World Bowl XXII RP/Roster Thread

[The Fair Republic]

Head Coach: Buck Naters, 78

Strategy: On offence, Naters uses a 2 RB set and uses a smashmouth running attack to force the safeties to watch the RB and then airs it out deep to the wideouts and uses the TE either as a blocker or a receiver. On defense, Naters uses a complex zone blitz scheme that involves LB's and DE's dropping in and out of zone coverage changing blitzing schemes while the CB's play man on the outside helped out by the safeties to watch any deep pass

Roster:
Offence:
Quarterback: Buck Williams
Running-back: Adrian Crawford
Fullback: Darius T. Jermichael V.
Center: Nagi Ja
Right Tackle: Mike Enders
Left Tackle: Milos Cruz
Right Guard: Joe Valentine
Left Guard: Clay Clayson
Tight End: Brain Udderson
Wide Recievers: Ryan Smith, Gideon Clarke
Defense:
Left End: Matt Stevens
Right End: Curt Actonel
Defensive Tackles: Vince Adams, George Mason
Line Backers: Nigel Rodgers, Jason Clayton, Henry Jones
Corner Backs: Djoti Itojda, Tom Smith
Safeties: Anton Travers-Filler, Lucas Yargin
Special Teams:
Kicker: Brandon Yarlson
Punter: Rick Blane
Long Snapper: Jeff Vitter
KR/PR: Devin Jones

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers: Y
Choose scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: N
Godmod scoring events: Y
Godmod injuries: N
Godmod other events: Y
Style addition: -1

[German Zerabithea]

State of the Franchise
By Jarid Makmak for ZFL.com

One again another World Bowl is upon us. Every Zerabithean Football fan's favorite time of year will start this Sunday as the Rams take on Lzherusskia in the season opener. While most agree that the non-ranked team won't be pulling any upsets anytime soon, there are stuff a number of question marks looming over this team as it enters its second season since winning the World Bowl. Without a set schedule, there's not much to predict so instead I will be taking a look at the positive and the negatives of this team going into WB XXII.

Positives:

*This team continues to have one of the best passers in all the World Bowl in Charles Valintely, the man continues to be the cornerstone of the pass heavy offense the Rams run despite an injury he suffered last bowl that kept him off the field for most of the second half of that season. With a new crop of passers developing nicely so far, Any QB the Rams choose to run should continue to have plenty of targets.

* The Rams also boast a top quality defense. A group that once felt like the only thing keeping the team back has developed well under defensive Coach Platty McLincoln and it could be argued that it was the only reason the Rams did as well as they did last season after the offense imploded under a string of injuries. With basically the same Roster as last year, the unit should continue to see success this year.

*Last but not least, most of the coaching staff also remains. Coach Rogers and her staff have held this team together through think and thin, and at this point, Rogers has earn her right to choose when she retires.


Negatives:

*There is simply no way around this. The Rams have a QB problem. Shoemaker turns 31 this year and a promising replacement in Altozar was tragically lost during the seemingly annual zombie outbreak. Despite the Veteran's frequent heroics, he has yet to prove he can lead a team himself to a championship (his first attempt ending in a loss, and the second time when the Rams decided to run 2 QBs as starter). Add this up with his inability to stay healthy as of late, and you have a Team struggling to find a replacement QB. One that may be needed sooner than later depending on how Robert plays.

*This year also will also be the last for the few remaining players from the original WB 8 rosters, almost fitting for a WB whose schedule choices reminds one of WB 8 in terms of weirdness. Those left, including Benarv Cafeno, and Donald Ducked, all agreed to it in a meeting held at the end of last year. Losing these men after so many years will be hard, but it poses even more trouble for a running attack that has felt very underwhelming the past few years.

*Lastly, the weather will prove to be a harsher opponent this year than team the Rams may face. It has already been made clear that snow will be expected when playing in Saintland and parts of the Free Replublic. While snow is not uncommon in Zerabithea, It's nothing to the degree expect there and it has been yet to see how the team will respond to so many games played in such weather.


For now however, there is only one way we will know how these positives and negatives will play off this year, and that's to find out starting this Sunday. And there's never been a better time to find out.

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[Chunnan]

Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Jimmy Harenbaugh -From Chun City 57ers
Special Teams: Smith Ive -From Port Lisa Sailors
Defensive Coordinator: Jeff Griffon -From Bay View Captains
Offensive Coordinator: Gregory Romano -From Chun City 57ers

RP Permissions

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers: Y
Choose scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: N
Godmod scoring events: N
Godmod injuries: N
Godmod other events: N
Style addition: 2

Strategy
Offensive Strategy: Read Option, Balance of Running and Passing, Trick Plays
Defensive Strategy: Aggressive Defense, Lots of Blitzing, Man Coverage

Things to Look Out For:
Offense: Carl Kapernickle lead the 57ers in GAFA to the Prime Bowl where the lost 27-24 against the Coreus Phoenixes. His running ability allowed him to have a variety of ways to trick the defense. He does the read option with his running back Franky Killer, also from the 57ers. Kapernickle likes to keep his balance with running and throwing. But, in this tournament, he'll be playing with other receivers, which may prove to be a challenge for him.

Defense: The defense of this team will be deadly, bringing in Chunnan's toughest and fastest players. They blitz often, which puts the QB into pressure, leading to a sack or an interception. Man coverage has proven well. Every player concentrates on one man. They learn their tricks and moves and use it against the receiver.

Special Teams: Special teams isn't too big. Yet, Darmin Long from the Sailors could kick a field goal from more than 50-yards away. Also, you may see a couple of trick plays here and there.

Roster
STARTING OFFENSE
QB Carl Kapernickle #7 -Chun City 57ers
WR Mike Appletree #15 -Chun City 57ers
WR Sandy Hilbert #16 -Port Lisa Sailors
WR Charles Roberts #17 -Corb Springs Pioneers
TE DeChad Jackson #18 -Twin City Skyscrapers
RB Franky Killer #19 -Chun City 57ers
FB Mario Onterro #20 -Bay View Captains
C Brandon Putnam #21 - Port Lisa Sailors
G Ukinamatam Sargola #22 - Port Lisa Sailors
T Neil Sullivan #23 -Mid Town Merchants
T Tim Ewing #24 -Mid Town Merchants

[b]STARTING DEFENSE
CB Tarn White #50 -Chun City 57ers
CB Roger Carlos #51 -Chun City 57ers
LB Alldone Smithsoni #52 -Chun City 57ers
LB Chris Connors #53 -Port Lisa Sailors
LB Jimmy Cathlon #54 -Bay View Captains
S Drake McShower #55 -Chun City 57ers
S Landon Oz #56 -Mid Town Merchants
DT Mikel Johnson #57 -Lush Town Appletrees
DT Jordan Tracey #58 -North Point Huskies
DE Yoseph Randalf #59 -Chun City 57ers
DE Tracey McBacon #60 -Bay View Captains

SPECIAL TEAMS
K Darmin Long #1 -Port Lisa Sailors
P Gerrick Hendricks #5 -Bay View Captains
PR/KR LeMike Johns #99 -Chun City 57ers

SUBSTITUTES OFFENCE
QB Alexander Smithsoni #80 -Chun City 57ers
WR Randall Mossy #81 -Chun City 57ers
WR Deminco Murgona #82 -Port Lisa Sailors
RB (Also PR/KR)LeMike Johns #99 -Chun City 57ers
FB (Also DT) Larz Grant #84 -Bay View Captains
C Ahmad Ghazal #88 -North Point Huskies
G Robert Bradshaw #83 -Corb Cprings Pioneers TE (Only Used On Certain Plays and Replaces 1 WR) London Griffon #87 - Corb Springs Pioneers
T Aaron Chin #89 - North Point Huskies

SUBSTITUTES DEFENCE
CB Zachery Kester #29 -North Point Huskies
LB Ricky Bakh #96 -Chun City 57ers
S Harold Chuck #27 -Lush Town Appletrees
DT Jay McRonald #91 -Chun City 57ers
DE Spazy McRon #18 -Chun City 57ers

Jersey

[Lzherusskia]

Home -> Sport -> Gridiron

German Zerabithea – Who Are They, And How Can We Beat Them?
By: Vladislav Rodzyanko, Gridiron Correspondent - 6.Svostrok, 2122

Full disclosure to start with – I don't think we can beat German Zerabithea. I have as much faith in the team as anybody, but being drawn against the World Bowl XX champs is about as hard an opening draw as we could possibly have seen and, especially now we're missing our starting running back, I don't see how we can manage an upset. However, I'm not being paid to be a complete doom merchant, so let's crack on.

As you're going to hear about four billion times over the next weeks, the Rams took World Bowl XX by storm – going 14-0 in the group stage and outscoring their opponents there by an unbelievable average of 22.6 points per game, before taking out West Guiana, Osarius, Thrillege and in the final, absolutely embarrassing Karditan 23-6 – and they remain one of only three teams ever to have a perfect record in World Bowl history.

Already, it's not looking great.

Offensively, we have more in common with the Rams than one might expect. They're headed up by quarterback Robert Shoemaker, although sources within the German Zerabithean camp indicate that he may not be long for that spot, and surround him with an empyrean array of attacking talent capable of torturing even the world's finest secondaries indicating that, like us, their offense is going to flow through the quarterback's arm first and foremost.

On defense, things are different. Both defensive units like the big play over the safe one but, where any team captained by Maximilian Dragunov is all about punishing the quarterback, the Rams are much tighter in the secondary and generate most of their turnovers from interceptions. In particular, cornerback Nathan Handway is a real ballhawk, and you can guarantee he'll latch onto his opponent's #1 receiver from down one.

So, how do we stop them? To my mind, there are three real key matchups.

The first is Charles Valintely vs. Ravil Nevzorov, #1 receiver vs. #1 cornerback. We've seen before that Valintely makes any quarterback he plays with better and if Nevzorov can disrupt him, it's going to cause serious problems for whoever the Rams run with behind centre. The best quarterbacks are ones who can operate even when their first options aren't open to them, but it is a rare specimen indeed who can perform equally as well with his second, third and fourth options.

The second is Teodor Makovetski vs. Laired Morgoto. One of the few bright spots in the game against San Jose Guayabal was Makovetski's performances – two sacks, nine tackles and a fumble recovery – and at 24, he's already one of the nation's finest pass rushers. Disrupting the pocket is going to be key to any chance we have of success, and the Makovetski/Morgoto battle will be critical to that.

The last is Gennady Lukashev vs. the Rams' linebackers. With Arkadi Emilianenko and Ferdinand Oshchepokov capable and likely to stretch the field on most passing plays, Lukashev is going to be Spiridonov's safety valve, security blanket and go-to guy on third downs. The problem for the Rams is that he's more or less just a transplanted wide receiver and so assigning a linebacker to him in coverage is an athletic mismatch and a thoroughly exploitab le one.

So if we can win all three of these battles and win them convincingly, then there's just the tiniest, most infintesimal sliver of a chance that Lzherusskia comes out on top. More realistically, what we should be hoping for is that we escape the game without injuries and just put up a decent enough showing that we don't embarrass ourselves. And even that's a tough ask.

However, it's not all doom and gloom. Yes, a defeat in our first game does cast a pall over our chances of qualifying for the group stages proper, but the beauty of the Casaran system is that we'll be matched up in Games Two and beyond with other teams who have a loss on their record, ensuring that we won't be forced into facing a real murderer's row of teams in our inaugural international competition. So chin up.

[New Wolfopolis]

World Bowl - MD1 Preview
by Javier Johnson, International Sports Correspondent
johnsonj@lupiniatribune.nw

The 48th-ranked Wolfpack opens up against #79 The Glorious Commune this week in the World Bowl. This team, led by strong starting quarterback Daemon XII, was able to propel themselves into the third-place game of the Baptism of Iron. They lost, but hey. Some things about the Commune's team (found out by our expert scouts) are a bit weird, for example, there's no set positions for anyone on the team, they don't seem to tire easily (or at all), they rarely (if ever) punt on fourth down, their team members don't understand sarcasm or figurative language, and, weirdest of all, they call the sport "Karditani Equestrian Rugby". Not being able to tire means their strong quarterback can make huge plays at any time. While this may intimidate some of the team members, they have to realize that the Commune team is confused by something so simple as a blitz, which contributed to their semifinal loss to The Free Republics. The Wolfpack is led by starting quarterback Peter Plourde. Plourde can do it all - pass, run, and catch on the occasional trick play. Plourde and the rest of the offense may have a bit of an adjustment, running more tricks and misdirections than they're probably used to, but they should do well. On the defensive side, the Wolfpack is led by captain Thomas Domanech, who led the team last World Bowl in forced turnovers. They might be running more blitzes than normal, to adjust to the Commune's high amount of ability, but they should have a good game. Prediction: New Wolfopolis 31-28 The Glorious Commune. You can watch the game at 9:05 am NWT on NWSN, or fly to Saintland to watch in in person at Via Damascus Stadium.

[The Fanboyists]

Just under a year previously:

The locker room was dead-silent, nobody speaking as the reality of their situation hit them. The Regulars had just met their most disappointing finish in years, failing to reach the single-game knockout rounds for the first time since World Bowl XV. They finished 6-3 and watched their most hated rivals win the championship instead.

All in all, it was disappointing. Many of the players had joined since the Regulars' winning ways had become a habit, and so this was their first taste of failure, something which their coach had made sure to address.

"So, guys, how does this feel?" Ryan Smart had asked after the game had ended and they'd made their way to the locker room.

"Shitty," came the mumbled consensus. Smart nodded, turning so that he fixed every player in his gaze at least once.

