. The amazing thing was that it still stood where it had since 1830. It had seen its share of big storms,and it had weathered them all, a product of the superior craftsmanship of the workers who had erected it. But that should be expected given its namesake as the Whaler. Built by a group of hardy souls who attempted to forge a whaling colony in the islands all those years ago, it would make sense that they knew how to construct items that could take a beating.

Still, the Whaler stood empty in the shadow of Kainoa.

“Shoots.”

That is all that Phineas Clocktower had to say to Roosevelt Calderon. It must have been a sombering walk to the mercantile--buildings laying in crumbles, chickens from destroyed coops strutting around, boats washed ashore. In fact, the entire Mosaic marina looked to be in shambles. The harbor still stood, kind of. Every so often, the two had passed a flower lei that had been placed by a family member to honor their recently departed, casualties of the storm.

It wasn’t for the nostalgia that they came; it certainly wasn’t to relive the devastation of the storm. But just as certainly those were byproducts of their walk. They had come, however, for their family, their ohana. They had come to get to work restoring the South Seas Islands.

With a bit of a tear in his eye, Phineas gave a big sigh. “We need more people. There is a lot of work to do.”

It was a fair, though underreported, assessment by all accounts. There was in fact a lot of work to be done. Down the street, the cinema sign--done so beautifully all those years ago in its art deco style--sat on the ground in only God knows how many pieces. While palm fronds were a common sight in these parts, it was now near impossible to walk the streets without walking atop them while also dodging the trees that had been completely uprooted. Glass. Wooden boards. Upturned cars. All mere snapshots of destruction. You may have heard the saying “Can’t tell the trees through the forest;” this scene was much more “Can’t tell the damage through the utter destruction.”

And while the debris littered every corner of Harbor Avenue, it is worth mentioning that it was the more modern structures of the city that had received the most damning damage. With the Polynesian heritage of the islands, what the ancestors knew as true had been handed down throughout the generations--the simple truth is palm frond and grass huts are not just a simpler solution to readily available building materials. No, indeed. The ancestors passed down this knowledge because they were also much more practical, and not just from a construction standpoint. The light nature of the materials allowed the gentle tradewinds to caress the inhabitants of any hut, keeping them cool in the heat of the sun. Likewise, the material--with its swaying naute--was also a better choice when those same tradewinds turned into an all out storm; it was a subtle, perhaps, reminder of Costa Aluria’s long heritage of being one with nature.

And yet there was still debris strewn about everywhere. It was the embodiment of what coach Goose Carneghy had said all season--quite literally, there was almost nothing left to see here.

“We need more people. There is a lot of work to do. This is not my homeland. This is a disgrace to these islands.”

He kept repeating it, as if the mere repetition would make it all go away, as if by some magic spell the incantations would change the fate of the islands, as if it were a rallying cry to any bystanders, as if--well, as if he couldn’t understand what else to say.

And then--well, then he found the words he had to say. “I’m not flying to Cosumar.”

Calderon remained silent, but his bewildered face easily belied his calm demeanor. With dilated pupils, he looked back at Phineas in a stare of amazement.

“I’m not flying to Cosumar. The islands need me. We have to make a difference. We have to rebuild. We have to do it for our heritage, for our ohana. We NEED to be here for the aina.”

Again, Calderon remained silent, but with a more somber look on his face this time.

“There is more to life than football,” Phineas continued. “And so we need more people.”

And with that, his moment of insecure unknowing had passed, and he started to walk away.

Calderon, now standing by himself, called after his teammate, his friend, his fellow South Seas Islander. “What about the gloves? We came for leather gloves!”

Without hesitation, Phineas spun around in mid stride. “I have some,” he replied. And with his right hand he pulled out a pair of green gloves whose yellow trim made the Honu football program logo when placed together--his game gloves. “These will have to do.”

[Frenline Delpha]

Did I hear the cut-off come?

Innusburg University 9–0 Thereisnogodistan Community College
Ceneisis Naval Academy 23–10 Karl Marx University
Abaja City University 3–17 Imperial Military Academy

Zephyr Conference                               Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Imperial Military Academy                 8    6   2   178   85  +93
2 Innusburg University                      8    6   2    92   56  +36
3 Abaja City University                     8    3   5    71  127  −56
4 Thereisnogodistan Community College       8    3   5    78  107  −29
5 Ceneisis Naval Academy                    8    3   5   138  117  +21
6 Karl Marx University                      8    3   5   102  167  −65

[Yesopalitha]

