NSCF 17 Everything Thread

by **NSCF** » Sun Oct 29, 2017 9:38 pm

The deadline for NSCF Committee voting is here. The votes for the final two playoff spots are as follows:

Therefore, the final two schools in the playoffs are Loyola University @ Istria of Banija and Stoneshore College of Cosumar. Committee members were not allowed to vote for their own schools, as per NSCF Procedure. Nor did the Commissioner vote.

NSCF 17 PLAYOFFS - First Round
Full Bracket

_#9Gallian Military Academy (GAL) @ _#8Loyola University (BNJ)
_#1Ceneisis Naval Academy (ABF) - Bye

_#12Ramusok Capital University (COS) @ _#5Richardson University (RAN)
_#4Thereisnogodistan Community College (NGD) - Bye

_#10Northern Moravica University (BNJ) @ _#7Sadeg State University (DRK)
_#2Universite St. Croix (QUE) - Bye

_#11Stoneshore College (COS) @ _#6The Academy of Space (SPA)
_#3Calix City Institute of Archaeology (KBC) - Bye

Additionally, here's how our four NSCF Championship Game host bids ranked according to the NSCF Committee. Click the link for details about the winning venue.

Bowl Games

There are six approved bowl games this season, which covered all but one of the thirteen bowl-eligible teams (Gyan-Johnson). Since all were proposed as automatic berths based on statistical performances, it was not necessary for the respective organizers to send out invitations themselves. As a reminder, the bowl games will be scorinated at the same time as the first round NSCF Playoff games above (Tuesday), though they may ICly have taken place before.

The Pioneer Bowl (best newcomer teams not in Playoffs)
Lindon Technical College (GAL) vs. Cold Hill University (RAN)
Leviathan Arena, Kaldukosic, Cosumar

The Drawk Bowl (best remaining Woodlands/Big8 teams)
Universite du Saguenay (QUE) vs. Mar Sara Tech (VAL)
Corps Central Stadium, Drawk City, Drawkland

The Mugisha III Memorial Bowl (best remaining Celestia/Sequoia teams)
Marabesh Elite Academy (MRB) vs. Northern Dinagat State (ISL)
Stadium of the Restoration in Busukuma, Banija

The Valhalla Bowl (best remaining offense vs. defense)
Innusburg University (ALS) vs. University of Paulo (NOV)
Vahalla Falls, Raynor City, Valanora

The Tropicorp Bowl (best remaining Atlantian teams)
University of Iqaluit (QUE) vs. Raynor University (VAL)
Tropicorp Park, Tropicoast, Tropicorp

The Northwood Ballistics and Equipment Bowl (best remaining offense vs. point-differential)
University of Konigsberg (VOR) vs. University of Arkinesia (AKN)
Northwood Yetis Stadium, Northwood, Ranoria

by **Ranoria** » Sun Oct 29, 2017 10:42 pm

Cold Hill Qualifies for Pioneer Bowl, Set To Face Off Against Lindon Technical

Being a first-time NSCF competitor, and finishing at 7-6, the Buffalo were the second best newcomer team in the NSCF, and they are to face the 9-4 Lindon Technical College Aggies in the Pioneer Bowl. This will be a tough match up for this team, but remember that with Thorn Davis back under center, the offense should have the capability to explode once again, after numerous starters were benched in favor of seniors who were given one last shot to prove themselves last week.

It may come as a surprise that the Buffalo even qualified, but at 7-6, they did manage a winning record in their first year of contention, even with all of the locker room issues that plagued the team throughout the season. Regardless, one more win would a nice consolation prize for head coach Chris Dale's team after a tough season, and a loss in the domestic championship game.

2016 Playoff Rematch: A Rivalry in the Making?

Last season, Richardson University was cruising through it's introductory season in NSCF. They had dominated their conference schedule, going 9-1 against Big Eight competition, good for a conference championship, with a defense that allowed a stingy 8.1 points per game and an offense scoring 25.6 per game. They proceeded to dominate their first out of conference game before losing a close game against Army Academy, 24-20, to set themselves up with a 10-2 record, enough to get a #3 overall seed.

In their first playoff game, the Governors crushed the University of Konigsberg, 30-3, on the strength of a 3-headed rushing attack of Soup Shorts, Melvin Strong, and Elijah Sampson. They came in hot, playing a #2 Ramusok Capital squad that had scored just 12 points in their last outing.

Unfortunately, in what some would call an upset, the Governors offence was smothered all night, and they lost 10-7.

This season, with a challenging out of conference slate, the Governors took o the Dragons once again, with much better results, crushing their opponent 31-3, but as many of you may have guessed, that was somewhat of a fluke performance from that squad, and this third affair between the two in the last two seasons should be much more exciting than their last matchup.

Regardless of how this one goes, could we see a rivalry being formed between these two squads? First, Capital knocks off a hot and new Richardson unit in the semifinals, and then Richardson turns around and embarrasses the Dragons the next season. Depending on how this game plays out, we could see animosity, or perhaps a friendly rivalry, coming together in these next few years.