"It does, doesn't it?" he said. "That's the thing. Failing sucks even when you're used to it. For most of you, this is your first taste of failure. Do you like that taste?"

Again, a muttered consensus. "I didn't think so. So. What we're going to do, is we're going to go home. There may be some changes this off-season. But what I want each of you to do is to fix this feeling in your head. Our goal is to come back next year, and the year after, and on and on, and make sure we never feel like this again. We're going to fix the stuff that went wrong this year, and we're going to storm back next year better than ever. Are we clear?"

More firm consensus this time.

"Good. Let's get loaded up. When we get home, it's back to work."

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

The upside was that Qazox's coaches and players, among others, wasted no time in giving the Regulars plenty of bulletin board material. And although it ultimately proved unnecessary, the players' motivation was helped considerably by offensive coordinator (and increasingly, Ryan Smart's right-hand man) Baeryk Vaalburger's threat that standards would be higher the following year and cuts for veteran players might well become a thing again.

It sure got the team to wake up. The team wowed all through training camp. When they faced off against Koenigshalloe in a preseason scrimmage, they promptly kicked arse, and more than a few new players made good first impressions.

And then came the 22nd World Bowl, where the Regulars would travel to the Free Republics in the hopes of doing something unprecedented: being the first team to win four World Bowl championships.

OoC Note: The first half of this post was originally intended to be my exit post from WB XXI.

[Stretta]

A Movie With Winters
The Insider Report with Gabbie Tapadas

As the Strettan national gridiron team settle down in the Federation of Free Republics ahead of their opening World Bowl match-up against the unranked Anditon Wolves, the players have been treated to some unusual activities.

Along with training, fitness routines, and signing autographs for the Strettan fans already in the region, Coach Winters took his team to the movie theatre. Talking to players after the outing, it was revealed that the movie they saw was old footage of each player lifting a trophy or achieving a career milestone. The point of renting the theatre for this one-time film? According to Winters, his team have the skill to beat anyone in the World Bowl, as long as they believe that they can on the day.

The positive vibes of the film seemed to permeate through the players, who were smiling, laughing, and generally upbeat on their way back to the training grounds.

---

Casaran Day 1
Match Preview
Stretta^#11 - Anditon Wolves
RayDome, Doranto, Contoria

Stretta

Rank: 11
WBXXII Record: 0-0
vs Record: 0-0

Casaran 1: Stretta vs Anditon Wolves

Team History
Baptism of Iron 13 Champions
World Bowl XX - Round of 16
World Bowl XXI - Round of 16*
Esportiva Autumn Festival Gold Medalists*
(* denotes performance under current head coach)

Anditon Wolves

Rank: UR
WBXXII Record: 0-0
vs Record: 0-0

Casaran 1: Stretta vs Anditon Wolves

Team History
None/Unknown

Pre-Match Press Conference

As the team prepares to take on the unranked Anditian side, there is little gameplay footage to see. With no BoI appearance, other teams will be looking to this game to get a feel of what the Anditon Wolves can offer. Speaking during the press-meet yesterday, both Hardey and Masters (def. & off. co-ordinators) spoke about the fundamentals of football. On defense, they "had to make the tackles, contain the plays and create a positive turnover margin". Offense has been focused on keeping the ball, following the blockers and keeping plays alive during practice.

The athletic receiver corps, almost unchanged from WBXXI, have been working with all three QBs, creating opportunities outside of the pre-scripted options. Julian Farway, about to enter his third international tournament as back-up to Hodges, spoke positively about the experience. "As a young player, to even be here is exceptional. Studying under Coach, learning from Charlie [Hodges], it's a great experience. My game is coming along. I don't expect to be on the field that much if at all, but I feel ready if I need to be."


The Venue

Home to the SunRays, one of the larger teams in the Free Republic, the RayDome boasts a 72,469 capacity. The clear roof and the craftsmanship in its construction is breathtaking, and quite unique.

The shelter will be something of a surprise for the Strettan team, who hail from a nation with only 1 indoor stadium. Rabjohns will enjoy kicking without wind, and Hodges will be able to play without weather impacting his game. All in all, the venue should suit the side. Not to mention the local climate in the south of the region - identical to Stretta, give or take a degree celcius.


Team News

Amazingly, there is already news of injury in the Strettan side. Ray Ness (Free Safety) has been assessed for concussion, and is highly unlikely to play the opening game. His collision during practice with WR Grant Imohara saw him come out looking worse for wear. Imohara - according to the rumour mill - is playing with a bandaged left hand. A minor injury, it is still to be seen if this could affect his ability to catch and handle the football.


Other factors

Experience speaks. Stretta should feel confident about their tournament starting with a win. That being said, football is a sport with more upsets than most. Anything can happen on the field.

Look out for the "new-look" offense of co-ordinator Luke Masters, especially during 'clutch' no-huddle situations. His play calling has previously been described as fearless. Barnhardt of the Anditon Lions is apparently a strong QB - if reports are to be believed - which could create an early test for the Strettan defense.

---

---

Strettan Team Hotel, 21:30

"Yes, coach."

Hanging up the telephone, both the positive and negative news that had just been delivered sank in. Nearing mid-30s, any player would begin to think seriously about life without football. The dream couldn't last forever, especially for a player in the Strettan Football League and a capped representative on the national team. A record domestic season meant nothing in the World Bowl. Wyatt Auteberry, of all players, knew this.

Letting out a sigh, he stood up from his hotel bed to pull back the covers. He was sharing a room with Jason Kelsey - the centre - wherever he had disappeared to. Kelsey's suitcase was still on his bed. He was a loose cannon, but a damn good player, and a decent man. They had been in college together, but the draft set them on different paths.

Slinking into bed, Auteberry began to think about what his domestic coach had just said. When the coach of the Landstown Lions speaks, you listen, and you make sure you take it in. Words echoed around the room, as real as if spoken. Lying awake, Auteberry couldn't help but feel under immense pressure. His record-breaking season meant nothing, it seemed.

There were two Lions tight ends on the Stretta side - Auteberry and Thomas - one a veteran of the league and one a third-year "up and coming talent", as the coach had phrased it. "Take on more tutoring responsibilities, pass on the knowledge". In terms of receptions, yardage, plays, the things that matter, Auteberry was statistically the second best tight end to ever play in the Strettan Football League (without a doubt the best current player), and yet here he was, feeling as if he were about to be put out to pasture.

"I'll show Winters. I'm the only tight end the national team can rely on," he promised himself. If only that would translate into a contract renewal. In just three months he would become an unrestricted free agent. There would definitely be teams offering contracts, but Auteberry had his heart and home in Landstown. He had been a Lion for 7 years now.

"I'll show them all."

[Caek of the Wolfen]

Nobody Expects the Caek of the Wolfen Inquisition!

Earlier this week, the newly formed Caek of the Wolfen Inquisition claimed it's first victim. Left End Frederick Payne was caught spreading drunken remarks about the Caek of the Wolfen Church. Payne was sentenced to an death by the Court of Inquisition. His method of execution was gladiatorial combat, pittted against huge Thunderwolves, with only a wooden cross as a weapon. He was killed in a matter of mere minutes.

The Caek of the Wolfen National Football Team has named Patrick McDunn as the new backup left end. Patrick is inexperienced, but makes explosive plays. Some of the coaches have admitted that McDunn was a better choice than Payne, but was unable to play on a national level due to age requirements. As he turned 18 last month, he became eligible to become part of the new team. With a game only 2 days away, there is little chance Patrick will be able to get much practice in on with the Iron Wolves, and there is little chance he will play, even if a backup is needed. If a backup really is needed that badly, then RE backup Biggus Dickus will probably substitute in.

With the recent first round loss in the Baptism of Iron, the Iron Wolves are hoping to get back on track to start off the season. Star wideout A.J. Kendrickson commented, "We're hoping to get that big first win so, uh, we can start the season off strong." The Iron Wolves will face off against New Tebow this weekend, being broadcast on Metro News and WSN channels. New Tebow is yet to release a roster, so there is no telling what the Wolves will face.

[Accardola]

East Tavastia. A state of nothing much other than snow, skiing and energy companies. The Dillard Energy Company dominated the whole state, their massive generators covering large plots of the state and their pride and joy, the nuclear energy plant at Pico. It employed over 5,000 people in total and it produced enough energy to power nearly half the state's homes. There wasn't much joy in East Tavastia however, people had to put up with the grim weather for nearly nine months of the year, the snow and the ice often covered vehicles and homes and made life difficult. The people learned to cope though and were known for their one big love, the one thing that they all really looked forward to. The one thing the whole state could get behind. The football season.

Football season came around once a year, whether it be at high school, college or professional level. The recent hype surrounding the new 'national team' that had been created had caused the sport to grow faster than ever, people were getting involved where they perhaps hadn't before because the opportunities that the new 'national team' presented were a chance for many to get out of their dull lives, the lives that people lived generation after generation. It gave people a chance of being the star rather than just watching the stars. It gave a chance to become a worldwide superstar, not just well known throughout Accardola. The World Bowl was the first international competition Accardola had entered and it was a chance for them to prove they were one of the best in the world at what they did.

The small, sleepy town of Bridgeport was just like many small, sleepy towns in East Tavastia. It was the same old story, the old people felt comfortable in their lives and felt as if nothing ever needed to change. The young people felt claustrophobic, closed-in, without any way to escape. They felt a yearning for something more, something different to what they knew, what their parents knew. In truth, all they wanted to do was better themselves. They wanted a better life for themselves and any future children they may have. They didn't want to have to live the life their parents lived, going fishing on the lake or driving a snow plow. The fishing industry was huge and it was surprising that the massive Lake Melior hadn't been completely depleted of fish stocks by the small town alone, but nobody really wanted to rock up working on the boats. But they did every year, son following father after them following their father and so on.

In this manner, Bridgeport was identical to many other small towns in East Tavastia, relying on one or two key 'industries' (if working with clearing snow can be considered that), and the main jobs that were required in every small town. East Tavastia was unusual in one specific respect when compared to many other northern states though, in that football was the major sport. The far north of the country loved college football, but in terms of participation the actual sport was beaten out by ice hockey by far. In East Tavastia, high school football was huge. It was enormous. The scenes witnessed would have usually been linked to a southern high school football game being played in really unusual weather, but people know East Tavastia for two things. They are, firstly, the Dillard Energy Company and then second, high school football.

Bridgeport was one small town in East Tavastia that got right behind their high school team. East Tavastia was a state of small towns though and the high school football programs of these small towns were highly advanced and often had large parts of their budgets devoted to them. The bigger cities especially had some teams that had challenged on a national scale before and it made the state of high school football in East Tavastia extremely healthy. Bridgeport High had never won a state championship and had only once won their district title and that was a long, long time ago. Nobody held out a huge hope of them actually winning championships anymore, but they didn't care, they turned out all the same. There was one big game a season and that was the one that mattered.

Rivalry games were the real business of high school football around the country. There was a lot of money involved, but there was more in one big rivalry game that there was in most high school football state championships and play-offs. Games in Malebolgia, possibly the most football mad state in the country were shown on national television networks in professional team's stadiums before crowds upwards of 60,000 at times. Bridgeport couldn't quite boast that number of people watching their rivalry game, but the game against Pequinnock High did get radio coverage and crowds of over 25,000 as a minimum. It had been televised a couple of times on one of the local networks but given that the rivalry games were usually the homecoming games for most high schools, right at the end of the season, with district championships on the line - the rivalry games where teams who actually had something on the line were the ones that were usually picked. That didn't normally include Bridgeport.

A few people thought this season could be different and that is where our story begins.

...

Fifty boys aged between sixteen and eighteen were stood on a practice field. A few men stood and observed them. There was a slight breeze but it wasn't too cold in East Tavastia at this time of year. There were only a few weeks left until the season started, but it would soon turn very, very cold and by then, you wanted to be as prepared as you could be and more. Bridgeport High were going into the season with a bit of optimism for once, based largely around their bluechip prospect at quarterback, the junior quarterback Jack O'Mara. O'Mara had been talked up as somebody who could go on to play professional football or even manage to get on this new-fangled 'national team' that the ACFA was throwing forwards vehemently. There was a lot of pressure on young Jack, but he was definitely promising and he had a bright head on his young shoulders and people around him to guide him. It was hoped he'd be able to drive this squad onto something great.

That didn't mean he got any preferential treatment, though. If anything, the coaches treated him even tougher because of his obvious talent. Coach Wilson was alright, but the offensive coordinator, Coach Daniels, had a son on the team as well. Bryce Daniels had been a promising young quarterback too, but the emergence of Jack meant that Bryce didn't get a place on the team. Coach Daniels' son was relegated to the role of wide receiver and back-up quarterback. Coach Daniels treated Jack bitterly, as if it was his fault that he was good at the sport. As if he'd deliberately been given natural athletic ability. Jack didn't ever complain, as much as he would like to do so, he didn't want to give them any satisfaction. He didn't want to show any weakness.

Right now, they were doing various exercises, warming up for what would be one of their toughest sessions so far. It would be one of the dreaded 'double sessions' nearly lasting twice as long as a practice during game week and one which would be approximately ten times more intense. They would really be put through their paces.

"High knees boys come on, keep those knees up Johnson!" Coach Wilson shouted, marching along the first line and examining his charges. "Simoneaux! That might be how they do it in Eminence but we have higher standards here in East Tavastia, now drop and give me ten!" Billy Simoneaux, a corner back, grumbled at the order from Coach Wilson, but he did as he was told. Billy had transferred from a high school in Eminence in his sophomore year and had made the team straight off the bat. He had been one of only two sophomores to make the team. Jack O'Mara was the other. As a result, the two had become friends and often sat next to each other on the team bus to games in other areas of the district. Jack had only played a couple of games as a sophomore, the team had a senior quarterback and didn't want their prized young talent to injury too early.

