World Bowl XXIII - Everything Thread

[Ko-oren]

Dragonflies off to Estope, one risky last test

Only the second time a game devolved into outscoring the opponent. Ok, outscoring the opponent is a big thing in Gridiron football, Basketball, Football and the rest, but with this kind of outscoring, I mean both teams having a high score. And when that happens, expect lots of turnovers, interceptions, while teams are rushing trying to get to that endzone quicker. We hoped our team would be slightly resistant to that kind of game. But hey, the Dragonflies are going to Estope and this was their first game whose outcome was not really important anymore. Today San Jose Guayabal, tomorrow Gregoryisgodistan. We expected a big fight between three teams, of which two share a special relationship (both nations with long names, that is), and that all of that would make Group G something to look at.

It turned out differently. The Dragonflies quickly ran away from the other two, with a PD of +141. San Jose Guayabal lost just too many games to be truly scary, and Gregoryisgodistan is not doing up to par either. With a 5-4 record, they are just above .500 and that while we expected all three teams to finish upwards of .700 (or well, with 10 games, that would be 7-3).

The scariest teams in this World Bowl are definitely Cassadaigua and Taeshan. While German Zerabithea was unlucky with having Allamunnic States in the same group, and Darmen is tearing it up too, those two teams really are something else. Taeshan is the only 9-0 team left, and Cassadaigua just outscored the Fair Republic by 31 points (and their total PD is +182).

For the last day, we have all first seeds against the second seeds. Apart from that, you might want to direct your attention to Group B, where we have four teams that could all end up pretty much anywhere: currently first Quebec could finish fourth, while New North Aqmuland could take a playoff spot despite its fourth place. And then a game between the first and second seed is going to be important. The loser can very well expect to be eliminated before the party even starts. Quebec or Vettrera. And look at these fixtures... it's like the World Bowl has already started.

Cassadaigua - Osarius
Both teams could very well be in. Osarius needs a win to be entirely sure to not depend on the Fair Republic or the Free Republics. If the Firebirds win, or lose by a few points, their participation in Estope is a given. You might want to watch this game for the Fillies though, the current World Bowl holders.

RK Quebec - Vettrera
Do we need to say more? Look at that last paragraph. Read it again.

Unolia - Taeshan
The game that never got exciting. Taeshan has a 12 point lead, Unolia is struggling. Tomorrow's visitors need a win and an Ati Kaluraya loss because of the H2H. You might check this out for Taeshan, our early pick for World Bowl champions.

German Zerabithea - Allamunnic States
Two teams that already secured the top two spots. But which team will claim the group, and which will have to make do with a poor seeding? It all depends on this game. The Allamunnic States are at a disadvantage: they need to win by 3 points. So they will need to push for that extra field goal, or 2-point conversion.

Saintland - Estope
Saintland have convincingly won this group, and they will take Anditia with them to Estope. One other team will go to Estope after this last game... the hosts themselves. But they will not play in their own nation. Estope can only move up to third, or move down to fifth. Saintland needs the win for the seeding, in which case they would be 9-1.

Darmen - Cosumar
Yeah, what to make of this. We would never really recommend watching the Darmeni. But Group F's fight for second place is pretty interesting. Darvale looks like qualifying, Cosumar can get there too but that requires a Darvale loss and a huge Cosumar win.

Ko-oren - Gregoryisgodistan
Three teams for second place. Gregoryisgodistan, Nassau-Hessen and San Jose Guayabal. One team has clinched the group, and its name does not consist of >10 characters. Ko-oren are comfortably sitting at the top. A win could mean an overall second seed for the Dragonflies. The Gregoryisgodistanis need a win, and they are in. Otherwise, they need Nassau-Hessen to lose, and San Jose Guayabal to win by less than 90 points (depending on the Grid Slaves' loss, but still. 90 points. What). Anyhow, Ko-oren need to keep their team in one piece, and that against one of the most notoriously physical teams.

Equestrian States - Karditan
Ponies take on ponies in a meaningless game. Equestrian States won Group H, and Karditan will join them. There is just one point to this game: no injuries.

[Saintland]

Chrichma Communications Place, Orodun, Anditia

Surprisingly, of all the games in World Bowl XXIII, one of the easiest for the Saintland National Gridiron Team, #3 in the world, took place in Anditia on this day. The home team was a formidable opponent, a rising power in international gridiron. Anditia was going to be visiting Estope for the playoffs. But, when King Petrus XX is on top of his game, nobody can beat him and only the best teams in the multiverse can keep it close until the end.

That effectiveness was due in large part to a strong performance from Andreas Tuccius. While Tuccius has struggled with injuries and fatigue during this edition of the World Bowl, he has been a dominant force, at times, in the past. Against Anditia, he played up to his past standards. This opened up passing lanes for the King of Saintland and made the Sanctii offense more dangerous.

Still, the Sanctii had their share of struggles in the red zone. On 3 occasions in the first half, a Sanctii drive stalled in the red zone. This led to 3 field goals by Philippus Francus. However, Liam Uberrara broke away in the Sanctii secondary on the first play from scrimmage. Uberrara's 80 yard touchdown ended with both Sanctii safeties on their backs. A field goal late in the first half, on Anditia's first sustained drive of the game, gave the home team a 10 to 9 lead. The game had been a one-sided affair to that point, but the Kingdom of Saintland had nothing to show for it.

In the final 2 minutes of the first half, King Petrus XX marched his team down the field. When Anditia allowed a receiver to get open, the King of Saintland would complete a pass to that receiver. When they managed to shut down all Sanctii receivers, he found a running lane and, if possible, a path to the sideline. Finally, there were 9 seconds on the clock and 1 Sanctii time out remaining. The ball was at the 7 yard line. King Petrus dropped back to pass. All of his receivers were covered, so he took off for the end zone. However, Johnny D'Urbo took him down at the 1 yard line with a big hit, denying a touchdown. Ioannes Lusius quickly called time out, on behalf of his King. When King Petrus got up, he decided to bring in Francus and the kicker connected on the chip shot for a 12 to 10 lead at the half.

After halftime, Anditia had to kick off to start the second half. The Alfonso Melgor kickoff went for a touchback. On the very first play from scrimmage, Curt Austin was assigned to cover Thomas Lusius. Thomas Lusius was known for his poor hands and his inconsistent play, but he was an extraordinarily talented receiver with elite speed. On this play, Lusius's route was a go route, but with a double move. His double move fooled Austin and King Petrus XX connected. Lusius turned on the jets and put his team up 19 to 10. On the following drive, Thomas Calventius sacked Liam Borst and forced a fumble. Andreas Oclatinius recovered the fumble. After 2 Tuccius runs set up a 3rd and 1, a King Petrus XX shot at the end zone fell incomplete and Francus came out to put his team up 22 to 10. A 3-and-out, followed by a long Andreas Tuccius touchdown run, put the visitors up 29 to 10. Borst would manage to complete a touchdown pass to Sherwood Pai, who made a spectacular catch, but a Nicolaus Lusius kickoff return put the Sanctii up 36 to 17. Anditia would manage a garbage time touchdown, but they still lost 36 to 24.

After the game, King Petrus XX checked his SaintPhone and checked his messages. He found messages from Royal Health Service doctors informing him that the injured defensive players had recovered and would be ready for the following game. However, that was a now meaningless game in Saintland against the World Bowl XXIII hosts, who had already been eliminated from the tournament. He would have to think about whether to field a full-strength team in a meaningless game against Estope in Saintland and risk injury prior to the Round of 16, which would ironically be held in Estope. While his Round of 16 opponent was a mystery, that game would invariably be more important than the game against Estope.

[HopNation]

HopNation Handball
Throwing a Prolate Spheroid from End Zone to End Zone

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The Group
The group is set and assuming we win our last game and McKleigh and Menukten both lose, wait they play each other on this last game day don’t they…well we can at the least move up one spot on the table if we win. Especially since somehow we have a +- of +1, how the hell does that happen and we are behind two teams with -70 and -37, I’ll tell you why it’s because of our first two games where we had extremely bad scouting reports and misinformed media. Since we straightened that out we’ve done a bit better, although we probably should have one a few more games against these nobody teams in our group. Well anyway, for the rest of our group it looks like The Fire Ponies, with their most recent win over our Malts have locked up first place in our group. In the second spot is Karditan, who play ES in the next game and could hand The Fire Ponies their second loss if the Ironworkers play well. Sitting in Third is the McKleigh side who has actually played very well. I’m sure they feel they should have won a few more games as well as thinking they should have beat us twice, but I assure you their first win over our team was simply a fluke. In the 4th spot is some team that no one knows how they actually play as they have some sort of mind wipe magic they use on everyone they play. If you ask me they should have been kicked out of this World Bowl with their lack of credibility and the mass confusion about there games, the refs didn’t even know what happened other than blowing the final whistle. In a surprising 5th position we find our Malts, very very disappointing. Then in last is the only team in our group we know nothing about and is no surprise that they are in last place, what is a surprise is that they have two wins. Hopefully our Malts take care of business on this last game day and give the Icatus side another loss.

Moving on to the playoffs is Equestrian States and Karditan. Good luck to both of them as they move forward.

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The Game

Malt’s Schedule            | Result | Malts’ Record
MD1:  @ McKleigh	   | 16-17  | (0-1)
MD2:  @ Karditan	   | 16-24  | (0-2)
MD3:  vs Menukten          | 13-22  | (0-3)
MD4:  @ Equestrian States  | 16-10  | (0-4)
MD5:  @ Icatus	           | 38-26  | (1-4)
MD6:  vs McKleigh	   | 12-3   | (2-4)
MD7:  vs Karditan	   | 13-24  | (2-5)
MD8:  @ Menukten           | 43-26  | (3-5)
MD9:  vs Equestrian States |29-31  | (3-6)
MD10: vs Icatus	           | ~-~    | (-)
Malts are home/away
Malts score listed first in all games
Malts record is post that game
Win|Loss 

HopNation (Malts) vs. Equestrian States (The Fire Ponies) @ Fressen Hundefutter Stadion (78,000 cap) Wortwort, Hefebayern