Mineral Conference
Mjasa Tech (ANG) 14–32 Raynor University (VAL)
Mar Sara Tech (VAL) 27–7 University of the West of Ethane (ETN)
Paputian National University (PAP) 41–0 Redland College (SCT)

  Mineral Conference                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Raynor University                         8    6   2   165   80  +85
2 Mar Sara Tech                             8    6   2   168   97  +71
3 University of the West of Ethane          8    5   3   158   55 +103
4 Mjasa Tech                                8    3   5   135  154  −19
5 Paputian National University              8    3   5   123  130   −7
6 Redland College                           8    1   7    47  280 −233

Woodlands Conference
Great Valley State University (HCL) 14–24 Utica University (OSR)
Universite St. Croix (QUE) 9–6 Hampden College (QUE)
University of Damushuto (DKI) 7–9 University of Iqaluit (QUE)

  Woodlands Conference                    Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Utica University                          8    8   0   218   97 +121
2 University of Iqaluit                     8    6   2   122   63  +59
3 Universite St. Croix                      8    5   3   129  115  +14
4 Hampden College                           8    3   5   102  121  −19
5 Great Valley State University             8    2   6   146  161  −15
6 University of Damushuto                   8    0   8    74  234 −160

[Valanora]

Celestia Conference
University of Angelwood-Aprilia (USS) 0–6 Northern Moravica University (BNJ)
Kanza University (USD) 0–26 Loyola University (BNJ)
Leopord Central University (FND) 14–23 Vietussia Academy (UNV)

P Celestia Conference                    Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD
1 Loyola University                        8    7   1   244   85 +159
2 Vietussia Academy                        8    6   2   178  106  +72
3 Northern Moravica University             8    5   3   116   87  +29
4 Kanza University                         8    3   5    96  127  −31
5 University of Angelwood-Aprilia          8    2   6    71  173 −102
6 Leopord Central University               8    1   7    96  223 −127

Horizon Conference
Sacred Heart University (YSP) 10–16 Stoneshore College (COS)
Ramusok Capital University (COS) 9–23 South Seas University (ALU)
Freedom's Altar University (YSP) 19–0 Drawk Corps University (DRK)

P Horizon Conference                     Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 South Seas University                    8    7   1   154   59  +95
2 Ramusok Capital University               8    6   2   147   77  +70
3 Stoneshore College                       8    6   2   128   69  +59
4 Drawk Corps University                   8    3   5    81  112  −31
5 Freedom's Altar University               8    2   6    57   91  −34
6 Sacred Heart University                  8    0   8    53  212 −159

[Banija]

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

Loyola-Istria gets ready for their biggest North v. South Showdown as a member of the NSCF


This is the poster hanging up all across Loyola's campus during rivalry week as they get ready to play Northern Moravica

ISTRIA- The North v. South Showdown is the biggest game of the year for the Blue Thunder. These two games are circled on the calendar for these two schools, as they hold nothing but absolute disdain for each other. Northern Moravica has a slight edge in the all-time series, but they have the dominant edge in the NSCF. Northern Moravica, rather than Loyola, was the first school to break with domestic college football and test the international waters. All they did in their inaugural season was win the Celestia Conference outright, en route to an automatic playoff berth.

Last season, Loyola-Istria became the 2nd, and final, school to make the jump from domestic college football to the NSCF. They were also placed in the Celestia Conference, alongside their archrivals. Northern Moravica dominated their archrivals last season, sweeping the season series en route to a 2nd straight outright Celestia Conference championship and a 2nd straight automatic playoff berth. Northern Moravica, at least for right now, were the top dogs in this country in terms of college football.

The script seemed to start the same as last season. In week 4, Northern Moravica dispatched their archrivals to the South 19-10, and looked to be in control of the Celestia Conference. While Loyola had started well, Northern was simply the better team on that day, and Alastair Jobs seat suddenly became warm. From that point forward, however, everything imploded for Northern Moravica. They were blasted for their largest Celestia Conference loss ever in week in a visit to United Vietussia, and they followed that up losing to the then-winless Leopard Central University 17-9 away from home.

It has been the exact opposite path for Loyola-Istria. After that Northern game, they regrouped and decided that they still had a good chance to win the conference championship. For the 3rd time in a row, and the 4th in 5 games, Loyola-Istria beat Vietussia Academy 24-14 in a big statement game, that was a stark contrast with Northern's trip to United Vietussia, when they got blasted out of the country. Loyola-Istria has been on a roll since then, with a 54-7 victory at home last week when they scored on every single possession, and then shutting out Kanza University away from home, 26-0, which is a school that has never beaten either Banijan school.