Coach Wilson reached Jack's line and Jack immediately made sure he was putting full effort into all of his actions. He made sure he was getting his knees as high as possible and was focused straight on the man in front. He did not want Coach Wilson to have any reason to be able to pick on him. Coach Wilson had been good to him, guiding him, giving him advice, he wasn't the one picking on Jack. Even so, there had been rumours that Coach Daniels had been trying to persuade Wilson to drop Jack for one game, to give his son a chance. Jack had never read much into the rumours, but he wanted to make sure he was carrying out all instructions as fully as he could all the same. He didn't want to lose his spot, he loved playing the sport too much and he loved playing for Bridgeport High.

Coach Wilson began to stride along the line, he reached Jack and gave him a little smile.

"Good work O'Mara!" He yelled. Jack felt his cheeks burn a little, he didn't really like being called out for attention in practice - whether positive or negative - it often led to being the butt of a couple of jokes in the changing rooms afterwards either way. Jack didn't really know how anybody could mess up doing the high knees drill, all it involved was jogging on the spot and getting your knees as high as possible. Jack was convinced that nobody knew the true reason why this was included in practice, nobody seemed to ever know what it did or what it loosened up or whatever. It just seemed that everybody did the high knees drill in the warm-up.

Coach Wilson was coming back up the line and once again Jack made sure he was doing it correctly. Coach Wilson let out a loud yell just as he passed him, "Right, everybody drop and give me twenty! Come on, on the double!" He laughed as he watched all fifty boys drop to the ground and start doing push-ups in unison. As everybody grumbled, getting back to their feet, Coach Wilson reached the front again and raised his hand, waiting for quiet. A few kept talking and those who could see that Coach was waiting were already waiting for one of his rants. He'd walk over to those causing him the issue and talk to them in a very calm, measured tone before finishing with an extremely loud yell as he got right up in their face.

To everybody's surprise and disappointment (the rants were actually quite funny, sometimes), it wasn't Coach Wilson getting angry over two guys talking when he was waiting to speak. It was Coach Daniels - and with him, it wasn't so funny. As he walked over to the two offending kids, the defensive coordinator, Coach Stanley shifted uncomfortably, perhaps having some idea of what might happen in the next few seconds. Coach Daniels went right up to one of the kids, turned him around and poked him right in the chest. He probably wouldn't have felt anything because of his chest plate, but he sure looked as if he had felt it. The kid wasn't tall, he looked like a halfback or defensive back, Jack didn't know him. The look on his face was one of pure terror though. Coach Daniels pushed him backwards.

"Why do you think it's okay to talk when Coach Wilson is waiting for silence?!" He yelled, right in the guy's face.

"I... I d-don't sir, I p-promise." The kid mumbled, barely managing to get his words out.

"So why were you doing it eh?!" Daniels shouted.

"I d-don't k-know sir."

"There's nothing worse than little fools like you. What's your name?"

"William B-Bishop sir." The kid said, with a little more control over the stutter that had been brought on by the sheer aggression he had been met with. Jack looked over at Coach Wilson to see his reaction to Coach Daniels' outburst. Jack was shocked to see Coach Wilson's face contorted, purple with anger. Jack couldn't see why he'd be this angry at a kid, even when he did his usual rant about somebody talking over him it was usually in jest. He didn't think he had ever actually seen Coach Wilson angry... And yet, here he was, possibly the most angry Jack had ever seen anyone. But why?

Was he angry at Coach Daniels for perhaps overstepping the mark? He had pushed the kid, Will Bishop, whatever he was called. Bishop had seemed genuinely scared too, something that no Coach would want their players to feel when at practice. It just seemed all wrong and Jack probably would have said something himself had he been closer to the event. Nobody should be treated like that, not when the age gap is so large. It was ridiculous.

"Well Bishop I think you'll be waiting a long time before you see any-" Coach Daniels was broken off. Coach Wilson had stormed across, turned Daniels around and face him. Jack was sure steam was coming out of his nostrils and ears, he had never seen somebody go so colourful because of their anger and he didn't think he had ever seen anybody quite this angry. Wilson was almost squaring up to Daniels and Jack wouldn't have been surprised to see Wilson throw a punch or two, he seemed angry enough. Defensive coordinator, Coach Stanley was still shifting uncomfortably, unsure what to do. He was actually a math teacher, he looked awfully out of place on the football field. He had square glasses and was extremely thin, but he was an excellent play caller and statistician. He knew his stuff and kept records about well, just about everything to do with the team. However, he wasn't good with the physical stuff or confrontation between team mates. He didn't know what to do.

"Coach Daniels. We never, ever, push a player like that. If it's part of the practice, then fair enough, but we never do it as punishment."

"He was blatantly disrespecting you, me, Coach Stanley and the rest of the players here - he needs the message getting into his head!" Coach Daniels screamed back. He wasn't happy, he wasn't in the mood.

"We can't and don't do it! It isn't right. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave this practice Coach Daniels, we will discuss your behaviour later but I can't have you here when you're in a state like this. It's no good."

"What?!" Daniels screamed back at Coach Wilson. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"I'm afraid not. Please leave." Coach Wilson commanded. Coach Daniels mouthed protest silently back at Coach Wilson. The offensive coordinator was completely disbelieving of what had just happened, he had basically been told to leave - probably something that had never happened to him before. His anger was clear to see, both at Bishop and Coach Wilson. For a brief second, it looked like he'd challenge Coach, but nothing happened. He just stormed off. No words. Jack looked across to see how his son - Bryce, who was still on the team and at the practice - would respond. His head was slumped, he was looking at the grass and trying to hide his embarrassment. His face was red, he looked as if he wanted to melt into the ground. The people around him were looking directly at him shocked.

Coach Wilson went to talk in hushed tones to Coach Stanley and this resulted with Coach Stanley nodding at Coach Wilson hurriedly, then walking over to Will Bishop and having a word with him and then the pair walking off the practice field. Evidently Coach had decided that it would be for the best that Bishop didn't continue with practice and maybe had a conversation with Coach Stanley about what happened to try and defuse the situation. Jack knew it was probably for the best, but he kind of hoped that Daniels got what was coming to him. He couldn't go around treating people like that.

"Right guys. Let's forget what just happened and let's get on with this practice, the opening game isn't far away!" Coach Wilson shouted, and so, it began again.

...

"Hey Jack!" Came a voice from behind Jack's locker door, he couldn't see who it belonged to but he could make a fairly informed guess. He closed the locker and locked it and then looked. It was Sabrina Gibson, a girl who was on the cheerleading squad and in some of Jack's classes. She was nice enough, the daughter of the only accountant in Bridgeport, the man who was basically responsible for the finances of all the small businesses and family finances in the town. It was apparently a stressful job, but he was making good money, Sabrina was always on the ski slopes in the latest gear or strutting her stuff around town in the best designer trends. She was fairly grounded though, but she wasn't nearly as engaging as Jack would like.

"Hi Sabrina." He replied.

"How you doing today? Have a good practice last night?" She asked, innocently.

"Yeah I'm alright and it was good yeah, feeling ready." Jack said, honestly. He was fine and he had actually enjoyed training for the season ahead, despite what had happened with Coach Daniels and William Bishop. Everyone had, really. They'd ended up doing fully kitted offense versus defense, without real tackling, but it was a good run-through of what might come. Jack had made a few good throws and had avoided getting sacked altogether (although getting sacked would have only consisted of being touched). He had a niggling thought at the back of his mind that his arm was aching when he went to throw the ball though and it was a bit off-putting. It meant that he didn't go for the deep throw even if it was on sometimes, he didn't want it to become any worse. He didn't want to bring it up at home either, it was probably nothing and his family weren't exactly well off, he didn't want them to have to pay fees for nothing.

"Nothing unusual happen, then?" Sabrina asked, a little more impatiently. Her voice had snapped him out of his thoughts and back to reality.

"No, nothing." Jack said, "Coach Daniels got a little crazy but what's new there?" He chuckled.

"Ah. I guess, anyway, I've got math so I'd best head off Jack. See you around." Sabrina said. Jack had known that she was fishing for details on what had happened at practice the day before, but he hadn't been willing to talk about it. Stuff like that, it was best off to stay within the team. Gossip didn't do anything for team morale and concentration could be broken by even the smallest story going around school. They couldn't be put off now, this was possibly the most focused they had been for a good twenty years on trying to succeed. Bridgeport High had its biggest chance in a long time to get some glory - they didn't want to waste it. They needed to take the bull by the horns and just take it on.

Jack knew where he was going off-by-heart by now. He was almost on autopilot throughout school, he was fairly intelligent, but always had to put some work in before the important exams. However, when it was football season - or the run up to football season - his mind wasn't focused on education whatsoever. Everything that mattered to him was out in the stadium in the school grounds, that was his life. He might be heading to Geography now, but he knew for sure that without football, he might go to college and study something and get a degree. But he knew that he would end up back in Bridgeport. That was something he didn't want. He wanted out of Bridgeport and he wanted out of the state. There was nothing here for anyone outside the big cities and the only people that stayed here were those who couldn't get out, those that had no means.

Jack knew he had a way and he knew that if he had his way, he'd get out of both the town and the state and he'd hopefully do the same for his family. There was nothing here for him, what did he want to do? End up driving the snow plows around town for nine months to keep the roads clear for the few cars that either got lost and ended up here or were the ones that were used by residents? Or did he fancy the tougher option, spending a couple of months fishing on Lake Melior in a boat and then coming back, stinking of fish and not receiving any real income to show for the tough job and fishy smell? It wasn't worth it. Life was hard here and if you could, you escaped. Jack had the means to do so and football season was what focused him on achieving his goal. He knew he had been watched by college scouts since about the age of 12, in middle school. If he played well during the football season, whatever he did in his education over the course of the year would hopefully only ensure that he got a good scholarship at a good college to play football.

The sport was his education in many ways. He was good at it and it would help him get a scholarship almost anywhere to play football. The two were interlinked and Jack knew that. He just hoped he could get the good scholarship by playing good football and he hoped he'd be able to access playing good football by keeping his GPA and education up above what was necessary.

Geography was with Mr. Weston. Jack did enjoy the subject but he wasn't really in the mood, he didn't really write much down during the course of the lesson or get much work done. He simply drew up some plays that could potentially be run by the offense at Bridgeport High. They had some good players, five senior linemen really inspired confidence and meant that Jack had plenty of time to pick throws. A good, strong fullback and tight end were also in the team. Jack always had to remember not to get on the wrong side of the tight end though, Erik Ortiz was a senior and well known to be a bad guy. He was 6'5, nearly 230 pounds and absolutely ripped. He got into fights regularly and won equally as regularly. He was also in a relationship with a junior, one of Jack's friends. Lucie Theriault. Many people had suggested that Jack and Lucie would end up together one day, but they both always insisted they were just good friends.

The pair had grown up next door to one another and had known each other for the majority of their lives. Jack had been a little more withdrawn with Lucie since she had gotten with Erik, but he hadn't criticised him to her or given his view. He knew Erik was bad news, most of Bridgeport High knew Erik was bad news and Lucie was clever enough to know herself. She could look after herself anyway and he was besotted with her, which was one reason why Jack just left it. He knew Lucie would be safe.

Erik was a good tight end and almost lined up as an extra lineman, he didn't do too much receiving, with Coach Wilson preferring to use his halfback as an extra receiver. With Jack under center, Coach felt that running the ball too often would be a crime, though he realised it would be necessary. Erik blocked a lot of big guys from ever reaching Jack and Jack thanked him regularly for that in his first season. It was another reason as to why Jack hoped he never got on the wrong side of Erik, if he did, would he give up his role in the team just to spite him? Jack could imagine it. A big defensive lineman coming towards Erik, Jack thinking he's safe, turning to look across the field for his next read and then getting mowed down from behind by a huge lineman that Erik conveniently forgot to block. Oops.

"Jack? Can you listen please?" Mr. Weston asked. Obviously recognising Jack's lack of concentration.

"Yeah, sure, I have been." Jack replied, a bit blearily, he was still tired from the day before.

"Oh really? Well I'm sure you can tell me all about the Hjulstrom Curve and what it shows then?" Mr. Weston asked.

"Er. It's a graph showing the velocity needed to erode, deposit and transport different types of sediment isn't it?" Jack said, remembering going over it a little in the previous lesson.

"Close. It's a graph that depicts the velocity needed to erode, deposit and transport of different grain sizes, in simplistic terms. Well done though, good effort." Mr. Weston said, contented that Jack did at least have some idea of what was going on and leaving him alone in his thoughts again. Jack had realised as soon as he had made the football squad last season the treatment teachers gave you, especially if they knew you were talented. They would let you off a lot of work before and during the football season and congratulate you warmly on good performances. They wouldn't be that bothered if you didn't pay attention in class, they knew how much football meant to the school. After the season, if you were struggling with a subject, most teachers would give extra help to try and get you up to standard to make sure you didn't drop out or get held back or whatever. Some were very tough though, but in East Tavastia in general it was only the most bitter teachers that didn't try to help high school football stars.

Jack enjoyed it, every minute of it. It was a lot of fun and he liked the way he could get help, he enjoyed the preferential treatment, even if it sometimes got annoying with the amount of questions teachers asked. 'Oh are you okay Jack?' 'Oh do you really understand this Jack?' 'Need any help with this Jack?' But he took the questions as a part of everything.