Well this was our second meeting with The Fire Ponies and we played them about the same. The two sides did score over double the amount of points in the first game, 60 total in this game compared to 26 in the previous meeting. So was it a lack of defense that lead to the scoring increase, no not at all it was actually special teams and defense that got the job done for both teams. ES had four total touch downs, three scored by their defensive unit and one courtesy of a punt return. HPN had four defensive touch downs and two 2 point conversions to get within two points and almost the win. Blackstone started the scoring in the first quarter with a 75 yard field goal, something we have never seen but we hear is very common in the pony world (since horses have stronger legs than humans anyway). After that and still in the first quarter Ambrosia intercepted Fran Bradanning’s very first pass and ran in for the score, thus putting The Fire Ponies up 10-0. The Malts would have a decent return on the next kick-off, but ended that drive with a punt, which Jet Set returned 91 yards for the score. The unicorn seemed to magically move defenders out of the way as his horn would glow every once in a while and our players would flip out of the way…very strange, but it is what it is. Now the equine were up 17-0 and it wasn’t looking good for the Malts. During the second quarter Sappy Randle hit Score on The Fire Ponies second possession of the quarter and forced a fumble, which Bednark Seaouh picked up and ran in for the score. The Malts made the extra point and were on the board 7-17. The rest of the second quarter was punt after punt and the teams headed to the locker room at the 7-17 score. On the opening kick-off of the second half Jet Set ran the ball deep into HopNation territory setting the up with good field position. However on the second play of the drive Atwaters Polamalalu once again jumped on the back of Hoops and intercepted the pass headed his way. Hoops confused by having a rider ran the wrong way and all the way into his own end zone allowing Polamalalu to score bringing the Malts within 2 as they scored a two point conversion, 15-17. HopNation would take the lead on the next Equestrian States possession. This time it was another fumble recovery as Lightning Bolt simply dropped the ball from under her wing, she had broken through the line and looked to have broken a big run when the ball, well just dropped from under her wing it was very bizarre to see as no one hit her or anything. Singlebert Buttkis scooped up the loose ball and ran in for the score. The Malts again went for two and made it, bringing the score up to 23-17. At the start of the fourth quarter the Malts were putting on their best drive of the day and had the ball within Anderson Gouldies range, but AP Goreyou got laid out on third and four. He was hit by Thunderoar, as Goreyou flipped in the air from the hit the ball also came flinging out and right to Baritone. Baritone had a free field in front of him since the hit on Goreyou sent him into the backfield, Baritone ran 72 yards all the way for the score, putting The Fire Ponies up by 1 (24-23). HopNation punted on it’s next possession and things did not look good as time was winding down, still plenty left to get the ball back one more time but not much more than that. The table would turn though and the Malts would take the lead back on the next play as Linch Tatum Charry intercepted the Score pass and he ran it 22 yards for another defensive touch down for the Malt Marauders. The Malts would again go for two, in order to put them up by 7 and hopefully seal the game in their favor. However, they would not convert and they would only be up by 5 with a score of 29-24. This had left the game needing a touch down by The Fire Ponies in order for them to win. They turned the ball over again and the Malts thought they had the game in the stable, but in an effort to run the clock down and with Equestrian States having all three timeouts the Malts kept handing the ball off to AP Goreyou. Which worked for the first two plays and looked to work on the third running play in a row, especially as Goreyou crossed the first down marker. But for some reason instead of going down easily Goreyou fought for additional yards after first contact, as he was held up by Caboose, Zachary Kim smashed into him and the ball came loose once again. Ace picked up the loose ball and ran 43 yards in for the ES score; they made the PAT and were up 31-29. The Malts had 30 seconds left on the clock but could not get the ball within range for Anderson Gouldie and the game would end 31-29.

An excellent game by both teams, at least defensively. This locked up the group for ES as they will be heading into the playoffs in first place. This however knocked the Malts down into fifth place for the group, somewhere not many thought they would be at this point.

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The Gauntlet
HopNation vs Icatus, Fressen Hundefutter Stadion (78,000 cap) in Wortwort Hefebayern

Here comes the last game of this World Bowl for our Malts, hopefully they can come away with a win, especially since they exited last World Bowl with a loss. They are playing a team they known nothing about but at least the game is at home.

…until next time Brew On, Brew Well Hoptonians!

[Timbermunich]

Part 1: The Beginning

1. The Grove
2. The Control
3. The Misfortune
4. The Naming of Greats
5. The Heir
6. The Search
7. The Stone
8. The Jacks
9. The Great Battle Axe

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Legend of The Great Battle Axe
Part 1: The Beginning

Year 90 TBM: The Great Battle Axe
As the two Greats and their heirs, the Jacks as they are now called, took over the nations safety and protection of the Great Timbermunich Forest, the people of Timbermunich began to advance their technologies and building techniques so that all the villages would be able to maintain a better infrastructure. Great Battle and Great One-Arm Willy have now outlived their spouses by a number of years and all of their children have married and had children of their own, the interesting findings in these new heirs is that not all of them posses or cause the axe heads to glow and pulse the way all of the two Greats children did. It does seem that the Jacks and the two Greats are out living everyone in Timbermunich. As they grow older the Jacks are finding ways to better serve the villages and better ways to control the grove in those areas where it is still expanding. Though it seems the outward expansion has stopped the three regions that have not been clear-cut are seeing the trees growing larger and larger, thus covering or starting to block out the sun. This is something the Jacks are working on and since their numbers have grown with all of the children they have actually taken the place of all the Grove Controllers, which is also why Timbermunich’s technology advances have taken off so well at this point. The former Grove Controllers are taking the time to develop the knowledge base of the villages and with that are able to focus on this advancement.

After a few more years the Jacks heirs are producing less children with the Greatness within them and Great Battles axe is finding less and less Jacks. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but their initial hope was that all offspring would have these powers and the Nation as a whole would get stronger and stronger. Great One-Arm Willy noticed one day, with the birth of his 32nd grandchild that at the time of this grandchild’s birth a new tree sprouted within the Heart of the Grove. After inspecting this tree and determining it was in deed a TimberOak he consulted with Great Battle. The decided to have all the Jacks keep a closer eye on the Heart of the Grove and watch for new sprouts to appear. Over the next year three grandchildren, two of Great Battle’s and one of Great One-Arm Willy’s, would be born and one more sprout was found. When the sprout was found they took the Great Battles axe to the baby and it showed the typical signs that it did with any Jack. But the next year four new children would be born, two grandchildren for each Great, and no new TimberOaks sprouted even though one of the four affected Great Battles axe. So, realizing that not all Jacks sprout new TimberOaks they knew that the axe would still need to be used in order to know for sure if the child would be a Jack.

Then the next year no new grandchildren were born, but the Heart of the Grove sprouted three new TimberOaks. This confused Great Battle and Great One-Arm Willy very much, so they decided to check each village and see what babies were born at the time of the new spouts showing up. There were one child from each of the main villages and Great Battle took his axe to those children. Each affected the axe like a Jack would, but none of them were descendants of either Great Battle or Great One-Arm Willy. They had also never heard of any event like that which produced their Greatness, but nonetheless they rejoiced to find that Timbermunich was growing stronger and that the sprouting TimberOats did help them in finding these new Jacks. They also felt it was necessary to take these Jacks, including the mother for the first years of life, into the Heart of the Grove as this seemed to strengthen the child’s abilities.

Once the two conveyed this to all the elders throughout Timbermunich they all agreed that this course was the best. They also determined that one of the two Greats’ axes needs to be used to check every child before it is born, that way the mother can travel to the Heart of the Grove and have the baby there. Thus, strengthening the child even further as a Jack and making sure they are well looked after in hopes of nurturing them into the lifestyle of a Jack. The Greats agreed to this and they selected Great Battle’s axe and declared it The Great Battle Axe.



It is now TBM 165 and Great Battle, Great One-Arm Willy and the other Jacks have been protecting all of Timbermunich for many years. Great Battle and Great One-Arm Willy are nearly 145 years old, they have made Timbermunich into a great nation and have nurtured the Great Timbermunich Forest into superb place. There is now one Jack for each of the TimberOaks contained in the Heart of the Grove. Every unborn child is checked with The Great Battle Axe to see if it is a Jack and every once in a while they find an unborn child who will become a Jack and the birth does not always line up with the sprouting of a new TimberOak. There have been many years where a number of new sprouts appear but there are no children which The Great Battle Axe reacts to. Eventually unborn children are found and the number of Jacks once again will equal that to the number of TimberOaks. With each child born of the Jack status a special Haft is made from the original lightning log, which never seems to run out of lumber even though hundreds of axe hafts have been made. They then take the haft to the lightning stone and gather a chunk to make the head of the axe, again this stone never seems to loose any material.

This is the way it is and will be throughout Timbermunich.

This is the Legend of The Great Battle Axe

[Cassadaigua]

Queen under fire,
by Brittany Madison, Columnist, Concord Heights Times


Sources close to the Palace have leaked what may a very strange announcement to come from Queen Courtney, and because of that leak, don’t be surprised that it doesn’t happen at all. Rumors have it that the Queen is going to schedule Saintland’s first round (which is probably going to actually be the second round as the Sanctii are poised to get a bye) games played at the Palace, at the basketball court in the backyard. What? Why?

The anonymous source points to a few reasons, with the primary one being to allow the Saintland national team to be able to play without any distraction or protest. They would not have apples thrown at them (while that tradition seems to be coming to an end, you can be assured that there will still be some people in attendance who feel the need to being fresh produce into the arena). The Sanctii, simply, could play their game at their level and at their pace, without any worry. A secondary reason is that there are likely to few, if any, traveling supporters from Saintland to come to Cassadaigua anyway, so it’s not as if they have to appeal to their fans. Sure, it would disappoint Feministvs Sanctvsterra (more on that later), but Queen Courtney doesn’t seem to be as fond of them as her mother once was. Thirdly, the source says that Queen has no qualms about using this venue, because there are examples of past competitions with games being held at pretty unusual places, and this would just be following along that precedent.

The question now becomes, is this all true? And since it has been leaked, if the Queen will go back on it now that there has been a public backlash. Most of the criticisms of the queen have been what seems to be a desire to get closer relations going with the controversial nation of Saintland then her mother ever did. This has got the protest group of Feministvs Sanctvsterra rightfully concerned and wondering what the heck is going with her, starting from when they hacked into a speech by King Petrus with a message of protest. It is time for Queen Courtney to get over the fact that seems to be bringing her closer to Saintland, away from the ideals of our great nation, and making the heroes of Feministvs Sanctvsterra wondering about the direction our nation is heading in. The assassination of King Paulus has affected her judgement. Clearly, we understand that her mother, Queen Cassie, had made a trek to Saintland to meet the belated King not to long before he was killed in the Free Republics. She sees herself as being in a very similar situation as King Petrus, taking over their respective nations at a relatively young age, although she does not moonlight as a superstar quarterback of the national team. Evidently, according to this anonymous source, Queen Courtney, “not only watches every Cassadagan game in the World Bowl, but watches every game involving Saintland due to admiration of King Petrus’ athletic ability.” What is going on here? Are we living in the middle of some warped movie plot where the single Queen Courtney and the single King Petrus get together? Thankfully, that kind of story is only for fairy tales and other imaginary garbage.

All I have to say, is this rumor better not be true. The wicked nation of Saintland is our enemy, Feministvs Santvsterra are our friends, and hopefully will thrive in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. The idea of coddling the Saintland basketball team at the Palace so that they do not have to worry about their safety is absolutely ludicrous. And what about the opponent of Saintland, likely in the second round? Will they not have traveling supporters? This is completely un-Cassadagan. Please, someone, get our Queen out of living in some crazy fairy tale.

[McKleigh]

The Glue and Adhesive Manafactuers Guild of the Multiverse, the Sweedish Meatball Makers Association of Jennifer Government, and Les Professionnels Culinaires de la Cuisine Française thoughroughly enjoyed their visits to both the Equestrian States and Karditan. While Equestrian States seamed unphased by their presence Karditan seamed a bit rattled after hearing unconfirmed reports of many of Equestrian States fans never returning to their homes after the game. McKleigh was able to defeat Karditan with a signature 41-10 win. McKleigh has now defeated every team in the group with the exception of Equestrian States.

We were going to write something about tonight but can't remember what. That brings up an ongoing question that has yet to be answered, what the heck happened in the Baptism of Iron 16?

4-5 Mckleigh's Schedule,ranks in prenthesis, Mckleigh is ranked t106
W 17-16 28-4 vs HopNation (33) McKleigh City Coliseum in McKleigh City, McKleigh
L 10-33 29-4 @ Icatus (t106) location TBA
L 26-53 30-4 vs Equestrian States (9) McKleigh City Coliseum in McKleigh City, McKleigh
L 3-43 1-5 vs Karditan (12) McKleigh City Coliseum in McKleigh City, McKleigh
W 23-10 2-5 @ Menukten (t106) *note-we know they have a stadium and we have read a description but we seem to forget the information immediatly after reading it, we advise not attempting to attend as we for some reason feel you won't remember the game, but we can't remember why we feel that way.
L 3-12 5-5 @ HopNation (33) Fressen Hundefutter Stadion in Wortwort, Hefebayern
W 23-13 6-5 vs Icatus (t106) McKleigh City Coliseum in McKleigh City, McKleigh
L 10-36 7-5 @ Equestrian States (9) The Royal Coliseum in Canterlot, Equestrian States
W 41-10 8-5 @ Karditan (12) Construction Site in Detroit, Karditan
9-5 vs Menuketen (t106) McKleigh City Coliseum in McKleigh City, McKleigh *note-admision to this game is free, as you will likley not remember McKleigh playing anyone, but we don't remember why you won't remember.[/quote]

[The Fanboyists]

[OoC: I apologize for my lackluster and sporadic roleplaying. Qualifiers have fallen right during my last finals, our fraternity's formal, and now packing up and leaving school for the summer.]