Northern Moravica, now with a freshman starting at quarterback, has won their last two games, and seems to be righting their ship. While they did not put a touchdown on the board against Angelwood-Aprilla, a 6-0 victory is a victory. And now, Bastiaan Rodo has his toughest test yet, as his side will travel to the Istria Lightning Yard. Loyola, while losers of 3 in a row in this rivalry, has Northern right where they want them. If Loyola wins, they clinch a share of the conference championship, as well as the Celestia Conference's automatic playoff berth.

For Loyola, that is what matters. "This game matters a little bit more than most because of its history", said quarterback Dennis Zervos. "However, we have a chance to clinch the conference championship, with an automatic playoff berth on our home field? All while beating Northern? I'm absolutely loving this opportunity. We're going to have to practice hard, as Northern always saves its best performances for us, but I'm confident in our team's ability to win on Saturday night in what will undoubtedly be a tough, close, hard-fought football game between two programs that, although I have the utmost respect for them, absolutely do not like anything about each other."

For Northern, of course, it is a chance to right the ship after what has been a rough season. "This season has been tougher than the last two." Said Safety Jasenko Horny. "While our chances of winning the Celestia Conference are slim, we still believe that we have the most talented team in this conference, and are definitely the best team in Banija. Would I love to spoil Loyola's night on Saturday? Of course! We've won 3 in a row because we are the better team in this rivalry, and we'll prove it once again on Saturday when we fly South."

With nothing felt between these two schools besides good, old-fashioned hate, Saturday's game is set to be a thriller and a classic for everybody involved.

[Costa Aluria]

---

Hon-Who? South Seas Ohana Grit Out Tough Road Win for Costa Aluria
Story by Abraham Shepherd

Ramusok, Cosumar--An emotional bare bones team of South Seas students have done the unthinkable, travelling to Cosumar to take on Ramusok Capital University in the shadow of Hurricane Kainoa. And in a show of pure grit and determination, the heavy underdogs won a game for all of Costa Aluria, defeating the Dragons 23-9.

“That was a fine play, but who was wearing that jersey?” It’s a story I’ve reported a number of times before, but never with this twist. While head coach Goose Carneghy has never shied away from playing jersey games that shield his players’ true identities, this could not have been more distant from Carneghy’s shenanigans.

In a show of solidarity Thursday evening, the South Seas University captains delivered a handwritten note to Carneghy at the team facility. The note contained signatures from every member of the team indicating that they were willing to forego the trip to Cosumar as a means to helping Costa Aluria rebuild from the shambles left behind from Kainoa.

On Friday, Carneghy called for emergency walk-on tryouts for Saturday’s tilt against Ramusok Capital University. Four hours and thirty seven minutes later, a rag-tag team of twenty students had been assembled and fitted for a jersey. While many of the students had played football at the high school level, none had been able to previously make the South Seas football team--or any other college team, for that matter. And with the game on Saturday evening, it was a long night and long flight to get the team into Cosumar just hours before gametime.

And in amazing fashion, this group of players was able to hold what two weeks ago looked like perhaps the best team in all of the NSCF out of the endzone. In front of a stunned RCU crowd, and with most players playing ironman style on both sides of the ball, this was about one thing: ohana.

Asked about the performance after the game, a tearful and choked up Goose Carneghy had difficulty finding words. “I’m incredibly humbled--humbled by my team’s ability to wade through their emotions to come to the conclusion to stay in the Islands, humbled by the pure heart that our walk-ons showed in their equally hard decision to leave the Islands.”

Upon making this initial statement, Carneghy asked the press for a ten minute break before returning to the podium. In a short statement, he clarified why he had chosen to still come to Cosumar in light of his team staying behind. “They stayed for the ohana. They needed to be with their family, they needed to reconnect to the aina. There is more to life than football. And I came for the exact same reason. Costa Aluria needed something--something outside of the islands, something outside of the damage, something--to rally around. There is more to life than football; that much is true. And sometimes it takes something so simple as a kid’s game to give us that perspective. This wasn’t about football. This wasn’t about South Seas University and Ramusok Capital. This was much bigger than that. This was about going out and honoring the ohana of our Islands.”

When asked about his pregame speech, Carneghy had nothing to offer. “I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t say anything. What could I say? I sat in the corner of the locker room, head in my hands, silently looking each player in the eyes. That was all that was needed to be said.”