He sometimes dreamed that one day he would be taking annoying questions of an altogether different kind.

...

Jack sat with his friends, setting his tray down and instantly being slapped on the back by one person or another.

"Hey Jack!" Came a shout.

"Hey dude!" Came another, from further down the table.

"Alright guys." Jack replied sheepishly. He smiled as his best friend, Mikey Mason came and sat down next to him. Mikey wasn't a football player, he was rather different. He was a bit weird, by people's standards, but he was cool and a lot of fun. He threw the best parties and knew people who would buy him alcohol illicitly. It was a lot fun being his friend.

"Hey Jack." Mikey said. "Just been given a detention by Mrs Grist for not handing my essay in, I hate her so much man. It's unreal."

"I'm sure this is like the third opportunity she's given you buddy." Jack laughed.

"Yeah sure, but how much can you write on 'the uses of hand-crafted wooden products in the workplace'?" Mikey laughed in response.

"That's a fair point man. Hard luck I guess. I've coasted through today so much, haven't paid much attention if I'm being honest."

"You have football on the brain. You need something to take your mind off it. You know the homecoming flyers are being given out already?"

"Oh really? Bit early isn't it? Football season hasn't even started."

"See what I mean!" Mikey chuckled, "But yeah, all about picking a homecoming king and queen. Doesn't really interest us, you've got all that to come next year though haven't you bro."

"What do you mean?"

"Well man, in case you hadn't noticed you're the starting quarterback for the high school football team and you're fairly popular to go along with it! You're pretty much a shoe in for the position. Homecoming King, Prom King, they should be all yours!"

"Nah, I don't know man."

"Well you should. You're going to have to find a date for a start! Good luck with that man, you've never had much luck with girls really have you?" Mikey chuckled again, enjoying the gentle ribbing he was giving his friend. Jack laughed along too, despite being a little close to the bone, he couldn't help but agree.

"Haha, I guess. Anyway, that's a long way off yet, who do you think will get it this year?"

"Lot of people seem to think Erik Ortiz might get Homecoming King, he is quite popular even if the teachers hate him."

"That's true. There's a few isn't there. I dread to think about the fighting there will be over Homecoming Queen this year."

"Yeah, half the cheerleading squad are graduating. Sabrina isn't though, what about her for next year?" Mikey smirked.

"I don't think so."

"She's good looking..."

"She is, but no."

"Fair enough man, but just saying, I would." Mikey said, winking and then getting up as the bell rang. "I'll see you later, is Johnny still giving you a ride home?"

"Yeah. I'll meet you at his car alright?"

"Sure, see you then." Mikey said before turning and walking off.

...

Jack was checking his locker again. It always seemed to him that he spent more time doing that than actually getting to lesson in his junior year. Seniors always said junior year was the best, you didn't have as much pressure with exams and trying to get to college if that was your aim and you were starting to have a more rebellious, reckless (courageous? brave?) streak than you had ever had before. The ones on the football team always talked about it was less pressure in terms of trying to win games as well. They had told Jack and Billy Simoneaux that they were luckier than anyone when they had got on the team as sophomores. They had time to get a good team developed.

Jack could understand the pressure a bit more now. The whole of Bridgeport came to big games, the stadium was packed and the noise was unreal for a small town high school football program. Jack found it hard to play in his first game despite the support, he didn't complete any of his first five pass attempts due to the sheer weight of pressure that he felt on his shoulders. But then when he got into his groove and began to feel the crowd really behind him, really willing him on, he realised he was in his element and that he loved every single minute of it. He knew that his junior year would be a good one, somehow, but he also knew that he could play freely as he didn't have to think about the fact that every game he played was one step closer to his last. That thought was a little upsetting even for Jack and he wasn't even a senior yet. High school football just meant so much.

He had to snap himself out of thinking about football, like usual and focus on school. He still needed to work out getting a good GPA, he could focus on that after the football season, he was that sort of person - but he still had to know what they were talking about to have some idea of the content for the end of year exams. History, another easy subject for him really, he'd expect to do fairly well in it and do it fairly comfortably as well. Lucie would be in that lesson, maybe it was time to broach the subject of Erik with her. Jack closed his locker and turned to walk down the corridor towards his classroom, Lucie was further up the corridor, already heading to class. Jack started jogging to try and catch up to her, they hadn't talked in a while and it'd be good to catch up a bit.

"Lucie!" Jack said, still jogging to try and catch up. "Hey Lucie!" He shouted a second time, this time she turned. A smile broke out across her face.

"Jack! I've not seen you in ages!" She said, she took her book in hand and she held her arms open and drew Jack into a hug. The pair stayed there for a few seconds and then broke off, grinning at each other.

"Come on, we'd best go to class." Jack said.

"Hey, forget that, how've you been?" Lucie asked, despite turning to walk towards the lesson.

"Yeah, doing good, practices have been tough already."

"I don't know how you start doing practices before school even starts up again. Erik hasn't done anything all summer other than go to parties and get drunk and he's already struggling with them."

"Is that all he does?"

"Well, over summer yeah, it wasn't much fun being his girlfriend at times you know."

"I don't know what you see in him sometimes, outside of football he just seems to be a bit of a jerk." Jack said, trying to see what Lucie's reaction was. She looked down at the floor, shifting uncomfortably whilst continuing to walk to lesson.

"I don't know, nobody seems to know him properly. No one else spends time with him, no one is ever with him alone."

"I guess. Anyway, I had meant to ask you something about some of the work we got given for over the summer, I got a bit stuck with it."

"You actually did that?!" Lucie asked, laughing.

"I have to! If I don't I fall behind with the football season and all..."

"You know Jack, you're a football player and you're one of the most academic people I know. Incredible." She chuckled.

"Hey we don't all have to be meatheads you know?" Jack laughed. He gestured towards the door of the classroom, they would be sat next to each other for an hour and could continue their conversation. "Go on, let's do some history." He said, chuckling.

...

Jack had wished goodbye to Lucie and his other friends in his history class and had headed to his locker to get the things he needed to do some homework. It had been a long, tiring day and it was almost as bad as the double sessions of practice the team had been required to do. School just seemed to drain everybody and it wasn't much fun. It seemed to be one of the worst things for just leaving people almost unable to process thoughts, it seemed to almost go against the very thing it was meant to do. It was meant to educate people, but it just didn't seem to. Good old Accardolan education eh? Jack was nearly done putting things into his bag when he heard footsteps behind him.

"O'Mara, how you doing?" Asked a voice that Jack knew, but couldn't quite put his finger on who it belonged to. Jack turned and was faced with a huge presence, a 6'5 frame met him, it was Erik.

"Alright yeah Erik, are you okay?"

"I'm great yeah, I'm great..." Erik said.

"...Well, that's, that's well, great Erik." Jack said a little nervously. He pointed towards the left, "I'm going to catch a ride, so, I'll see you around."

"Yeah I guess. See you around O'Mara." Erik said, smiling. Jack turned to leave and then felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, wait. I forgot, I had something to say to you."

Jack turned around again, facing Erik. Jack shifted nervously. What was it that Erik wanted to say? Jack didn't know of anything he had done to annoy Erik, maybe it was just something about football practice or something. Jack certainly hoped he hadn't annoyed Erik, the senior was much taller than him and would be able to hurt him pretty badly if he needed to do so. Erik got into fights often and he didn't lose too often either. He hanged around with a tough group, some were jocks and others were the sort of people that would probably go into crime when they finished or dropped out of high school. East Tavastia wasn't exactly known for crime, but people could still head to the biggest cities or the state capital, Paterno. Drugs were rife there and money was there to be made.

"What's that, Erik?"

"Well I heard that you were with Lucie today and usually that wouldn't be a problem, I know you guys are good friends, but I do have an issue when my friends see people touching my girl? Do you understand?" He asked, narrowing his eyes and looking very menacing.

"I get it."

"Good." Erik said before moving closer to Jack, grabbing the front of his shirt and pinning him up against the lockers. "Because if I hear that you're ever touching my girlfriend again, I swear that I will break you into several, small, tiny pieces. Do you understand you little shit?"

"I do yeah."

"You might be the quarterback and popular and everything but when you're faced with someone tough you're a puny piece of shit aren't you. I could break you right now if I wanted and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it." Erik laughed. "Aw, do you want mommy and daddy to come help you? Is that it? Aw little Jackie wants his mommy, so cute. You better understand me though, or we'll have problems." Erik finished, pulling Jack towards him and then pushing him heavily into the lockers. Jack went sprawling on the floor whilst Erik stepped backwards to look down on his handiwork. Erik smirked and then turned to walk off. Something snapped in Jack's head and anger surged through him, whether it was the mention of his parents or him being scared or what he didn't know. But it just hit him and all of a sudden he had sprung into action.

Jack remembered what his father had always told him, about football, about life. 'Never let anyone bully you son.' Jack was on his feet in seconds and he stepped towards Erik, who half turned, hearing the movement behind him. Jack put his hand on Erik's shoulder, spinning him fully around. There was a look on Erik's face, a mixture of surprise and anger. Had this kid really got up and was he really challenging him? Apparently so. Jack pulled his fist back and then swung it with all his might towards the side of Erik's face. It almost happened in slow motion, his fist was slowly, slowly, slowly moving towards Erik's face and then finally it connected. It was like hitting a brick wall, but Erik's face did turn the other way with the force of the punch and he did stumble backwards.

Jack hadn't noticed but a girl was walking by just as this was happening, she had stopped, unsure of whether to come past or not with the two bigger boys fighting in the middle of a corridor. Jack didn't know what to do, but he remained concentrated on Erik either way. The senior was turning around again and he still had a smirk on his face, despite being punched just seconds ago. He put his hand to his mouth and wiped something away, there was no blood, Jack wasn't sure what it was. Erik was looking even more menacing than before and the girl was stood, clutching her books, unsure of what to do or where to go. Jack felt a little sorry for her, but didn't really know what to do other than try and avoid whatever Erik had coming for him, Jack had frozen and didn't have anything further for Erik.

"That was a good punch, I'll give you that." Erik said, grinning a little, "But I advise you to never, ever do that again." He said, before grabbing Jack and sending him flying into the lockers again. Erik laughed before turning and walking off. Jack put his hand to his head and felt it pounding, he could feel a bit of a bump forming on the back of his head and realised it just hadn't been worth fighting back in that situation, he would never win. He hadn't thought anything through, Erik would tell Lucie - one of Jack's best friends - that Jack had hit him and Lucie would probably fall out with him because of it. Anger had just surged through him and he had snapped, he hadn't liked being thrown around.

The girl began to walk past. Jack looked up at her from his seated position and quickly realised he should probably gather his stuff and get up, which he busied himself doing. He looked at the girl and quickly realised she looked a bit like a goth, she wasn't a complete goth though, she just looked a little edgy, a weird assortment of hipster and goth. She was quite attractive, but she looked as if she had never been more disappointed in her life. She noticed Jack was looking at her as she walked by.

"Jocks eh? Always brainless meatheads who start trying to fight one another." She said with huge contempt in her voice. Jack didn't know what to say. He continued gathering his stuff up but wanted to respond somehow, he felt as if he needed to defend himself and almost apologise to this girl for doing what he had done. It wasn't him really, he wouldn't normally do that. He got up and began to stride after her.

"Look, I don't do... that." Jack said, finding it hard to find the right words to explain himself.

"Ha. It doesn't matter. Why are you actually talking to me?"

"I don't know. I felt like I had to explain myself."

"Explain what? The fact you're perfect for the stereotype of a brainless jock that loves to fight?" The girl laughed.

"No, uh, I don't know." Jack said, not knowing what to say. "I don't fight. I'm not like that. It's just, he really wound me up and you saw him push me into the lockers. I just snapped."

"It's all the same really isn't it. My family moved here and I transferred to this school and for some reason I thought it would all be different, like people would be nicer and it wouldn't be the same. There wouldn't be the fighting and the popularity contests, one day here and I've realised that I was so stupid to even think that." She laughed hollowly.

"Honestly, it's not like this. Erik's just, Erik's trouble and he knows how to get to people." Jack said as they walked out of the school door. "Hey do you get a ride home?"

"No. I'm walking."

"Right, okay, whereabouts do you live?"

"Does it matter? Look, I don't want to walk with you. You were just fighting that guy, I don't like people like that. Leave me alone." She said, continuing to walk towards the gate. Jack looked over to the other end of the school parking lot and he could see Mikey and Johnny getting into the car and he made a split second decision. He wasn't going to get a ride today.

"Well I'm going to walk with you either way, I need to explain myself," He said and then laughed, "I'm determined to prove I'm not like all the jocks you've ever met."

"Yeah, well, good luck. I'm not holding out much hope for this." She said, "Why don't you just go get whatever lift you're hoping to get and leave me alone. I don't even know you."

"Well maybe we just got off on the wrong foot?" Jack said, chuckling. "Come on. Give me a chance." He said as they walked out of the gate and began to turn right. "Looks like we're going right, who knows? We might live near one another and we're going to have to at least get along then aren't we?" He chuckled and to his relief, the girl did smile. "See! Made you smile, come on now."

"Alright. You can walk with me."

"Oh wow I'm given permission now!" Jack laughed.

"Hey, don't push your luck!"

"What's your name then?" Jack asked.

"I'm Mila. And you are...?" She asked.

"Other than a stereotypical jock you mean?" Jack laughed and Mila, more relaxed, did as well, "Jack O'Mara."

"I saw you playing football the other day, practice."

"Why were you at school then? That's before we even had to be here."