Allamunnic States Daily
World Bowl XXIII Coverage

Regulars Rolling
Regulars clinch playoff spot, set up big end-of-qualifying match against German Zerabithea

After playing lights-out in the second half of qualifiers, the Regulars (7-2) will defend their home turf in Thomasburg against the Rams of German Zerabitha (8-1), with hopes of winning Group D with a win of three points or more for margin of victory. More to come later.

[Estope]

The final cutoff of qualifiers has arrived.

[Estope]

MATCHDAY 10

Cassadaigua 30, Osarius 16
The Fair Republic 23, Hutt River 20 (F/OT)
Free Republics 7, Hamamatsu 38

Group A Standings

   Team                   P  W D  L  For   Ag   +/- Pts
 1 Cassadaigua           10  9 0  1  364  168  +196  27
 2 Osarius               10  5 0  5  280  264   +16  15
 3 The Fair Republic     10  5 0  5  286  279    +7  15
 4 Hutt River            10  4 0  6  220  282   -62  12
 5 Free Republics        10  4 0  6  239  302   -63  12
 6 Hamamatsu             10  3 0  7  202  296   -94   9

The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 41, Vettrera 10
New North Aqmuland 22, Estenia 9
Jeckland 9, Kykid8 12

Group B Standings

   Team                             P  W D  L  For   Ag  +/- Pts
 1 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec     10  7 0  3  279  185  +94  21
 2 New North Aqmuland              10  6 0  4  206  194  +12  18
 3 Estenia                         10  6 0  4  198  206   -8  18
 4 Vettrera                        10  5 0  5  222  254  -32  15
 5 Jeckland                        10  3 0  7  189  226  -37   9
 6 Kykid8                          10  3 0  7  181  210  -29   9

Unolia 19, Taeshan 16
Ati Kaluraya 20, The Royal Barangay 17
The Glorious Commune 13, Zenic 38

Group C Standings

   Team                      P  W D  L  For   Ag   +/- Pts
 1 Taeshan                  10  9 0  1  320  171  +149  27
 2 Ati Kaluraya             10  6 0  4  221  219    +2  18
 3 Unolia                   10  6 0  4  255  234   +21  18
 4 Zenic                    10  4 0  6  223  234   -11  12
 5 The Glorious Commune     10  3 0  7  201  292   -91   9
 6 The Royal Barangay       10  2 0  8  188  258   -70   6

German Zerabithea 22, Allamunnic States 9
Super-Llamaland 44, Mochria 19
Levivania 40, The Tidal Wake 14

Group D Standings

   Team                   P  W D  L  For   Ag  +/- Pts
 1 German Zerabithea     10  9 0  1  242  166  +76  27
 2 Allamunnic States     10  7 0  3  226  194  +32  21
 3 Super-Llamaland       10  4 0  6  272  274   -2  12
 4 Levivania             10  4 0  6  224  231   -7  12
 5 The Tidal Wake        10  4 0  6  181  212  -31  12
 6 Mochria               10  2 0  8  174  242  -68   6

Saintland 30, Estope 24
Anditia 19, New South Aqmuland 23
Quackmybush 21, Macquarrie 20

Group E Standings

   Team                    P  W D  L  For   Ag   +/- Pts
 1 Saintland              10  9 0  1  272  213   +59  27
 2 Anditia                10  6 0  4  286  202   +84  18
 3 New South Aqmuland     10  5 0  5  194  234   -40  15
 4 Estope                 10  4 0  6  292  252   +40  12
 5 Macquarrie             10  4 0  6  220  240   -20  12
 6 Quackmybush            10  2 0  8  159  282  -123   6

Darmen 23, Cosumar 17
New Wolfopolis 20, Hicana 3
Democratic States of Fenbar 20, Darvale 10

Group F Standings

   Team                             P  W D  L  For   Ag   +/- Pts
 1 Darmen                          10  9 0  1  300  167  +133  27
 2 Democratic States of Fenbar     10  6 0  4  203  193   +10  18
 3 Darvale                         10  6 0  4  211  189   +22  18
 4 Cosumar                         10  5 0  5  211  216    -5  15
 5 New Wolfopolis                  10  4 0  6  184  215   -31  12
 6 Hicana                          10  0 0 10  112  241  -129   0

Ko-oren 16, Gregoryisgodistan 13 (F/OT)
San Jose Guayabal 26, Timbermunich 24
Nassau-Hessen 15, Alparia 13

Group G Standings

   Team                   P  W D  L  For   Ag   +/- Pts
 1 Ko-oren               10  9 0  1  342  198  +144  27
 2 Nassau-Hessen         10  6 0  4  202  229   -27  18
 3 Gregoryisgodistan     10  5 0  5  278  206   +72  15
 4 San Jose Guayabal     10  5 0  5  225  238   -13  15
 5 Timbermunich          10  3 0  7  191  266   -75   9
 6 Alparia               10  2 0  8  184  285  -101   6

Equestrian States 15, Karditan 16
HopNation 24, Icatus 16
McKleigh 31, Menukten 14

Group H Standings

   Team                   P  W D  L  For   Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Equestrian States     10  8 0  2  268  192  +76  24
 2 Karditan              10  7 0  3  264  200  +64  21
 3 McKleigh              10  5 0  5  187  240  -53  15
 4 HopNation             10  4 0  6  214  205   +9  12
 5 Menukten              10  4 0  6  216  270  -54  12
 6 Icatus                10  2 0  8  211  253  -42  6

Won Group
Advance on to Playoffs

[Estope]

Playoff Matchups

1. Cassadaigua vs 16. Democratic States of Fenbar
@ Freeport Field

2. Saintland vs 15. Nassau-Hessen
@ Inzer-Bare Stadium

3. German Zeribithea vs 14. New North Aqumuland
@ JP United Park

4. Ko-oren vs 13. Ati Kaluraya
@ Freeport Field

5. Equestrian States vs 12. Anditia
@ Inzer-Bare Stadium

6. The Royal Kingdom of Quebec vs 11. Osarius
@ JP United Park

7. Darmen vs 10. Kariditan
@ Freeport Field

8. Taeshan vs 9. Allamunnic States
@ Inzer-Bare Stadium

[German Zerabithea]

And it's over! The Rams have won the World Bowl! Becoming only the third team ever to have a perfect season!

Gabriel and one of her friends named Jane left as the school bell rang. It was then two guys from her class came forward to them. "Great." Gabriel thought to herself. Never the less she wasn't going to let them ruin her mood. After all those years, her family finally had the fame they had been looking for, at least as far as she was concerned.

"So Gabe." One of the guys said as he jumped in front of the two. "Hows it feel knowing that a Shoemaker can only win it all when they have to share the fame?"

"Hm?" She replied. "What dumb thing are you spewing this time John?"

"Why, that hurt, if I do say so myself." John replied with a laugh. "At any rate, after all those years of messing up, the Rams finally won, but only after bringing that second guy in."

The two guys high fived each other as Gabriel and Jane walked pass them, Gabriel remarking as they left "I don't even care for the sport that much, does it matter how many people play in one position as long as they win?"

The two guys just kept laughing with each other. "Still though, even when he wins, your brother still loses, just like the other one."

Soon the two women turned a corner and Gabriel stopped. "Have they stopped following us?"

"From the looks of it, yes."

Gabriel then punched the near by wall. No matter what, everyone still made fun of her family. Like a stain that refused to go away. And when the year afterwards ended badly, there was no doubt in Gabriel's mind.

She had to make things right.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Saintland]

The score was 24-24. 1 second remained on the clock. Sanctii ball at their own 38. Abraham Nemetorius snapped the ball to King Petrus XX. King Petrus had called a 5-wide formation, out of the shotgun formation. He caught the snap and waited. Graham Wyrick had managed to get by Marcus Nigrius. The King of Saintland rolled out to the left and unleashed a Hail Maria pass, as he was hit by Andrew Gomez and driven into the Royal Park turf. The pass was a perfect spiral, which traveled for just over 65 yards. Matthaeus Epidius leaped, as did Castro Sweeney. Sweeney barely missed getting a hand of the ball, which went into the hands of Epidius. Nikolaos Tillens nailed Epidius in the legs. The blatant hit on a defenseless receiver went uncalled, but it didn't matter. Epidius miraculously held onto the ball and the extra point attempt simply never happened.

Not that long after the exciting conclusion to their final Group Stage game, they would find out that their Round of 16 opponent would be Nassau-Hessen. Nassau-Hessen had managed to make it out of their group with a 6-4 record, but their point differential was negative. They were definitely not on the same level as the Taeshan team that the Saintland National Team had done battle with in the previous World Bowl's Round of 16, but they had made it to the Round of 16 and, in doing so, had performed well above their #54 ranking.

When the King returned to the palace, he immediately called the Royal Health Service. They confirmed that everybody on his roster would be at full strength going into the Round of 16. Now, just 16 teams remained in World Bowl XXIII. More importantly, the next defeat for any of them would end their hopes of winning the World Bowl. For all of his Kingdom's victories in Maple Leaf Bowls and Arena Bowls, King Petrus remembered vividly their repeated failures at this point of international rules tournaments.

First, they had somehow managed to lose to Kriegiersien in the BoI. Then, those cheating Equestrians laid a cheap shot on him because they knew they couldn't win a critical group stage match fairly and he was injured into the next World Bowl. Then, there was the second group stage in Carasatoga, where Francus missed a game-winner. King Petrus XX thought back to the following day and his disastrous performance against Taeshan. Although they had avenged that defeat at World Bowl XXII, that victory was owed almost entirely to the defense. King Petrus thought back to the game against West Guiana. Once again, he had cost his team with poor play. He could not afford a repeat now.

But, before he could leave, King Petrus XX ran into his brother Ioannes. Ioannes, the captain of the Saintland National Basketball Team, would finish out a perfect group stage on the following day. With rumors flying in the Republican press about a Paulusiad, Ioannes wanted to ask his brother directly about that issue.

Prince Ioannes - Petrus, I'm sure you're aware of the "Paulusiad" rumors by now. Is there any basis in fact to them?

King Petrus XX - The recent columns by that "journalist" in the Free Republics were the first I've ever heard of it.

Prince Ioannes - Really?

King Petrus XX - Yes. We haven't been planning any "Paulusiad" at all.

Prince Ioannes - I was hoping that you were. It'd strengthen the case for St. Paulus's Olympic bid, if you decide to go through with it.

King Petrus XX - You make a good point. Did Sister Polus really say that she'd resign if it turned out to be real?

Prince Ioannes - Yes, she did. I couldn't believe it myself when I saw it in the transcript for her video.

King Petrus XX - Well, I'm planning on firing her anyway. She's absolutely inappropriate as the headmistress of a foreign resident school and this "High Inquisitor" nonsense needs to be ended, hopefully without the hardliners throwing a fit about it.

Prince Ioannes - So, are you going to do it?

King Petrus XX - I'm not sure yet, but I will ask the Exploratory Committee to consider the viability of such an event. I will also be ordering the renovation of the Apostolic Arena to go ahead without delay.

Prince Ioannes - I guess we're going to be off, before too long, to our respective playoff tournaments.

King Petrus XX - Yes, we will. Fortunately, the World Cup of Hockey bidding process is not very promising, so Josephus will still be here to watch over the Kingdom until I return.

Prince Ioannes - Next time I see you, I want to see a new trophy in your collection.

King Petrus XX - Same here.