As the newfound Honu head back to Costa Aluria on a storm of emotion, it is undetermined at this time how the scholarshipped players will respond in the shadow of the physical storm when Horizon Conference rival Stoneshore College comes to visit. After sustained damage to the Plumeria Garden fowllowing the storm, Saturday’s game has been moved to the campus of Wycliffe University. The small liberal arts college, founded after missionary Wembley Wycliffe, will find itself home to at least one Honu game this season. And while its stadium will hold just a small fraction of that at the Plumeria Garden, the field may find itself at standing room capacity for the first time in a very long time.

While the nation attempts to sort out its sombering place moving forward, the question for the Honu will be whether the overpowering emotion of the past two weeks will continue to thrust the team forward--winning for all of Costa Aluria--or if there will be the crash that might be suspected after such traumatic events.

Coach Carneghy, Honu: This ohana needs you.

---

Box Score	1	2	3	4	OT	F
Ramusok Captial University	3	0	0	6	N/A	9
South Seas University	3	14	6	0	N/A	23

Scoring summary:
1st Qtr, 12:18 (RCU)Latep Na'At 41 yard field goal [SSU 0- RCU 3]
1st Qtr, 5:25 (SSU) Judah Hayflats 30 yard field goal [SSU 3- RCU 3]
2nd Qtr, 11:17 (SSU) Keanu Puakea 2 yard run (Judah Hayflats XP) [SSU 10- RCU 3]
2nd Qtr, 1:10 (SSU) Sione Tatupu 1 yard pass to James Condor (Judah Hayflats XP) [SSU 17 - RCU 3]
3rd Qtr, 8:08 (SSU) Judah Hayflats 28 yard field goal [SSU 20- RCU 3]
3rd Qtr, 4:58 (SSU) Judah Hayflats 34 yard field goal [SSU 23-RCU 3]
4th Qtr, 14:04 (RCU) Latep Na’at 38 yard field goal [SSU 23-RCU 6]
4th Qtr, 11:40 (RCU) Latep Na’at 41 yard field goal [SSU 23-RCU 9]

---

[Frenline Delpha]

I coulda sworn I cut off. This is embarrassing.

Abaja City University 7–10 Innusburg University
Imperial Military Academy 34–0 Ceneisis Naval Academy
Karl Marx University 10–23 Thereisnogodistan Community College

Zephyr Conference                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Imperial Military Academy                 9    7   2   212   85 +127
2 Innusburg University                      9    7   2   102   63  +39
3 Thereisnogodistan Community College       9    4   5   101  117  −16
4 Ceneisis Naval Academy                    9    3   6   138  151  −13
5 Karl Marx University                      9    3   6   112  190  −78
6 Abaja City University                     9    3   6    78  137  −59

[Yesopalitha]

Mineral Conference
Paputian National University (PAP) 20–19 Mjasa Tech (ANG)
Redland College (SCT) 0–27 Mar Sara Tech (VAL)
University of the West of Ethane (ETN) 0–6 Raynor University (VAL)

  Mineral Conference                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Raynor University                         9    7   2   171   80  +91
2 Mar Sara Tech                             9    7   2   195   97  +98
3 University of the West of Ethane          9    5   4   158   61  +97
4 Paputian National University              9    4   5   143  149   −6
5 Mjasa Tech                                9    3   6   154  174  −20
6 Redland College                           9    1   8    47  307 −260

Woodlands Conference
University of Damushuto (DKI) 7–39 Great Valley State University (HCL)
University of Iqaluit (QUE) 0–10 Universite St. Croix (QUE)
Hampden College (QUE) 0–23 Utica University (OSR)

  Woodlands Conference                    Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Utica University                          9    9   0   241   97 +144
2 Universite St. Croix                      9    6   3   139  115  +24
3 University of Iqaluit                     9    6   3   122   73  +49
4 Hampden College                           9    3   6   102  144  −42
5 Great Valley State University             9    3   6   185  168  +17
6 University of Damushuto                   9    0   9    81  273 −192

[Valanora]

Celestia Conference
Leopord Central University (FND) 23–29 University of Angelwood-Aprilia (USS)
Vietussia Academy (UNV) 29–14 Kanza University (USD)
Loyola University (BNJ) 9–3 Northern Moravica University (BNJ)

P Celestia Conference                    Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Loyola University                        9    8   1   253   88 +165
2 Vietussia Academy                        9    7   2   207  120  +87
3 Northern Moravica University             9    5   4   119   96  +23
4 Kanza University                         9    3   6   110  156  −46
5 University of Angelwood-Aprilia          9    3   6   100  196  −96
6 Leopord Central University               9    1   8   119  252 −133

Horizon Conference
Freedom's Altar University (YSP) 30–0 Sacred Heart University (YSP)
Drawk Corps University (DRK) 17–20 Ramusok Capital University (COS)
South Seas University (ALU) 27–0 Stoneshore College (COS)

