World Bowl XXX - Everything Thread

[Banija]

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

Shutout home victory over cellar dwellars Averyickan City sets up showdown in San Llera with pole position in group 1 on the line


Robel Kassa(#15) celebrates his touchdown on the first drive of the second half

BUSUKUMA- Coming off of their bye, Banija did as expected and took care of business against cellar dwellars Averyickan City, with a 13-0 victory to set up an early group stage showdown with San Llera. This game largely went as expected, with the Banijan defense delivering yet another dominating performance, and an 8 yard touchdown pass on a fade route on 1st & 5(after an offsides) from the 8 yard line on the opening drive of the second half opening up the scoring, and Myles Debaba taking one in himself on a 9 yard quarterback scramble(where Banija fumbled the snap on the extra point and then missed it). Although there are signs of worry that the offense was only able to get going in the 3rd quarter, this dominating defensive performance made sure that Averyickan City could not do anything, even if the Banijan offense struggled for large portions of this game.

Ultimately, this game is put behind this team, as they will now get ready for another opponent, San Llera. This is the matchup that everybody has been waiting for since the groups were set- this is easily one of the most highly-anticipated matchups of this group stage. As every Banijan football fan knows, these two teams met in the semifinals of the last tournament, and San Llera got the last laugh, as a pick six in overtime crushed Banijan hopes & dreams, and sent San Llera to the final. Banija has been itching for revenge ever since then, and when this draw was made, they realized that they now had their perfect opportunity.

What's different this time around? Well, the stakes are slightly lower, and they are different. Banija & San Llera are clearly the class of Group 1, with both teams sporting perfecting 3-0 records at this point, while the next best teams in the group have 1-2 records. These teams have had very similar paths to get to this route. They both shutout Averyickan City and the Southern Democratic States, with West Phoenicia being the only team to score against either Banija or San Llera at this stage. Both lost their medal matches at the last World Bowl, as San Llera took 2nd place and Banija took 4th. Very similar teams, both have very stout defenses, which will make this game an instant classic.

How, then, is Banija going to separate themselves from San Llera in their race to finish atop Group 1, and therefore have a much more reasonable path to glory once they reach Ethane? First of all, the offense is going to have to perform better than they did this past week at home. Debaba and the offense, except for two drives in the 3rd quarter, looked completely off-balance and way out of sync. Eventually, San Llera will punish that, as their defense is extremely good, and missed assignments can turn into turnovers, which can quickly lead to points.

Offensively, they will have to find San Llera's defensive weaknesses. They have a very talented front seven, and have star players all over, which makes sense, considering they are the global #5 team and the seed of the group. But, like every team, they are not perfect. Look for Banija to use more shotgun and use more 3 or 4 wide receiver sets than normal, to either force a player like Cecil Dinson into coverage or force him off the field entirely in favor of an extra defensive back. His pass coverage is particularly poor, so look for Banija to try and exploit that. They also have a pair of extremely capable, but extremely aggressive safeties, so look for Debaba to take a few shots over the top of the defense.

Defensively, they'll look to get pressure on the quarterback. In passing situations, Banija's best bet is blitzing up the middle, as San Llera has excellent tackles, but not so excellent interior linemen. Momir Litvinov going one-on-one with Xavier Llana, of course, will be the battle of the day, as the star left tackle goes against the star defensive end. Litvinov normally commands double teams, so we'll see how San Llera tries to stop him, or if Banija moves him across the line, away from Llana. Agusti Basso is not known for staying cool under pressure, but will kill you if you give him time to throw, so Banija will likely have a variety of blitzes at their disposal.

This game promises to be a classic, and it will put one team on trajectory to win the group, while it will put the losing side on a trajectory for second place, which is still good enough to reach the knockout stages. Ultimately, our prediction for this World Bowl 29 semifinal rematch is a 13-10 victory for San Llera, but we'll see what happens on the field. As always, go Banija!

[Abanhfleft]

The Saga of All-Inclusive Haranguer F.C. 2, Part Three

Wallace Partridge arrived at the capital of Valanora almost half a day after he had left Haranguer. Since there were no direct flights from Haranguer to the Vanorian capital, Partridge had had to board a flight to Riuwiee, which had direct flights to Valanora. Upon arriving in Valanora, Partridge then had to take one of the numerous high-speed trains that would take him to the city where the Tumbran national team had established its base camp. By the time Partridge had arrived, Tumbra had already been eliminated from the Di Bradini Cup, and the team itself was preparing to leave the country. Partridge needed to talk to Luke de Coubertin before that happened.

Partridge arrived at the training ground being used by the Tumbrans, which was currently empty save for a single man walking up and down the grounds. Partridge waved at the man, who walked over to where he was standing just beyond a fence. "Whatcha want?" the man asked.

"Hi, I'm Wallace Partridge. I believe we've talked on the phone before."

"Name rings a bell," the Tumbran said, scratching his balding head. "But the question remains. Whatcha want?"

"I need to talk to Luke de Coubertin," Partridge said. "I'm looking to sign him to the team I'm managing. Is there any chance that you could get him for me?"

"And why should I do that? How do I know that you're not some kidnapper trying to make a quick buck on poor young Tumbran kids?"

"I can show you my Fleftic Association of Football Managers card, but I doubt that's going to be good enough for you."

"Show it to me anyway." Partridge reached for his wallet and produced a plastic-laminated card, which he held up in front of the Tumbran. The man looked at the card with a squinted eye, and then he nodded his head. "Looks good to me," he said. "Six o'clock tonight, the team's going for a night out on the town, see the sights before we return to Tumbra tomorrow. Luke's going to be with them. I know how you Fleftics do your thing. I think he's going to be making waves in your country long as you treat him right."

"Why, thank you for your vote of confidence," Partridge said to the Tumbran, but the man had already turned his back to the Fleftic and resumed pacing up and down the training ground.

Partridge, through some detective work of his own, eventually found out where the Tumbrans were going to spend their last night in Valanora, so he decided to go there early and wait for the Tumbrans to arrive so he could make his pitch to Luke de Coubertin. At 6:07 that evening, the Tumbrans arrived, wearing their blue training jackets, a combination of tracksuit bottoms and football shorts, and some were wearing caps on their heads. This large group then broke up into smaller ones, with players grouping up by club or place of origin or whatever other criteria, as they sat down before the tables in the restaurant.

Partridge found his transfer target sitting with the two Tumbrans who were currently plying their trade in Abanhfleft, Charlie Lester and Oliver Ganson, as well as two other boys whose names Partridge couldn't recall at the moment. He stood up from where he had been sitting and approached their table. "Luke de Coubertin?" he asked.

"Yeah, who's asking?"

"I'm Wallace Partridge. I'm the manager of All-Inclusive Haranguer. I believe we've been in contact for some time now in the last few days."

"And by in contact, do you mean that I've had my ear talked off by some bombastic guy who believes in conspiracy theories?"

"Yes. Yes, I do." He could only be referring to Baz Coltrane. "Can we talk in private, Luke? Like, at my table?"

"Sure, if you wish." As Coubertin stood up, Lester said to him, "Looks like you could end up playing us and Ollie over in Abanhfleft sometime next season."

"Heh, you wish, mate," Coubertin said, and then he followed Partridge over to the table where he had been waiting for the Tumbrans to arrive.

They sat down, and Partridge got right down to business. "So, Luke, I'm not going to waste your time," he said. "I want you to play for All-Inclusive Haranguer. How does that sound?"

"Well, you're certainly a direct man, sir," Coubertin said. "All-Inclusive Haranguer, eh? Can't say I've ever heard of you before."

"And I can't blame you if you haven't," Partridge said. "All-Inclusive Haranguer's the first ever mixed-gender team to ever make it to Abanhfleft's Premier League, but now we've gone back down to Unang Liga, but we're looking to make an immediate comeback. And we, the club, want you, Luke de Coubertin, to be part of that comeback."

"That seems a bit too much, isn't it?" Coubertin asked. "Especially for a young Tumbran guy like me. How sure are you that Haranguer's gonna go back up if I join up with you guys?"

"That's the beauty of it, Luke," Partridge said. "No one knows which among the teams in Unang Liga are going to make it up to the Premier League this season come the end of the season, but we, All-Inclusive Haranguer, intend to be one of those three teams. Everything is open. Everyone wants a slice of the Premier League pie, but we, Haranguer, want it more than anyone else, and we have to show that to everyone. We want to show that mixed-gender teams are just as good as all-male and all-female teams. Haranguer is at the vanguard of a footballing revolution in Abanhfleft, my boy, and don't you want to be part of making history? We've already proven that a mixed-gender team can get up to the Premier League; now we have to show that we can make it back up there, stay, and even win a title. And you, my friend, can help us do that, but only if you join up."

The table was quiet as Coubertin rubbed his chin and considered Partridge's words. Finally, he laid his hand down on the table and said, "Nice speech."

"Thank you," Partridge replied. "I thought up of it myself just a few minutes ago. Impromptu, shall we say."

"What's my role going to be if I join?"

"The way you play right now, Luke, you could become either a deep-lying playmaker or a box-to-box midfielder. You're going to be playing those roles until we find out what your natural role is or if you develop into one of those roles naturally. It also depends on whom you'll be partnered with in midfield."

"Excellent, then. Where do I sign?"

Partridge clapped his hands in delight. "That's what I like about you, Luke," he said, pointing at Coubertin with both hands. "You see what you want and you take it. You're a determined guy; ruthless, even. Now, I don't have the contract with me right now; that's for the photo shoot. But the deal's as good as done even though verbal agreements like we have right now are, shall we say, quite delicate when it comes to Fleftic law's interpretation of it." Partridge picked up his glass of Famous Grouse and raised it. "To Haranguer," he said.

"To Haranguer," Coubertin repeated, raising his own glass of water.

"Before you go, Luke, can I ask you a question?" Partridge said,

"Sure thing, gaffer," Coubertin said with a knowing wink.

"Why are you still a free agent? I've seen you play for Tumbra this whole tournament. Academies and clubs will kill to get your signature. How come you've not signed for anyone else before now?"

"I don't know, really," Coubertin said, shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe this kid wants a bit of a challenge. The world is my oyster, you know."

"Brave words for a brave man." Partridge stood up and clasped Coubertin's shoulder. "I really hope to see you in Haranguer soon, Luke. I'll even give you a ticket and directions to the stadium."

"Thanks for the offer, boss, really. But I think I know my way around the world as long as I've got a map. And I've got a good sense of direction. I don't get lost."

[Ethane]

The Turnbull Story, Part Six

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six

It was a few hours until Edward received any news about the state of his father. By the time the doctor came to see him, the paramedics had long gone, and his grandparents had arrived to look after him, as he couldn't really be left in the hospital alone for too long, considering the emotional state he was in.

The doctor, who was on the younger age of the doctors in the establishment, brushed his brown hair to the side of his face. ''Are you the parents of Mr. Turnbull?'' he asked.

''Yes. That's us.'' they responded, looking at the doctor, waiting for any glimpse of hope that he could offer them.

A serious look flashed across the doctor's face. ''Follow me please.'' Edward and his grandparents followed him to a small office, which they assumed was normally used for general practitioners appointments. They sat on a row of chairs along the side of the office, which were placed in front of a desk covered in paperwork and an old computer. The doctor clicked a few buttons on his computer, before reading what it said about the patient on the screen.

''I'm sorry to say, but he's not in the best of states.'' The doctor looked at Edward's grandmother and grandfather, who sat there blank-faced, whatever was being said not completely registering with them. ''He is on life support. We don't know what he took yet, but we do know that he has likely been forcibly overdosed, from the marks on his body.''

Edward's Grandmother gasped, covering her mouth with her hand in shock. She slowly began to sob, embracing Edward in a hug, who also appeared visibly upset.

''Will he survive?'' Edward's Grandfather insisted to know. ''Will he survive?!'' He appeared devastated.

''The truth is...'' the doctor began. ''We don't know.''

[Allamunnic States]

Allamunnic States Regulars Practice Field
Outskirts of Dunnmaar, Bluwaald, Allamunnic States

A whistle blew from the line judge's spot, and the entire team groaned. After losing to Quebec on a late field goal made possible by a flagrant personal foul committed by Rikard Theodur, who kicked a Quebecois player on the ground at the end of the long, frustrating game in which neither offense could get anything going. More so than the loss, more so than the entire day of offensive futility, that needless personal foul, which ultimately was key in costing the Regulars a hard-fought game, utterly enraged Baeryk Vaalburger, the team's head coach.

Everyone had known practice the following week would be awful. They had not been disappointed, taking the field in their full pads, and running their pre-practice drills when their head coach had appeared, with a group of people dressed like officials.

"Ladies! Gentlemen!" Vaalburger said with mock cheer. "Welcome back! First things first..." he found Theodur, met his gaze, and announced. "Get to the bottom of the hill," he ordered. There was an audible, collective groan as the team ran down the short, but steep hill that led up to the practice field from the other facilities. He followed them, standing at the top of the hill. "Alright. Fifteen times up and down," he said. "One for each yard that last penalty yielded for us to lose the game," he explained. He stood and watched as the entire team sprinted up the hill, jogged back down, then sprinted back up, fifteen times. By the end of it, they were visibly worn out.

"Good. Now. We have some friends joining us here today, and for at least one practice a week for the rest of the year. These nice volunteers are retired AGL referees who are here to help us make sure we stay disciplined. Every time they catch someone committing a penalty during team drills, that person's unit are going to drop and do ten push-ups. So maybe we'll be playing a little cleaner by the time this is all said and done," he explained further. "Seem unfair? It is, a bit. But so are stupid, preventable penalties that wipe out a game's worth of effort." He made eye contact with Theodur again. "Rikard, I need to speak to you privately."

As the team went back to their drills, the defensive tackle walked up to his head coach. "More I need to hear, Coach?" The words were respectful, but there was a hint of resentment in Rikard's tone and posture.

"Yes, but not what you think. I know you're a good person, Rik. I know that penalty's not your normal. But you understand why we have to stay disciplined." He paused, considering his phrasing for his next statement. "Now, I got a recommendation to suspend you for the next game. I'm not going to do that. But... I assume you're sorry about attacking that lineman like that?" There was a nod from Theodur. "Make that public. And I'm sure Commissioner Thornburger will probably have a fine for you. But you'll still be on the field next game. I want to be fair, but we can't let incidents like that one pass without reaction, okay?"