The King of Saintland set out, along with his team, to Estope. His younger brother set out for Cassadaigua. Both of them set out for a common goal, that first major championship that had eluded their Kingdom for so long. Whether they would obtain it, they did not know...

[Anditia]

Anditia enters playoffs with a thud. Face Fire Ponies next.
Val D'Aub- ORODUN, PROTANIC PROVINCE

It was almost as if the qualification for the finals two games ago meant that the team could take a break from any type of action. But since that time, the Anditon Wolves have played more defensively with a weaker offense than we have seen since the benching of QB Marc Barnhardt during the last World Bowl.

"You have to rest your players. Can't get the starts hurt during the game." Coach Nestor Gregori said in the press conference following their recent loss to New South Aqmuland. Sitting his starters is exactly what he did throughout this most recent game only letting Borst and the rest of the starting offense play during their first drive (8 plays for 72 yards leading to a Sherwood Pai TD). On the defensive side of the ball, the majority of starters were pulled at the end of the first quarter.

The wolves will be facing the Equestrian States at Inzer-Bare Stadium in Estope. The winners of the H group (described as Group Hoof) posted a 8-2 record in a relatively weak grouping, still as the 9th ranked team worldwide, they should provide a bit of excitement during the upcoming match. The Fire Ponies combination of mythical creature and human team has proven to be a difficult combination to face in the past forcing opponents to attempt to out speed the gritty team. One of the other items of note about the Fire Ponies is their age - the vast majority of their players are (as they say in the ranch business) are long in the tooth. Look for a slower game with moments of excitement as each team figures out the other.

We expect that the Fire Ponies will most likely beat the Wolves, though it may take an OT to do it:
Anditia 24, Fire Ponies 27

[Estope]

First Round
Democratic States of Fenbar 21, Cassadaigua 60
Nassau-Hessen 17, Saintland 38
New North Aqumuland 40, German Zeribithea 31
Ati Kaluraya 30, Ko-oren 44
Anditia 24, Equestrian States 40
Osarius 24, The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 17
Karditan 16, Darmen 27
Allamunnic States 20, Taeshan 19


Next Round Matchups

Cassadaigua vs Allamunnic States
@ Inzer-Bare Stadium

Saintland vs Darmen
@ JP United Park

New North Aqumuland vs Osarius
@ Freeport Field

Ko-oren vs Equestrian States
@ JP United Park

[Ko-oren]

Into the Quarterfinals! Giddy up!

We have had a high-scoring first round. Sixteen teams traveled to Estope to give it their all... and that's exactly what they did. The best defense (Darmen) still gave up 16 points to Karditan. Cassadaigua is the only surprise with 60 points scored. But can we call them a surprise when they have been doing this well in the group stage as well? As for that other group stage superpower, Taeshan, they have been eliminated 20-19 to Allamunnic States. Meanwhile New North Aqmuland have pulled off the upset of the year against German Zerabithea (thanks for that! We have played them twice in different World Bowls, and we lost both. Not exactly surprising, but still, thanks). Saintland beat Nassau-Hessen, the other team from our group, Equestrian States beat Anditia 40-24. Osarius, scoring 24 points, just like the losing Anditia, but it was actually enough for them as they kept the Royal Kingdom of Quebec to just 17 points. Yes, we have arrived at the point where we call 17 points a small amount. Where have the days gone where shutting out an opponent was common (answer: 3 days ago).

And we avoided naming one team in that paragraph. The Dragonflies are still in with a 44-30 win over Ati Kaluraya. Yes, thirty points allowed. And this is a new record: the team has allowed more than 30 before, obviously, but that always involved a loss. The highest number of points allowed in a win was in 'The Babbage Islands 17–27 Ko-oren' during World Bowl 20. On the other hand, 44 points scored is a lot, but not a record (Ko-oren 46–16 United Warrisons, World Bowl 20, 2 games before the previously mentioned Babbage Islands game).

Ati Kaluraya came from the group of Unolia. They were the lucky team that profited heavily from the first seed's inactivity. They played in the first round in Estope like they played across the multiverse: shotgun offense, three Wide Receivers and one Tight End to block in case that was needed. Quarterback Timple plays a passing game and nothing else. While he does have Running Back Artates (and occasionally Arana) next to him, he only handed it off to the back twice in four quarters.

Ko-oren was forced to play a nickel defense, not a defense they like playing. A 3-4 defense is stretching it, but a 4-3 defense is our/their favorite. Three cornerbacks and two safeties were supposed to handle Ati Kaluraya's four receivers. Ijaklad and Gusard were Back-ed up by Casimiro Carlos, making his debut for the Dragonflies. Instead, Gelkurt Sharnebal was given a day off.

All in all we can say that the defense was forced into a weird position, and they more or less stayed alive. But the staying alive was mostly due to a magnificent offense who made it to 44 points, easily in the top 5 of highest scoring Ko-orenite offenses ever. It is not like the offense did all the work: several interceptions by Timple gave Mengentnau and Sipwanstorm enough opportunities to intercept passes and run them back to the Indios' endzone.

For the Quarterfinals: Saintland faces Darmen in possibly the most promising game next round. Both teams went 9-1, and both left enough gaps in their defense in the Round of 16 for Nassau-Hessen and Karditan to abuse. Guessing from the Round of 16, all games are going to be high-scoring, but this game might be the highest-scoring of all. Then there is Cassadaigua - Allamunnic States: the first ranked team versus the team that was almost rusted into the top 10, but then they surprisingly fell to 11th in the world ranking. The Regulars are already with the final 8, so they should make it back into the top 10. But that is not where they want to stop (or do they? We don't know).

The other two quarterfinals are between New North Aqmuland and Osarius, and Ko-oren and the Equestrian States. People might be confused why the first two made it so far: both are ranked far from the top 8. Actually, both are not from Pot 1. New North Aqmuland is 37th, and easily the biggest surprise of this World Bowl. Osarius is 13th, so the Firebirds are not a weird sight in the final eight. But altogether, both are the lowest ranked teams among the final six. And then there's Ko-oren versus Equestrian States. Both scored over 39 in the Round of 16, both allowed over 23, both kept their number of allowed points in the group stage under 200. Close game. Not just because of the reasons listed, but also because the two are ranked 9th and 10th.

[Saintland]

The opening kickoff of the Round of 16 left the foot of Philippus Francus and landed in the hands of Pete Hawick. Hawick took it out of the end zone and found his way to the 17 yard line. Then, Petrus Roscius nailed him with a hit that knocked the ball loose. Adam Lampronius saw this and scrambled for the ball. Lampronius picked it up and the opportunistic 5th string corner was off to the end zone for a special teams touchdown. This would prove to be symbolic of the entire result of the game.

Now healthy once again, the Saintland National Team reverted to their dominant form from the Casaran and Group stages of World Bowl XXII. With the defense playing at its best again and with a healthy and effective Andreas Tuccius, King Petrus XX didn't need to touch the ball very much on this day. Therefore, he was content to call a more conservative game than usual. That paid off early on, with Andreas Tuccius scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run and with another 1st quarter Sanctii drive resulting in a field goal. The score after a quarter was 17 to nothing.

Early in the second quarter, Raymond Swanson managed to get by the Sanctii zone coverage. The Stlaccius brothers intercommunicated. Both of them thought that the other was supposed to move back to cover Swanson and he was gone by the time Trevor Lampman got him the ball. Nicolaus Lusius responded immediately by taking a kickoff deep into Nassau-Hessen territory before being forced out of bounds by the kicker, Shean Frost, at the 27 yard line. King Petrus XX called the option on the first play of the drive and found a hole. Mere moments later, he was in the end zone. Saintland had a 24 to 7 advantage. Nassau-Hessen would add a long field goal and take a 24 to 10 deficit into the halftime interval.

Nicolaus Lusius got another chance to return a kickoff at the start of the second half. This time, the dangerous Sanctii return man wasn't going to waste the opportunity. Tim Steelgrave over-pursued the returner, moving out of his lane. Lusius simply side-stepped into Steelgrave's lane and was gone. The Kingdom of Saintland now had a 31 to 10 advantage. Most of the 3rd quarter was a stalemate, but toward the end of the quarter, Tuccius burst through the line and managed to get by all 8 men that Nassau-Hessen had placed into the box. After running over Darius Wright, there was nobody left that could catch him. The score was 38 to 10. The majority of the Sanctii starters sat out the 4th quarter. Instead, they sat and watched as their opponents scored a meaningless touchdown to make it 38 to 17. That would prove to be the final score.

With Nassau-Hessen defeated, the Saintland National Team had now advanced to their second consecutive Quarterfinals. Their opponent was Darmen. Twice, those 2 teams had met in World Bowl XXII. Both times, the Sanctii had come out victorious. In fact, had they won their respective quarterfinal matches, both of them would have met again in the semis. Now, one of them will be a World Bowl semi-finalist this time around. The only question remaining was which of them would move on and which would be leaving Estope earlier than they had hoped...

[The Fanboyists]

[OoC: Below is a recap of the Regulars' games since I last properly RP'ed.]

Allamunnic States Daily
World Bowl XXIII Coverage

Regulars batter Mochria
Allamunnae get easy 44-20 win in Thomasburg

Almost nobody expected Mochria to win in Thomasburg, to be sure, but it was still nice seeing a now-humming Allamunnic offense dismantle an opponent in front of the home crowd. Mochria never really threatened the Regulars, adding most of their points on special teams to close the gaps a little bit at a time.

Leif Erikson was quite productive, going 16/23 for 211 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Regulars early in the game to a 23-7 lead by the end of the first half. He was aided by a rushing attack that took care of business, carried by Graagur Baaltrsunn and, to a lesser extent, Daanyl Wyndhorst, who rushed 21 and 12 times for 138 and 71 yards respectively, with Baaltrsunn rushing for three touchdowns to Wyndhorst's one. Ole Nurdsunn took three carries for 13 yards.

Only one of Mochria's scores came on offense, after a long, difficult drive helped by penalty yardage, where they finally punched in a one-yard run midway through the second quarter. The Regulars were already beginning to pull away at that point, and so they successfully converted the two-point attempt to close the gap slightly. Erikson's first touchdown had come fairly early in the first quarter, hitting Braant Skyllur on a 7-yard slant to take the early lead, 7-0. After forcing Mochria to punt, the Regulars had marched down the field at the end of the quarter, with Graagur Baaltrsunn breaking a 12-yard run into the endzone as the second quarter began to extend the lead, 14-0. Mochria's answer came soon after and, trying to regain momentum and close the gap further, attempted an ill-advised onside kick.

Caught unprepared, the Regulars couldn't recover the kick, and Mochria got the ball at their own 49 following a bounce-back. Three successive sacks by Danley Vicious, Steven Lindburgh, and Honorius Waalturs pushed the Mochrians back into their own endzone, with Waalturs' sack taking down their QB in the endzone itself, giving the Regulars a safety, extending their lead to 16-7. The Mochrian defense held stout after the fair punt, with time running down in the half. With only a few seconds left on third-down, the Regulars ran a Hail Mary in the hopes of widening the lead at the half. His protection held solid, and Leif Erikson was able to simply wait for the play to develop before launching the ball 74 yards into the endzone into the waiting arms of Hael Fokkenmaar. The touchdown and PAT gave the Regulars their commanding 23-7 halftime lead.

Mochria returned the third-quarter-opening kickoff for a touchdown, closing the gap somewhat to 23-14. The Regulars worked their way to midfield after taking the next kickoff, handing Daanyl Wyndhorst the ball at the Mochrian 48 yard-line. Wyndhorst broke around the side and turned on the burners, streaking down the field for a 48-yard touchdown run to widen the lead once again to 30-14. Mochria answered on a 38-yard field goal on the following drive, and the Regulars began feeding the ball more to Baaltrsunn in the hopes of running the clock.