P Horizon Conference                     Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD
1 South Seas University                    9    8   1   181   59 +122
2 Ramusok Capital University               9    7   2   167   94  +73
3 Stoneshore College                       9    6   3   128   96  +32
4 Freedom's Altar University               9    3   6    87   91   −4 
5 Drawk Corps University                   9    3   6    98  132  −34
6 Sacred Heart University                  9    0   9    53  242 −189

[Confederate Islands Of Paputu]

PAPUTIAN SPORTS GAZETTE

AMERICAN FOOTBALL NOT SO MUCH LOVED BY PAPUTIANS
Despite the publicity and enthusiasm of institutions for the debut in an international tournament football, the people of Paputu not seem to have responded with great participation in this event. Outclassed by rugby, American football seems to be ignored by most, fact that's witnessed by the poor attendance at the stadium, only 4,000 average supporters for a match. This situation is being discussed by Paputian university leaders, in order to understand if it is appropriate or not to continue this ambitious project.

For its part, the university team is getting good results, positioning itself in the fourth place in its conference. This result does not seem to bring enough interest for this sport, which is still in the plans of development of the sport of Paputu government. In fact, many MPs push to increase the quality and popularity of the sport in order to attract wealthy foreign sponsors.
Probably all depend on the results of the university team, but also by the value of the nascent national team.

[Ethane]

---

My American Football Uni Work

By Alex Brinkheart

---

I decided that it would be a good idea to go out, and ask people about American football, and do some market research for the hypothetical theory of setting up an American football channel in Ethane. I have no idea why I thought this would be a good idea at the time, but I thought, its an idea, I might as well roll with it, as it could be interesting.

What i did was I created a survey (shown below) and then went around my university, and around town, asking them to fill out my survey. The survey mainly focused on American football, and what sort of demographics are more interested/know what American football is around Ethane, and whether they would be interested in a new service for this sport..

I ensured that I included a wide variety of demographics in my survey, in order to reflect the balance of people in Ethane. It certainly proved to be an interesting task to carry out, and it should be really interesting, once I have sifted through all the data, to analyse it, and conclude it.

---

The Survey

---

What is your gender?
[ ] Male
[ ] Female
[ ] Other (describe below)

____________________________

Where is your birth place?
[ ] Ethane
[ ] Esportiva (name country below)
[ ] Rushmore (name country below)
[ ] Atlantica Oceania (name country below)
[ ] Elsewhere in the multiverse (name country and region below)

_________________________________________________________________

How old are you?
[ ] Under 18
[ ] 18-25
[ ] 25-40
[ ] 40-65
[ ] 65+

What is you current job status?
[ ] Unemployed, not searching
[ ] Unemployed, searching
[ ] Part time
[ ] Full time
[ ] In full time education
[ ] In part time education
[ ] Other (please describe below)

_____________________________________

How much do you earn per year (including welfare payments)?
[ ] £0 - £14,999
[ ] £15,000 - £24,999
[ ] £25,000 - £34,999
[ ] £35,000 - £49,999
[ ] £50,000 - £74,999
[ ] £75,000 - £99,999
[ ] £100,000 +

Are you in some form of relationship, such as marriage, where you are living together?
[ ] Yes
[ ] Previously
[ ] No

Do you have children? If so, how many?
[ ] No children
[ ] One child
[ ] Two children
[ ] Three children
[ ] Four children
[ ] Five children
[ ] More than five children

Have you ever heard of the sport 'American Football' before?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No

Are you interested in American football, and do you follow it?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No

How often do you check up on American Football happenings?
[ ] Never
[ ] Rarely
[ ] Sometimes
[ ] Often
[ ] Regularly

Do you follow American Football (such as the NSCF) in Ethane, or do you prefer to follow American Football Leagues abroad?
[ ] In Ethane
[ ] Abroad

Have you ever been to an American Football Match before?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No

Do you, or have you ever played American football?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No

What format do you normally use to keep up to date with American Football happenings? (feel free to tick all that are relevant)
[ ] Social Media
[ ] Online Articles
[ ] Newspapaper
[ ] Television
[ ] Magazines
[ ] Other (please describe below)

_____________________________________________________

Would you be interested in a new American Football dedicated broadcasting channel from ENTV, or a new TV company filling the gap?
[ ] Yes
[ ] Don't mind
[ ] No

Would you be willing to pay a subscription fee for said service?
[ ] Yes
[ ] Depends on the cost
[ ] No

[Costa Aluria]

---

For Post-Kainoa Costa Aluria, Life Moves Forward Into Island Heritage Amidst Rebuilding
Story by Basil Amundsen


Costa Aluria--Hurricane Kainoa having put Costa Aluria in its rearview mirror, the South Seas Islands have begun the arduous journey or rebuilding the islands. While the cleanup in the aftermath may take some months yet, citizens throughout the islands have started the process with a “journey of a thousand miles” attitude.