There was a nod, and some of the sullenness left Rikard's posture. "Yeah, Coach, I get it. I'll reach out to that Quebecois player. And I'll be better."

"Good." Vaalburger looked at the practice field. "Now, go back over there, and get to work. We've got another game this week. The World Bowl waits for no one.

---

Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section
Special World Bowl Coverage

Regulars Bounce Back
Team posts back-to-back shutouts of New North African Republic and Sheepish
by Korynn Smart

After a deflating 3-0 loss on the road against the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, the Regulars have responded by reeling off back-to-back shutout wins over (admittedly, group bottom-dwellers) New North African Republic and Sheepish, 23-0 and 27-0 respectively. The wins were keyed by smothering defensive efforts coupled with efficient, if not necessarily spectacular offensive play.

The tone for the game against NNAR in Week 2 was set early, as the opening kick-off was pinned back at the relative newcomers' 14, and their opening drive ended with a safety on third down, when their quarterback found himself dragged to the ground by defensive lineman Piotr Farrangur inside the endzone. Picking up on their own 36 after the fair punt, the Regulars then capitalized on the turnover by marching down the field on a steady, methodical drive that culminated in a touchdown after HB#35 Bryndyn Traewyk followed FB#45 Torren Tormundsunn into the endzone on a 3-yard dive run.

The Allamunnic defense continued to play havoc on NNAR's offense for the rest of the half, while numerous drives by the Regulars managed to move the ball but not generate points before punting. By the middle of the second quarter, the opposing defense had tightened against the Regulars' attempts to run the ball down their throats, loading the tackle box with eight players on multiple plays. Opening up the play-action, QB#10 Graagur Wyrth showcased his arm, hitting three different receivers on gains of 23, 19, and 30 yards to move the team down the field, before hitting TE#85 Godwyn Braanur on a 6-yard strike to put the Regulars up 16-0.

Although the offense would not be able to get back on the board until the third quarter, the damage was done, and the New North African Republic's team found itself being ground down by plodding drives and a hard-hitting, swarming defense that allowed minimal advancement. The Regulars would find the endzone one more time, with HB#22 Ella Kaarbrynn breaking off a huge catch-and-run off of a screen that went for a 45-yard touchdown. K#47 Hunt's PAT gave the Regulars the final margin of victory, 23-0, before the second team on both sides of the ball came in to seal the win against an exhausted opponent.

The next week, the team would be at it again, this time opening play with another dominating defensive play. After the opponent opted to get the ball first, they attempted to get a fast start against the favored Regulars by going deep on the first play of the game. This ended badly, with the ball being snatched by FS#08 Lyna Donalsunn, who picked up a few blocks and returned the interception 63 yards for a touchdown to give the Regulars the 7-0 lead.

In this game, the offense was more effective, generating four scoring drives, (two field goals, two touchdowns, both on the ground) to capitalize on three turnovers forced by the defense. The win also left the Regulars with a 50-0 run over their last two games going into a match-up against fellow another 2-1 team from the Greater Vakolicci Haven, which should be the team's first real challenge since the road game against Quebec (which, incidentally, will be followed by a defense of the team's home turf against Quebec the following week).

Against Vakolic, the Regulars will likely rely on their run game and defense once again. After their relative dud against Quebec (only barely breaking the century mark for rushing as a team in the opener), the Regulars have reeled off three rushing touchdowns on 78 carries in two games, piling up 419 yards on the ground in the process. By contrast, the passing game has been relatively quiet, but should be called on to move the chains against a tougher opponent.

Meanwhile, the defense has tallied 14 sacks over the last three games (most of those coming in their last two games, although three against Quebec was reasonable) while forcing a 7-2 turnover margin through those three games. Accordingly, big plays should be expected from the defense against Vakolic if the Regulars hope to win against a stiffer test.

---

Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section
Special World Bowl Coverage

Kaarbrynn suffers broken collarbone
Halfback will miss remainder of qualifying round
by Korynn Smart

Reports from the Allamunnic National Gridiron Team's practice today indicate that starting halfback Ella Kaarbrynn has suffered a fractured clavicle, and will likely miss an extended number of games. Apparently, Kaarbrynn suffered the injury during team drills, after being tackled at an awkward angle by a teammate. Kaarbrynn had to be helped off of the field by trainers and was taken to the team's athletic training room immediately thereafter.

Early reports indicate that Kaarbrynn will most likely miss the remainder of the qualifying round. It is unclear whether or not she will be able to return for a potential playoff run.

In Kaarbrynn's absence, halfback Bryndyn Traewyk will become the team's lead running back, with Brandt Hendriks taking over as the back-up. Halfback and kick-return specialist Anna Eriklunn will also likely see more snaps on offense.

[Anglatia]

Crowns

Part Three

“Welcome to college football on GASN2! If you’re just joining us, you’ve tuned in just in time to see the ending of one of the greatest college football games of the entire year. The College of Ross Tigers and their archrivals, the University of Ross Wildcats, have been going back and forth all night long, and the game is now 38-35 in favor of the Wildcats, in overtime. The Cats scored the last points via field goal, and now the Tigers must score at least three to stay alive and extend the overtime period. Leading the Tigers out onto the field is fifth year senior Vilko Dokic, who has had an up and down game with three touchdown passes, an interception, and a fumble. We’ll see now if he’s able to lead his team back from this deficit and send them into the Imperial Championship Game against the number two team in the Empire, Mjasa Tech.”

Everyone in Ross was watching that game. Some were there in the stands, at the College of Ross campus. Others were at home, or at bars with friends. Some were watching on big screens set up in the city center. The Ross Derby was the one college football game that nobody in the city would be caught missing, even those who only had a passing interest in sports. It was the more arts oriented College of Ross versus the nerds from the engineering focused University of Ross, a clash not just in sports but in the classrooms. Both sides wanted to prove that their school was the better one, and that showed in the passion that they played with.

The schools were only separated by eighteen miles and two shades of blue. The Tigers wore their famous powder blue and black. The Wildcats wore navy blue and white. Now, that clash was more apparent than ever. Vilko trotted out onto the field and set up the offense, with the Tigers clad in all black and the Cats in their entirely white alternate uniforms. Dokic stepped back and set for the snap. The noise was making communication with the line hard, and the opposing band struck a high note as the ball was about to be snapped.

“Two one, two one! One!” he shouted, and the center snapped the ball. As soon as Dokic saw the snap, he knew it was high. Not just high, but it wasn’t straight.

“And the snap is bad! Dokic managed to catch it, he’s moving up in the pocket, there’s no open receivers, it looks like he’s buying some time… He’s rolling out, looking, looking, and it’s thrown down the sideline and… Picked off! Picked off by Jack Conchobair, and Vilko Dokic will end his Tigers career on an absolutely heartbreaking note! Wow, what a play, and the University of Ross just managed to steal a win on the road, in the house of their eternal enemy! They’re gonna party hard tonight on the northeast side of town!”

Nobody said anything. Vilko walked towards the sideline, holding his head in his hands. His smoke colored visor masked the tears running down his face. The receivers hung in the end zone and watched their rivals celebrate. The coaches all kept straight faces, many of them shaking their heads in disappointment. There were reporters looking for him for postgame comments, but he dodged them. Vilko didn’t feel like trying to explain what had happened. It was bad luck, mostly.

He was heading towards the tunnel when he felt a pair of small arms wrapping around his leg, and he looked down to see a blonde girl that was eleven or twelve years old, wearing a cyan and black Tigers jersey that had his number, forty six, on it. She was being chased by security, but he put a hand up to tell them to back off. “Mr. Dokic, can you sign my jersey please?” the little girl asked, handing him a marker.

“Yeah, sure,” he mumbled, turning her around and signing his name on the number four on the back of the jersey. He then took his helmet off, and started writing something on the powder blue College of Ross logo on the side. “What’s your name?”

“Anook. Anook Havoc.”

“Here, you can keep this. I’m not going to be needing it,” he said, handing her the helmet. He’d written a message on the other side, which had his jersey number on it in blue lettering, telling her to stay in school. It was funny that this was how they’d met. Dokic had been twenty two at the time, and Anook was ten years younger, at twelve years of age. He had no idea that she would grow up to play football, originally playing quarterback because of him but then switching to wide receiver in high school. He didn’t know that ten years later, he would be throwing deep balls to her, on an even bigger stage.

When Vilko Dokic stepped off of the field for the last time as a college player, he didn’t know what the future would hold, either. Didn’t know that he would sign with Xera Bay, get cut before training camp, and get picked up by the Rastaka Krakens, where he would spend the next five years as a sporadic starter. He didn’t know that after that, he would be cut from the Krakens and would spend three years with Real Barriga before finally returning to the place he’d played in college, Ross. He didn’t know any of it, but what he also didn’t know was that the future was brighter than he’d assumed.

=====

Ross versus Underfell. That headline alone would draw millions of TV viewers regardless of the sport. Ross was the capital, the seat of power of the Empire, a great and magisterial city of eleven million. Athletes wanted to play there, all of their opponents wanted to get one over them, and their fans expected contending teams every year. Underfell was the capital of the Valerian colony, and formerly of the independent kingdom. The ancient city has a long history, but burst onto the scene in most sports more recently. Teams from Underfell will spend to win big, and their lineups are often studded with stars and national team players. Underfell was the city that fan favorites such as Santana, Koivu, Chrzanowska, and Sitko called their home.

In association football, there were multiple famous games between Ross United and Underfell FC. The most notable was the sixth Imperial Cup final. Underfell had been leading 1-0 going into the eightieth minute, but Erik Hanokssen bagged a brace including a winner at the death, to lead the Blues to their first Cup victory. Five seasons ago, those teams met for a rematch. A young Andros Diasakos made himself known on the national stage in that game, when he scored the second half winner to lift the Valerians to a 1-0 victory.

But now, Ross and Underfell weren’t meeting in association football. No, they were meeting in another final, but it was in another kind of football, and it looked like the sixth Imperial Cup might repeat itself despite the different sport. The Iron Cup was the biggest prize in gridiron football in the Empire, and it was on the line as the two teams were deadlocked in the fourth quarter at nine points each. All of the points had been scored in the second half, and the Blue Wings defensive front was dominating. On the other hand, the Surge secondary wasn’t giving up any big plays.

For Vilko Dokic, the game was a chance at redemption. He’d started down that path by leading the Wings to easy victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals against AC Piranha and Bathgate City. Now, he was in the hardest game of his life, against the team that nobody expected to see in the final. Both teams were led by their quarterbacks, and yet they couldn’t be more different. Jani Koivu had been dominant, throwing and running for ten combined touchdowns in the last two games. If the Surge won, he was the clear MVP of the postseason. On the other side, there was Dokic. He wasn’t dominant, but he didn’t make mistakes. Koivu took risks when he scored his touchdowns. Dokic, however, played like a machine. He went for the safe plays, and that paid off when his team made nearly no major errors in their two postseason games.

Now their two styles would be put to the test, with the Cup on the line. The defense was on the field for the Blue Wings now, and Dokic was watching silently and waiting for them to make the stop that he knew was coming. He kept himself calm externally. He had to. The team was relying on him to remain calm, as their leader and captain. “Hey, Anook. Remember how we met? Isn’t that funny? You were wearing my jersey, and I gave you my helmet. Now, you’re a bigger star than I ever was, and you actually have rings.”

“Bigger star? Maybe. Receivers at Ross don’t get the same cult following that the quarterbacks get. I swear that every single Tigers quarterback gets called the best in the Super Ten, regardless of skill.”

“Huh, nobody said that about me when I was there.”

“Cause they didn’t need to play the best in the Super Ten card. They had the fifth year senior angle to push… You know, I always wonder how things would be different if we played at the same time. Like, how would that last play against the University of Ross have gone different? I think I could have caught that throw.”

“I’m sure you would’ve. You make my job a hell of a lot easier. You could probably make catches from the parking lot if you tried hard enough.”

Anook shrugged. “I still have some work to do with my game. I don’t just want to be a jump ball receiver who can only catch lobs.”

“Uh, what?” laughed Vilko. “You had twenty receptions in the semifinals. That’s catching more than jump balls.”

“And I only have seven catches tonight,” Anook stated, standing up and putting her helmet on. It was fourth and two from the Ross thirty yard line, and the Surge were going for it. Everyone at Bradford Road was on their feet, and Jani Koivu slipped when he received the ball. He tried to get up, but got absolutely blasted by Emile Cruz, who rolled to his feet and celebrated by crawling to the bench. It was now the time of the offense to shine. “Let’s go, boys!” shouted Vilko, pulling on his helmet and running out onto the field. This was the drive that would redeem him, the one that would make everyone forget the play that kept the Tigers out of the championship game. This was the drive that would decide the Iron Cup.

=====

Everyone in the Imperial palace was also watching the Iron Cup final, including the Emperor, who watched as he continued to sort out business. Around him were various advisers, including the Chief of Defense, who was giving an update on the military situation.

“The Democratic Forces of Patierre are on their last legs around Saint Rainier. We have them boxed in, and there’s no possible escape routes that we know of. The House of Rubideuax are sitting ducks right now, and it’s only a matter of time before they attempt escape and get cut off. There is still some partisan resistance across the country, but not enough to justify increasing our deployments,” the Chief said. “Our updated projection says the war will be over in one week.”

“Great. And the final body count is…?”

“So far, we’ve lost two hundred soldiers. Their losses are two million, including civilians.”

Colden raised an eyebrow. “How did the death toll get that high on the Patierre side?”

“Saint Rainier has been shelled through the entire war, as have all the other major cities. A great air force and a good missile program will work wonders for a kill to death ratio,” stated the Chief. “We’ve also destroyed their entire navy, and we seized ten of their ships during the first week of the war before they could leave port. The Ground Forces seized-”

“I don’t need to know all the specific numbers of stuff we’ve gained. I’m sure that it’s quite a lot. I’m leaving the end of the war in your hands, and I want you to come to me when Saint Rainier is ours. Then, I will handle the integration of the new territory,” Colden said, looking from the Chief to the massive television at the edge of the room. “I want to shift attention to the SVLA conflict in Northern Jugoskania. It’s been going on for too long. We’ve been doing everything we can to help the Christian militias, and they still haven’t crushed the insurgency for us. It’s time for stronger measures.”