Baaltrsunn did not disappoint, grinding out more than 80 yards in the ensuing quarter and a half, punching in touchdown runs of 4 and 2 yards to widen the Regulars' leads to 37-17, then 44-20, the final margin of victory, and solidifying his status to all on-lookers that he was truly the Regulars workhorse back.

The win sends the Regulars into a grudge match in Thomasburg against Levivania, who blew the Regulars out on the road 52-25 during the first half of qualifiers.


Revenge
Regulars slog out 13-3 win over Levivania

On a snowy, windy day in Thomasburg, the Regulars avenged their blowout road loss to Levivania in front of a pissed-off home crowd. A hold on a PAT went bad, but other than that, little went wrong for the Regulars, who controlled possession and suffocated the Levivanians as they worked to a 13-3 victory.

With the weather as awful as it was, the Regulars kept the ball on the ground for most of the game. Consequently, Leif Erikson didn't do much, going 6/11 for 71 yards and an interception. Instead, most of the Regulars' offensive production came from Graagur Baaltrsunn and Daanyl Wyndhorst as usual, with Baaltrsunn rushing 20 times for 101 yards and a touchdown, and Wyndhorst rushing 12 times for 63 yards. Ole Nurdsunn rushed 14 times for 62 yards and a touchdown.

The differences between the two teams came on defense. Levivania had no answer for Baaltrsunn's battering-ram approach to their defense. He averaged 5 yards per carry, never taking a loss and giving the Regulars a touchdown in the early second quarter as he ran over two linebackers on an 8-yard run into the endzone. The Regulars' other touchdown came on a similarly-physical 2-yard dive by Ole Nurdsunn, who got the nod in the late third quarter on short yardage situations while Baaltrsunn took a breather. Daanyl Wyndhorst's contributions were less-frequent longer runs, while Leif Erikson was mostly called on on third-downs, hitting Goedwyn Braanur and Garrett Kelley for conversions.

The Regulars defense forced three turnovers out of Levivania, two fumbles and an interception, to kill their few promising drives. Jarrett Jackson caught the misaimed lob toward the endzone, running it back to the Allamunnic 26. The two fumbles were forced by Waldr Baersvylk and Maarkus Staalhelm, recovered by Kyl Waalturs and Henrik Baaldr respectively, both times in Allamunnic territory. Leif Erikson's lone interception came on a pass that squirted from Braanur's frozen fingers and bounced into the waiting arms of a Levivanian safety, who Braanur promptly flattened.

The win gives the Regulars still more momentum going into a road contest against German Zerabithea for the group title. If the Regulars can win by three points or more, they can steal the group from the Rams.


Just Shy
Late interception ends another instant classic with German Zerabithea

The Rams of German Zerabithea stifled the run as the Regulars' bid for a road upset fell short, relying on the arm of Leif Erikson to carry the offense while the teams traded field goals and punts for most of the day.

The only touchdown of the game came when Garrett Momson snagged an interception off of Erikson's end-of-game endzone heave to Jana Graelunn. The diminutive Graelunn got victimized by the larger cornerback, who grabbed the pass, picked up a block, and ran it back to the Allamunnic endzone to put the game out of reach, 22-9, after it had been 15-9 for the entire fourth quarter.

Erikson pulled most of the Regulars' offensive weight, going 14/23 for 209 yards and an interception. Graagur Baaltrsunn rushed 16 times for 67 yards and lost a fumble, while Daanyl Wyndhorst rushed 12 times for another 50 yards. Ole Nurdsunn rushed three times for 10 yards. All of the Regulars' scoring ended up coming from Justin Connors, who knocked in two chip-shots of 19 and 26 yards (after stout German Zerabithean defense held the Regulars out of the endzone) and one longer field goal of 44 yards. Connors also had another attempt, from 22 yards out, blocked after his protection broke down.

The Regulars' defense came up with the necessary plays, also keeping the Rams' offense out of the endzone. Robert Shoemaker had a pass batted up by Maarkus Staalhelm that was snagged by a diving Belle Marquette, and another snatched out of the air by Erik Dahlhorst, leaving the teams with an even turnover differential with one interception a piece. Neither team had too much trouble moving the ball outside of the redzone

It was clear the game was an even match, with the final margin of victory only coming in the closing moments on a big play by the German Zerabithean defense on a day when the defenses made their presences felt. The loss drops the Regulars to 7-3 and the Rams to 9-1, giving German Zerabithea the Group D championship and leaving the Regulars with a lower seed going into the playoffs as runners-up.

The Regulars will face Taeshan in the first round.


It's Good!
Connors' field-goal as time expires gives Regulars a playoff win

It was a tall order, going up against a team that some had pegged as a favorite to win the World Bowl completely, but it was one that the Regulars were up to, the #9 seeded Allamunnae going up against the #8 seeded Taeshan and escaping with a win on Justin Connors' 59-yard field goal. The game in Estope saw both good offense and good defensive play by both teams, and the final margin of victory was a single point after a back-and-forth day. Leif Erikson finished 15/20 for 175 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, while Graagur Baaltrsunn rushed 14 times for 62 yards and Daanyl Wyndhorst rushed 14 times for 136 yards, including his huge 91-yard touchdown run. Ole Nurdsunn rushed three times for 12 yards.

The Fitin' Falcons received the opening kickoff after winning the coin-toss, opting for early momentum. A solid return put them in good field-position, but solid defensive play by the Allamunnae meant that they could not fully capitalize. After a long drive, they were forced to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Ryan Yorke to take the early 3-0 lead.

Taeshan's defense played even better when the Regulars tried to answer, as Leif Erikson and the running backs couldn't get anything going, instead going three-and-out before letting Wayne Scott boot away the punt. The Falcons returned the punt for decent field position and put together another drive. This one did not go quite as far, but it ended the same as their last in the second-to-last minute of the first quarter, with a 31-yard field goal to widen their lead to 6-0.

The next kickoff saw Jana Graelunn drop the ball and scoop it up, with the damage to her return being done; she was pinned at the 9 yard-line, giving the Regulars less-than-optimal field position. Not that it ended up mattering. Erikson handed the ball to Daanyl Wyndhorst, who promptly ripped off a huge run, breaking two tackles in the box before breaking away, 91 yards for the touchdown. Connors' PAT gave the Regulars the lead, 7-6 as the first quarter ended.

The next two drives were non-starters, as both teams went three-and-out, trading punts before Taeshan finally put together a longer drive. This time, they drove down to the Regulars' 21 yard-line before being forced to settle for another field-goal (Yorke's 38-yarder), taking back the lead, 9-7.

The Regulars answered right back, driving down the field on their next possession, with Baaltrsunn breaking a 12-yard run that put them down at the Taeshan 12 yard-line. The Falcons' defense held tight, though, and nothing could get past that, forcing the Regulars to settle for Justin Connors' 29-yard field goal to take another one-point lead. It would not last long, though, as the Falcons drove right back, with Yorke knocking in a fourth field goal as time in the first half expired to give the Fitin' Falcons a 12-10 lead.

The Regulars received the kick that started the second half, but they weren't able to do anything with it, apart from Leif Erikson tossing an interception into the waiting arms of Mathew Hainesworth after he tried to force the pass to Goedwyn Braanur. Hainesworth got basically nothing on the return, but the Falcons were able to drive down the field, with Oliver Landis punching in a 3-yard touchdown that widened Taeshan's lead to 19-10.

The next two possessions would be exercises in punting, but on the Regulars next drive after that, they managed to slowly work their way down the field, with Erikson, Baaltrsunn, and Wyndhorst chipping away at the Taeshani defense. Erikson rolled out to the right at the Taeshan 15 yard-line and found Edryk Waalturs in the endzone to close the gap, 19-17 after Connors' PAT with only a little time left in the third quarter.

The next Taeshan drive ended in a punt, as did the next Allamunnic possession, as the defenses played hard and fast and did not allow their opponents to get much going. On the next drive, Jeremy Dramona wobbled a bad pass into the arms of a blitzing Danley Vicious, but the Regulars could not capitalize and had to punt the ball away. As time ticked away, the Falcons seemed like they might pull out the close win, if they could just keep the Regulars out of scoring range.

The Regulars, sure enough, mounted a long drive that stalled out around midfield; the Regulars managed to push as far as Taeshan's 42 while the time slipped below 30 seconds, but they couldn't push further than that. On third down, with only a few seconds left, Baeryk Vaalburger called for the time out, giving the kicking team time to get on the field. Connors would attempt the 59-yard field goal, the longest attempt he'd had during the World Bowl XXIII cycle. But, as Vaalburger said after the game, the playoffs are when teams pull out all the stops, so it was not exactly a huge surprise to see them attempt it.

Grady Swann nearly put a hand on the kick as Connors' kick-protection faltered, and while it was immediately clear he was on-target, it was less clear if he would have the necessary range, off-balance as the kick was. The stadium waited with bated breath as they watched the ball fly, then slip only a foot over the bottom of the field goal, good by a mere 11 inches. The blue-and-grey section of the stadium erupted in frenzied cheers, as did the Regulars' sideline, as the scoreboard reflected a change in lead, with the Allamunnae leading, 20-19.

One second remained on the clock, meaning there was still time for a last kick-off. Adam Waraner was back to take the return, and as Connors' kick settled in his arms, he took off down the sideline, picking up blocks. He only had two people left to beat as the Taeshani section began cheering wildly: Justin Connors himself, and a young linebacker, Baeryk Skarrsunn. Of the two, he only noticed Connors as he veered inside to avoid the kicker, not noticing until it was too late the linebacker hurtling toward him. The whole stadium could hear the resulting hit, clean as could be, as Skarrsunn flattened Waraner and the ball shot out of his hands like a wet bar of soap. Connors dove on the ball as players piled onto him, and possession was in doubt as the whistle was blown.

Of course, possession did not matter: time had expired. The Regulars had won a nail-biter.

So what was the Allamunnae's reward for pulling out the upset? A rematch from World Bowl XXII. For the second year in a row, the Regulars would face the now-defending-champion Cassadaigua in the quarterfinals. The Fillies of Cassadaigua blew out the Democratic States of Fenbar to the tune of 60-21 in their Round of Sixteen match, a result that does not exactly have analysts feeling positive about the Regulars' chances.

But head coach Baeryk Vaalburger seemed pleased with the match-up. "Absolutely, we're thrilled that we get another crack at them. Even if they weren't our favorite team to play, you always want rematches against champions. Especially when they beat you en route to their championship. They're a great team, but after we lost last year and they went on their run, we couldn't help but look at them and say 'that could have been us.' Well, we have another chance at that now."

Honorius Waalturs elaborated further after the game. "It's more than just a rematch. A win would put us into the semifinals once again, with another chance to go to the finals. I think I'm speaking for the whole team here when I say we're chasing history. We want to be the first to four."

The question is how the Regulars plan to beat the Fillies.

"Honestly, it all comes down to execution," Graagur Baaltrsunn told reporters. "As long a history as we have with them, there's not exactly loads of surprises when we play each other at this point. Sure, both teams try and throw in some wrinkles, but it ultimately comes down to just playing the better game that day than them. We feel like it's a pretty even match that can go either way. It just comes down, as do most games, to who executes their game plan better that day."

If, somehow, the Regulars get past the heavily-favored Fillies, they might find themselves favorites to win, as Waalturs said, that historic fourth championship. But only if they do not look past a team that can reasonably claim to be the best in the world.

[Estope]

Quarterfinals

Allamunnic States 16, Cassadaigua 12
Darmen 25, Saintland 46
New North Aqumuland 25, Osarius 16
Equestrian States 9, Ko-oren 21

Next Round Matchups

Allamunnic States vs Ko-oren
@ Freeport Field

Saintland vs New North Aqumuland
@ Inzer-Bare Stadium

[Ko-oren]

World Bowl Semifinal: Allamunnic States - Ko-oren

We are where we never thought we would end up: the semifinals. And our next opponent is one we have played twice before. The Allamunnic States, with a coaching staff the size of our entire roster. This goes to show: even at this level, there are well-prepared teams (Ko-oren) and well-prepared teams.