"I came up to the school to look around, get a feel for the place before actually coming here for the first time. It's quite a big high school for such a small town."

"Oh right. Wait. How did you even get into school, it was all locked up other than the football field?"

"I have my methods." She smirked.

The two fell into conversation and Jack found himself becoming increasingly comfortable with Mila. She was different to a lot of other girls, she seemed like a lot of fun. He could talk to her like he spoke to Lucie but it seemed as if she was a little more daring than Lucie, who was a 'good girl' who didn't put a foot wrong ever. She had a darker streak, she was prepared to do things other people weren't - looking around school when it was locked up proved that. How many high school juniors were prepared to engage in a little breaking and entering just to have a look at their new school? Not many. She seemed pretty cool though and the flow of the conversation was only stopped by Jack's phone ringing in his pocket. He looked at it.

"Anyone important?" Asked Mila.

"No, nobody." Jack replied. It had been Mikey, a text came as soon as the phone call rang out. It said that him and Johnny were still waiting at school, about fifteen minutes after it had finished. Jack quickly thumbed a message in response saying he had been kept back by his history teacher for some extra work he had to catch up on. "Anyway, what was life like in Pjotilla then?"

"It was a lot of fun to be honest. Pjotilla City is one of the best places ever, there's so much to do there and so many different types of people. It's great."

"I've heard a lot about it, obviously with football and everything..."

"Of course, football means a lot up here doesn't it? I don't get the obsession myself."

"Football means a lot everywhere! There's other things though, don't get me wrong."

"I know. So what do you do other than football?"

"I like music I guess. Mytanar stuff mostly."

"Oh really? Didn't have you down as a hipster."

"It's not really hipster, it's good music."

"Yeah, well, you have fun with your Mytanar music - this is my house here." Mila said, pointing at a large, detached house. It appeared to be made mostly from timber and had a large porch with steps up to it.

"No way!" Jack said, not realising where they were properly until now, after being so deep in conversation. "My house is literally just down there." He pointed about five houses further down.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that you've proven you're not just a braindead jock isn't it? Looks like we're going to be seeing a lot of each other," Mila smirked.

"I guess so, I'll see you around."

"Yeah. See you Jack."

[Taeshan]

First RP - http://chirb.it/1Mw4yC

[Nassau-Hessen]

After what happened to the Red and Purple in the Baptism Of Iron, they hunger for more. They are more determined than ever to go far into this tournament, and one thing is for sure, they aren't looking back. Although the initial performance of the team was indeed impressive, the finish was one to forget. Both the score and the events that followed are in the past according to the team in a quick interview two days before the first Casaran Day. 

Casaran Day One Preview
(100) Nassau Hessen Eagles vs. (113) German Shepherds Shepherds

Both of these teams are newbies this season, and this is a perfect opportunity for either one of them to get a running start in the World Bowl. The German Shepherds executed a spectacular first game against Yttribia but then faltered for the next two games. They however were able to win their last game and clinch a playoff spot at number eleven. These were the final results of their team:

*All Group Stage Games Played At Stade St. Croix
German Shepherds 32–0 Yttribia 
Baughmerica 14–7 German Shepherds
German Shepherds 0–10 Zhenovia
German Shepherds 0–16 Anarchist States Of America
German Shepherds 16–7 Emeralds United

#. Team. GP W T. L. GF GA +/- Pts.
3 German Shepherds 5 2 0 3 55 47 +8 6. 

#6 The Stoned Surfers 10 vs. #11 German Shepherds 7 @ Pavel Wilson Stadium, Kingston (Kickoff: 19:07)

Overall, most must agree that their performance was not something to be ashamed of. They escaped with a positive goal differential. They kept losses as close as possible and was very narrowly defeated at the round of sixteen. 

On to the game predictions. It is no doubt going to be close. Both teams have made losses close and victories large by intelligent and consistent play. Considering all perspectives, we predict a final of thirteen ten in favor of the Eagles.

[The Fanboyists]

Allamunnic States Daily
Special Report

Bomb Detonates At National Gridiron Team Practice Facility
None harmed; Extremist Group Claims Responsibility

DUNNMAAR, Stalhamark, Allamunnic States -- An explosive device detonated at the practice and administrative facilities of the Allamunnic National Gridiron Team in Dunnmaar late last night. Preliminary reports by first responders indicate that nobody was harmed in the explosion.

The device was apparently placed inside a waste bin, and appears to have been set to a timer.

The far-right-wing Catholic group The Soldiers of Christ has claimed responsibility for the attack, blaming the representation of pagans in the national team's staff and roster for being a contributing factor in "Allamunnika's moral decay". They called for all pagan members of the team to be removed from the staff and roster as part of a broader government agenda to facilitate the spread of Christianity.

In their statement, they indicated that the bomb had not been intended to harm anyone, but that if their demands were not met, that they would be less discriminating in future actions.

"This is extremely disturbing," said Allamunnic Sporting Commissioner Hadley Thornburger in an official statement. "While we are tremendously relieved that nobody was harmed in this incident, we will be taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety of all employees, staff, and players who may be at risk. At this point, we also feel it would be best to reiterate the Commission's official stance, as well as the Federal government's, that we do not inherently support nor condemn any religion, ideology, or ethnicity."

Commander Theodurik Bavyrn of the 84th Infantry Regiment released a statement on behalf of the Federal Army announcing that the regiment would be detailed to handle security for the Regulars players, coaches, front-office, and support staff for the foreseeable future until the current threat had been averted. The order reportedly came directly from Generalissimo Steven Grimmeberger.

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

Allamunnic States Daily
World Bowl XXII Coverage

Preview vs. Yttribia @ Olden Stadium, Free Republics
Regulars draw low-ranked team to begin Casaran Stage

Unfortunately, the preview of the Regulars' first opponents (127th-ranked Yttribia) will be somewhat lacking due to a dearth of available information about the team. Yttribia has yet to publish a roster, and has generally fared poorly in what little previous international competition they have participated in.

So most of the preview will be going over a somewhat revamped Regulars squad.

After last year's second-round collapse, the coaching staff took a long look at the Regulars' play-calling and style of play, and came to a few conclusions.

1) Lack of chemistry on the defense led to some key mistakes that contributed to the Regulars' difficulty stopping opponents (and preserving their rare leads) in the second group stage, which sufficiently competent teams were able to take advantage of. Combined with the fact that several key players are starting to slow with age (Andrik Ierunmungur and Honorius Waalturs in particular), the defense wasn't its usual dominant self.

2) The offensive line had trouble run-blocking last year, resulting in an only-middlingly-effective rushing attack, forcing the Regulars to rely on somewhat erratic quarterback Leif Erikson.

3) The offensive line also had some trouble with pass protection, meaning Erikson got hit more than he was accustomed to, leading to some problems in the passing game, especially when Devin Smith faded down the stretch and Izaak Rolle began to get buried under double-coverage.

Because of this, Ryan Smart tasked offensive coordinator Baeryk Vaalburger with shaking down the offense and getting it back to its old self. The offensive line faced the specter of significant player cuts if standards were not raised unit-wide, and great emphasis was placed on the Regulars re-learning how to run the ball in dominant fashion. Vaalburger also took advantage of the team's increasing depth at tight-end and tailback to reinstall an increased use of two-tight-end and two-back sets (including one less-frequently-used formation using two backs and two tight-ends) to become more dominant at the line of scrimmage. Because Leif Erikson likes to check down to running backs and tight-ends, there's every reason to think that these fronts will help the Regulars' short-passing game as well, allowing them to maintain offensive balance. For the first time ever, though, this offense looks like the unit that Vaalburger wanted to build.

Defensively, the Regulars made a point of adding depth in the front-seven and returning to a greater balance in the use of 3-4 and 4-3 (as well as nickel-based) fronts. Combined with another year to gel and players (younger ones especially) spending more time together to develop greater chemistry, there's every reason to think the defense will be more formidable this year. Depth in the secondary should also help them stay more flexible to adjust to different offensive styles.

In a post-practice press conference earlier in the week, OC Vaalburger told reporters that the offensive game-plan would resemble the ones the Regulars used to win three championships in four finals appearances.

"We're going to try to run the ball down their throats, plain and simple. The pass will be there to add another dimension, but we know what we're good at, and we're going to take it to them and punch them in the mouth. It's that simple."

Defensively, the Regulars' DC, Jethro Myers, told reporters that they'll be preparing for everything.

"We don't have any really reliable scouting reports on Yttribia, so we're going to have to assume they can do anything well, so we're going to have to prepare for trick plays and for them to run and pass in equal measure. That said, we have the personnel to handle anything if we can execute, and our scheme lends itself to countering diverse threats."

[Osarius]

Osarius Firebirds Gridiron Football Roster

Head Coach: Leon Saint
Leon Saint managed to take the Firebirds further than any other coach has in the last campaign, before falling horribly short against both Qazox and Taeshan, to finish the cycle on back-to-back losses that were only good enough for fourth place. That this was considered something of a disappointment underlines the perception of the nation's talent -- and the coach's reputation, for that matter -- in the eyes of the notoriously expectant Osarian gridiron fans. Despite all the disappointment, though, Osarian fans seem somewhat confident in Saint's ability to lead the national team forward. Gone are the accusations of nepotism and home town bias, replaced by a hesitant approval. Another semi final appearance might silence all but the most critical voices, though one of those will be Saint's own, given his career habit of winning.

Assistant Coaches: Xavier Camacho & Henri Toulalan
Both formerly of Utica University, and both familiar with Leon Saint, it's not a surprise at all that they are backing up the Utica alumnus. Camacho's tenure as Utica Tigers defensive co-ordinator is often used against him, as Osarius' defense is hardly "elite", particularly when it really matters, and this problem was evident at Utica, too. The criticisms are perhaps a little harsh, though, as Camacho is clearly a capable co-ordinator, and has arguably succeeded in spite of glaring weaknesses present in Osarian gridiron in general. Toulalan, on the other hand, as a quarterback coach, is perhaps under less pressure. If the quarterbacks in the squad should fail to live up to expectation, head coach Saint -- as a legendary quarterback himself -- will likely take the brunt of the criticisms. Toulalan's toughest job is to get the rest of the offense working at prime efficiency, and that perhaps relies more on play-calling than anything else. There are few doubts over his general ability as a co-ordinator, but the idea persists that, on a national level, the kind of synergy the Firebirds will need is far easier to speak about than to put into practice. The suspension of the OSAGIF League, and subsequent "tours" by the national team may have gone a long way toward alleviating those concerns, particularly when looking at the offensive output the team had during the last World Bowl.

Home Stadium: The Benevolence Bowl, Dynapolis, Osarius (capacity 67,000)
The Benevolence Bowl hosts the national championship game in Osarian gridiron every year, despite the existence of the larger Mount Crown Stadium. Considered the cradle of Osarian gridiron, the 67,000 capacity arena in the south has the perfect atmosphere for the game. An atmosphere that simply can't be replicated at Mount Crown. The humid southern climate is considered an advantage for Osarius over visiting teams, who often struggle under the weight of the heat and the typically hostile Osarian stadium atmosphere, but it does mean the home side are forced to employ extensive personnel rotation.

Playing Style: West Coast Offense / 4-3 Defense
Typically, I RP most opposition yardage as occurring on the ground so I'd prefer if -- if you post before I do -- you RP'd my defense as having a very strong pass rush and a strong secondary, but that's not necessary.

Style modifier: +2
Colours: Red, Black and Gold

RP Permissions: Do whatever you like, as long as you don't kill or severely injure any players/staff without the green light. Just have fun, eh?

Full Roster

For the third consecutive cycle, the Firebirds roster will remain almost the same, following the continued suspension of the OSAGIF League in Osarius. Instead of competing for their respective franchises, the majority of the team have embarked on another "tour" of Rabastor, after having seen it's effectiveness in preparing the squad for World Bowl competition last time out. With this selection -- and their fourth place finish last cycle -- comes a greater level of pressure, however. For many of these players, it's a final shot at reaching the top, as age and repeated failure do not make for a harmonious relationship.

Players are listed by position, in depth order.