“Meaning? We don’t want to get involved with a conventional war there. It’s best to leave the guerilla fighting to the experts.”

“I’m not starting a conventional war. I want you to activate the Underfell Array tomorrow and use its full force against Torsjo. That city should be a smouldering wreck by the time the job is done. I don’t care about civilians, I don’t care about it being our own city. At this point, any loyalists have either been killed or have left. Anyone in Torsjo is a supporter of secession, and you know as well as me what our policy on secession is.”

“Secession is treason,” the Chief said.

“Exactly. Use the full stock of ICBMs available in Underfell. Make sure that no part of the city is still standing, and that the South Valerian Liberation Army has no remaining bases when the smoke clears.”

“There will be backlash for this. And I heard that you planned on using your popularity to reunify the Church. Are you sure that you want to attempt something that could make your popularity tank?”

“Backlash? Only in Calovice and Valpalma. With the Orthodox, I’m going to be a fucking hero. Which is kind of the point,” Colden replied with a slight smile. His plan was to completely destroy the Islamic stronghold in Torsjo, that had formerly been the capital of a repressive Muslim occupation in Jugoskania. The area was currently disputed between the Empire, and the SVLA, which wanted to form an independent state, but if Torsjo was destroyed, Colden would gain massive support with the Christians from the rest of the island, who had suffered greatly under the hands of the Muslim occupation before the island had been liberated and integrated.

“Aye. I’ll go right now and tell the Underfell crew what the plan is. They’ll have to work all night to get this ready on short notice. What I said still stands, though. While the people of Anglatia and Jugoskania want blood from the Marxists and the Muslims, the international community won’t take this lightly.”

Colden waved a hand dismissively before pointing to the television. “That’s why I have a football team. Sports is a great distraction from war. Panem et circenses, my friend. Panem et circenses.”

---

TO: Almighty Lord Gregory
FROM: Emperor Colden the First of the House of Kaine
ENCRYPTION LEVEL: MAXIMUM
SUBJECT: An axis.

Alliances are all about need, and at this time, our two unpopular states may need each other. As you know, the Empire of Greater Anglatia may face international backlash for the destruction of the rebellious city of Torsjo. While Torsjo was the capital of an illegitimate rebel regime, and needed to be eliminated to maintain security across the Empire, others may not see things in the same way. Our nation already has a dodgy human rights record, and we expect to face economic sanctions at the minimum for our actions in ending the Second Torsjo War. Therefore, we offer you a free trade deal, as we know that your state already faces economic and political sanctions from the rest of the region. We will even allow you to contract our farmers to make your famous prune juice, which you will be able to import from us tariff free. As an added bonus, you may choose from any of the players on the old Armeian-Anglatian gridiron team to join your new league.

Please consider this offer and reply at the soonest chance. States with a bad record internationally must stick together to survive in a world concerned with human rights and democracy. Because of our situations, we may as well form an unofficial alliance. Call it an axis, if you will. An Axis of Evil.

[Ethane]

Have some Mercy

Cutoff - Match Day Five

[Ethane]

Match Day Five Scores
#timeforEthane

Group 1
San Llera 13–38 Banija
Southern Democratic States 6–21 West Phonecia

Group 1                                   Pld    W   D   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Banija                                    4    4   0   0   100   23  +77    12
2 San Llera                                 4    3   0   1    60   52   +8     9
3 West Phonecia                             4    2   0   2    57   69  −12     6
4 Southern Democratic States                4    1   0   3    30   44  −14     3
5 Averyickan City                           4    0   0   4     0   59  −59     0

Group 2
Sheepish 7–21 Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Allamunnic States 38–0 Greater Vakolicci Haven

Group 2                                   Pld    W   D   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec                   4    3   0   1    40   20  +20     9
2 Allamunnic States                         4    3   0   1    88    3  +85     9
3 Greater Vakolicci Haven                   4    2   0   2    51   65  −14     6
4 Sheepish                                  4    1   0   3    16   69  −53     3
5 The New North African Republic            4    1   0   3    21   59  −38     3

Group 3
The Independent Hazerls 17–0 Thereisnogodistan
Qasden 7–23 Schottia

Group 3                                   Pld    W   D   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 The Independent Hazerls                   4    4   0   0    73   30  +43    12
2 Schottia                                  4    3   0   1   101   72  +29     9
3 Kaboomlandia                              4    2   0   2   100   64  +36     6
4 Thereisnogodistan                         4    1   0   3    50   57   −7     3
5 Qasden                                    4    0   0   4     7  108 −101     0

Group 4
Fleurnordicia 7–6 Ferkas
The Fair Republic 14–24 Anglatia

Group 4                                   Pld    W   D   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Anglatia                                  4    4   0   0   138   36 +102    12
2 The Fair Republic                         4    3   0   1    77   56  +21     9
3 Barunia                                   4    2   0   2    56   49   +7     6
4 Fleurnordicia                             4    1   0   3    23   83  −60     3
5 Ferkas                                    4    0   0   4    31  101  −70     0

Group 5
United Bermuda 7–13 United States of Devonta
Abanhfleft 20–10 Cheongji

Group 5                                   Pld    W   D   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                                4    4   0   0    84   29  +55    12
2 Ethane                                    4    3   0   1    67    7  +60     9
3 United States of Devonta                  4    2   0   2    43   58  −15     6
4 Cheongji                                  4    1   0   3    37   60  −23     3
5 United Bermuda                            4    0   0   4    23  100  −77     0

Group 6
Drawkland 26–10 Alinghi Federal-Democratic Republic
Frenline Delpha 14–10 Taeshan

Group 6                                   Pld    W   D   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Drawkland                                 4    4   0   0   106   33  +73    12
2 Frenline Delpha                           4    3   0   1    56   47   +9     9
3 Taeshan                                   4    2   0   2    67   28  +39     6
4 Alinghi Federal-Democratic Republic       4    1   0   3    16   59  −43     3
5 The New Telengana Rajj                    4    0   0   4    10   88  −78     0

Group 7
Free Tulsa 11–9 Chromatika
Cosumar 26–0 Ficiscia

Group 7                                   Pld    W   D   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Cosumar                                   4    3   0   1    84   40  +44     9
2 West Saintland                            4    2   1   1    47   43   +4     7
3 Free Tulsa                                4    2   0   2    28   39  −11     6
4 Chromatika                                4    2   0   2    76   48  +28     6
5 Ficiscia                                  4    0   1   3    17   82  −65     1

Group 8
Abaja 3–7 Gregoryisgodistan
Islana Lunigo 0–17 Nassau-Hessen

Group 8                                   Pld    W   D   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan                         4    4   0   0    42    3  +39    12
2 Nassau-Hessen                             4    3   0   1    57   20  +37     9
3 Abaja                                     4    2   0   2    62   57   +5     6
4 Islana Lunigo                             4    1   0   3    36   70  −34     3
5 New West Guiana                           4    0   0   4    13   60  −47     0

[Allamunnic States]

Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section
Special World Bowl Coverage

Regulars Romp over Greater Vakolicci Haven
Allamunnae post 38-0 win over Havenic team
by Korynn Smart

The Regulars continued to put their campaign-opening loss against Quebec in the rear-view mirror by emphatically denying the Greater Vakolicci Haven's bid to upset them, laying a 38-0 hiding on Group 2's third-place team. The offense was effective and the defense was at its high-energy, battering best against the Vakolicci, limiting them to just under 100 total offensive yards, forcing four turnovers, and compiling eight sacks in the win.

On offense, the most damage was done by the run game. Only a few days after losing starting tailback HB#22 Ella Kaarbrynn to a collarbone fracture, HB#35 Bryndyn Traewyk carried the load for the team, rushing 31 times for 204 yards and 3 TDs, totalling the single best performance by an Allamunnic running back in international play since Haanryk Staalburg. He was assisted by HB#24 Brandt Hendriks (4 rushes, 18 yards), HB#21 Anna Eriklunn (5 rushes, 40 yards), and FB#45 Torren Tormundsunn (5 rushes, 32 yards, TD). QB#10 Graagur Wyrth added 202 yards through the air while going 10/18, with a touchdown and an interception.

Traewyk took over the game down the stretch, although helped considerably by excellent blocks by Tormundsunn, a lot of that success was owed to Traewyk's hard running. The 24-year-old halfback broke several big runs, totaling five runs of 20 yards or more during the day, including a 52-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

On defense, the front seven came alive, hammering the Vakolicci backfield for numerous losses, rattling their signal-caller on the force of numerous sacks (keyed by DE#94 Olaf Rynnur, who tallied two), while stifling the run game. Additionally, the secondary intercepted three different passes, which was also supplemented by a forced fumble by LB#98 Fradrik Eriksunn, recovered by LB#55 Kyl Waalturs.

The win leaves the Regulars on an 88-0 scoring run over their last three games, giving them considerable momentum going into their home rematch against the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, who scraped out a 3-0 win over the Allamunnic national team in the opening qualifying game.

[Barunia]

23-0. A good result for the Barunian Sea Cows as they finish off the first leg of their qualifying campaign with 6 points and third in the group, a position that won't change after next week's bye. The two teams above them, Anglatia and the Far Republic, are both on 9 points and will face each other on day 4. That should mean that Barunia will remain within one win of 2nd place, with the big issue being the rate of scoring. After today's victory, Barunia crawled back into the black on points differential, a mere 7 points ahead of the deficit. They'll require a huge output on the offence from here on out if they are to surpass the superior goal differentials of their nearest rivals.

That may be a problem for this Barunian team, which has been led by the defence, rather than the offence. It was a Dan Mayweather pick that set the Sea Cows up for the first touchdown against Ferkas, Roger Taylor rushing for thirty-two yards in five consecutive plays to put the Barunians on the board. Simon Korb, moved from defensive end to nose tackle, featured strongly in a defensive line unit that delivered eight sacks and just 30 rushing yards for the game. Anton Dulwich moved in to cover the end position at the right of the line, while his younger brother George covered the left.
Offensively, second tight end David Yates got the second touchdown from a 15-yard pass into the end zone. Head coach Ignatius Mori ran multiple plays using H-backs and multiple tight ends, with Sam Green getting the most of the ball, with seven receptions for 128 yards. The best of the wide receivers, Floyd Matthews, only managed 5 receptions for 58 yards.
The majority of Barunia's plays went as usual to the running backs, with Mori mixing it up with Taylor, Lane Edwards, and fullback Bryan Roberts all recording significant yardage. Their third touchdown was another rush play, but an unusual one. Perhaps the Ferkas team should have known something was up when reserve quarterback Tim Bishop replaced Keno D'Cunha on third down, one yard short of goal. Certainly, they were taking by surprise when he took the snap and threw himself over the top of Matt Lewis at centre into the end zone.
The special teams also contributed to the score, Josh Bell's third quarter punt perfectly placed to pin the Ferkas team four yards from their own end zone. Mori called an eight-man blitz, and it was Kevin Williams who brought down the quarterback for the safety.

The result is another strong performance from a team with no league for the sport in their nation and limited opportunities to play. All of these players have other jobs, but for some, this world bowl may be the stage to make their name known, and realise the dream of playing their sport professionally.

[Abanhfleft]

The Saga of All-Inclusive Haranguer F.C. 2, Part Four

As far as non-league clubs went, Ross Port Rangers were doing quite well for themselves, Wallace Partridge thought as he arrived at the club’s stadium. He had finally arrived at Ross after taking a flight from Riuwiee, and he had every intention to secure the signature of Abigail Papadiamantopoulos for All-Inclusive Haranguer before the day was over.

Signing a player from non-league to a big league like the Liga ng Abanhfleft, is not as easy as it sounds. This wasn’t like transfers between fully professional teams with fully professional players. Non-league players, more often than not, had second jobs what income they made playing for their team and that meant that non-leaguers were reluctant to leave their first team unless they were assured of large and steady paychecks. Most often, it would be young players whom the professional teams would be signing from non-league so that there was little chance of the so-called “uprooting effect” taking place.

Partridge walked over to the stadium after he had paid the cabbie and knocked at a door with a sign that said EMPLOYEES ONLY. A middle-aged man in a loose-fitting security guard’s uniform opened the door. “Don’t you see the sign?” he said. “It’s for employees only. And you’re no employee of the Rangers. Get lost.”

The guard then tried to shut the door in Partridge’s face, but he blocked it with a well-placed foot. “Look, buddy, I talked to your boss about this. Talk to him and he’ll clear all of this up for you, okay.”

The guard considered it. “Fine,” he finally said, and he closed the door once again, successfully this time. Partridge waited and waited, and after twenty minutes had passed according to his watch, the door opened again and another middle-aged man, this one wearing a suit, appeared from it. “Sorry about that, Mr. Partridge,” he said. “Jens is just very dedicated about his job. Welcome to Ross Port Rangers,” he said, holding out his hand for Partridge to shake. “I’m the team’s assistant manager. Follow me, please.”

Partridge entered the stadium and followed the assistant manager down a series of twisting corridors and passageways. “I know why you’re here, Mr. Partridge,” the assistant manager said. “We were all very surprised when the Anglatian Football Federation decided to send out a team made up of non-league players in place of our regular under-21 team for the Di Bradini Cup, but it’s safe to say that we’re even more surprised that such an esteemed club as All-Inclusive Haranguer has decided to make an offer for Abigail. We’re pretty much an unknown team outside of Ross, but the federation’s decision to send out a team of non-league players has stamped their names on the greater footballing world, and perhaps we all shouldn’t be surprised that the big teams are now after our players.

“Here we are,” the assistant manager said, showing Partridge to a conference room inside the stadium. “Wait here. I’ll call Abigail over and bring her here so you can talk business.”

“You do that, my good man,” Partridge said as he sat down on one of the leather-backed chairs in the conference room. Fancy digs, he thought. The conference rooms over in the National Book Store Stadium in Haranguer didn’t all have leather chairs or even padded chairs.

The door to the conference room opened. Partridge stood up to greet the new arrival even as his eyes widened in surprise. Abigail Papadiamantopoulos was indeed as tall as her name was long, and to the slightly-short-of-average Wallace Partridge, she was very much a tall girl. Abigail was listed as having a height of 6 feet and 8 inches, which confirmed Partridge’s initial description of her as being a veritable skyscraper in a country where people who were six feet tall were really tall. “Here she is,” the assistant manager said. “Abigail, this is Mr. Wallace Partridge from All-Inclusive Haranguer over in Abanhfleft. Mr. Partridge, this is Abigail Papadiamantopoulos, the girl you wanted to talk to. I’ll be leaving you two alone so you can talk business. I’ll be going now.”