That coaching staff did not help them in history. That said, the Allamunnae have won the World Bowl three times before, but not if we have anything to say about it. It is always dangerous to talk about this, but the history of the Allamunnic States - Ko-oren game is a gem - especially for us. Let me take you back to World Bowl 21: when we were in Pot eight out of eight, the ponies in Karditan were in charge of running the tournament, and where Ko-oren did not qualify at all. But we got to the second group stage. Against West Guiana, West Angola and West Allamunnic States. After losing the first two games without even standing a chance, we achieved a 0-0 with tomorrow's opponent. A rare score, but we have done it - and we won 14-7 in overtime.

Now to World Bowl 22. We had made a huge jump in the rankings, from pot 8 to pot three out of six. It was held in Carasatoga, and for the first time in history, the Dragonflies got to the host nation. But first, the second group stage. Where the Greenblues won - 14-7.

If history has anything to say about it, we will win 14-7. What a riot it would be... a bit like Ko-oren - Saugeais in baseball: we have won every single game between the two nations, even though every single game has been an upset. But now we are ranked above the Regulars. And this World Bowl is not exactly devoid of upsets - New North Aqmuland in the semifinals, anyone? But with two teams so close together as Ko-oren and the Allamunnic States, what would be the upset?

As for last game: it was a miracle there were even 30 points scored. As we have proven, the Greenblues are capable of finishing a game 0-0, and with two teams as defensive as ours and the Equestrian States', a 0-0 would not be out of the question. But 9-21 nevertheless. And it was a fight - one that seemed to be determined by ponies kicking really far. Three field goals for the Equestrian States, as our defensive coach knew perfectly well to field a 4-3 defense against the opponent's excellent running game (Bekwylgi-Arthur-Leonaumatra-Henri in the box, and Sharnebal-Sung-Aubin in secondary). That has been the second time our defense has saved us a game - but like the Equestrian States, the defense is the pillar under our success. Our 21 points come from an element of surprise: the Fire Ponies are well equipped against running and passing. Lateral passes and last-minute changes to the plan by Denes Ploraon himself were the direct cause for 16 out of 21 points (two touchdowns, including two-points conversions. The remaining points are a safety and a field goal).

The Tidal Wake 19, Allamunnic States 30      Timbermunich 16, Ko-oren 50
Allamunnic States 19, Super-Llamaland 17     Ko-oren 26, Alparia 17
Allamunnic States 9, Mochria 7               Nassau-Hessen 9, Ko-oren 35
Levivania 52, Allamunnic States 25           Ko-oren 36, San Jose Guayabal 23
Allamunnic States 19, German Zerabithea 25   Gregoryisgodistan 30, Ko-oren 31
Allamunnic States 14, The Tidal Wake 3       Ko-oren 51, Timbermunich 9
Super-Llamaland 26, Allamunnic States 44     Alparia 34, Ko-oren 17
Mochria 20, Allamunnic States 44             Ko-oren 40, Nassau-Hessen 13
Allamunnic States 13, Levivania 3            San Jose Guayabal 34, Ko-oren 40
German Zerabithea 22, Allamunnic States 9    Ko-oren 16, Gregoryisgodistan 13 (F/OT)

Allamunnic States 20, Taeshan 19             Ati Kaluraya 30, Ko-oren 44

Allamunnic States 16, Cassadaigua 12         Equestrian States 9, Ko-oren 21

[Saintland]

While the final scoreline between Saintland and Darmen in the Quarterfinals of World Bowl XXIII appeared to be lopsided, in fact both national teams scored on exactly 7 offensive drives. There were no turnovers and no special teams touchdowns. Both teams had similar yardage totals. It had been, for all intents and purposes, an even game. But, the Darmeni defense managed just a single red zone stop on the day while the Sanctii defense denied Darmeni touchdowns on 6 occasions.

Getting the ball first for his team, King Petrus XX set the tone for the game with a methodical drive. With Darmen's defenses being notoriously unorthodox, the King of Saintland decided to use the no huddle offense to throw them off. Calling out plays at the line, he adjusted his playcalling to whatever the defense called. When they came out in a 3-3-5, he called running plays. When they came out in the 4-4 or the 5-2, he went with the pass. When they came out with the 46, he used a variety of methods to counter the blitz. Those included screen passes, quick slants and even max protection schemes to set up long passes downfield. Whatever he did, Darmen just didn't have an answer for it.

The opening drive of the game would conclude with King Petrus XX scoring on a 1-yard QB sneak. Afterwards, he decided to make a statement by going for a 2 point conversion. This time, they huddled and he called a Tuccius run up the middle. However, when Darmen came out in a 4-4, he yelled out "Sanctum 7, Sanctum 7," which was the codeword for an audible to a pass play. Ioannes Lusius went into motion, switching from the right side of the field to the left side. While he was still in motion, Abraham Nemetorius snapped the ball and King Petrus XX found Lusius on a screen. The defense was caught off-guard long enough for him to make up the 4 yards he needed to convert. Saintland led 8 to nothing.

On their opening drive, Darmen was able to get a series of first downs, a feat that is normally difficult against the Sanctii defense, when it is at full strength. This time, their excessive aggressiveness proved to be their undoing on several third downs. Darmen used play action and draw plays perfectly, out of their offense that was very light on wide receivers. However, at the goal line, the Sanctii defense stood tall. Georgius Didius and Matthaeius Publicius stopped Mikaere Charmchi for little or no gain on consecutive plays. This was followed by a Marcus Stlaccius sack of Arastoo Yi. Chander Kaur came out and kicked a field goal to cut Darmen's deficit to a margin of 8 to 3.

The ensuing Sanctii drive was really just a big play by Ioannes Lusius. King Petrus decided to bring out the reverse. The defense was caught unaware. It had been a long time since the Kingdom of Saintland had used that play. Lusius found plenty of daylight, but would be caught from behind by Arata Patil deep in Darmeni territory. 2 plays later, it was 3rd and 1 at the Darmeni 12. King Petrus handed the ball off to Andreas Tuccius. However, Yuki Iyer breached the Sanctii offensive line and brought Tuccius down in the backfield. This brought out Francus and a Sanctii field goal put them up 11 to 3.

The next Darmeni drive resulted in another field goal. That would be followed, after several drives that went nowhere for either team, by a quick 5 play drive where the King of Saintland aggressively attacked the opposing defense. The drive would be capped by a 3-yard touchdown pass to Paulus Favonius. Francus added the extra point and the margin was now 18 to 6 and the game was now into the second quarter. Another field goal, after a lengthy drive, put Darmen within 9. A methodical Sanctii drive that lasted into the final minute of the first half ended with an Andreas Tuccius touchdown run from 5 yards out. While Darmen would try to score before the half, they could only get the ball just into Sanctii territory and Chander Kaur missed a 64-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. The score at halftime was 25 to 9, in favor of Saintland.

When they got the ball to start the second half, Darmen needed a score and quickly to prevent this game from turning into a rout. They managed to get into the Sanctii red zone once again, but an Andreas Cammius sack brought their kicker out, yet again to add 3 more. The response from the Sanctii offense was predictable. King Petrus XX came out attacking, determined to put this one away. When he finished off the drive by finding Lucius Herius from 18 yards out, an extra point was all that was needed to give the Saintland National Gridiron Team a 20 point advantage. Darmen would manage to add another field goal in the third quarter, but a 47-yard touchdown pass from King Petrus XX to Thomas Lusius put the Sanctii up 39 to 15. When Darmen kicked another field goal to make it 39 to 18, the King of Saintland decided that he would only keep his strongest offensive players on the field for 1 more drive. Of course, that drive resulted in a Petrus Maximius touchdown run from 24 yards out. Darmen would finally manage to score a touchdown and cut the margin to 46-25, but it was too little, too late.

Once the game was over, King Petrus XX looked at the other scores. Cassadaigua had been defeated by the Allamunnic States, which he hadn't expected. However, the most surprising result was New North Aqmuland's victory against Osarius. New North Aqmuland had not even made it to the World Bowl XXII Group Stage, yet they were now a World Bowl XXIII semifinalist. This was a team that had barely even made it into the Round of 16, having to beat out Estenia on the final day of the Group Stage to finish second in their group. They had gone 6-4 in the group stage and not a particularly impressive 6-4 at that, but they had somehow managed to upset both German Zerabithea and Osarius. Upon entering the locker room, he informed his team that they were facing New North Aqmuland and emphasized that they were to spend much of the night in his hotel room, watching both recent New North Aqmuland games on Sanctustube. Using the Remote Broadcast feature for his SaintPhone, they would watch the games off of the hotel room TV and look carefully for tendencies and any possible weaknesses that they could exploit in the surprise semi-finalists. While they generally knew what to expect from all of the World Bowl powers and already knew what their plan of attack would be against them, not a single man on the Saintland National Gridiron Team had ever so much as watched a New North Aqmuland game before. That would have to change and quickly, if they wanted to make it to the World Bowl XXIII final.

[The Fanboyists]

Allamunnic States Daily
World Bowl XXIII Coverage

Regulars scrape past Fillies
Erikson leads upset of #1-seeded Cassadaigua

It was a battle of field goals for much of the day as the Regulars and Fillies tried everything they could to break through, only to be stifled by one another's stout defenses. The lead changed back and forth, and it was anyone's guess how the chess match between Baeryk Vaalburger and Kaitlyn Rinaldi would end.

The break through eventually came courtesy of Leif Erikson, who tossed the game's only touchdown mid-way through the fourth quarter to provide the final margin of victory only minutes after Cassadaigua had taken a 12-9 lead on a field goal. Although Erikson did not provide all of the Regulars' offense, he had the most success against a defense that seemed mostly keyed to stopping the run that day, finishing 16/22 for 224 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions. By contrast, Graagur Baaltrsunn ran 14 times for 60 yards, Daanyl Wyndhorst ran another 14 times for 65 yards, and Ole Nurdsunn ran six times for 20 yards.

In fact, the only turnover on the day was a strip-sack by Honorius Waalturs of Jessica Minor in the second quarter, resulting in a drive that yielded the Regulars' tying field goal before the half. Minor actually, apart from the strip-sack, had a fairly good, if pedestrian, day, going 20/28 for 241 yards, while Crystal Amodeo got 17 carries for 61 yards and Stacie Meehan saw another 12 rushes for 46 yards as the Allamunnic front-seven worked to pressure Minor and stuff the run.

Strong special teams play by the Fillies meant that Jana Graelunn never got anything in particular going on any of her five punt returns, and Heather Sullivan was similarly challenged on her returns, and most of Justin Connors and Adrienne Morales' field goals came from within 37 yards (one of Morales' field goals was a 41-yarder, the longest of the game). Both punters also saw a lot of work, with Wayne Scott booting six punts and Alyssa Dillon had five punts.

The difference-maker was ultimately Erikson, hitting Hael Fokkenmaar on a 14-yard throw into the back of the endzone, giving the Regulars the win over the vastly-favored Dagans. As usual, the Allamunnae and Cassadagans parted on good terms, with a new coach in blue-and-grey breaking in his chapter in the rivalry while the players mingled and chatted after the game, cordial even for friendly rivals.

"They played a tremendous game against us," head coach Baeryk Vaalburger said after the game. "They gave us everything they had, and it was almost too much for us to handle. Big credit for Leif [Erikson] and Hael [Fokkenmaar] for coming up with that game-winning play, because that was the only thing that pushed us over the top."