No  Name      Surname      Ht.     Wt.  Position            Contracted To               College              
07  Luke      Saint        6' 2"   220  Quarterback         Utica Bears                 Utica
14  Bradley   Garden       6' 2"   209  Quarterback         Corriere Trojans            Utica
09  Clayton   Henderson    6' 7"   213  Quarterback         Cartagena Wildcats          Druz
36  Aaron     Poynter      5' 11"  224  Runningback         Trothwands Thunder          B'ham Capital
23  Harrison  Ryan         5' 10"  220  Runningback         Greeningham Giants          Lindenhurst
33  Alexander Hayes        5' 11"  211  Runningback         Trothwands Thunder          Burningham
37  Sheldon   Taylor       5' 8"   210  Runningback         Tripoli Pirates [AMS]       Utica
48  Nathaniel Mourning     6' 0"   237  Fullback            Kyoshiku Devils             A Youth Academy
26  Zane      Daley        5' 11"  201  Fullback            Crown Valley Cougars        No College

No  Name      Surname      Ht.     Wt.  Position            Contracted To               College              
14  Jesus     Barrios      6' 4"   207  Wide Receiver       Tripoli Pirates [AMS]       Utica
89  Lloyd     MacLean      6' 3"   208  Wide Receiver       Chestmana Chiefs            Utica
80  Forrest   Graham       6' 0"   190  Wide Receiver       Northport Packers [AMS]     Utica
85  Thomas    Thompson     6' 3"   199  Wide Receiver       Trothwands Thunder          Greeningham City
82  Lucas     Clayton      6' 2"   210  Wide Receiver       Dynapolis Dragons           Greeningham City
15  Andre     Harrison     6' 2"   189  Wide Receiver       Kart Hago Lions             Kart Hago
84  Sebastian Lloyd        6' 1"   195  Wide Receiver       Carbonia Axemen             Kart Hago
86  Miguel    Lopez        6' 0"   205  Wide Receiver       Dynapolis Dragons           Kronenhof
81  Jeremiah  Coles        6' 5"   212  Wide Receiver       Burningham Bulls            Alano
88  Karim     Ouaddou      6' 5"   228  Tight End           Capua Cardinals [AMS]       Utica
83  Marques   James        6' 3"   250  Tight End           Dynapolis Dragons           Mora
87  Carlos    Baccaro      6' 6"   223  Tight End           Carbonia Axemen             Mora

No  Name      Surname      Ht.     Wt.  Position            Contracted To               College              
76  Raul      Hector       6' 8"   330  Off. Tackle         Turic Serpents              Utica
75  Kai       Perkins      6' 7"   341  Off. Tackle         Burningham Bulls            Callisto
53  Clayton   Jameson      6' 5"   336  Off. Tackle         Carbonia Axemen             Corriere
66  Claude    N'Diaye      6' 4"   311  Off. Tackle         Shanak Spartans             Utica
71  Scott     Bailey       6' 7"   324  Off. Tackle         Greeningham Giants          B'ham Capital
65  Leonard   Dalton       6' 7"   335  Off. Tackle         Kyoshiku Devils             Hearthlands
73  Calvin    Thompson     6' 5"   311  Center              Crown Valley Cougars        Bai'uke
79  Tomas     Cano         6' 3"   316  Center              Kholanaras Vipers           Carbonia
68  Owen      Young        6' 4"   319  Center              Greeningham Giants          Callisto
63  Luke      O'Neill      6' 4"   321  Center              Corriere Trojans            A Youth Academy
52  Idris     Pappo        6' 4"   335  Guard               Utica Bears                 A Youth Academy
70  Fumo      Vunaseki     6' 3"   319  Guard               Hearthlands Fire            Utica
78  Jamar     Shaw         6' 5"   329  Guard               Burningham Bulls            Callisto
67  Funo      Vanamuro     6' 5"   302  Guard               Turic Serpents              Crown Valley
72  Todd      Spears       6' 5"   318  Guard               Greeningham Giants          Hollybrent Tech
69  Antonio   Rosado       6' 4"   315  Guard               Carbonia Axemen             Hollybrent Tech

No  Name      Surname      Ht.     Wt.  Position            Contracted To               College              
60  Clayton   Monaghan     6' 3"   322  Def. Tackle         Firewood Phoenix            Burningham
96  Daryn     Patterson    6' 4"   308  Def. Tackle         Burningham Bulls            Mora
74  Kenneth   Braddock     6' 6"   289  Def. Tackle         Greeningham Giants          Crown Valley
97  Casey     Walsh        6' 2"   315  Def. Tackle         Cartagena Wildcats          A Youth Academy
64  Jason     Hellman      6' 1"   294  Def. Tackle         Callisto Colts              Greeningham
94  Kevin     Trotter      6' 2"   330  Def. Tackle         Hollybrent Hawks            Lindenhurst
99  Antonio   Martinez     6' 4"   265  Defensive End       Tripoli Pirates [AMS]       Utica
61  Terrell   Cleaver      6' 3"   300  Defensive End       Shanak Spartans             Trothwands
62  Andrew    McGregor     6' 4"   253  Defensive End       Burningham Bulls            Rhodunaia
95  Inigo     Canales      6' 2"   250  Defensive End       Trothwands Thunder          Kyoshiku
93  Oliver    Rowland      6' 3"   277  Defensive End       Hearthlands Fire            Greeningham City
92  Domenico  Cestafe      6' 5"   238  Defensive End       Utica Bears                 Kart Hago

No  Name      Surname      Ht.     Wt.  Position            Contracted To               College              
56  Micah     Forte        6' 3"   242  Linebacker          Tripoli Pirates [AMS]       Utica
32  Jamal     Cleaver      6' 3"   248  Linebacker          Kronkow Kings               Masaka
50  Aaron     Richardson   6' 2"   242  Linebacker          Cartagena Wildcats          Utica
55  Joseph    Cartagena    6' 2"   258  Linebacker          Greeningham Giants          Euribus
51  Lu'ko     Manaki'de    6' 3"   241  Linebacker          Kyoshiku Devils             Audenborough
57  Ku'lo     Manaki'de    6' 2"   260  Linebacker          Kyoshiku Devils             A Youth Academy
54  Tyler     Spence       6' 1"   248  Linebacker          Corriere Trojans            Jraxville
58  Ethan     Murray       6' 3"   254  Linebacker          Burningham Bulls            Crown Valley
91  Lanu      Kurebava     6' 2"   245  Linebacker          Callisto Colts              Mora
59  Rex       Johnson      6' 2"   241  Linebacker          Trothwands Thunder          Hearthlands

No  Name      Surname      Ht.     Wt.  Position            Contracted To               College              
31  Hi'ro     Manaka'li    5' 11"  189  Cornerback          Chestmana Chiefs            Utica
35  Rigo      Kopumava     5' 11"  195  Cornerback          Meuse Motors [AMS]          Utica
38  Ryan      Cleaver      6' 1"   198  Cornerback          Tripoli Pirates [AMS]       Mora
28  Leon      Calk         5' 9"   179  Cornerback          Corriere Trojans            Utica
29  Chad      Valentin     5' 10"  185  Cornerback          Yurendam Warriors           Euribus
21  Jamel     Kennedy      5' 11"  201  Cornerback          Firewood Phoenix            Masaka
25  Ru'go     Lubado'ro    6' 3"   230  Safety              Old Bastion Guards [AMS]    Utica
34  Guillermo Ramirez      5' 11"  197  Safety              Hollybrent Hawks            Utica
22  Ku'ro     Manito'gu    6' 2"   210  Safety              Firewood Phoenix            Masaka
24  Leon      Williams     5' 10"  200  Safety              Callisto Colts              Elishat
44  Si'ku     Tiloka'tu    5' 11"  219  Safety              Kyoshiku Devils             A Youth Academy
46  Craig     Wilkerson    6' 4"   225  Safety              Schlossberg Saints          Mora

No  Name      Surname      Ht.     Wt.  Position            Contracted To               College              
10  Paul      Atkinson     5' 9"   172  Kicker              Yurendam Warriors           Utica
12  Xavier    O'Connor     5' 10"  189  Kicker              Schlossberg Saints          Highport
13  Owen      Dickson      5' 10"  197  Punter              Corriere Trojans            Audenborough
17  Zane      Mason        5' 11"  202  Punter              Schlossberg Saints          Burningham
77  Jonathan  Cassel       6' 5"   310  Long Snapper        Carbonia Axemen             Bai'uke
18  Darryl    Sykes        5' 9"   182  Return Specialist   Cartagena Wildcats          Mora

[Saintland]

Its time for the:

Cutoff for Casaran Day 1

EDIT: Results

[Free Republics]

Casaran Day 2 Schedule

#1 Karditan vs. #34 HopNation @ MilaneseDome, Free Republics
#2 Lunar Republic Islands vs. #33 Thatius @ RepublicSoft Stadium, Free Republics
#3 Saintland vs. #32 Gaveo @ Royal Stadium, Saintland
#4 Nassau-Hessen vs. #31 Kinzar @ Royal Park, Saintland
#5 Chunnan vs. #30 The Serbian Empire @ RayDome, Free Republics
#6 Darmen vs. #29 The Sova Empire @ R&K Bank Stadium, Free Republics
#7 Qazox vs. #28 Vettrera @ Civitate Dei Stadium, Saintland
#8 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec vs. #27 Equestrian States @ Royal Stadium, Saintland
#9 Shadowbourne vs. #26 Cosumar @ Olden Stadium, Free Republics
#10 German Zerabithea vs. #25 New Wolfopolis @ Church of Saintland Stadium, Free Republics
#11 Zhenovia vs. #24 West Angola @ PetroDome, Free Rrepublics
#12 Caek of the Wolfen vs. #23 Osarius @ Via Damascus Stadium, Saintland
#13 Ko-oren vs. #22 Gregoryisgodistan @ Nicholls Enterprises Stadium, Free Republics
#14 Taeshan vs. #21 Estope @ Civitate Dei Stadium, Saintland
#15 San Jose Guayabal vs. #20 Cassadaigua @ Via Damascus Stadium, Saintland
#16 Free Republics vs. #19 West Guiana @ Gem of the Oceans Stadium, Free Republics
#17 Stretta vs. #18 Allamunnic States @ Podvez Field, Free Republics
#35 Ati Kaluraya vs. #68 Zeneabo @ MilaneseDome, Free Republics
#36 Sjovenia vs. #67 TheStonedSurfers @ Nicholls Enterprises Stadium, Free Republics
#37 The Fair Republic vs. #66 Lisander @ Royal Park, Saintland
#38 Texacano vs. #65 German Shepherds @ Gem of the Oceans Stadium, Free Republics
#39 Polar Islandstates vs. #64 Azurlavai @ Royal Park, Saintland
#40 Accardola vs. #63 New Koln @ Royal Stadium, Saintland
#41 New North Aqmuland vs. #62 Juan del Pastel @ Olden Stadium, Free Republics
#42 Hamdrew vs. #61 Emeralds United @ Podvez Field, Free Republics
#43 Unolia vs. #60 Torisakia @ Civitate Dei Stadium, Saintland
#44 The Glorious Commune vs. #59 Lzherusskia @ R&K Bank Stadium, Free Republics
#45 Independent Digital Systems vs. #58 New Tebow @ Church of Saintland Stadium, Free Republics
#46 Gloriax vs. #57 Audioslavia @ RayDome, Free Republics
#47 Lymantatia vs. #56 Quakmybush @ RepublicSoft Stadium, Free Republics
#48 The Knox Valley vs. #55 Super-Llamaland @ Royal Stadium, Saintland
#49 MoonBase Fourcannon vs. #54 Baughmerica @ Gem of the Oceans Stadium, Free Republics
#50 Yttribia vs. #53 Anarchist States of America @ Via Damascus Stadium, Saintland
#51 Jeckland vs. #52 Anditia @ PetroDome, Free Republics

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Gregoryisgodistan 27–7 Lymantatia

"Hello, I'm Newscaster A8DHABXB with the Gregoryisgodistan news with the Gregoryisgodistan Sports Report at 9. Let's get right to the highlights of this evening's football match between Gregoryisgodistan and Lymantatia, from Albertope Stadium in Free Free Republics (OOC: the media in Gregoryisgodistan refuses to acknowledge the Church of Saintland's corproate sponsorship.)

"We pick it up with 13:15 left in the first quarter, still scoreless, and Lymantatia decides to be aggressive and go for it on 4th and 6 at the Gregoryisgodistan 39. Their quarterback drops back to pass, and appears to complete it to their wideout on the right sideline for a gain of 13 and a first down. However, Assistant Sports Minister Jorgen Roth challenged the play, claiming the wide receiver bobbled the ball and then stepped out before maintaining possession. Let's listen in to what referee Fred Walker of Free Republics had to say after he looked at the replay."

"After reviewing the play, the wide receiver juggled the ball on his way out of bounds and failed to get two feet down in bounds. It is an incomplete pass and a turnover on downs. First and 10 Gregoryisgodistan on their own 39."

"This satisfied the entire Gregoryisgodistan sideline. Well, almost the entire sideline. Third string quarterback Grammar Enforcement Officer SLS399SSH was furious with Walker. He ran out onto the field and tackled the official. Let's listen in to the on field mikes and see what went down."

Walker: "What do you think you're doing?"
Grammar Enforcement Officer SLS399SSH: "You used a dangling modifier. The receiver didn't review the play; you did!"
Walker: "Who are you, the grammar police?"
Grammar Enforcement Officer SLS399SSH: "Yes. That's why they call me a Grammar Enforcement Officer."
Walker: "So what are you going to do, arrest me?"
Grammar Enforcement Officer SLS399SSH: "Ordinarily, you would be sentenced to a grammar reeducation camp. But since we are not in Gregoryisgodistan right now, I sentence you to death by enemy crusher. Boys, get over here and crush this man to death."

"At this, all the enemy crushers on the Gregoryisgodistan roster came over and immediately piled on Walker and easily crushed him to death with over four tons of mass between them. The man never had a chance.

"However, Grammar Enforcement Officer SLS399SSH was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected from the game. As the foul occurred after the play, it was still Gregoryisgodistan possession.

"We move along now and there is 5:02 left in the first quarter, still scoreless until Enemy Crusher Jorgen von Streudel tackles the Lymantatia quarterback at his own 15, the ball pops loose, and Defected Chicago Bear Brian Urlacher picks it up, then runs 13 yards for a touchdown. Gregoryisgodistan would go for two and fail. 6-0 Grid Slaves.

"Now there is 1:02 left in the first quarter and Zookeeper ZNZ949AHX is picked off by Lymantatia inside his own red zone. It would lead to a Lymantatia touchdown and they went up 7-6.

"But the lead would not last very long. Navy SuperAdmiral Q-Bert McFee returns the ensuing kickoff all the way to the Lymantatia 11, a 92 yard return. Great field position for the Grid Slaves. On the very next play, Navy SuperAdmiral Q-Bert McFee catches a screen from Zookeeper ZNZ949AHX and runs in for a touchdown. The two point conversion is good this time. It's 14-7.