Partridge and Abigail shook hands as the assistant manager left and then they sat down across the table from each other. “Well, Abigail, I’ll cut to the chase,” Partridge said. “We want you; I want you, for All-Inclusive Haranguer. What do you say to that?”

Abigail’s eyebrows rose up. “You really don’t beat around the bush, do you, Mr. Partridge?” she asked. “All right, then. I’m listening. I’m interested in what you have to say.”

“Great!” Partridge said. “Well, then, I won’t be boring you with the details of your contract, but I’ll tell you the basics anyway. We’ll be paying you ten thousand dollars per week. How’s that sound?”

“Quite swell, actually. Now, where do you want me to play? How do you want me to play?”

“Right where you played in the last DBC, in the middle of the park as the fulcrum. You’re going to be winning the ball for us and setting up our attack with your new midfield partner and our new signing, Luke de Coubertin from Tumbra. I think you’ve heard of him. And we’re going to be taking advantage of your height as much as possible. Are you any good in the air? Never mind, don’t answer that question. Training will take of the rest. But most of all, Abigail, I want you to be the Sand Tigers’ midfield bully, our midfield destroyer. I want you to break up our opponents’ attacks before they can even get going. I’ve seen you do it before for Anglatia; can you do it again for Haranguer?”

“Sure, I can,” Abigail said confidently and immediately.

“I like that attitude!” Partridge said. “That’s the kind of attitude our team needs if we’re going to get back up to the Premier League immediately. I have a feeling that our association is going to be long and fruitful, Abigail.” Partridge held out his hand, which Abigail took and shook.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Partridge said. “I’ve had a look at your records. I see that you’re studying law at the College of Ross. Moving to Haranguer could complicate your studies, but the University of Mezaladbyi-Haranguer has a great law program that can get you back in track in no time. Just say when, and I’ll drop in a good word for you to the university.”

“Oh, thanks, Mr. Partridge, but no thanks,” Abigail said. “I’m actually planning on dropping out of law school to focus on football.”

“What? I’m sorry, excuse me? Could you say that again?”

“There’s no need to enroll me anywhere, Mr. Partridge,” Abigail said as she looked at Partridge strangely. “I’m dropping out.”

“I’m sorry, what? Did I just hear you say that you’re planning to drop out of law school?” For Partridge, who had grown up in a family which emphasized education above all else, this was very much an alien concept.

“Yeah,” Abigail replied. “I didn’t really want to go to law school. My parents forced me into it. All I really wanted was to play for Ross United, just like all the other Greek kids. I’d probably already be playing for one of Ross United’s affiliates if I hadn’t gone to law school. Still, I guess I have to start somewhere, and hopefully Ross notices me when I’ve played for you guys.”

Now, it was Partridge’s turn to raise his eyebrows at Abigail, and he clasped his hands in front of his face so that his fingers formed a triangle over his mouth. He held that pose quietly for a few moments before speaking again. “So, your real dream is to eventually play for Ross United,” he muttered.

“Yeah, it is.”

Partridge brought his hands back down on the table. “I think I’ve just found something else that I like about you,” he said. “You’re an honest girl, Abigail. Other people would have at least tried to deflect the question or said something noncommittal, but you answered me straight. I can’t blame you for wanting to play for your dream team. Everyone does that.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Partridge,” Abigail said. “I’ll still play for Haranguer as well as I can for as long as I can.”

“That’s good to know,” Partridge said. “Still, are you sure that you want to drop out of law school? Because UMH is not only home to one of the best law programs in Abanhfleft, it’s also the headquarters of Lex Talionis Fraternitas, one of the most influential fraternities in the country if not the world. Its members are a veritable who’s who of politics in the Fleftic sphere of influence: Makhdoum Be, Rako Novoire, Stepan Stepanenko, Petrarchos Kulbano, Kudarat Oontaz, Chief Gon of Copper Cuprum, Bob Rodinee…. The list goes on and on. Are you really sure you don’t want us to enroll you there?”

“I’d really like to focus on playing football right now, Mr. Partridge.”

“But you can’t always keep playing football, Abigail. What happens after football?”

“Let me worry about that, boss.”

“Okay, then.” Partridge stood up, and Abigail followed him. “Welcome to All-Inclusive Haranguer, Abigail. I hope to see you in Haranguer sometime in the next week. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”

Abigail shook his hand once again. “The pleasure is mine, Mr. Partridge,” she said.

[West Phoencia]

West Phoenicia War Dancers kneel before match against Southern Democratic States.

Many sports fans wondered when the War Dancers began kneeling as their national athemn played before the match against Southern Democratic States, was this going to be a sign of protest. West Phoenician sporting teams are no strangers to controversy. The West Phoenician Basketball team staged a sit in at the last championships to protest wealth biased in West Phoenicia and they purposeful allowed competing teams to win in the latest handball championships due to protests against the host nation. So it was no real surprise to see them kneel against some form of political gimmick.


However initial thoughts turned out to be incorrect rather the kneeling was a sign of respect for the devout team who kneeled to pray for a fruitful match and to submit themselves to their glorious nation of West Phoenicia who was out in full force to support the team who had so far just won 1 match.

Prayers seemed to have worked with The War Dancers beating Southern Democratic States 21 to 6. Moving them up to 3rd spot. They trail behind their main sporting rivals Banija and San llera who they had won their only win against so far until today's match.

[Banija]

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

Myles Debaba redeems himself from semifinal loss with 4 touchdowns as Banija route San Llera to take the pole position in Group 1


Myles Debaba points to the sky after his 3rd touchdown pass of the game early in the 4th quarter

SAN LLERA- Going into the World Bowl, this game was one of the most hyped matchups of any in the group stages. Both teams had great runs last time, with them both unexpectedly meeting in the semifinals, and in a defensive classic, where a pick six in overtime by Tomas Guardiola seperated these two teams, and launched San Llera into the final, where they eventually fell to Anglatia. The fact that these two teams got drawn against each other for two games in the group stage, led many experts to thing that they were in for an instant classic. So when these two teams met, both 3-0, for the first time in San Llera, experts on both sides expected a defensive slugfest.

Boy, we have never been so wrong.

Banija came to play today, and took the game straight to their hosts. In their first 4 drives of the 1st half, this Banijan side put up 24 points on San Llera, as compared to just 7 allowed by the Banijan defense in that same period. Myles Debaba, of course, was the difference. While he did not have the greatest game against Averyickan City, he righted his mistakes, as it was clear that the offensive coordinator was saving stuff for this game against San Llera, adding a couple of wrinkles. The play-action bootleg worked excellently against San Llera, as NSCF 14 Offensive Player of the Year Christos Cosse was able to burn linebacker Cecil Dinson play after play after play. Cosse finished with 8 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown.

Myles Debaba could not do any wrong against this normally ferocious defense. San Llera had pitched shuthouts against both the Southern Democratic States and Averyickan City, just like Banija had. But Banija's offense came ready to play, and they silenced the crowd early by putting their opponents in a big hole. The first drive ended in a 7 yard touchdown reception by Christos Cosse. After forcing a punt on the next series, the Banijan offense drove the ball 63 yards down the field, where a 25 yarder put them up 10-0. After a 3 & out, a long drive by the Banijans ended in a 13 yard quarterback draw to give Banija a 17-0 lead. San Llera was getting smacked, on their own field, and there was nothing that they could do about it.

They scored a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff to make the score 17-7, but Banija then drove right back down the field, and a touchdown pass to slot receiver Lemuel Yafets gave this team a 24-7 lead, a lead that they were able to take into halftime. While San Llera responded with a drive to put 3 on the board and make the score 24-10, Banija responded with another drive, ended by a 12 yard touchdown run from Abesalom Kahsu to give their side a 31-10 lead. Early in the 4th quarter, Myles Debaba accounted for his 3rd passing touchdown when he beat San Llera over the top with a 47 yard pass to Robel Kassa to give his team a 38-10, and put the finishing touches on this blowout, though San Llera got one more field goal before the game ended, on the Banijan second unit, to make the score 38-13.

Head Coach Ezekiel Daniachew was ecstatic over his team's victory. "We've finally put the demons of yesteryear behind us- there was no mistaking that this was an important game for us to win, to finally get that crushing World Bowl 29 loss out of our system. We were excited when we got this draw, because we could show how much this team improved since the Frenline Delpha/Drawkland tournament. To come out here and play like we did, to put up 5 touchdowns on this team, is a true testament to the hard work of all our players. While we have not done anything yet, since we have not yet won the group, this win sets us up for a good path to progress to do exactly that, and I hope this win will give us motivation to win 4 more and punch a ticket to Ethane."

With this victory, especially with its scope and its margin, Banija has firmly established itself as the team to beat in Group 1. They now have a target on their backs, and as the group leaders and the now undisputed favorites to run away with Group 1, they are going to get every single team's best shot from here on out. The good thing is that while Banija had closer than expected victories over the group's 4th & 5th place teams on their home field, they blew out both West Phoenicia and San Llera on the road, who are their true competition for this group. They have a legitimate chance to go 8-0 in the group stages and clinch the #1 overall seed for the knockout stages of this tournament.

What matters, of course, is can this team keep their focus. They face a tricky trip to the Southern Democratic States, a team that is 1-3 but has steadily been improving this whole tournament, in an environment ripe for an upset, as Banija is going on the road after a big victory in a big game, especially since they are playing an opponent that is extremely easy to overlook. Of course, West Phoenicia will want to avenge their 26 point home loss to Banija, and then Banija must play an angry San Llera team at the very end. It is a difficult path, but it is a very possible path.

Of course, players like Myles Debaba will have to lead this team. This defense needs to continue its excellence, as they have allowed only 23 points over the course of 4 games, for a great average of 5.75 points per game. A lot of things need to go right, but this team and this coaching staff are good enough to make it possible, to make sure that Banijan gridiron football fans can start dreaming of glory. We'll see though, what happens when they play their trap game, with their visit to the Southern Democratic States.

[Ethane]

I may be far behind, but I'm Not Giving In.

Cutoff - Match Day Six

[Ethane]

Match Day Six Scores
#timeforEthane

Group 1
Southern Democratic States 0–16 Banija
San Llera 34–14 Averyickan City

Group 1                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Banija                                    5    5   0   116   23  +93    15
2 San Llera                                 5    4   1    94   66  +28    12
3 West Phonecia                             4    2   2    57   69  −12     6
4 Southern Democratic States                5    1   4    30   60  −30     3
5 Averyickan City                           5    0   5    14   93  −79     0

Group 2
Allamunnic States 10–6 Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Sheepish 7–0 The New North African Republic

Group 2                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Allamunnic States                         5    4   1    98    9  +89    12
2 Royal Kingdom of Quebec                   5    3   2    46   30  +16     9
3 Greater Vakolicci Haven                   4    2   2    51   65  −14     6
4 Sheepish                                  5    2   3    23   69  −46     6
5 The New North African Republic            5    1   4    21   66  −45     3

Group 3
Qasden 10–26 Thereisnogodistan
The Independent Hazerls 23–33 Kaboomlandia

Group 3                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 The Independent Hazerls                   5    4   1    96   63  +33    12
2 Schottia                                  4    3   1   101   72  +29     9
3 Kaboomlandia                              5    3   2   133   87  +46     9
4 Thereisnogodistan                         5    2   3    76   67   +9     6
5 Qasden                                    5    0   5    17  134 −117     0

Group 4
The Fair Republic 31–0 Ferkas
Fleurnordicia 10–30 Barunia

Group 4                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Anglatia                                  4    4   0   138   36 +102    12
2 The Fair Republic                         5    4   1   108   56  +52    12
3 Barunia                                   5    3   2    86   59  +27     9
4 Fleurnordicia                             5    1   4    33  113  −80     3
5 Ferkas                                    5    0   5    31  132 −101     0

Group 5
Abanhfleft 6–0 United States of Devonta
United Bermuda 0–21 Ethane

Group 5                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                                5    5   0    90   29  +61    15
2 Ethane                                    5    4   1    88    7  +81    12
3 United States of Devonta                  5    2   3    43   64  −21     6
4 Cheongji                                  4    1   3    37   60  −23     3
5 United Bermuda                            5    0   5    23  121  −98     0

Group 6
Frenline Delpha 6–0 Alinghi Federal-Democratic Republic
Drawkland 10–0 The New Telengana Rajj

Group 6                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Drawkland                                 5    5   0   116   33  +83    15
2 Frenline Delpha                           5    4   1    62   47  +15    12
3 Taeshan                                   4    2   2    67   28  +39     6
4 Alinghi Federal-Democratic Republic       5    1   4    16   65  −49     3
5 The New Telengana Rajj                    5    0   5    10   98  −88     0

Group 7
Cosumar 20–19 Chromatika
Free Tulsa 21–27 West Saintland

Group 7                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Cosumar                                   5    4   1   104   59  +45    12
2 West Saintland                            5    3   1    74   64  +10    10
3 Free Tulsa                                5    2   3    49   66  −17     6
4 Chromatika                                5    2   3    95   68  +27     6
5 Ficiscia                                  4    0   3    17   82  −65     1

Group 8
Islana Lunigo 0–20 Gregoryisgodistan
Abaja 33–3 New West Guiana

Group 8                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan                         5    5   0    62    3  +59    15
2 Nassau-Hessen                             4    3   1    57   20  +37     9
3 Abaja                                     5    3   2    95   60  +35     9
4 Islana Lunigo                             5    1   4    36   90  −54     3
5 New West Guiana                           5    0   5    16   93  −77     0

[Southern Democratic States]

Banija blanks the Southern Democratic States

The Southern Democratic States lost 16-0 against Banija and only have one win in five games. Clifford Jenkins was 15/26 for 217 yards with 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. DeShawn Lewis-Harris had 8 tackles and 2 passes deflected.

Banija won the coin toss and deferred. Beyne Yemane made the kickoff. Dwayne Boyd caught the ball in the end zone and returned it to the 18 yard line. After 3 downs, the Bears are forced to punt. With 4:38 remaining in the 1st quarter, Robel Kassa caught a 27 yards pass by Myles Debaba for a touchdown. Extra point by Beyne Yemane was good. No other score until the halftime and the score was 7-0 at the halftime.