Erikson praised the Dagans secondary, especially. "If the line hadn't been giving me all that time, I would not have had time to find the safer throws this time around," he said. "If you've never tried to slip one past Shannon Jackson, I assure you, she is easily the best corner I ever have to throw against. And the new free safety, #29 [Courtney Morrison]... I had to find her before every play, because she nearly grabbed one of my passes early on. She was flying everywhere."

The win puts the Regulars into the semifinals against 4th-seeded Ko-oren, a team that has historically given them a lot of trouble. The two teams famously played a game that went into overtime with a score of 0-0, which the Regulars eventually lost in the unorthodox overtime, 14-7. The teams' only other match-up, the Regulars also lost 14-7, without the benefit of at least facing overtime.

This year, however, the usually-defensive Dragonflies have been scoring big in their playoff games while giving up points, an odd contrast to the Regulars who have pulled out close wins in both of their playoff games so far.

"We're just going to do what works," Vaalburger said. "As you saw here, when the run did not work against Cassadaigua, we trusted Leif to carry us, and he did not disappoint. So we'll do what we need offensively, and we'll trust the defense to play clutch as they have been throughout the playoffs."

The offense in particular seemed anxious to get revenge on the Dragonflies. The perception in the Regulars' two losses against Ko-oren is that the offense fell short after a strong defensive effort kept them in the game. Graagur Baaltrsunn and Daanyl Wyndhorst in particular seem anxious to change the narrative.

"Last time we went against them," Wyndhorst said, "they kept us from getting anything going. We really want to change that, to put them on the defensive and take the fight to them."

Jethro Myers also seemed to have something to settle with the Dragonflies. "It's rare for us to have never beaten an opponent, and it has been hanging over us for years. We're going to throw everything we have at them and try and change that."

The Regulars and Dragonflies will face off tonight at Freeport Field in Estope.

Scoring Summary

Quarter I
> 10:13 - J. Connors 35-yard FG - ALS 3 - 0 CSD
> 7:35 - A. Morales 32-yard FG - ALS 3 - 3 CSD

Quarter II
> 12:58 - A. Morales 24-yard FG - CSD 6 - 3 ALS
> 2:14 - J. Connors 18-yard FG - CSD 6 - 6 ALS

Quarter III
> 13:21 - J. Connors 27-yard FG - ALS 9 - 6 CSD
> 5:30 - A. Morales 30-yard FG - ALS 9 - 9 CSD

Quarter IV
> 10:19 - A. Morales 31-yard FG - CSD 12 - 9 ALS
> 7:07 - L. Erikson to H. Fokkenmaar 14yd TD pass, Connors PAT - ALS 16 - 12 CSD

[Estope]

Semifinals

Ko-oren 9, Allamunnic States 12
New North Aqumuland 29, Saintland 30

Championship Game

Allamunnic States vs Saintland
@ Inzer-Bare Stadium

Third Place Game

Ko-oren vs New North Aqumuland
@ JP United Park

[The Fanboyists]

Allamunnic States Daily
World Bowl XXIII Coverage

Five for Finals
Connors boots four to defeat Ko-oren

The Allamunnae and Ko-orenites played another defensive classic in what may be a growing rivalry, with neither team able to find the endzone, instead trading field goals throughout the match. Instead, the difference maker ended up being Justin Connors' early fourth-quarter field goal and the good work of Graagur Baaltrsunn and Ole Nurdsunn running the ball and the clock as the game wound down.

The Regulars won the coin toss and elected to take the opening kickoff, but the drive sputtered out quickly, ending in one of the many, many punts that would follow throughout the game. The Dragonflies could not get anything going, either, and neither of the teams' following drives amounted to anything, either. Neither team found themselves suffering three-and-outs, but neither team managed to move the ball into scoring range for the duration of the first quarter.

The Allamunnic offense got the ball near the end of that quarter, and drove slowly down the field, relying mostly on Graagur Baaltrsunn and Daanyl Wyndhorst, although Wyndhorst went down at the Ko-orenite 34 yard line after a jarring hit. Wyndhorst did not return, although it was announced that he would be able to play in the championship game. Instead, Baaltrsunn and Nurdsunn pushed the ball up to the Ko-orenite five, before a defensive stand forced the Regulars to settle for a 22-yard Justin Connors field goal to take an early lead, 3-0.

The Greenblues managed a long drive of their own in answer, although this one did not quite get them into scoring range after starting at their own 20 off of Connors' touchback. The teams would trade punts before Stark Hergurin would boot a 28-yarder late in the half, tying the game up. Another trade of punts, and the teams went into halftime tied at three points a piece.

As the third quarter began, the Ko-orenites nearly scored a touchdown on the opening kickoff. Due to a block-in-the-back, the play was called back, and instead they began with good field position. They nearly took the ball down the field to score anyway, but an attempted touchdown run by Kevin Jonsson ended in a fumble after Maarkus Staalhelm tackled him in particularly violent, if legal, fashion. The ball was recovered by Jarrett Jackson, who took a knee in the endzone to get the ball to the Regulars at their own 20. The ensuing drive took a lot of time, with Nurdsunn and Baaltrsunn again doing most of the work to get the Regulars to the Dragonflies' 16 before sputtering out. Sure enough, they gave Connors the call again, knocking in the 33-yarder to retake the lead, 6-3.

Ko-oren would take a long drive of their own to answer, eating several minutes and 68 yards before a redzone stand by the Allamunnic defense saw them settle for Hergurin's 21-yarder to tie the game once again at 6-6. The teams' next two drives bore only punts and lost time before Jana Graelunn ripped off a huge return, getting the Regulars to the Dragonflies' 34. The drive only pushed a little further from there, with the Allamunnae taking the lead (again) on Connors' 27-yard field goal, 9-6.

As the fourth quarter opened, Ko-oren was driving once again, this time nearly reaching the Allamunnic endzone. Unfortunately for the Greenblues, the drive ended when Denes Ploraon's pass was snatched out of the air by John Tanner, who took a knee to once again give the Regulars the ball. A few big runs from Baaltrsunn later, and the Regulars had returned to Ko-orenite territory, where the drive once again stalled, forcing them to settle for Connors' fourth field goal of the day, a 32-yarder that gave the Allamunnae a 12-6 lead.

Ko-oren would give one last good drive, pushing down the field to get Hergurin in range for a 25-yarder to close the gap again to 12-9, but Loren Sult recovered the on-side kick attempt, giving Baaltrsunn and Nurdsunn the opportunity to pound the ball and run out the clock, giving the Regulars a win that would send them to their fifth World Bowl Finals berth against an opponent that was yet to be determined at the time the game finished (now confirmed to be Saintland, who pulled out a 30-29 win over World Bowl XXIII Cinderellas New North Aqumuland).

Leif Erikson was asked to do very little only a week after carrying the offense against Cassadaigua, going only 10/16 for 122 yards. Daanyl Wyndhorst only saw four rushes before he left the game with a leg injury, gaining 10 yards on those carries. Most of the Regulars' offensive load was carried by Graagur Baaltrsunn (19 rushes, 103 yards) and Ole Nurdsunn (16 rushes, 81 yards), who played an especially large role in running the clock out to end the game and seal the Allamunnic victory. Especially notable was Baaltrsunn's 103 yards pushing him over the 1,200 yard-mark for the World Bowl campaign, an impressive mark, especially for a back sharing carries with two other players. Also notable is that just 44 yards will be enough to give Daanyl Wyndhorst 1,000 total rushing yards in the campaign, an equally-impressive feat as he has found himself relegated to a more supporting role to Baaltrsunn.

Ko-oren will have to settle for a third-place game against New North Aqumuland while living with the knowledge that their winning streak over the Regulars is over, at least for now, while the Allamunnae will play in their fifth finals appearance for a shot at an unprecedented fourth championship.

The competition will be stiff, of course. King Petrus XX of Saintland leads a dynamic, versatile offense for one of the world's rising gridiron powers (who notably hosted World Bowl XXII). The Sanctii are looking to win their first championship, one considered long overdue both in their own country and by many pundits abroad, especially given their quarterfinals exit against New West Guiana in the Sanctii-hosted World Bowl XXII.

Beyond the clash between old powers and new, the finals will see a definite clash of two different styles, of teams with two fundamentally-different philosophies. Representing the aforementioned old guard, the Regulars of the Allamunnic States, in blue and grey, a team that, even at its most experimental, is been a defensive, smash-mouth team at its core, and highly organized with a well-developed coaching staff. Contrasted with the upstart Sanctii (if "upstart" can really be used to describe one of the teams considered among the best in the world), in red and white, with an explosive, versatile offense and a defense that has, frankly, generally failed-to-impress, and with no (listed) coaches beyond quarterback and team captain King Petrus XX.

What it should mean for fans, though, is a spectacular match between two teams at the height of their respective games, an often juggernaut-like Sanctii squad against a scrappy Regulars team that got hot in the playoffs. No matter who one's favorite team is, the championship game of World Bowl XXIII will be one for the ages, one for gridiron lovers everywhere.

Scoring Summary:

Quarter I
No Scoring

Quarter II
> 14:41 - J. Connors 22yd FG - ALS 3 - 0 KON
> 8:27 - S. Hergurin 28yd FG - ALS 3 - 3 KON

Quarter III
> 11:03 - J. Connors 33yd FG - ALS 6 - 3 KON
> 6:44 - S. Hergurin 21yd FG - ALS 6 - 6 KON
> 0:38 - J. Connors 27yd FG - ALS 9 - 6 KON

Quarter IV
> 12:51 - J. Connors 32yd FG - ALS 12 - 6 KON
> 2:05 - S. Hergurin 25yd FG - ALS 12 - 9 KON


Overview: Keys to Victory in the Final

As has been previously-mentioned, the Championship match for World Bowl XXIII will pit two very different teams against one another. The most obvious differences are in the strategies employed by the two squads, but they run deeper, to organizational philosophies and national temperaments and even player dynamics. In this article, we'll compare and contrast the two teams, and then highlight what each team needs to do well to win.

Offensive Philosophy

It is well-established that the Sanctii's aggressive philosophy is most salient to their opponents in the way they run their offense. It does not matter how they have to go; with stable of dangerous running backs and a quarterback with plenty of mobility, they can certainly move the ball on the ground if they so choose. Add that to King Petrus XX's passing abilities, and what you have is an offense that goes for the big play at all times and can hurt opponents however they choose, either with a variety of ball-carriers or throwing to an explosive group of pass-catchers.

Nobody will accuse the Regulars of being an especially explosive offense. Sure, at their best, Leif Erikson is a master of the deep ball and hitting receivers in stride, but Erikson's role in the offense means he rarely gets to be more than the guy who picks up the slack on third-and-long. Statistically, he's a pretty average signal caller who most defenses do not fear, even if, watching the game tape, maybe they should. But the main power of the Regulars' ball-control, smashmouth offense comes from workhorse tailback Graagur Baaltrsunn and explosive tailback Daanyl Wyndhorst and a big, physical offensive line.

While the Sanctii's philosophy is to always go for the big play, the Regulars' is to impose their will on the opponent through superior strength and technique.

Defensive Philosophy

The Saintlanders are as aggressive on the defensive side of the ball as they are on the offensive side, going for the big play over the safe play. The Regulars should expect to see roving, playmaking safeties and a lot of blitzes and pressure, especially from Georgius Didius, who seems to be the unit's leader in a signal-calling sense as well as a play-making sense. The Allamunnic offensive line is likely to have its hands full dealing with the aggressive front seven, especially the three large defensive linemen (all, functionally, defensive tackles).

Contrast that with the Allamunnae's flexible, safer defense. The only thing that might be called a particular weakness is in the secondary, but even there, it lays in the fact that the entire defense is based at its core on good tackling and defensive fundamentals. The Allamunnic front seven is as large and physical as any in the world, and is likely pound-for-pound stronger. Steven Lindburgh, an interior linebacker, is the unit's on-field leader, but the unit is perhaps best personified by strongside linebacker Maarkus Staalhelm, a large, powerful, and somewhat violent defender who has slowly made a name for himself with his bone-crunching tackles.