"1:48 left in the first half, and Lymantatia has first and goal at the Gregoryisgodistan 9. It looks like they have a good chance. However, Enemy Crusher Carl Paladino sacks the quarterback for a 12 yard loss, so it is now 2nd and goal from the 21 yard line. On the next play, Lymantatia passes, and this time it's Enemy Crusher Jorgen von Streudel on the sack for a 14 yard loss, pushing Lymantatia back to the 35 for third and goal. It would be a long field goal, but doable. However, Enemy Crusher Jurgen von Streudel winds up bringing the quarterback down for a third straigth sack, this one losing 11, it's fourth and goal at the Gregoryisgodistan 46, and Lymantatia has to punt. How often does a team punt on 4th and goal? Very rarely, but it happened here. After a touchback with 25 seconds left, Gregoryisgodistan just kneeled on it to end the half.

"We pick it up again with 11:46 left in the third quarter, and Lymantatia drops back to pass. Enemy Crusher Jurgen von Streudel and Enemy Crusher Yorgen von Streudel hurry the quarterback and force him to make a bad pass, which is intercepted by Defected New York Jet Darrelle Revis who runs it back 39 yards before being forced out at the Lymantatia 5.

"Two plays later, Chef L0091 runs it in from 1 yard out, but the two-point conversion fails. 20-7.

"With 11:02 left in the 4th, Lymantatia has a chance to make it a one-possession game with first and goal at the Gregoryisgodistan 7, but Soldier 193DGA strips the running back of the ball, and Pervert Chaser NSBGAGD falls on it at his own 6.

"3:01 left in the game, desperation for Lymantatia, as their quarterback is again picked off by Defected New York Jet Darrelle Revis at midfield, and this time he runs it 50 yards for a touchdown. Gregoryisgodistan opts to just kick the extra point, and it's good, so it's 27-7.

"That would be the final score, as Lymantatia turned it over on downs and Gregoryisgodistan ran out the clock. Next up, the Grid Slaves will take on Ko-oren, who shut out Quackmybush 34-0. That game will be played at Nicholls Enterprises Stadium in the Free Republics.

"So far, the Grid Slaves have avoided playing in Saintland, but they are bound to wind up there at some point during this tournament. When they do, it will certainly be an interesting atmosphere given the conflicts between the two countries, including Lord Almighty Gregory's attack on Saintland which killed over 11 million people (OOC: this is pure propaganda and is not true IC-ly.) It will be practically an away game for the Grid Slaves, as the remaining million or so Sanctii citizens will surely be adamantly against Gregoryisgodistan due to the lies their government spews. It will be a hostile atmosphere, but a team spokesperson said that security will be increased tenfold for trips to Saintland to prevent any ugly incidents from occurring. The additional security is currently on standby in the Free Republics, but will not work for the team while they are on Republican soil.

"Coming up after these commercials, we have a new report on Soccer Captain Laredo Potato being named to the World XI team in soccer, and being selected as a reserve for an exhibition match against Cassadaigua and Equestrian States."

[Texacano]

Fourth down. Down by seven. Last play of the game. Shotgun snap; no point being where they could get to him. No sense in short passes, either, Cosworth told himself. It was a deep bomb, all or nothing. He bent his knees, straightened his back, and then the rhythm took over, his heart thudding in time with the snap count. Foot back, receiver in motion, one, two, three, hut, receiver in position, hut, hut, hike. The ball soared through the air toward him, the white of the laces streaking like confetti against the desert sky, and he caught it in both hands like a bear trap.

Steady, he told himself. You've got time. Trust Alvarez. You've got time. There; a receiver open downfield, having shaken his defender and running for the end zone unaccompanied. He cocked his arm back and in his mind, he heard the slide of the charging handle as he tugged it back to prime his rifle to fire; he snapped his arm forward and heard the report of the gun, saw the muzzle flash as the round left its chamber, spinning a mile a minute on its long flight downrange. He hit his receiver at center of mass, and the receiver cradled the ball a few steps into the end zone.

The crowd, slightly fewer than one hundred soldiers and helicopter pilots who'd put the game together out of a combination of boredom and excitement for the upcoming World Bowl, went wild. The game would have to go to overtime now, which meant more time spent not maintaining the helicopters or police-calling the airfield for the tenth time. The 7th Infantry Division "Desert Dragoons" had been on alert since Cosworth arrived in Gadsden, spreading out across the territory in company-sized units with co-located aircraft to be ready for an insurrection that could supposedly happen at any time. Cosworth knew it was related to independence protestors and the recent bombing in El Paso during the Campionato Esportiva qualifying match, but he subscribed to the belief that the whole thing was overkill, something El Jefe had been strongarmed into in order for the President to save face with voters.

The teams reformed and huddled, preparing for the first period of overtime. They hadn't exactly planned how overtime would work, but leaving the game at a tie was not an option, so the teams went to work on strategy while the officers, serving as officials, stood in the center and debated how to handle it.

"Alright, guys," said Alvarez, a former All-Territory center in Chihuahua and Cosworth's team's captain, "No matter what, chances are we only get one shot to win this thing. Cosworth, I want you working out of the shotgun again, okay? That seemed to work. We'll line up with an empty backfield, but Kingsley-" Here he looked at the tall, lanky black soldier who'd been serving as a running back, "I want you to line up as an H-back, okay? Like Martin Velasquez. If they spread too far, Cosworth will put you in motion, and we'll hand off to you; otherwise, you're blocking. Got it?"

Kingsley nodded. "You want me running routes at all?" he asked.

"We'll see," said Alvarez, looking at Cosworth, "For right now, you line up on the line, hooah?"

"Hooah."

The company commander appeared, along with the Air Force captain in charge of the helicopters that were co-located. He grabbed Alvarez and said loud enough for the rest of the team to hear: "Alright, single-possession overtime. They'll get the ball first from touchback, and they'll have a chance to score. If they turn over, you get the ball from touchback and get a chance to score. If you both score, it's a tie. Got it?"

"Got it, sir!" said Alvarez sharply, rising to his full height as he came to attention. He was a giant of a man, two meters tall and a hundred kilograms at least, an amateur luchador in Hermosillo, and by all accounts a good one, until the company got re-deployed to this airfield in what the soldiers affectionately called "Bum Fuck Estope" outside of Alamagordo. Cosworth had had one weekend pass in the six months he'd been there, and after the fifty dollar cab ride to town, he and Alvarez had wondered strongly why they'd even bothered, since there seemed to be just as many people at the air strip.

Cosworth saw it first. As he lined up at free safety and looked up to survey the offense, he spotted it, as bright as a second sun, streaking across the sky toward them. The rest of his team noticed shortly after he did, pointing up at the sky and looking around to be told what to do, but the offense, facing the other direction, saw nothing and continued the play. A receiver streaked past Cosworth with the ball, but he didn't notice, wondering instead what he should do about the light that seemed to be getting closer at a fairly rapid rate.

[New North Aqmuland]

The odds. Oh, the wonderful odds. Now that the Maroon Lions had lost 16-3 to the Sova Empire, they were to go and play their region-mate, Juan del Pastel. The odds are crazy, and they just might have worked in our favor today.

Prediction:
#41 New North Aqmuland (100) against #62 Juan del Pastel(UR)

Final Score: NNA 28-7 JDP
The boys pull out a win against a weak team with no experience in this contest, hopefully shuffling them to the higher side of the standings, if just for a little while.

[Caek of the Wolfen]

Iron Wolves defeat New Tebow in blowout!

Today, the Iron Wolves were met with their first game ever in the World Bowl. The team traveled to Civitate Dei Stadium in Saintland, home to Saint Augustinus college football, where they would later defeat New Tebow 47-10.

The game started with the presentation of the teams. New Tebow was presented first, in a less than spectacular fashion, nonetheless. But an elaborate inflatable wolf head tunnel, a spectacular show of flashing lights, and the team running through with Daxter the Thunderwolf hyped up the crowd for the game. Next, the two teams started warming up for the match up as the captians from each came out for the coin toss. Since New Tebow was acting as the home team in this situation, Caek called the toss. Heads was apparently right. Non-surprisingly as they usually do, Caek elected to kick, and get the ball back to start the second half.

Dylan Gilbert kicked off to start the game. New Tebow returned the ball to the 25 yard line. New Tebow's offense came onto the field, and came out passing, which was successful for a while. However on the 6th play of the drive, CB Deion Dax returned a pick-six from the 45 yard line. Gilbert kicked the extra point. Later in the first quarter, after the Wolves having scored again off a Triple Option play to Marius Rask, New Tebow was able to work itself farther down the field, but they were only able to get a field goal. New Tebow kicked off again, but this time, Cyrus Marlen took it to the house, finding a hole in the line, and scored once again. At the end of the first quarter, the Iron Wolves lead New Tebow 21-3.

New Tebow played the second quarter like they played the first. Three scores from a scrambling play from Caek, a shovel pass to Nick Aquila, and a 64 yard touchdown pass to A.J. Kendrickson were all the highlights from the second quarter. New Tebow remained unable to score, and punted time and time again. The score at the half was 42-3.

During halftime, the Wolfen were glad to see they were winning their first World Bowl game. Coach Crnkovic addressed the fact he did not want his starting players to get hurt, and told the backups to start to warm up. Only a handful of starters would have to play due to lack of backups.

New Tebow kicked off to start the third quarter, which Dane Bernard returned out of the endzone for 22 yards. Felix Dunn and his offense came onto the field then, running pass plays and and screens. A large pick-up of 20 yards from an end-around play to Alan Martellus put the Iron Wolves in field goal territory. New Tebow's defense, however, held them to just a field goal from there. This long drive had shaved off at least 10 minutes. New Tebow came out and made quick work of the junior squad however, putting a pass over new recruit Patrick McDunn, who was expected to not even play in this game. At the end of the third, the score was 45-10.

The fourth quarter was essentially a stalemate between the two teams, having each punt back and forth to each other. That is, until, New Tebow tried running a long pass play after recieving the ball at the 7, only to be sacked in the endzone by veteran Doug Glatt, resulting in a safety. Glatt performed his famous, "Sack Dance" elaboratley afterwords. New Tebow tried making some final attempts at scoring, which, all failed. The game ended at 47-10, with Caek of the Wolfen coming out on top.

Next game, the Iron Wolves are set to face off against the #23 Osarius Firebirds at the Via Damascus Stadium in Saintland. Tickets will be sold at the stadium. Make sure you convert your cookies to Denarius, as Saintland will not sell these any other way.

[Qazox]

QZX 44
JDP  3

In their first game since winning the title at World Bowl XXI; Qazox rolled Juan del Pastel 44-3, rolling up 517 yards of offense. After allowing the opening kickoff to be returned to the Sharks 26, and the ensuing 37yd FG after a 3 and out gained just 6 yards; Qazox held JdP to just 3 first downs and 42 yards. Carlos Marcos ran for 241 yards and 4 TDs, while Nate Jackson had 258 yards passing, 2 TDs and 18 yards rushing. Up next, Qazox faces Vettrera, 13-0 winners in their opener. In other games of interest to us, Allamunnic States luckily beat Yttribia, Cassadaigua beat Moonbase FourCannon 32-10 and the co-hosts both won, Saintland winning 61-10 and Free Republics won 50-22.

SCORE SUMMARY
JDF- 37 yard FG. (3-0 Juan del Pastel)
QZX- 51 yard TD run by Marcos, PAT by Haqemdal good. (7-3 Qazox)
QZX- 42 yard TD pass from Jackson to Reed, PAT by Haqemdal good. (14-3 Qazox)
QZX- Safety (Blocked punt through endzone) (16-3 Qazox)
QZX- 47 yard TD run by Marcos, PAT by Haqemdal good. (23-3 Qazox)
QZX- 14 yard TD run hy Marcos, PAT by Haqemdal good. (30-3 Qazox)
QZX- 54 yard TD pass from Jackson to Davenport, PAT by Haqemdal good. (37-3 Qazox)
QZX- 2 yard TD run by Marcos, PAT by Haqemdal good. (44-3 Qazox)

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

The Royal Kingdom of Quebec Gridiron Knights

Rp Permissions
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers: Y
Choose scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: N
Godmod scoring events: Y
Godmod injuries: N
Godmod other events: Y(Keep them creative but no killing, no destroying a stadium and things like that). Also, please be aware and take note of the weather.
Style addition: +5

Head Coach: Matt Constantin, 50
Offensive strategy: They tends to play mixture of both throwing and running, but when in danger, passing is usually done.
Defensive strategy:
They play very gritty way of playing, and would not afraid to get dirty, bloody or break bones and kill people. They hit hard and often the enemies' players with their free-wheeling defence. Cover and tackling are also encouraged.
Starters in Bold
New players in italic
Offense:

QB: Luc Arvineau, Quebec Voyageurs
Jacques Kulitak, Attawapiskat Thanatos
RB: Glenn-Jacques Monhigan, Quebec Voyageurs
Dragomir Visnovsky, Kingston Argonauts
FB: Gerard Bailey, Ottawa Renegades
Percival Nam, Sherbrooke Rams
[b]WR: Nathan Akiak, Montreal Alouettes
Julio Alvarez-Castonelli, St.John's Highlanders
WR: Adrian Meriwether, Saint John Steelers
Walter Gerringong, Abitibi Wolves
TE: Grant Lazarev-Zlidcky, Iqaluit Thanatos
Adrian Taschereau, Attawapiskat Thanatos
LT: Jong Shin Cohen, Montreal Alouettes
Anson Park, Gaspe Impulse
LG: Ted Malhotra, Montreal Alouettes
Brad Mancari, Sherbrooke Rams
C:Han Seo Goo, Ottawa Renegades
Yvan Jong Min Hwang, Saint John Steelers
RG: Francesco Roy, Iqaluit
Jules-Louis Thibodeau, Sherbrooke Rams
RT: Ellesmere Majaraj, Quebec Voyageurs
Jesse Brandonbrook, St.John's Highlanders