With 7:28 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Banija are forced to punt. It's a perfect punt by Ares Siska and the ball goes out of bounds at the 3 yard line. On a first and 10, Coconut Riddick runs for 2 yards. Then he runs for -3 yards. With 6:12 remaing in the 3rd quarter, on a 3rd and 11, Clifford Jenkins is sacked in the end zone, it's a safety and Banija are leading 9-0.

With 11:11 remaining in the 4th quarter, the Southern Democratic States have the ball at the 39 yard line in their territory. Coconut Riddick runs for 3 yards. He runs for 1 yard. Clifford Jenkins passes to Jarius Floyd for 7 yards. Clifford Jenkins' pass is incomplete. Coconut Riddick runs for 6 yards. Clifford Jenkins passes to Coconut Riddick for 4 yards. After measuring, the Bears gets a first down. The ball is now at the 40 yard line in Banija's territory. Coconut Riddick runs for 2 yards. Clifford Jenkins' pass is incomplete. Clifford Jenkins passes to Demarcus Woods for 21 yards. Clifford Jenkins passes to John McRae for 4 yards. Coconut Riddick runs for 1 yard. Clifford Jenkins' short pass intended to Barkevious Hawkins is intercepted by Momir Litvinov. Litvinov returns to the 28 yards line in Southern Democratic States' territory until he's tackled by Coconut Riddick. Myles Debaba passes to Robel Kassa for 13 yards. Myles Debaba's pass is incomplete. Abesalom Kahsu runs for 4 yards. Myles Debaba passes to Robel Kassa for 8 yards. The ball is now at the 3rd yard line and on a first and goal, Abesalom Kahsu runs for 2 yards. Then Myles Debaba runs for 1 yard for a touchdown on a quarterback sneak. The extra point is good and the score is 16-0 for Banija. The score remains the same until the end and banija wins 16-0.

The Southern Democratic States are now 1-4 in 5 games and the next game is against Averyickan City, it's a must win for the Bears.

Boxscore

Southern Democratic States   0   0   0   0  -   0
Banija                       7   0   2   7  -  16

First quarter
4:38 Myles Debaba passes to Robel Kassa for a 27 yards touchdown (extra point by Beyne Yemane)

Second quarter
No score

Third quarter
6:12 Clifford Jenkins is sacked in the end zone for a safety

Fourth quarter
7:17 Myles Debaba runs for a 1 yard touchdown (extra point by Beyne Yemane)

Group 1 standings

Group 1                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Banija                                    5    5   0   116   23  +93    15
2 San Llera                                 5    4   1    94   66  +28    12
3 West Phonecia                             4    2   2    57   69  −12     6
4 Southern Democratic States                5    1   4    30   60  −30     3
5 Averyickan City                           5    0   5    14   93  −79     0

North Eurasian players declares for Gregoryisgodistan draft

The following North Eurasian players have declared for the newly created GFL. Coconut Riddick is not one of them.

Name: Günther Hammerschmidt
Position: Half Back
Preferred number: 21
Age: 24
Birthplace: Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Großschönau-Hainewald, Prusy Krolewskie
Current team: Huskies Ueckermünde
Other things to know: None
Expected draft position: Early rounds

Name: Dae'Shaun Wiggins
Position: Wide Receiver
Preferred number: 88 or 80
Age: 22
Birthplace: Jamestown, CH, Southern Democratic States
Current team: Free Agent
Other things to know: He's very religious and doesn't tolerate other religions than protestantism
Expected draft position: Middle rounds

Name: Nick Shepard
Position: Guard
Preferred number: 70
Age: 33
Birthplace: Foxhollow, WA, Southern Democratic States
Current team: Neoga Jeffersons
Other things to know: clogs the toilet on an average of 3 times per year
Expected draft position: Lower rounds due to his age

Name: Tymoteusz Konczkowski
Positions: Defensive Tackle, Nose Tackle
Preferred number: 96
Age: 25
Birthplace: Rzodkiewnica, Prusy Krolewskie
Current team: Green Ducks Szczawnica
Other things to know: None
Expected draft position: Lower rounds

Name: Jadeveon Green-Beckham
Position: Right Outside Linebacker, Weakside Linebacker
Preferred number: doesn't matter
Age: 26
Birthplace: Orange Beach, CH, Southern Democratic States
Current team: Los Osos Eskimos
Other things to know: Likes the color blue, wears blue often
Expected draft position: Middle rounds

Name: Fergus Mac GilleMhuire
Position: kicker
Preferred number: 5
Age: 28
Birthplace: Dundrennan, Great Caledonia and North Hybernia
Current team: Linlithgow Hawks (Rugby Union Celtic League)
Other things to know: Rugby player, he wants to take a chance with Gregoryisgodistani football
Expected draft position: Lower rounds because he's a kicker

[Banija]

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

Unstoppable Defensive End Momir Litvinov vaults team to 16-0 shutout victory over the Southern Democratic States


Momir Litvinov(#96) celebrates after sacking Clifford Jenkins in the end zone for a safety

BUSUKUMA- Although Banija's defense has been absolutely dominant through 5 games, we have spent much print space talking about Banija's offensive stars. Myles Debaba, Robel Kassa, etc... The true offensive playmakers on the team, the guys putting up the points on the board. However, today, we are left no choice but to talk about this defense. Momir Litvinov, who was a terror in the NSCF and is a terror now, easily had his best ever game wearing the Banijan green today in the Southern Democratic States.

Undoubtedly the player of the game, he led this defense today to suffocate the Southern Democratic States. Momir Litvinov finished the game with 5.5 tackles. He had 3.5 sacks, as well as one tackle for loss and another tackle for no gain. The dominating performance along the defensive line meant that there was nothing the Southern Democratic States could do about him. He consistently was able to beat the left tackle, left guard, the running back, etc... Whoever they threw in his direction to try and slow him down. He consistently got to the backfield, and it was no surprise when he exploded off of the line of scrimmage with the Southern Democratic States backed up to their own end zone, and that he sacked Clifford Jenkins in the end zone for a safety.

Of course, his true reward may have been later in the game. When the game was 9-0 early in the 4th quarter, the Southern Democratic States were putting together their best drive of the day. They were mixing up the run & the pass, and they finally were able to reach the red zone, as they had a 3rd & 5 from the Banijan 12 yard line. However, Banija disguised their coverage really well on this play, as Momir Litvinov dropped back to allow a blitz by outside linebacker Techomir Sendula, who was a teammate of Litvinov's in college. Jenkins didn't see him, and threw the ball right into his gut. He hustled down the field, but ultimately, he's a defensive lineman, and while he covered 62 yards of grass, he was finally brought down at the SDS 28 yard line.

He had a monster performance, including his own turnover and the safety, which is why he was awarded the player of the game. Myles Debaba, of course, did not have a bad game in and of itself- he had 1 touchdown pass and one touchdown run off of a quarterback sneak, which was the dagger, but the dominating performance of LItvinov on the defensive side of the football warrants recognition, especially as part of Banija's 3rd shutout victory in the first five games of this tournament. Their defense carried them to the semifinals in World Bowl 29, and the defense hopes to vault this team over that level this time.

Of course, now there are 4 weeks and only 3 games left. San Llera won their game to keep pace at one game behind Banija, though the massive point differential that Banija has, compared to San Llera's, may mean that, for all intents & purposes, Banija has the group wrapped up by the time week 10 comes around, regardless of whether or not San Llera drops another game, as long as Banija keeps winning. Of course, that is much easier said than done, and regardless, Banija wants to improve its stock. They are in contention for that #1 overall seed, but defending champs Anglatia seems to be running away with it, with an 102 point differential over just 4 games.

Banija is in control of this group, and if they take care of business against West Phoenicia in a week at the Stadium of Restoration, then they will continue to maintain that control. Of course, defenses will give an increased focus to Mr. Litvinov, who will be facing plenty of double teams on passing downs from at least West Phoenicia, and probably more teams down the line. That will open up space for other players, specifically players like Techomir Sendula, or Caleb Patros, the other defensive end. It will be up to them to generate pressure on the quarterback as offenses switch their blocking schemes towards Litvinov, so we'll see what Horace Browning has up his sleeve to continue to generate pressure on the quarterback even as offenses start to adjust to what they've seen from Banija over their first 5 games of this tournament.

Ezekiel Daniachew, of course, had a few words about this victory. "This game was never going to be an easy one. This was a classic trap game. We came off of a huge victory against San Llera, and now we have to play the Southern Democratic States, on the road? That team is a team that is desperately searching for a victory to keep their knockout stage qualification hopes alive, and they gave us their best shot. However, this team has big players that make big plays in big moments. Momir Litvinov, who seemingly was in the backfield on every single play, came up huge with his red zone interception. Myles Debaba made the key throws at the right times, including his touchdown pass to Robel. Ultimately, we fly back to Busukuma and get West Phoenicia, because they are going to give us one hell of a game after what we did to them on their field a couple of weeks back. We have to be ready for their best shot, and we must prove that we can take it and hit back harder, or else we could easily be a one loss team, which is not something that we want to be."

Next game, of course, will take place at 4 PM local time at the Stadium of Restoration. And, as always, go Banija!

[Abanhfleft]

The Saga of All-Inclusive Haranguer F.C. 2, Part Five

With the signings of Luke de Coubertin and Abigail Papadiamantopoulos, All-Inclusive Haranguer and Wallace Partridge had already fixed one of their glaring problems coming into the 2019-2020 season. Now it was time to focus on the other gaping hole left behind by the departure of one of the players that had helped Haranguer achieve promotion to the Fleftic Premier League three seasons ago: Samantha Leroux, central attacking midfielder. Partridge had some players from the squad that he had inherited from Tom Mereilles and Janine Fuller that could play in that position, Lasse Torson and Sam Gonza, but Partridge didn’t want them anywhere near the CAM position for different reasons. Torson was already thirty years old and was not quite as speedy as he used to be, and Gonza had been playing more as a central forward or a striker in recent seasons and had proved to be quite effective in that position. It was because of those reasons that Partridge wanted a young and explosive player to play in that position to complement the Sand Tigers’ attack, and with the Baptism of Fire around the corner, he could look for such a player in one of the many national teams making their debuts on the international stage before the start of the World Cup qualifications.

And Partridge found that player in Arkadi Zima, a central attacking midfielder playing for a country called Revolutionary Nordskania. To Partridge’s great surprise, Zima was actually born in Abanhfleft, albeit to Nordskanian refugees, and had been a sometimes part of Abanhfleft’s under-15, under-16, under-17, and under-18 teams before deciding to represent Nordskania at the senior level. Zima was also playing in Imperial Markovsky, who had recently just returned to the Liga ng Abanhfleft itself, and Partridge liked that even more because it meant that he could pick up Zima on the cheap.

But it seemed as if Arkadi Zima had other plans. Once his agent had been informed by Imperial that All-Inclusive was interested in him, Zima had given his agent an extraordinary list of demands which he was to give to Haranguer. Arkadi’s demands were not supposed to go public, but somehow, it did, and it was all because of one tweet.



No one knows the real identity of the person tweeting as “The Ghost of John MacTavish”. Certainly, it wasn’t MacTavish himself, who was still alive and well in his home in Rosenpfelblatz. No one even knows if the Ghost is a he or a she. But people do know that the Ghost must be someone deep within the administration of Rosenpfelblatz City F.C. because he or she started off as an ITK for that club, updating people and fans about the happenings in the Aeroflot Stadium.

At first, all the Ghost reported was injuries on Rosen players, but then the Ghost began tweeting about Rosen’s transfer activity as well. It was the Ghost who first broke the news of Max Fetfatzidis’ blockbuster transfer to Rosen from Marinos Thimpodopoulos and the loan deal for Blaze Chrzanowska from Underfell, which immediately made him a source of reliable transfer rumors and news for Rosen fans. It was also the Ghost who reported extensively on the saga of Isa Tangemen’s departure from the Aeroflot Stadium, and it was obvious from the tone of his or her tweets that he or she was very glad to see the back of the Anglatian international.

After that, the Ghost also began tweeting rumors about the other teams in the Fleftic Premier League. Those tweets were much more hit and miss than the tweets that he posted about Rosenpfelblatz, but the Ghost still managed to call more rumors correctly than not that people didn’t just dismiss him or her as just another Twitter “in-the-know”.

Now, somehow the Ghost had found out Arkadi’s demands to Haranguer after the newly-relegated mixed-gender club had expressed its interest in signing him after his good performances for Revolutionary Nordskania in the Baptism of Fire in Red Blackiland and Flardania and posted it on the Internet for netizens to chew on. Arkadi had also been attracting attention from other clubs in Abanhfleft and Anglatia and other countries, but once the Ghost had leaked his demands out on the Web, the Twittersphere exploded in laughter, derision, and similarly outrageous demands from netizens.








But it was actually another tweet altogether that really grabbed people’s attention. It was from Marissa Bures, Arkadi’s actual model girlfriend:



If anything, the people now went really mad after Marissa posted that tweet. Marissa had been posting mysterious and cryptic tweets ever since Arkadi decided to suit up for Nordskania for the Baptism of Fire, but this latest tweet was neither mysterious nor cryptic; in fact, it was quite unambiguous. Marissa was going to be breaking up with Arkadi on Twitter unless he committed himself to staying in Abanhfleft. Oh, how the modern world has changed the way relationships fail….

And Arkadi, who was watching all this from a safe distance in Flardania, found that he couldn’t care less if Marissa was finally breaking up with him. He now had someone else in his life whom he loved and loved him back no matter what. Or so he thought. So what if people were mocking him for wanting such outrageous demands before moving to Haranguer? If he had his way, he would be playing in Nordskania’s league.

Arkadi was celebrating with his teammates in a bar in Flardania when he felt a large and meaty hand slap down hard on his shoulder. “Arkadi Zima?” the owner of the arm asked.

“And who the hell are you, man?” Arkadi asked hotly. He wasn’t in the mood for a fight, but he was ready to swing his fists around if it came to that.

“Someone whom you would want to talk to and not punch right in the mouth if you still want to become a famous footballer,” Baz Coltrane said. “Let’s get out of this place and have a good chat. It’s too noisy for my tastes.”