For many Islanders, the post-Kainoa work session is reminiscent of ohana heritage. Hundreds of years prior to the current crisis, Polynesian voyages came to what is now Costa Aluria with a hardy attitude and a willingness to adapt to a new environment. And while recent times have kept much of the islands sheltered from desperate times, this was not the case for the islands’ first residents.

And it is now with that same outlook that current inhabitants are returning to a pioneer frontier, an ambitious embrace our ancestral residents’ principles. But oddly enough, it may not be an eye to the future that most South Seas Islanders have in mind.

Instead, a return-to-our-roots movement has swept pockets of Costa Aluria. The campaign has been spurred undoubtedly by the collective recognition of the hardy principles, that is certain. But many inhabitants have also reported the crusade gaining momentum after work crews realization that it was in fact many of Costa Aluria’s most modern structures that suffered the most severe damage despite the convenience of modern engineering.

It is certainly an unfair argument that the modern structures had more capital investment to build, and therefore the corollary that the estimated cost of damages grows exponentially. However, the simple truth lies not only in the cost of damage, but also the sheer veracity that buildings in traditional South Seas style weathered the storm with much greater effectiveness and efficiency than modern structures.

Coupled together, Costa Aluria looks to be undergoing a full-fledged Kalalau revival.

Of the modern building casualties, some of the most prominent belong to South Seas University, who have suspended a number of classes and relocated others in the aftermath of Kainoa. Other significant damage also occurred at Mosaic Marina, though much of the harbor complex remains. On Thursday, South Seas University President Evangel Brickstone reported to media that the University plans to purchase a number of buildings in the harbor complex as developers look to relocate and rebuild Mosaic Marina.

Saturday, the South Seas University football program scored a decisive “home” win against Stoneshore College, marking the first time the program’s history that the school swept its Horizon Conference foe in the regular season. Honu players took a brief hiatus from their rebuilding efforts to compete at the game, which was played at Wycliffe University in Wycliffe Press. The team had previously stayed in Costa Aluria despite a matchday eight tilt at Co-Cosumarite foe Ramusok Capital University, a game which walk-on students won in miraculous fashion. And while this gridiron team has in recent years made headlines for just that--fashion--it appears that this team will get no such luxury in the near future as university funds are diverted to the effort of rebuilding from the rubble.

For now, attention returns to the Kalalau revival currently taking place on the streets of Costa Aluria; for inhabitants of this island nation, the deliverance of the future may look an incredible amount like the history and heritage of this ’aina.

[Frenline Delpha]

Cut-Off for Final Day

Innusburg University 44–0 Karl Marx University
Thereisnogodistan Community College 3–7 Imperial Military Academy
Ceneisis Naval Academy 10–3 Abaja City University

Zephyr Conference                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Imperial Military Academy                10    8   2   219   88 +131
2 Innusburg University                     10    8   2   146   63  +83
3 Thereisnogodistan Community College      10    4   6   104  124  −20
4 Ceneisis Naval Academy                   10    4   6   148  154   −6
5 Karl Marx University                     10    3   7   112  234 −122
6 Abaja City University                    10    3   7    81  147  −66

Champion on H2H PD

[Banija]

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

Loyola-Istria finally turns the tide in the North v. South Showdown with 9-3 victory over Northern Moravica


Loyola-Istria celebrates winning the Celestia Conference Championship

ISTRIA- Loyola-Istria can now, of course, call themselves the Celestia Conference Champions. The North v. South Showdown, its 4th edition in the NSCF, was always bound to be a classic. This pitted the two-time defending conference champions, Northern Moravica, against their archrivals and the present Celestia Conference leaders, the University of Loyola-Istria. In the past few years, Northern Moravica has dominated this rivalry. They took all the headlines across Banija in their inaugural season in the NSCF, where Loyola-Istria was left behind within Banija. When Loyola-Istria finally joined the NSCF, Northern Moravica swept the season series en route to a conference championship. And in week 4, Northern Moravica beat Loyola on the field once again, pulling out another victory at home.