But even if Staalhelm personifies Allamunnic defense, the unit's heart and soul is aging defensive end Honorius Waalturs, who announced that the championship match would be his last game in pads. Waalturs, long under-sized, has, over his career, been one of the premier defensive ends in the world, strong enough to play a 3-4 end despite his slightly-smaller stature, and with a relentless motor that he has used to terrorize quarterbacks since World Bowl IX.

National Temperaments

The difference in attitudes is readily apparent from the breakdowns in offense and defense for both teams: the Sanctii are aggressive, proud players of a technique and skill-based style, coming first from superior athleticism. The Allamunnae, by contrast, are, at their core, a physical, smashmouth team reliant on playing stronger and more physically than their opponents. Sometimes, there might be players stronger than the Allamunnae, nastier and more physical, but pound-for-pound, player for player, the Regulars have consistently been the best in this department for the last decade.

Keys to Allamunnic Victory

The staff here have compiled a few keys that the Regulars need to follow if they want to come out on top against a team as dangerous as the Sanctii.

The first is to get the line established quickly. Ultimately, whether they rush or pass, the Regulars' offense flows through the line, either providing the key blocks for Wyndhorst and Baaltrsunn, or giving Erikson the time to read the defense and allow the play to develop. If the Regulars' offense is successful, it will be because the offensive line did its job.

The second is to play it safe in the secondary. Belle Marquette in particular is noted as a boom-or-bust player, liable to either make or surrender big plays. The Regulars need to move her to free safety (UPDATE: Jethro Myers announced in a press conference that Marquette would play free safety and Erik Dahlhorst would temporarily play cornerback) where her ball-hawking skills can be at their best, while a more solid, lock-down corner covers Saintland's explosive receivers.

The third is for the front seven to play loose. Expectation is that Honorius Waalturs will be playing the best game in his life, given his announcement, hoping to leave it all on the field. The rest of the defense should follow suit, playing fearlessly and aggressively to contain the dynamic King of Saintland and their tailbacks. Staalhelm in particular should be in the mindset of making himself a terror to the Sanctii backfield, as we all know he can be.

Ultimately, this will be a game that will come down to who takes advantage of the opportunities they are given, a close game between two elite teams. But, with any luck, if the Regulars stay true to their identity, they should be able to pull out the win over an explosive opponent to make history.

[Ko-oren]

Dragonflies lose second game this cycle, will play New North Aqmuland

From Freeport Field, the Dragonflies go to JP United Park, and not Inzer-Bare Stadium. So close to the end, the Greenblues fell to the Regulars (9-12). A very defensive game, with, as always, 21 points scored by both teams together, but this time the Allamunnic States got away with the win. They are now going for their fifth title, while the Dragonflies are just trying to win their first medal at the World Bowl, albeit bronze.

New North Aqmuland is tonight's opponent, the surprise of the World Bowl. The team lost to Saintland 29-30, which means they almost achieved an upset again. We are warned. The Maroon Lions use a 4-3 defense: allround and difficult to break. Still, we know that our offense will be able to come up with something to counter them, as with the Equestrian States game. The Aqmulanders' offense has the same game plan as our offense usually has: two receivers, two backs other than the quarterback and one tight end to spice things up.

Whatever the result tonight, it will not be due to Hergurin's bad kicking. He had some practise against the Regulars, where all 21 points came forth from field goals. With two amazing defenses, there just was no way any offense would get through.

The third place playoff will also be a showcase of SMU uniforms. Both teams will wear their home colors: green and blue for us, gold and maroon for them.

The final will be played between the Allamunnic States and Saintland. Ko-oren has a record against both teams: 2-1 (grumble) against the former, but at least that is a winning record. We have played one game against Saintland so far: as the final of the last World Bowl's Casaran stage, as the game between the first and the third seed. Which means it was a pretty good game. Anyhow, Saintland won 35-17 at the time.

[Saintland]

For the better part of the semi-final, the game between New North Aqmuland and the Saintland National Gridiron Team seemed like it would be yet another New North Aqmuland upset. King Petrus XX reverted, all of a sudden, to his mistake-prone form from the Kriegiersien game in the Baptism of Iron, the Taeshan game in World Bowl XXI and the playoffs of World Bowl XXII. All of a sudden, he just wasn't himself. In the first half alone, he managed to turn the ball over 4 times. These turnovers resulted in 3 touchdowns for New North Aqmuland. Adrián Çircumvois threw for 3 touchdown passes off of these turnovers, spreading the ball to Humbert Araingai, Simmons Grey and Oliver Yibukwe, but Ouri Tosomagog missed the extra point on the third touchdown. Tosomagog made up with that with a field goal just before the half and suddenly the heavily favored Sanctii were down 23 to nothing at the half.

During halftime, Andreas Tuccius spoke up, frustrated with his King's lack of production:

Andreas Tuccius - Petrus, what in the name of Infernus was that? You're a better player than that. We're a better team than that. There is no way, and I mean NO WAY, that we should be losing to New North Aqmuland by 23 points! When we go out there for the second half, we have ourselves a gridiron game to win. We didn't come here just to go home empty-handed again because our King doesn't know how to hold onto the ball.

King Petrus XX interrupted at that point.

King Petrus XX - You know, Andreas, you're right. I've hurt our team today, but we still have 30 minutes left in today's game. We're facing New North Aqmuland. This isn't Cassadaigua or German Zerabithea or Qazox or the Allamunnic States. This is some team that debuted in World Bowl XXII and didn't even make it out to the Group stage. They shouldn't be leading and they certainly shouldn't have shut us out in the first half. Let's go out there and win.

They came out for the second half all riled up. They were to receive the opening kickoff of the second half and Ouri Tosomagog kicked a relatively short kickoff. Nicolaus Lusius brought it in, in stride, at the 17 yard line and was off. Somehow, he was able to get the corner of the field. The Sanctii kick returner made his way down the field, evading a tackle attempt by Sainte Yuppis, and he was gone for yet another touchdown on a kick or punt return in this World Bowl. Francus kicked the extra point. However, it only took Aqmuland mere moments to get their touchdown back. Franklin Henderson returned the ensuing Sanctii kickoff all the way for a touchdown of his own. New North Aqmuland now led 29 to 7.

What happened next would mark the turning point of the game. Çircumvois and the Aqmuland offense came into the game to attempt a 2 point conversion. He handed off to James Yubu. Yubu charged up the middle, but was met by David Vargunteius. The Sanctii nose guard forced him backwards and onto his back. The 2 point conversion was no good. Tosomagog's next kickoff was completely out of the end zone, so King Petrus XX took the field at the 20. He immediately went for the throat of the opposing defense. Ioannes Lusius broke past Wyoming Safras and, because New North Aqmuland had called a 6-man blitz, they had no safety support. King Petrus XX found his #1 receiver and it was now a 29 to 14 game, following the extra point.

For a while, the game turned into a stalemate of sorts. Josephus Polus was actually called upon to punt several times. Finally, he managed to place a punt, perfectly, in the coffin corner. New North Aqmuland had the ball, officially, at the 1 yard line, but it was much closer to the 1 inch line. Still, Adrián Çircumvois dropped back to pass on first down and Georgius Didius chased after him. Çircumvois kept conceding ground and eventually stepped past the end line. The official saw it and awarded a safety to the Sanctii. The score was now 29 to 16.

After the safety kick, King Petrus XX engineered a methodical drive, heavily emphasizing the ground game. Finally, Andreas Tuccius burst into the end zone for a touchdown, on the first play of the 4th quarter, to cut the deficit to 6. Down 29 to 23, the Sanctii defense shut down the opposing offense over and over again, conceding no ground to them. Yet, a promising Sanctii drive ended with King Petrus forcing a pass to the end zone, resulting in an interception and another promising Sanctii drive ended with Tuccius getting stuffed on 4th and 1. The score was still 29-23 as the clock fell below the 1 minute mark and the defense forced another Frenti Plaba punt.

Plaba punted it away and Lusius brought it in. However, on this occasion, the great Sanctii return man could not find an opening. He would be brought down at his own 13 yard line after a return of 6 yards. 48 seconds remained on the clock. King Petrus XX stepped up to the line, in a 5-wide shotgun formation. He took the snap from Nemetorius and quickly tossed a sideline pass to Ioannes Oranius, who miraculously made it out of bounds. Then, he tossed another to Matthaeus Epidius, but Epidius was brought down in the field of play by Binke Yodob and Alonte Ofaboufamongongu. The seconds began to tick off the clock as the King of Saintland rushed to the line. New North Aqmuland expected a spike.

However, with 18 seconds remaining on the clock, Abraham Nemetorius snapped the ball. King Petrus XX faked a spike while Thomas Lusius took off. King Petrus tossed the ball to Thomas Lusius. Yousan Naame dove for Lusius, but missed him by mere inches. At that point, he was gone. With 11 seconds left on the clock, Thomas Lusius had tied the game at 29. Philippus Francus came out for the extra point. Adam Sennius snapped it and Paulus Salvius held it perfectly. However, Sidney Danging charged in and somehow got a hand on it. It looked, for a moment, like the game would go to overtime.

Then, the official pulled out his yellow flag and tossed it onto the field. Danging had not only gotten a hand on the ball, but had also collided with the leg of Philippus Francus. The referee took out a microphone and spoke to an international television audience numbering in the billions: "Running into the kicker. #23 of the defense. Half the distance to the goal and repeat the try." Francus shook off the injury. He signaled to King Petrus XX that he was fine. The Sanctii lined up again and, this time, the extra point attempt went off without incident. Francus put the ball through the uprights and the score was now 30 to 29. After a kickoff return, Adrián Çircumvois forced a desperation pass into the Sanctii defense, but Stephanus Praesentius intercepted it. Praesentius immediately fell to the ground, where he was touched by a New North Aqmuland player. King Petrus XX walked out onto the field to kneel down and send his team to the final against the Allamunnic States.

Several hours later, as King Petrus was reading the Allamunnic press, he could not refrain from laughing when he read criticism of his team's defense. Yes, his team did allow a significant number of points on defense, but most of those points were due to their aggressive style of play on both sides of the ball. He had lost count how many points had been scored against them in past World Bowls because of mistakes he had made and because of mistakes that defenders had made while going for big plays. Then again, playing it safe wasn't his style.

From birth, the man who was now King of Saintland had been expected to do everything a certain way. He had never really wanted to be the heir to the throne and, even now, he really didn't want to be the King. He only wanted the position and all the power that came with it for the purpose of enacting necessary reforms to bring his Kingdom into the modern world. With almost everything in his life heavily controlled from a young age, he came to realize that the only way he could express himself in the country in which he lived was on the gridiron field. He played the game recklessly and without fear. Even when his father had attempted to rig the rules in his favor during the previous World Bowl, Petrus had objected. While his objections fell on deaf ears, as he expected, Petrus didn't want to play the game that way.

The entire Saintland National Team was comprised of players who had been playing the sport for years, going back to their youth. In a nation where competitive sports were emphasized and players were expected to coach themselves and their peers, extraordinary athletic talent seemed to materialize at a remarkable frequency. While the frigid climate had contributed to their physical ability, their greatest strength was their dedication to their craft. On the other hand, their greatest weakness, on the gridiron, was their overly aggressive style of play. Although they had lost several high-profile games in the past due to King Petrus's mistakes and the defense's overly aggressive style of play, they nonetheless were going to play the game their way, regardless. Between injuries to the defense during the group stage and the turnover problems against New North Aqmuland, King Petrus XX had already had to engineer more than his share of comebacks. Going into the final against the 3-time former champions, he hoped that it would go smoothly, but if it didn't, he was more than prepared to lead yet another 4th quarter comeback...