Steinheil Brings in a Second Morally Questionable Recruit in Kieran Kweo Atkison

After signing HS team captain and stud MLB Isaiah Bryce, Richardson has gotten its second foreign recruit this season, and in school history, in Kieran Kweo Atkison. Like other big-name recruit, Judas Wolfson, Atkison is troubled, with rumors of an orgy, a hell of a temper, and even high school suspensions surfacing in certain circles. Wolfson himself had issues with violence, recent reports uncovering an incident in which he hospitalized a young man in school whom had been disrespectful to his girlfriend at the time.

When asked, Steinheil stated that he believed Atkison was a guy who needed a high character locker room in order to help him turn his life around, and to give him a shot at making the pro leagues in, really, any country, and that the team needed guys with stand out talent to replace the last of a core of guys that won two straight domestic championships, as quarterback John Garrett is the only big-name starter who is projected to be in Richardson next season.

by **Yesopalitha** » Sun Oct 29, 2017 10:46 pm

HOST ANNOUNCEMENT
Scoring of the Bowl Games and Play-In Round of the NSCF 17 Playoffs will occur exactly at 23:00 PDT on October 31, 2017. Please get your RPs in before then!

by **Gallian Union** » Mon Oct 30, 2017 2:30 pm

The Vanderleigh Saga

Chapter Ten

New West Gallia, Present Day

Amber Vanderleigh awoke in a room that looked all white, with fluorescent lights that stung her eyes as soon as she opened them. The design of the room was drab and plain, but as soon as she went to move to see more of it, she felt pain all over her body that forced her to lay back down on her back. Why was she here? What was this place? Had she already died, and was this some kind of purgatory? But as her senses returned, she saw that there was an IV hooked in her arm. This had to be a hospital.

Amber slowly sat up and took a look around, finding out that there were a number of others in the hospital. In fact, the room was packed. There were way too many people in here, and some were lying on the floor against the wall. Like there had been some disaster that had hurt a lot of people, that the hospital hadn’t been ready for. They were all cadets like her, and some of them were still in their military dress. “The fuck…” she said under her breath, and she ripped the IV out of her arm and climbed out of the bed. She was still wearing a torn set of fatigues, with bandages around her abdomen.

She stumbled forward and had to catch herself on one of the beds, before she looked up and realized who one of the cadets resting along the wall. Finley Hasson, one of the players that had carried the team and the only one who had been on Amber’s side from the very beginning, even when the rest of the team and coaches and fans didn’t believe in her. Finley had his shoulder wrapped up by a bandage, and looked more dazed than she’d ever seen him. “Amber…” he muttered, upon looking up.

“Fin, what the actual fuck is happening right now? Why are we in the hospital? Why are all of these people in the hospital? How long have I been sleeping?” she asked immediately, doing her best to lean down despite the pain. She put a hand on the non injured shoulder, leaning in until she was almost touching heads with Finley. Because really, he was the last person who she wanted to see in this place.

“Lower your voice, for one. And we’re here because we were attacked. You don’t remember?” asked Finley, looking her up and down. “Bojikstan has attacked us in the Terranean Sea and on land because of our actions earlier in the year around Rushmori Bojikstan. They… They hit New West Gallia with paratroopers who set up outside of Hallenburg. Hallenburg is under siege and Lindon is in danger after they made a coastal landing. The military wanted more protection for the cities after the troop buildup in Rushmori Bojikstan, but the government… Didn’t comply. They wanted peace. All it got us was suffering. A surprise attack that we saw coming, that we did nothing about. Nothing, Amber!”

“How are they here already? How long was I sleeping, or rather, how long is the blank in my memory? What the fuck happened to me? Just… Just tell me that for now. What happened to me?” Amber asked, forcing herself to take some deep breaths and calm down. The danger wasn’t immediate, and it didn’t look like she was going anywhere. She let her hand drift to the spot where a rifle would normally be, but she found that she didn’t have any weapons on her. Shit.

“Like I said, they made landings all over the east. Blockaded Lindon and Lismere. Pushed their way to Hallenburg and put it under siege, and then set up a forward base there and pushed their way to New West Gallia with paratroopers. We weren’t fucking ready for this, that’s what you have to understand. We didn’t think they would actually attack and they attacked anyway with everything they had, because they know that a blitz is the only way to win when we have more people and the chance to destroy them if they fight a normal war. They don’t give a shit about civilian casualties or anything like that, and they’re going all in with the risks. They think they’re dead if they don’t, so it makes sense from their point of view.”

“What about the time? How long have I been here? When did the war start, and when did they go after the academy?”