Of course, Loyola-Istria wanted to right the ship. This season, so far at least, can only be described as a complete success by fans of Blue Thunder football. They swept Vietussia Academy, and outside of the week 4 loss to Northern, which obviously cannot be overlooked as it is Northern, they won the rest of their games on their way to a 7-1 record entering this game. With Vietussia Academy at 6-2 and Northern Moravica University at 5-3, this was one of those games that has to be defined as a statement game. Loyola-Istria has made a lot of noise this season, but the chance to clinch the Celestia Conference at the Istria Lightning Yard, in front of 50.000+ screaming Blue Thunder fans, and clinch the automatic playoff berth as well just made all of the stars line up.

While the Loyola-Istria football team has been led by its offense, specifically by quarterback Dennis Zervos, who is putting up fantastic numbers this season, the unsung hero of this team has to be its defense. They have quietly put together the #1 scoring defense in the Celestia Conference, even though they are known for their high-flying offense. Since their week 4 loss to Northern Moravica, they have allowed a total of 3 touchdowns. Two of the games were shutouts, and their second matchup against Northern kept their archrivals out of the end zone, as Northern only had 3 points. That means in the last 5 games, this defense has been on fire, only allowing 24 points for an average of 4.8 per game. This defense has quietly become one of the better units in the NSCF, as this very aggressive lot causes problems for a lot of schools, and the turnovers can give this high-octane offense a short field, which means your team is probably in trouble.

During the game, Loyola-Istria kicked field goals from 27, 33, and 46 on their first 3 drives of the game. On Northern's opening drive, they matched Loyola's field goal with a 49 yarder of their own, but other than that, the game's scoring was at a premium. Alastair Jobs was pleased with this performance. "People say that this team is a one trick pony- they could not be more wrong." Said Head Coach Alastair Jobs. "This is the most complete football team that I have ever coached. We've put it together on defense since our week 4 trip to Herzegovina City, and we've never looked back. It starts in the interior. Our offensive and defensive lines are playing extremely well right now, and that is the primary reason that we have a chance to become the first Banijan school to win 9 conference games in the history of the Celestia Conference."

Of course, while the automatic playoff berth and a share of the conference title has been clinched, there is still more to play for. They make a trip to the University of Angelwood-Aprilia, who is not the easiest opponent to play against. This is a tricky trip, but a victory means that they will win the conference championship outright, while a loss and a Vietussia Academy win over Northern Moravica means that Loyola-Istria and Vietussia Academy will be co-conference champions, though Loyola-Istria will get the automatic playoff berth due to tiebreakers. After that, they have the non-conference schedule coming up. These games matter, not only as tune-ups for Loyola's first ever playoff appearance, but also in terms of seeding. We've seen the last two seasons that having a home playoff game can be a huge advantage, as Northern lost close battles away from home in the 1st round of the playoffs two years in a row. If they could get a top 4 seed and host a game at the Istria Lightning Yard, that will put them in a much better position to advance in the playoffs.

Northern Moravica University

What happened to this team?



ISTRIA- Following a tough, grind it out, 9-3 loss to their archrivals in a game where nobody reached the end zone, but the kickers were the only people responsible for the scoring, Northern Moravica's slim chances of making the playoffs died with the final whistle tonight. Northern Moravica fought hard, but this season at least, Loyola-Istria simply has the better team. Northern Moravica, for the last two years, used to have the advantage in this game because of their dominating defense. Loyola-Istria, however, showed today that they, rather than their archrivals to the North, have the conference's best defensive unit, and this is why Loyola-Istria has been crowned kings of the Celestia Conference, and why Northern could not pull off a 3-peat in terms of conference championships.

Since they have officially been eliminated from the conference championship race, and sitting with a 5-4 record, have little if any chance of making the big dance as a wild card, what does Northern Moravica have to play for at this point? School pride, of course. Head Coach Horace Browning has built a strong program here at this school in a short time, and it speaks to his qualities as a head coach that he has put the expectations so high that a conference championship is a minimum for the season to be considered a success. The Cosumarite has built a winning culture at this school, and the fans expect the team to win conference championships. The fact that they haven't speaks volumes about the competitiveness level in the Celestia Conference.

Of course, this is not Horace Browning's best team. This season he has lost to Vietussia Academy, who will finish at least 2nd in the Celestia Conference this year, guaranteed to be ahead of Northern, and to Loyola-Istria, the conference champions and the holder of the Celestia Conference's automatic playoff berth. But the key weeks of the season that turned the season south were week 3-6. Week 3, Northern Moravica was 2-0, and playing an 0-2 Angelwood-Aprilla squad at home. It was the game before the North v. South Showdown, and many expected both teams to go into that game undefeated. Northern Moravica however, suffered a shock loss on their home field, falling to Angelwood-Aprilla 10-6. Northern usually won those defensive battles, but they had found a way to blow this one. People thought everything was fine when they beat Loyola-Istria at home the following week, but that game proved to be a facade.