Once they were out of the bar, Coltrane steered Arkadi towards a park bench and made him sit down. Coltrane took the other spot on the bench. “Arkadi Vitalyevich Zima,” Coltrane said. “Son of Vitaly Dragomirovich Zima and Kseniya Ilyinichna Lavrova. You drive a very hard bargain, my boy.” He waved a gloved finger at Arkadi’s face.

“I take it that you’re from All-Inclusive,” Arkadi told him.

“Bingo. Now let me ask you a question, Arkadi. Are you crazy?”

“What?” Arkadi blurted out. “What the fuck kind of question is that? Why the hell would you think that I’m crazy?”

“Well, let’s go over the facts, Arkadi,” Coltrane said. “You are a 21-year-old central midfielder playing for Imperial Markovsky, which recently just got back into the Liga ng Abanhfleft. You are representing a nation that hasn’t even been recognized by all of the other nations you’re playing with in the Baptism of Fire. Hell, I even doubt that Abanhfleft’s recognized Nordskania at all, but I could be wrong. Yet here you are, demanding a mansion, a sports car, a sexy supermodel girlfriend, and to be the highest-paid player in a club which has just gone down from the Premier League. And to top it all off, you want us to hire some girl from your country to become part of our staff, a girl whom we have absolutely no idea about. Now, tell me, what part of that isn’t crazy?”

“Maybe it’s because I don’t want to play for Haranguer at all,” Arkadi retorted. “Have you thought of that?”

“Maybe we have thought of that,” Coltrane said. “I’m sure that you’d rather be playing for one of the teams in Nordskania were it not for your girlfriend.” Coltrane then laid his whole arm on Arkadi’s shoulders and leaned close to whisper into his ear. “I don’t know if Marissa’s ever told you this,” he said, “but she’s my niece. She’s been telling me all about you and your relationship ever since you decided to play for Nordskania after all. You’ve been quite distant from her ever since you came back from fighting there, and it’s only gotten worse after the Baptism of Fire started. Women can tell when their man has another woman; boy, can they tell. No wonder she’s been seen going out with Leo Baxter lately. Now that’s a man who knows how to appreciate a woman.”

Coltrane took his arm off of Arkadi’s shoulders, but he didn’t stop talking. “Speaking of your time in the Nordskanian front, I’ve had a look at your records,” he said. “It makes for some good night reading. You joined the Fleftic-Slavic Federatsiya back when you were sixteen, and you became a card-carrying member of the organization once you hit eighteen. You were also supposed to enlist in the Fleftic Armed Forces once you became eighteen, but when the recruiters came to pick you up, you cited your status as an academy player for Imperial Markovsky as making you exempt from the country’s mandatory conscription. That’s understandable. I chose to be conscripted despite being an academy player too, and it’s a decision I’ve been regretting ever since.

“But you, Arkadi, you’re not the kind of guy who shrinks away from battle,” Coltrane continued. “In fact, you like to fight, especially when it’s for a cause you truly and absolutely believe in, like the plight of Revolutionary Nordskania. You’ve got friends and family over in Kurovo, I believe, and as soon as the Fleftic Armed Forces turned its back on you, you quickly joined up with the Pan-Slavic International Volunteers and went to Nordskania. As you know by now, Abanhfleft forbids any of its citizens from joining any group fighting in ‘danger zones’ as defined by the government, of which Nordskania is just one. And returning from fighting with said group in said danger zone is grounds for immediate arrest, which I’m sure you remember too. Because, unless I’m very much mistaken, you were born in Abanhfleft, thus making you a Fleftic citizen and subject to Fleftic rules and laws.

“You returned to Markovsky a veteran of a war which the country of your birth didn’t want you to fight in. That’s why you were arrested as soon as you got off of that plane. But you’ve got a lot of powerful friends over in Riuwiee because you were released well before you had served your ten-year debt to society after fighting as a glorified mercenary.”

“I’m no mercenary,” Arkadi said. “I’m a Nordskanian by blood. I fought for the freedom of my country and my countrymen.”

“We’re splitting hairs,” Coltrane said. “Mabuhay ang Nordskania and all that. My point is that there are a lot of powerful folks here in Abanhfleft who want you to stay here, and now you’re repaying them by demanding a shit-ton of stuff that a club of limited means like Haranguer cannot realistically give to you. Weren’t you surprised that Imperial allowed you to go back to their team without questions? Didn’t that raise any questions in your stupid little head?”

Arkadi had indeed found it quite odd that Imperial Markovsky were very quick to welcome him back with open arms once he had been released from prison. Clubs in Abanhfleft had a big aversion to players with criminal records. “They said that they needed all the help that they can get to get back into the Liga ng Abanhfleft,” he replied.

“Of course, that’s what they’re going to tell you,” Coltrane said. “They’re not going to tell you straight to your face that they’ve been told you keep you within the country so the SFA can keep molding you into a future Fleftic national team player. You’ve been showing flashes of brilliance on the pitch ever since you were called up for the under-15 team, and then you’ve thrown it all away by deciding to represent Nordskania instead.”

“What do you care if I play for Abanhfleft or Nordskania?” Arkadi asked. “It’s not like you’re one of those guys who’s trying to keep me here in Abanhfleft. Are you?”

“Only in the sense that I want you to play for Haranguer,” replied Coltrane. “But not under the conditions that you want. This isn’t the academy anymore, kid; it’s the big leagues. And negotiating is part of life in the big leagues. The club knows your demands, and this is what we have to say to your demands: stick it where the sun don’t shine. And now here is our counter-offer: ten thousand dollars per week for five years. Nothing more, nothing less. No mansion, no sports car, no supermodel girlfriend, and especially no Natalia Kotov in our staff. Those are our demands to you. Now what do you have to say to that?”

“Then forget it,” Arkadi said. “My conditions are the only things that can get me to play for Haranguer. I’d rather stay in Markovsky if you won’t give me what I want.”

“That’s it? No negotiating, no counter-offers, nothing? Just a plain old fuck off?”

“All right, man, you want me to negotiate with you? Fine. I’ll take ten thousand per week, but I want Natalia in Haranguer with me as part of your coaching staff. Not as a physio, but as a coach herself. She’s not even too expensive, just two weeks of the wages you want to give to me. There. That’s my counter-offer to your counter-offer. Are you gonna take it or what?”

“What is it with you and this Natalia girl? You know what, never mind.” Coltrane leaned in close to Arkadi and whispered into his ear, “I really hope this Natalia girl is worth it, Arkadi.” There was a quietly menacing tone in his voice that sent a chill down Arkadi’s spine. “Consider yourself lucky that Nordskania’s now made you famous. If someone were to kill a national team player, it would attract a lot of news and media attention. But no one cares if some guy from Liga Ikatlo was found dead. Oh, and Haranguer is no longer interested in your services, Mr. Zima.” Coltrane gave Arkadi’s shoulders a loud pat and then he stood up and was gone.

Arkadi was now alone on that bench in Flardania with only his confused and jumbled thoughts. Did Baz Coltrane just threaten to kill him? Could Coltrane have killed him had he had the chance? Arkadi found himself not doubting the possibility. But if Haranguer was no longer interested in him, then he could still end up playing in Nordskania after all. Never mind that he was going to have to fight for a spot in the team; he was going to be playing in his real home. And he no longer had to worry about Marissa because he now had Natalia.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

From the Desk of Lord Almighty Gregory

To: Emperor Colden the First of the House of Kaine

Dear Emperor Colden,

I am writing to accept your gracious offer of free trade and association. However, if we are to aid you and support you in the destruction of your enemies, we ask that you do the same for us. Therefore, we ask that you treat all our Enemy List nations as hostile states, and agree to support us in any war against them, regardless of the destruction we enact. Yes, even if we nuke the Free Republics, San Jose Guayabal, or east Saintland into oblivion, even if we kidnap the entire population of Taeshan and send them to Grammar Reeducation Camps, no matter what we inflict on other nations, we ask for your support as we have supported you.

As for your offer of prune juice exports, I unfortunately must decline, as we have sufficient prune farmers and like making the prune juice locally so we can most certainly not lace it with mind control drugs. No sir, we most certainly do not do that. Of course not.

As for your offer to send players to the Gregoryisgodistan Football League, send anyone who wants to play. It's up to them. We wouldn't want to enslave them, as you are our ally now and we will not enslave random citizens of yours.

Speaking of slaves, however, if there are any more political undesirables in your nation who you want to get rid of, feel free to send them to our Overseas Slave Colonies, where they will serve as slaves for the rest of their lives. We will have no problem taking them in, and they will be far away enough from the mainland that there is no threat to us. And of course, we have masters who will put down any slave revolt very quickly. So they can't try it.

Please let me know at your earliest convenience if you wish to send any slaves to us, and if you accept our additional terms of this agreement.

Thank you, and I look forward to further trade and alliances.

Together, we shall prevail against enemies and heathens.

Sincerely,

Lord Almighty Gregory

[Allamunnic States]

Vulksaron Stadium, Rikardsburg
State of Staalmark, Allamunnic States

The rain had not let up in two days, and the natural grass that usually covered the Federation's largest single stadium had been reduced to a brown, slippery muck in many places while the Royal Kingdom of Quebec and the Regulars of the Allamunnic States had done battle. Neither offense had managed to get much going, although the teams had managed to trade field goals earlier in the day, before the Quebecois had taken the lead in the early third quarter on a second field goal. Now, the Regulars were facing the possibility of another loss to what was increasingly becoming a new nemesis, trailing 6-3.

Taking a position as the 4-3 defensive end, Olaf Rynnur was feeling a surge of excitement that often came with a third-and-long situation. Although he could play the run as well as any lineman or linebacker, Olaf was a pass-rusher at heart. A predator, in many ways, there was a simple joy in the pursuit of a quarterback, of taking down the pretty boy (or girl, sometimes) and taking their confidence down a notch.

So he was eager, as he put his hand in the mud, shaded outside the left tackle, fingers sinking into the muck. Third-and-long. Almost certainly a passing situation. He was going to get to rush. He turned to look inside, watching the ball for any sign of movement in the center's hand. He heard the cadence, but they had been faked out earlier in the day on a hard count, and later on a silent count. So, lesson learned, he would watch the ball.

The ball moved as the center made the snap, and Olaf reacted instantly. He felt the ground slide under him as he took a hard step forward with his right foot, bringing his hands up. As he moved forward, he already felt the left tackle trying to grab hold of the inside of his pads. Illegal, certainly, but not something that tended to be called. He would be on his own, and the last thing he wanted was to end up on an island with the tackle.

So he planted on his right foot, instead of continuing forward, even as the tackle continued to drop back into pass protection. A sweep of the shoulder and forearm, and the hands were ripped away from his pads, and Olaf cut inside, his steps hard and staccato. He momentarily had to adjust again as he slid slightly in the mud, but this was offset by the way the offensive line was clearly having the same problem. To his left, the left guard's back foot skidded out from under him, and there was suddenly a hole. Crowing with delight, Olaf bolted forward, as the left tackle advance to close the hole, too late.

The Quebecois quarterback never even had a chance to see him coming and take action. Olaf squared up on the hapless signal-caller and ran right through him, slamming him to the turf with a crack of pads against pads, and the squishy thud of two players falling into the mud. A whistle blew, and Olaf felt a rush of adrenaline, bolting upright and dancing enthusiastically to celebrate his sack. He did not dare celebrate too long, though, lest he be penalized, and, seeing the Quebecois punting team running onto the field, he settled for whooping as he ran off with the rest of his unit.

-----~~~~~=====~~~~~-----

This time, halfback Anna Eriklunn would be taking the return, which caused no end of nervous flutters in the stomach of one Regular in particular.

Just before Eriklunn, a reasonably tall, athletic woman, jogged onto the field, she felt a pressure on her hand. A #35-clad Regular was giving her hand a squeeze and a reassuring nod. She eyed Bryndyn Traewyk, smiled, and mouthed "I'll be fine," to him before jogging out with the rest of the return unit. They took up their positions, and she settled back deep, ready to field the kick.

Moments later, she saw commotion at the line of scrimmage, and there was a booming thud of the ball contacting a foot. She followed the path of the ball into the air, and watched it fly, tracking its trajectory with her eyes as she shifted her position to try and find its landing spot. A moment later, she'd found it, and she settled in, focusing on making the catch, using her peripheral vision to track the covering players approaching her.

The ball fell into the basket she had made with her arms and she tucked the ball in. All these things happened in a relative instant, and once the ball was secure, Anna took off, exploding with her first step. On her second and third steps, she vacated the spot that the opposing gunners had aimed for, and she sprinted up the field. Her field of vision bobbed as she ran as fast as she could, and the sideline sped by as she ran. She planted and cut to dodge another tackle, and another, this time the would-be-tackler's hand brushing her hip. She zipped again to dodge another, and stiff-armed another. However, as she focused on keeping the larger defender off of her, she lost track of another, who contacted her at full speed.

The world swirled around her and spun as she tumbled to the ground at high speed, her weight falling mostly on her shoulder and side of her helmet. The weight and impact was diffused enough that nothing felt especially out of sorts, but as she settled on the ground, Anna definitely felt more than a little achy. She blinked once or twice and reset, looking for the referee. Sure enough, there were the stripes, and she reached out with the ball in her hand, so that the ball could be spotted. The referee took the ball, and she started to get up, accepting the offer of an outstretched hand from the Quebecois player who had flattened her. "Good hit," she said, after nodding her thanks. With that, she turned around and sprinted back to the sideline, as the offense ran out onto the field. As she did, Bryndyn ran by, and she gave him an affectionate slap on the shoulder.

-----~~~~~=====~~~~~-----

Bryndyn's nerves settled as he took up his spot in the backfield. His heart had jumped into his throat when Anna had been tackled, even as he'd celebrated her return of the ball to the fifty yard line (a 36-yard return). No matter how much he knew it was part of their jobs, he still flinched every time he saw her take a hard hit. It had been like that since they'd first been together. Still, that moment was now passed, and his moment to play was at hand. Ahead of him, Torren Tormundsunn got into his stance, the burly fullback looking like a revving truck just waiting for the throttle to be put in. Tall Graagur Wyrth settled in ahead of them under center, and the offensive line was for all the world a wall of blue directly ahead of them.