Defense:

DE: Jean-Henri Courteau, Quebec Voyageurs
Joon Soo Milgram, Saint John Steelers
DT: Han Soo Park, Gaspe Impulse
Mac Hemsworth, Kingston Argonauts
DE: Michael Lewis, Sherbrooke Rams
Emil Karabankos, Saint John Steelers
LOLB: Olivier Waters, Montreal Alouettes
Lorne Arthemas, Montreal Alouettes
LILB: Gong Jin Yoo, Attawapiskat Thanatos
DeShawn Brown, Montreal Alouettes
RILB: Guy Pierce, Ottawa Renegades
Jackson Arvika-Hanson, Sherbrooke Rams
ROLB: Eric Bouchard-Lee, Moncton Axemen
Patrice Goo, Kingston Argonauts
LCB: Irvin Nolet, Gaspe Impulse
Briar Nam, Montreal Alouettes
RCB: Stewart Park, Abitibi Wolves
Seong Won Han, Saint John Steelers
SS: Woo Jin Sung, Kingston Argonauts
Michael Burke, St.John's Highlanders
FS: Luc-Hyacinthe Bergeron, Saint John Steelers
Jordan Mathojesvic, Kingston Argonauts

Special Teams:

LS: Michel D'Ailleur, Quebec Voyageurs
Simon Hyeon Sup Lee, Sherbrooke Rams
K: Jacques Blais, Abitibi Wolves
Georges-Simon Gil, Moncton Axemen
P: Pascal Park, Quebec Voyageurs
Milan Sonier, Montreal Alouettes
KR/PR: Lee-Simard Yang, Ottawa Renegades
An Soo Jeong, Quebec Voyageurs

[Chunnan]

OOC: Please play this music while reading http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klN2Qq0M6qE

LIVE ON THE CEAS POST GAME SHOW

Steve Bradshaw: Hello, I'm Steve Bradshaw

Ronald Gerrick: And I'm Ronald Gerrick, and welcome to the CEAS Post Game Show

Steve Bradshaw: What a blowout this game was Ronald. The whole stadium seemed to be packed with Jondon fans, and it was really ear shattering loud.

Ronald Gerrick: I agree, the Jondons couldn't have played any better than they have today. Kapernickle had 487 yards passing, 43 yards rushing, and 6 touchdown passes; 2 of them to Appletree. Appletree also had 233 receiving yards. Lastly, Franky Killer had 2 touchdowns and 45 yards rushing. The extra 2 points came from a safety by the defense.



Steve Bradshaw: This game was a blowout from the start, with the 1st quarter alone the Jondons were up 21-0. This team last time had issues playing with each other last time they played in the World Bowl. This time, this team looks like they've been playing with each other since they were playing in high school.

Ronald Gerrick: Yeah you're right, Harenbaugh was able to make some chemistry with the team, and they've set aside their differences to play some football. So Steve, do you think this is a team that can take home the World Bowl?

Steve Bradshaw: It's too early to tell, but with a red hot team like this, it won't be easy to play them. I think against a legendary team, this Jondons team could have a close game.

Ronald Gerrick: Now let's look at a few great highlights. Starting with the opening play by the Jondons.

Commentator from Clip: Kapernickle; play action, aaannnndddd he throws the long ball to MIKE APPLETREE, AND HE WILL TAKE IT ALL THE WAY! TOUCHDOWN!

Steve Bradshaw: Within 7 seconds, the Jondons were already up 7-0. Now 2nd quarter with the Jondons up 21-0, here's another beautiful pass by Kapernickle.

Commentator from Clip: 3 & long to go, Kapernickle takes it from the shotgun, passes to TE DeChad Jackson and hes got the touchdown. Unbelievable catch by Jackson, and Jondons up 28-0.

Ronald Gerrick: What a great game this turned out to be, and hopefully, the Jondons can keep this rhythm going.

Steve Bradshaw: I'm Steve Bradshaw...

Ronald Gerrick: And I'm Ronald Gerrick...

Steve Bradshaw: And we wish you a goodnight.

[Saintland]

Announcement from King Paulus XV

When I was informed of the events that occurred at today's World Bowl game between the so-called Gregoryisgodistan and Lymantatia, I was appalled. While I was well aware of the reputation of the "Grid Slaves" before today, I am nonetheless shocked and absolutely disgusted at their complete disregard for law and order on the gridiron field. This must not continue.

I wish to issue a warning, not just to Assistant Sports Minister Jorgen Roth, coach of the Grid Slaves, but also to all coaches and captains of all World Bowl teams. Law and order will be upheld at the World Bowl. We are not Cassadaigua or the Equestrian States, so we will not allow World Bowl XXII games to descend into chaos as games did in qualifying for the now-abandoned so-called "World Cup 67" that was to have been hosted by Cassadaigua and the Equestrian States (OOC: This claim is as true as the typical claim by Lord Almighty Gregory.). We will not permit referees to be killed on the gridiron field, nor will we permit any players to kill their opponents. To prevent the "Grid Slaves" from murdering more of their opponents in the future, I have heard that additional security will be on hand at their remaining games in this World Bowl, which will hopefully number just 7 more.

Additionally, my son Petrus was the victim of a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit in today's game against Lisander. I wish to remind all referees that the new safety rules which I have implemented prohibit helmet-to-helmet hits. The penalty for these hits is supposed to be a 15-yard personal foul. In addition, any player who is called for multiple helmet-to-helmet hits in the course of a game or for helmet-to-helmet hits in consecutive games must be ejected upon the second hit. In addition, I wish to remind all teams that it is no longer permissible to hit a quarterback below the waist while he is in the pocket. Such hits are a personal foul and, should such a cheap shot result in an injury, as one such hit injured my son Petrus at World Bowl XX, then it is a mandatory ejection. Finally, I wish to remind referees of the new emphasis on enforcement of pass interference. I have seen several flagrant instances of pass interference that were not called by the officials. This is unacceptable. If a receiver's path to the ball is obstructed, you must call a penalty, which is a spot foul and automatic first down. If a pass to the end zone is interfered with, the ball is to be placed at the 1 yard line and an automatic 1st and goal awarded.

Finally, I wish to make it very clear that any excessively rough play will be met with suspensions. Starting with Casaran Day 2, my Government will be reviewing every World Bowl game on Sanctustube, looking for players that have earned a suspension for reckless play that endangers themselves and others. I will not permit reckless play at World Bowl XXII. My top priority at the moment is the safety of every player on all 68 gridiron teams competing in the World Bowl and I am not going to tolerate anything that endangers their safety.

OOC: Do as you wish with this. If you want to have a referee ignore King Paulus XV's player safety initiatives, feel free to do so. He certainly doesn't have anywhere near the level of influence over the World Bowl that Roger Goodell has over the NFL.

[Lunar Republic Isands]

FINAL SCORE: Lunar Republic Islands 56–3 TheStonedSurfers


The LRI celebrated a big win today over the StonedSurfers, 56-3, with QB Ben Mauk throwing 6 touchdown passes. He threw one to Sport, two to Brandon Boehm, and 3 to Kyenes Mincy. Quick Drift scored the other 2 touchdowns with big Rushing Touchdowns.

"We did what we were supposed to do and win." Coach Billy Back said after the game. "We came prepared, we knew what our expectations were and we executed it. Now we build from here."

"We were great out there. Great work by the defense and wonderful job by Quick, Brandon, Nez and everyone else. It's a team effort and we went out there and showed who we really are." Ben Mauk said.

The LRI did exactly what they were supposed to do. Now they're ranked 2nd and they're next opponent will be #33 Thatius @RepublicSoft. The LRI want to have just as strong as a game as they did last time.

"As long as you come out in the end with a win. Right now that's what matters. But we gotta do it the right way. The hard working and making it happen way." Quick Drift said.

[New Wolfopolis]

Track the Pack: New Wolfopolis downs Commune
by Javier Johnson, International Sports Correspondent
johnsonj@lupiniatribune.com

Our Wolfpack team beat The Glorious Commune yesterday by a score of 34-17. Peter Plourde, in his first international game, threw 13 completions in 27 attempts for 128 yards with two passing touchdowns and and interception. He ran for 74 yards and one touchdown. Alshon Manzera ran for 173 yards and a touchdown, and captain Eduardo Davis had 5 catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. On the defensive side, Thomas Domanech had an interception and Antonio Poleo had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. For the Commune, Daemon XII threw for 184 yards on 25 completions for 2 touchdowns and an interception. Cacophony X had one of those touchdowns, and Zenith I had the other. On defense, Homunculus I had the only interception. The Glorious Commune went to #44, and they'll play #59 Lzherusskia tomorrow. This win puts the Wolfpack in 25th in the Casaran standings, to take on #10 German Zerabithia tomorrow. More information about tomorrow's game can be found in my preview article.

---

World Bowl XXII - Casaran Day 2 Preview
by Javier Johnson, International Sports Correspondent
johnsonj@lupiniatribune.nw

#10 German Zerabithia Rams
WB XXII Record: 1-0
WB XXII +/-: +40
Last Game: Win vs. Lzherusskia, 40-0
Other Notes: WB XX Champions

#25 New Wolfopolis Wolfpack
WB XXII Record: 1-0
WB XXII +/-: +17
Last Game: Win vs. The Glorious Commune, 34-17
Other Notes: 3rd Place, BoI XIV

Our Wolfpack faces probably its toughest challenge yet, a matchup with WB XXII #10 and previous #2 German Zerabithia. On the offensive side, New Wolfopolis is led by captain Eduardo Davis, leading rusher Alshon Manzera, and do-it-all quarterback Peter Plourde. German Zerabithia is led by quarterback Robert Shoemaker and wide recievers Charles Valintely and Gerarrge Manotiee. On defense, the Wolfpack's leaders consist of sack machine Robert West, linebacker Antonio Poleo, and captain and interception leader Thomas Domanech. The Rams are led by Chaplin Paul, Nathan Handway, and Kamden Brosome. The Wolfpack's offensive style is fairly balanced between running and passing, and the Rams specialize in turnovers, both interceptions and fumbles. In my opinion, neither side has the advantage. On the other side of the ball, German Zerabithia has a very pass-centric offense, and the Wolfpack does great at pass coverage. This is where I believe the Wolfpack can come out with the win. Our secondary is extremely good. The Rams rely on Shoemaker a lot to make good passes for their points, and their run game isn't as good. With stars like Domanech and Randall DeJesus working to limit the pass game, German Zerabithia will have to go to their run game. Their run game won't get them as many points, and New Wolfopolis will be able to be a defensive presence. Prediction: GZR 17-21 NWW

---

Baker's Ball Blog
Preview of Casaran MD2
By Marc Baker
baker@ballblog.wolfopianblogs.nw

In this entry, I will give you a true preview of tomorrow's game between our Wolfpack and the German Zerabithia Rams, unlike the Trib's Javier Johnson. Johnson gave you an extremely biased preview, based on no true fact besides players' names, and written mostly about what he felt and/or assumed. For example, he stated that German Zerabithia's offense was very much focused on the pass. This is true, but he also stated that the Rams didn't have a very good run game. This is untrue. They use their pass game quite often, sure, but their pass game is used to get defenses to assume they're going to pass. They then sneak in a run and gain quite a few yards. This happened many a time in their game against Lzherusskia, and contributed to their huge win. New Wolfopolis could fall victim to the same thing, even with their star secondary. Johnson also claimed that defensive lineman Robert West was a "sack machine". Do you know how many sacks West got in our game against the Commune? 1! Not even enough for him to mention it in his recap article! 1 sack doesn't seem like the work of a sack machine to me. I encourage you not to listen to Johnson's propagandistic lies and listen to an honest preview instead.

German Zerabithia, plain and simple, is a tough team. They beat Lzherusskia by forty yesterday. Forty! Two World Bowls ago, they cruised through every stage and didn't even take a loss en route to an easy World Bowl win. They're tenth in the Casaran stage, and New Wolfopolis is going to have to work hard if they want to win. Keys for a Zerabithia win: 1. Stop Peter Plourde. Plourde is an offensive machine who can do it all, and if you limit at least one of his aspects, he's going to have a tough time. 2. Utilize all aspects of the offense. New Wolfopolis has a pretty good defense, but that is in part to their play prediction. If the Rams switch up their strategy, they'll be able to get past the Wolfpack defense. Keys for a Wolfpack win: 1. Read Robert Shoemaker. This kid is a great passer, and New Wolfopolis is going to have to be able to read him and get some interceptions to limit his confidence and get Zerabithia to find new ways to score. 2. Take your time. The Rams really aren't that good at sacking, and they give you quite a bit of time in the backfield. Plourde needs to step back and consider all of his options with the time that he gets from the Rams defensive line before rushing into judgement and making a bad throw. Overall Prediction: The Rams are tough, but New Wolfopolis will put up a fight. Ultimately though, I think the Rams will pull this one off. GZR 31-24 NWW

---

OOC: If you're confused about who's telling the truth, they both are. The articles are both fueled by opinion, and Johnson is a very optimistic cheerer for the Wolfpack, and not a propagandist. Baker is still angry about his firing from the Trib, and he holds a grudge. Both are telling the truth, just with their opinions behind them.