Northern Moravica then traveled to United Vietussia, where they proceeded to get blown out by their rivals by a score of 3. In his 3rd season as a head coach at this school, that was Horace Browning's worst loss ever against a Celestia Conference opponent. They followed that up with a pathetic performance against Leopard Central University, who were the 2nd team to achieve their first win of the season against Northern Moravica. That win is still Leopard Central's only victory this season, and it showcased how far Northern Moravica had fallen. They were exposed in this game as well, against Loyola-Istria. While they played well and fought hard, this team is a step slower than last year's team, and nobody really knows the reason why.

Maybe the hunger isn't there for the players? After two straight outright conference championships, it is easy to get used to success. But when you go from a hunter mentality to a hunted mentality, everything changes. Loyola-Istria and Vietussia Academy were both hungrier than Northern Moravica this year, which is why both will finish ahead of them in the conference standings. However, Northern's season most definitely is not over. They face their rivals Vietussia Academy at home in week 10, and then have a brutal non-conference schedule, where they must travel to Stoneshore College, then host Mjasa Tech, and then travel to Raynor University. If they play well enough, they have a chance of playing in a bowl game. While that is a disappointment, we will see how good of a Head Coach Horace Browning is in this adversity.

Can he inspire his players to leave everything on the field in the next 4 games? If this team consistently gets outplayed over the next 4 weeks, Northern's fans will definitely become restless. But if Horace Browning can get some good performances out of his players, and even throw in an upset or two, then they will be able to build some momentum towards next season, where this team will almost certainly be searching for redemption.

[Yesopalitha]

Time to decide your conference champions!

---

Mineral Conference
Mjasa Tech (ANG) 0–10 University of the West of Ethane (ETN)
Raynor University (VAL) 23–7 Redland College (SCT)
Mar Sara Tech (VAL) 23–17 Paputian National University (PAP)

  Mineral Conference                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Raynor University                        10    8   2   194   87 +107 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
2 Mar Sara Tech                            10    8   2   218  114 +104
3 University of the West of Ethane         10    6   4   168   61 +107
4 Paputian National University             10    4   6   160  172  −12
5 Mjasa Tech                               10    3   7   154  184  −30
6 Redland College                          10    1   9    54  330 −276

Raynor University ahead of Mar Sara Tech by Head-to-head points (58-44) after Head-to-head record (1-1)

Woodlands Conference
Great Valley State University (HCL) 13–17 Hampden College (QUE)
Utica University (OSR) 13–3 University of Iqaluit (QUE)
Universite St. Croix (QUE) 25–0 University of Damushuto (DKI)

  Woodlands Conference                    Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Utica University                         10   10   0   254  100 +154 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
2 Universite St. Croix                     10    7   3   164  115  +49
3 University of Iqaluit                    10    6   4   125   86  +39
4 Hampden College                          10    4   6   119  157  −38
5 Great Valley State University            10    3   7   198  185  +13
6 University of Damushuto                  10    0  10    81  298 −217

[Valanora]

Celestia Conference
University of Angelwood-Aprilia (USS) 0–13 Loyola University (BNJ)
Northern Moravica University (BNJ) 28–7 Vietussia Academy (UNV)
Kanza University (USD) 41–7 Leopord Central University (FND)

P Celestia Conference                    Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD
1 Loyola University                       10    9   1   266   88 +178     Champions
2 Vietussia Academy                       10    7   3   214  148  +66
3 Northern Moravica University            10    6   4   147  103  +44
4 Kanza University                        10    4   6   151  163  −12
5 University of Angelwood-Aprilia         10    3   7   100  209 −109
6 Leopord Central University              10    1   9   126  293 −167

Horizon Conference
Sacred Heart University (YSP) 13–16 South Seas University (ALU)
Stoneshore College (COS) 30–10 Drawk Corps University (DRK)
Ramusok Capital University (COS) 3–3(3–10 OT) Freedom's Altar University (YSP)

P Horizon Conference                     Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD
1 South Seas University                   10    9   1   197   72 +125     Champions
2 Ramusok Capital University              10    7   3   170  104  +66
3 Stoneshore College                      10    7   3   158  106  +52
4 Freedom's Altar University              10    4   6    97   94   +3
5 Drawk Corps University                  10    3   7   108  162  −54
6 Sacred Heart University                 10    0  10    66  258 −192