They all already knew that first play. It had been drawn up on the sideline. It wasn't anything special. Just a simple off-tackle run to the left, following Snaari and Torren's blocks to daylight. Basic stuff for the Regulars.

"SET! HIKE!" Wyrth called, taking the snap at the 50. He turned around, ran back, and met Bryndyn as he ran forward, pushing the ball into his chest. Traewyk grabbed the ball, tucking and securing it tight to his pectoral, and following Torren. He watched Snaari blow a defensive tackle off the ball, and then, on his fullback's hip, watched a linebacker get crushed by Tormundsunn. Suddenly, he had room, and Bryndyn hit another gear, picking up speed as he ran towards the outside, slipping a sloppy tackle by the middle linebacker.

He would have laughed if he wasn't busy sprinting, as a cornerback tried to trip him up. In response, Bryndyn delivered a jarring stiff-arm that would be shown on ASN highlight reels for the rest of the week, leaving him open enough to keep sprinting downfield, untouched for several yards.

Finally, there was a safety. Bryndyn was not sure which one it was, but it did not matter, as he veered inside, forcing an off-balance tackle attempt. Although the safety actually started to wrap him up, Traewyk spun and powered forward, breaking the safety's grip and bulling his way forward, off-balance. He managed to catch himself as he fell forward, righting himself with a hand and continuing his run, now alone, into the endzone. In a rush of excitement, Bryndyn pulled the ball out and ran up to the edge of the stands, handing the ball to a young, red-haired girl decked out in blue-and-gray. The child, probably only a little bit past her first decade, screamed in excitement as the Allamunnic running back handed her a World Bowl ball. There might be a fine for it later. Bryndyn did not really care.

He realized, turning back, that the stadium had erupted into shrieks and cheers, and he was buried a moment later under several linemen and Torren, who were all jovially smacking him on the back and yelling obscene words of defiance at the few opposing fans in the stands. They ran off the field as the kicking team went on, to put in the extra point. That longest run of the game, they knew, had likely just won it for them, the way the scoring was going. Of course, the defense would have to hold, but they knew they would.

-----~~~~~=====~~~~~-----

"And that puts Traewyk well over the century mark for the day!" the stadium's announcer boomed. The voice had a tinny quality as it reverberated around the stadium, and Kyl Waalturs pulled his helmet back on.

"Alrighty, boys and girl," he said, looking back to the defenders who were forming up on his hip. "That's our cue. Let's go put this thing away." As soon as the follow-up PAT kick was cleared, and the kick-off was covered, the Regular's defense jogged onto the field, Waalturs and fellow veteran linebacker Junn Haaldur at its head. The unit lined up in the 3-4 this time, eying the offense that they had savaged only a short time before.

Waalturs had taken up the weakside linebacker spot, a change from when he had been the middle linebacker the year before. He and Junn had switched places as Haaldur lost a little bit of his speed, being used as a thumper in the middle while Kyl pursued the play from the backside. It had worked nicely, and the team had not allowed a touchdown during the entire campaign. The Quebecois needed one now, and they had no intention of starting.

The first play was an attempted screen. Kyl saw Olaf get past his man again, and the pass sailed out of bounds just past the line of scrimmage. Easy stop.

The second, however, drew more than a little anger from several Regulars. That time, a slant route to the right was hit for a first down.

The third, a run up the middle, went for three yards. The Quebecois had to spike the ball after that to stop the clock again.

Lining up again, Kyl thought he recognized what their opponents had in store. That slant had worked well. He looked back over to Junn, and made a judgement call. "Kick weak, Junn. Kick weak." Haaldur looked at him, and nodded, understanding. He would slide back to the weak side, while Kyl would try to work an angle on the receiver.

A moment later, the ball was snapped. Wasting no time, the Quebecois quarterback looked to his left, planted, and made a throw towards his wideout. He never saw Waalturs coming, as he jumped the route, grabbing the pass out of the air. Waalturs tucked the ball in and began running, making it about ten yards before two defensive linemen and the quarterback dragged him down into the mud. The whistle blew, and they slowly got off of him, and Kyl stood up, holding the ball proudly, shouting. "We got it! We got it!" He ran over and tossed the ball gently to the referee, and the offense began running onto the field as the defense ran off.

Moments later, a knee was taken. Then two more. The Regulars had won.

[Kaboomlandia]

Phoenix defeat The Independent Hazerls to stay alive in Group 3 playoff race

A third-quarter field goal by Caleb McCallum proved to be the winner for the Phoenix.

After that shocking 20-16 loss to open up the World Bowl, the Kaboomlandia Phoenix got revenge, defeating the upstarts 33-23 to stay on pace with Schottia in a tight Group 3 playoff race. Travis Reuben got the start, and did admirably, throwing for 298 yards and two touchdowns, though he did also throw one interception. The game started very badly for the Phoenix, as on the second play of the game, Andrew Michaels fumbled the ball on his own 21 and the Hazerls ran it in for a touchdown. However, the team got it right back, marching down the field on their next drive and eventually putting away a touchdown to tie it all up. The second quarter saw the Phoenix pull ahead on a bizarre play when near the Hazerls goal line, a third-down pass over the middle was deflected up in the air and caught by Phoenix defensive end Adam Cox, who bulled in for a strange touchdown. The first half ended with the Phoenix up 20-14 after a couple of kicks and a touchdown from the Hazerls after cornerback Richard Cody blew his coverage.

After halftime, the Phoenix had to make a defensive stand after blowing their first-half start with that fumble. They didn't, as a five-minute-long drive led to a 2-yard touchdown run by the Hazerls team. However, the team's conversion attempt was blocked to keep the game tied. After this, it was mostly a kicking contest, with Caleb McCallum adding two more field goals and the Hazerls getting one. Halfway through the fourth quarter, the score was 26-23 for the Phoenix. The score would stay this way until just one minute left in the game:

"Hazerls now with the ball. Second and six, but they're at their own 42 with 56 seconds to play - way outside field-goal range. Hazerls' quarterback has the ball now, going over the left side...and it's picked off by Scott Falk, the free safety! Falk going all the way now, dodging the chasing team! He's down the sideline! To the forty, thirty, twenty, ten, touchdown Phoenix! There goes the ball game!"

The late interception for a touchdown sealed the deal for the Phoenix, and the final score was 33-23. "Two defensive touchdowns out of three total touchdowns isn't what we want to see from the offense, but we'll take it, especially with McCallum's four good kicks," remarked Kevin Nivek after the game. The team will next play winless Qasden tomorrow night.

[Ethane]

Cutoff - Match Day Seven

You need to be Keeping Your Head Up for the final few games, even if you are already eliminated, or close to it. You should be proud of yourself.

[Ethane]

Match Day Seven Scores
#timeforEthane

Group 1
Averyickan City 0–10 Southern Democratic States
Banija 16–3 West Phonecia

Group 1                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Banija                                    6    6   0   132   26 +106    18
2 San Llera                                 5    4   1    94   66  +28    12
3 West Phonecia                             5    2   3    60   85  −25     6
4 Southern Democratic States                6    2   4    40   60  −20     6
5 Averyickan City                           6    0   6    14  103  −89     0

Group 2
The New North African Republic 0–22 Allamunnic States
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 13–13 Greater Vakolicci Haven (13–19 OT)

Group 2                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Allamunnic States                         6    5   1   120    9 +111    15
2 Royal Kingdom of Quebec                   6    3   3    59   49  +10     9
3 Greater Vakolicci Haven                   5    3   2    70   78   −8     9
4 Sheepish                                  5    2   3    23   69  −46     6
5 The New North African Republic            6    1   5    21   88  −67     3

Group 3
Kaboomlandia 6–0 Qasden
Thereisnogodistan 13–14 Schottia

Group 3                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 The Independent Hazerls                   5    4   1    96   63  +33    12
2 Schottia                                  5    4   1   115   85  +30    12
3 Kaboomlandia                              6    4   2   139   87  +52    12
4 Thereisnogodistan                         6    2   4    89   81   +8     6
5 Qasden                                    6    0   6    17  140 −123     0

Group 4
Barunia 10–0 The Fair Republic
Ferkas 0–27 Anglatia

Group 4                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Anglatia                                  5    5   0   165   36 +129    15
2 The Fair Republic                         6    4   2   108   66  +42    12
3 Barunia                                   6    4   2    96   59  +37    12
4 Fleurnordicia                             5    1   4    33  113  −80     3
5 Ferkas                                    6    0   6    31  159 −128     0

Group 5
Ethane 0–9 Abanhfleft
United States of Devonta 22–7 Cheongji

Group 5                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                                6    6   0    99   29  +70    18
2 Ethane                                    6    4   2    88   16  +72    12
3 United States of Devonta                  6    3   3    65   71   −6     9
4 Cheongji                                  5    1   4    44   82  −38     3
5 United Bermuda                            5    0   5    23  121  −98     0

Group 6
The New Telengana Rajj 14–33 Frenline Delpha
Alinghi Federal-Democratic Republic 0–34 Taeshan

Group 6                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Drawkland                                 5    5   0   116   33  +83    15
2 Frenline Delpha                           6    5   1    95   61  +34    15
3 Taeshan                                   5    3   2   101   28  +73     9
4 Alinghi Federal-Democratic Republic       6    1   5    16   99  −83     3
5 The New Telengana Rajj                    6    0   6    24  131 −107     0

Group 7
West Saintland 17–22 Cosumar
Chromatika 17–9 Ficiscia

Group 7                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Cosumar                                   6    5   1   126   76  +50    15
2 West Saintland                            6    3   2    91   86   +5    10
3 Chromatika                                6    3   3   112   77  +35     9
4 Free Tulsa                                5    2   3    49   66  −17     6
5 Ficiscia                                  5    0   4    26   99  −73     1

Group 8
New West Guiana 12–19 Islana Lunigo
Gregoryisgodistan 13–14 Nassau-Hessen

Group 8                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan                         6    5   1    75   17  +58    15
2 Nassau-Hessen                             5    4   1    71   33  +38    12
3 Abaja                                     5    3   2    95   60  +35     9
4 Islana Lunigo                             6    2   4    55  102  −47     6
5 New West Guiana                           6    0   6    28  112  −84     0

[Drawkland]

DRAWKIAN GRIDIRON DOMINATION CONTINUES
Written By: Ben Lincoln and Darby Darla

---

RECENT RESULTS
FROM GROUP 6:
Drawkland 26–10 Alinghi Federal-Democratic Republic
Frenline Delpha 14–10 Taeshan

---

Frenline Delpha 6–0 Alinghi Federal-Democratic Republic
Drawkland 10–0 The New Telengana Rajj

---

The New Telengana Rajj 14–33 Frenline Delpha
Alinghi Federal-Democratic Republic 0–34 Taeshan

Group 6                                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts 
1 Drawkland                                 5    5   0   116   33  +83    15
2 Frenline Delpha                           6    5   1    95   61  +34    15
3 Taeshan                                   5    3   2   101   28  +73     9
4 Alinghi Federal-Democratic Republic       6    1   5    16   99  −83     3
5 The New Telengana Rajj                    6    0   6    24  131 −107     0

PREVIOUSLY
Two legendary wins against fellow group powerhouses Frenline Delpha and Taeshan brought Drawkland into a position of power on top of Group 6 in World Bowl XXX, held in Ethane. More and more fans have shown up to show their support for the Grid Corps, as they continue their conquest of the group and hopefully bring their skill to somewhere beyond the Round of 16. Since their defeat of Frenline Delpha and Taeshan, they've played 2 games against the current group cellar-dwellars who are now mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Predictably, they were wins, but here's exactly what happened in those matches.

vs ALINGHI FEDERAL-DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
The final team in the group which Drawkland had yet to play, and the team which they will play for the last game in the group stage in hopefully what will pad them into a comfortable playoff qualification. The scoring was consistent and lasted all game, which paid off well in the end.

DRAWKLAND	6	6	7	7	26
ALINGHI FEDERAL-DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC	7	3	0	0	10

The game started with Alinghi winning the toss and electing to defer to the Grid Corps, giving them the ball in the beginning of the game. The possession ended with a fruitless drive causing the Corps to punt to the opposing team, which they returned to their 45. They consistently drove down the field, scoring a touchdown to start the game, and tacking on the PAT to put Drawkland down, 0-7. A few possessions later and the Corps comes back with their own score, but of course Matthew Watts missed the PAT, and the Corps is down still, 6-7. Soon the quarter was over, and with an Alinghi possession to boot. Drawkland managed to stop this possession at their own 33 yard line, but this was good enough for a field goal, and that it was, 6-10. Drawkland wouldn't have it, however, immediately driving after the kickoff for another touchdown, unfortunately without a PAT yet again. 12-10 was the scoreline that lit the spirits of all the Drawkians there, even though it remained stagnant until after halftime.

Alinghi got the ball right after halftime, but they failed to make it past the 50 yard line, punting it to the end zone and given a touchback. However, on the first play, which was an incomplete pass, Zach Barber, a linesman, committed a facemask on an Alinghi player, throwing back the line of scrimmage 15 yards. The game was close then, as Dak Waterman was nearly tackled in the end zone in the next play for a safety (which would tie the game), but he managed to chuck the ball out. Not only did it meet the arms of Daniel Madison himself, but Madison, way out in the open, returned it not only for a first down, but for a touchdown for Drawkland. Matthew Watts finally got his act together with the PAT, making the score 19-10. Alinghi consistently failed in their drives, and by the 4th quarter, Drawkland had brought it back for another touchdown to pad their Point Differential, making the score 26-10. The game passed by quickly by that point, and it ended in a super-hyped Drawkian win. The Grid Corps was undefeated in the first half of the group stage.

vs THE NEW TELENGANA RAJJ
Drawkland was expecting a blowout win this time, as their first meetup with the Rajj was a 3-39 smashing of the newbie team. However, the Rajj defense has clearly improved, as shown by the sparse 10-0 scoreline. However, a shutout win of any team is an achievement, especially for the Corps, which is apparently good at giving away free points a couple times during the games. Hey, at least it's exciting stuff.

DRAWKLAND	0	0	0	10	10
THE NEW TELENGANA RAJJ	0	0	0	0	0

There isn't much to say about this match. Drawkland won the toss and decided to receive, not expecting any issues that would require the ball at the half, and they were right. However, there was no scoring for a massive first section of the game. Before the half, no scoring. Dead drives, weak interceptions, and short kicks were plaguing both sides, making for a frustrating game for both staff and players of both teams.

However, things heated up intensely in the fourth quarter. The Rajj sat on the 7 yard line after a hard-fought drive down the field to start the final quarter, 1st and Goal. Joanas Elmo snapped the ball to Tomas Homas, and he tossed a pass to Mynameis Jefforson, the star Wide Receiver for the team. However, instead of meeting the white gloves of the receiver for the touchdown, they met the black gloves of the Drawkian safety, William Peers, who proceeded to sprint with all his might. Being slightly taller than average, he had no trouble beating out the normal surprised offensive lineman in the endzone, and sprinted over the line of scrimmage, legs turning at top speed. And as anyone who's challenged a Drawkian to a footrace knows, it's incredibly hard to catch up once they're ahead. Peers took the ball all the way for a 103 yard carry and a touchdown, which Watts helpfully put a PAT on, 7-0. The Rajj at this point was massively deflated and had trouble keeping the ball together. There were a couple fumbles (which they still recovered), and just couldn't seem to penetrate deep into Drawkian yardage. Insult to injury happened with a minute to go when the Grid Corps had the ball on the 41 and tried for a rare field goal, which Jason McFarland tried (despite being a punter normally), and nailed. The score was 10-0, and the clock drained quickly, bringing the Drawkians to a win over the team.

PREDICTIONS
The Grid Corps is still undefeated in the group, and likely will remain undefeated against the likes of Frenline Delpha and Taeshan, as one may guess from their huge wins over them the first half of the group stage. Even if they don't end with no losses, it's extremely likely they will survive to go on the playoffs, barring massive and depressing upsets. They rested up on today's bye day and are ready. So ready.

So therefore, go Grid Corps. Take them down again.

[Allamunnic States]

Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section
Breaking News

Hadley Thornburger dead at 74
Long-time National Sporting Commissioner dies in Roan home
by Ardynn Kaarlsunn

This article has been updated to reflect the most current available information.

Long-time Allamunnic Sporting Commissioner Hadley Thornburger was died in his Roan townhouse last night at 9:46 when a neighbor came to check on him after hearing a crash. Although Thornburger was responsive to resuscitation attempts initially, he died at North Roan General Hospital minutes after being taken there by EMTs. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Sara, their three children, and eight grandchildren.

Coroner's reports did not indicate a definite cause of death at the time (an autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow), but there was no indication of foul play, and family members noted that Thornburger had developed heart problems over the last several years.

Thornburger, whose job had primarily focused on administering the various National Teams of the Allamunnic States in numerous sports, leaves behind a legacy of several championships in two sports and other successes in others. Although Thornburger had increasingly taken a "hands-off" role over the last few years, leaving more to the Board of Directors of the Allamunnic Sporting Commission, he was well-liked by the staff and players with whom he interacted, building a reputation as tough but fair.

Former Allamunnic National Gridiron team head coach Ryan Smart issued a statement on Thornburger's death.

"I am saddened to hear of the death of Commissioner Thornburger. In many ways, too numerous to list here, our success as a program would not have been possible without the oversight of such a personally-invested, relentless facilitator. Hadley was always on hand to bounce ideas off of, and to clear obstacles in building the best programs we could to better represent our country on fields of competition. He was a credit to his family, friends, and everyone who had the chance to work with him. I think I speak for many of us in the Allamunnic sporting community when I say he will be greatly missed."

Also chiming in was the gridiron team's current head coach, Baeryk Vaalburger.

"After receiving news of Commissioner Thornburger's death this morning, the staff and the team alike wish to offer their condolences to his family and friends. Hadley was a good man, always fair with us and willing to take up extra responsibility to make our jobs possible. Working with him these past several years has been an honor, and we will miss him dearly."

Funeral arrangements are currently pending. Family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to PLAY Allamunnika!, a charity that helps fund physical education programs across the Federation.

---

Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section
Special World Bowl Coverage

Regulars extend win streak, add another shutout
22-0 win over New North African Republic is fourth Allamunnic shutout of World Bowl XXX
by Korynn Smart

The defense played another lights-out effort, battering the New North African Republic's hapless offenses, and the offense was efficient, if unspectacular, putting together multiple scoring drives to keep the Regulars' sixth game well under their control at all times. It was never close once the Regulars got rolling.

Once again, the offense flowed through the interior offensive line, FB#45 Torren Tormundsunn, and HB#35 Bryndyn Traewyk, who has found his legs as the team's primary running back. After a 27 rush, 141 yard, one-touchdown running performance against the Royal Kingdom of Quebec to key a hard-won victory last week, Traewyk rushed 28 times for 158 yards and a touchdown. In three weeks as the primary back, that gives him 85 rushes for 503 yards and five touchdowns, supplementing an already decent effort through the first three games:

Code: Select all

HB#35 Bryndyn Traewyk
World Bowl XXX Rushing Performances to Date
Week 1 - @ Quebec - 23 rush, 82 yds
Week 2 - v. NNAR - 21 rush, 106 yds, TD
Week 3 - @ Sheepish - 22 rush, 112 yds, TD
Week 4 - BYE
Week 5 - v. GVH - 31 rush, 204 yds, 3 TDs
Week 6 - v. Quebec - 27 rush, 141 yds, TD
Week 7 - @ NNAR - 28 rush, 158 yds, TD
Week 8 - v. Sheepish - 30 rush, 102 yds, TD, FUM
Week 9 - BYE
Week 10 - @ GVH

Total - 182 rush, 905 yds (4.97 ypc), 8 TDs, FUM

There were also noteworthy additions from the passing game, as Graagur Wyrth went 16/25 for 268 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers. Wyrth primarily hit his tight end, TE#85 Godwyn Braanur for quick completions to move the chains on third downs, and on his touchdown, a 19-yard strike.

On defense, there was another swarming effort that saw the team tally seven sacks over the course of the game, along with two fumbles (one off a tailback, another on a strip-sack) and an interception to kill what few promising drives their opponents had.

The win leaves the Regulars well in the driver's seat of Group 2, although they may not be able to fully clinch until their rematch on the road against the Greater Vakolicci Haven (unless the Haven loses one of their remaining two matches prior to that). Barring an unforeseen calamity, they should be able to win the group without too much trouble and move onto the playoffs with a fairly high seed (owing to their second-best-overall point differential, and their World Bowl-best scoring defense).

[Anglatia]

(OOC: I feel like I just wrote 1600 words of complete crap, but I wanted to get something up this matchday... I'll probably provide an update on the team, also, tonight or tomorrow)
Crowns

Part Five

While the citizens of Ross celebrated their latest sporting conquest, the citizens of Torsjo scrambled to survive. The news of the incoming missiles had arrived early, and many of the South Valerian Liberation Army members rushed to the airbase to attempt to shoot down the ICBMs or intercept them. But those attempts had a tiny chance of success, and the people panicked. Anarchy hit the streets. Buildings burned and citizens turned into looters and raiders who wanted to go out with a bang before their inevitable deaths. Many denounced Islam and turned on the socialist forces, blaming them on all of this. The few Imperial loyalists got together and hid in their own bunker, and shot anyone else who tried to enter.

Citizens tried to run, but the SVLA decided that anyone who ran wasn’t loyal enough to live. They decided that everyone should die together, and their men gunned down fleeing Torsjans as they tried to get out through the main roads. The SVLA’s motto was ‘not one step back’, and they didn’t take kindly to what they considered to be cowardice.

When ICBM after ICBM hit, the city turned red. Red with fire and red with blood. The city center was the first to be completely destroyed. Then came the suburbs and the SVLA bases. The storm of destruction didn’t stop until late in the night, when the whole city burned and not one block was left untouched. It wasn’t the missiles that destroyed everything, it was the fires. There were rumors that the Imperials used napalm with their missiles, and many believed that those rumors were true.

Those with leftist leanings mourned the loss of the city and the massive loss of life. The death toll rose to over one million before the night was over, even. But to the south, the Alliance for the Defense of Jugoskania celebrated wildly. The old enemy was dead. Never again would they be forced into theocratic rule by a foreign invader. The reactions were polarizing. There were riots in Valpalma and Calovice, two notoriously leftist cities. There were even protests in some of the center aligned cities like Lane and East Underfell. But in the places that had suffered under Torsjo and its allies, the parties went on for as long as the destruction did.

The loss of Torsjo marked the end of an era, an era of bloodshed in the outer reaches of the Empire, and it also marked a new era of Imperial strength. Secession was treason, and everyone was reminded of that as the images began to be released of the smoldering wreck that the formerly proud city was. Everyone knew what the Empire was capable of, but not many knew that they would use the full extent of their power over something like this. Yes, for better or worse, this was a new era of Imperial power, one where defying the word of the Emperor meant certain death, an era marked by victories in Patierre and Torsjo. The new era would soon extend to sport.

=====

The teenaged South Valerian boy, Delin Ruci, woke up early in the morning to the sounds of chaos above the bunker. He didn’t know how long he’d slept, or how late he’d stayed up listening to what was going on aboveground, but he was the only one in the bunker who was awake. He sat up, and pulled his bag close to him and began to dig through it. His phone had been stolen, but the clothes were still there. He took out the black Ross United jacket, the one that would have gotten him shot before the city fell, and pulled it on.

His favorite sports teams, the ones from Ross, were doing well, at least. The Blue Wings winning the Iron Cup because of a very late pass from Dokic to Havoc cheered him up a little, even with everything going on in his home region. He also put on the Ross Lions cap that he had, and tied a black bandana around his face before pulling the bag close and strapping it to his back. He moved to the girl that was sleeping silently in a army-issue sleeping bag, about three yards away from him, and tapped her face until she woke. “Fuck off...” she muttered slowly, opening her eyes. “I just wanna sleep.”

That was typical Hena. Delin didn’t complain, he just knelt down next to her. “I’m out to scavenge. I’ll try to bring back some food for you, what do you want?”

“Can I just get some bread? I’m sick of eating this preserved shit. I need some real food. Bring me back a revani, too,” Hena said, rolling over to face him. “Be careful out there, Delin. You know the SVLA is killing scavengers, right? They would sooner see us starve than let us scavenge for food.”

“The SVLA isn’t to be feared,” Delin stated. “They’re on their last legs. I’m not surprised if they’ve already started killing each other. Most of the bastards are probably dead after the second attacks, anyway.”

“Can’t you just wait until there’s no fighting going on right above us?”

“So everyone can wake up and tell me to stay back here?” Delin asked, and then he shook his head. “I’ll be back in an hour or two,” he added, turning and walking to the door to the staircase and picking up one of the rifles that was sitting next to it. “If anyone asks, you can say that you were sleeping when I left.”

“Sure. Make sure you don’t die out there,” Hena muttered, before rolling back over and going to sleep.

Delin quietly went up the steps, and emerged outside, where there were two SVLA soldiers pinned behind a burned out building as they tried to evade a group of what looked like loyalists. They saw Delin, but before they could fire at him, he shot first and dropped the closest of them. The other rushed out from around the corner and got a single shot off before getting gunned down by the loyalists. He took a deep breath, and lowered his rifle as the others approached him. He wanted to appear calm, but it was hard to do that right after a firefight. “Thanks, guys. Are you loyalists also?”

The men nodded. “We were Imperial spies inside of the SVLA before the missiles hit. We got a heads up beforehand and we hid in a bunker. I assume you did the same,” one of them said.

“Yeah. My parents know a rich loyalist guy who has a bunker under that building I just came out of. We’ve been there since the first missiles hit, and I’m looking for some food for my girlfriend,” Delin explained.

One of the men pointed down the road. “You can come with us. I know a place that’s still standing and didn’t get burned too badly.”

Delin nodded, and followed the men, wondering how he’d went from a relatively normal life to a life of scavenging, in less than a week. This new life had more freedom than the last one, though, and he wasn’t going to complain about it. He just wished he knew more about the future, and what the SVLA was planning to do before their last stand.

=====

In the days after the destruction of Torsjo, Emperor Colden focused on the plan for dealing with the potential sanctions as well as the backlash from certain groups of his own people. That plan, he decided, would be to play the villain, so to speak. Internationally, there was no use trying to appease rival states. It would be better to show strength and deter them from taking an unfavorable stance, out of fear that their cities would end up like Torsjo. The Emperor’s speech to the people confirmed that plan. He announced that protests in Valpama and Calovice would be cracked down on, and he also confirmed that the Empire would be aligning itself with another unpopular state, Gregoryisgodistan. If Gregoryisgodistan got involved in a war, Anglatia would be the first nation to defend them. Internally, the alliance was referred to as the Axis of Evil. In the speech, it had been referred to as the Ross Pact. As part of the Ross Pact, running back Storm Staford would be moving to Gregoryisgodistan to play football, and there would also be free trade between the two nations.

Now with those two things off of Colden’s list of tasks, he was able to focus on the other two biggest things. Settling the dispute with Patierre, and starting the path to ending the divide with the Orthodox. He needed the cooperation of his sister to manage the first task. “Halle, I want you to aid our brother in keeping Patierre under control. I have serious doubts about his ability to manage the civil side of things, even if he can stamp out resistance.”

“Meaning you want me to…?” Halle asked, her tone sounding like she was miffed.

“I want to make you Duchess of Saint Rainier and make you the second most powerful person in Patierre. It may not be forever, but I need another noble there who can work with Jorg and keep him from letting that hellhole collapse,” Colden stated. “This should be what you’ve wanted, Halle. More power.”

“Yeah, more power to rule over a shitty colony that’s going to revolt as soon as we untighten our proverbial iron fist. If you want to give me more power, than give me a real colony like Valeria or Baratstan.”

“Valeria is tied to the Emperorship, and Baratstan isn’t a royal colony. You know that,” Colden said, walking to the window that she was staring out of and putting a hand on her shoulder. “If you want to rule somewhere important, you’re going to have to prove your leadership ability in Patierre first.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Halle muttered, pushing Colden away and starting to walk down the hall. “Come to me when you have a real offer, if you want me to help out with administration. Until then, there’s no way you’re shipping me off to Saint Rainier.”

"Halle," he called, and she stopped and turned.

"What?"

"I actually do have an offer for you. Set up a drug cartel in Torsjo for me, and I'll give you Baratstan."

Halle raised an eyebrow. "Ah, now you have my interest, brother."