“You’ve been in a coma for a week. You were shot in the abdomen three times and you’re considered lucky to live. I’ve been here for three days, but my wounds are minor compared to the others that are on the verge of death. And the dead. It looks like our team is mostly safe, but the others haven’t been so lucky, there were a lot of deaths from both inside and outside the academy. Part of New West Gallia has already fallen, and our leadership is being evacuated to the south, or more particularly, Lochtown. None of the big cities are safe right now. Nowhere is safe, really. The Bojikstanis have a no fly zone over the country, because they’re going all in with this. They’re going to siege this city and then push south, trying to cut the head off of the beast before it bites them.”

“How did I go down? In battle, defending the academy? In the city? I need details, Finley. I can hardly remember anything, and I only just remembered some stuff vaguely when you told me about it. I know I got shot three times, but what happened leading up to it? I need to know…”

“Alright, alright, calm down,” Finley said, gesturing for her to lower her voice. “You were involved in a clash at the outside of the academy when some of the cadets were deployed to defend from the incoming enemy. They pushed us back to retreat and you were in the squad that was left behind to cover our backs. Only seconds after the retreat started, you got shot by a paratrooper’s rifle. He ended up putting three rounds into you because he was a bit overeager, but didn’t hit any organs, which would have killed you. I watched it happen and dragged you out of there, but when you went into the coma, we thought you were going to die pretty soon. You should be happy just to be walking around right now.”

“I can’t stay around here while there’s a fucking war going on outside,” said Amber, and with that, she started looking around the room for any weapons she could use. She found one rifle leaning against the wall, and saw that the soldier who it belonged to was in a coma like herself. “This guy isn’t going to be needing this,” she said, turning back to Finley. “I’m going to get back out there. I’ll take some painkillers if I don’t feel like I can fight, also-”

“You’re crazy. You’re injured, both from football and from the war. You couldn’t even shoot straight when you were out there before, because of your wrist. Now you’re trying to go into a battle zone after being shot three times? As soon as the IV wears off, and all the medicine is out of your system, you’re going to collapse. Trust me.”

“More painkillers, then. Just like football. I’m not going to watch my country burn and sit by the sidelines. You think it was easy when Jacob had his rebellion and brought this country from the dark ages? No. It was painful. It took sacrifice. I don’t care if I end up being the next martyr on the list of Gallians that have died protecting our ancestral lands. We could fight off two empires, I’m sure we’ll handle the Bojikstanis and end this blitz before it destroys us-”

“Amber, stop thinking about this from the point of view of the propaganda and stuff that we’ve learned in school. Use common sense. I’m begging you. You’re not less of a patriot if you sit out because of having multiple injuries, and it’s not going to help anyone if you end up a martyr because you threw your life away in a stupid way. Your death isn’t going to be heroic. It’s going to be pointless and it’s going to energize the other side. You’re a Vanderleigh. Having your head on a stick would be a massive victory for them, so let’s not rush into something that’s going to get you killed. If you want to help your side, motivate them from the back.”

“Jacob didn’t do that! None of my family does that! We’re always in the middle of whatever is going on, even if it results in danger and death! I’m not from a family of cowards!” Amber shouted, looking towards the door. “There’s no nurses here right now, I can sneak out. They’re probably busy with the people that are more dire than us-”

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should, and even Jacob took risks when he thought the odds were in his favor. He never rushed into suicide missions for prideful reasons. Sit the fuck down, Amber. You aren’t going to do shit out there, as harsh as this sounds,” snapped Finley. “I know this is all shocking and I know it must be worse if you were sleeping the whole time, but I’m not going to fucking let you go out there and kill yourself. I value you too much for that, if you want to know my honest reason. I like having you around too much to let you do that.”

Amber returned to Finley, leaning down to be at his level once again, as he was slumped against the wall. “I’m not afraid to die,” she said calmly. “If I was afraid to die, I wouldn’t have signed up for the military. I wouldn’t have went into the army, specifically, knowing that I could end up in the trenches in Rushmori Bojikstan if a few things went wrong politically. You think I didn’t know what I was getting into when I made the decision to join this army? Look, if giving my life for my country is what I have to do, I’m willing to do it. I’m not going to let others die while I sit around in a hospital.”

“You don’t get my point. I’m not saying that you should fear death, I’m saying that you shouldn’t have a stupid death. Running into battle and getting shot dead by another paratrooper because you can’t shoot straight with your wrist and your abdomen pain is going to help the other side far more than it would help our own forces. You’re going to demotivate us and feed into their movement, and your death would mean nothing. Like I said, Jacob Van Der Lay took risks, but he never did something stupid like this that would almost certainly result in a death that does more for the other side than his own.”

“You’re wrong. You’re dead wrong!” shouted Amber, and with that, she put the rifle on her back and turned around and ran, pushing through the door and running down the hallway before the staff could notice her. The halls were bustling with doctors and nurses and every other kind of staff member rushing back and forth, and the floors were stained with blood. Nobody was going to take note of a cadet with a rifle heading to the downstairs level. There were much more important issues to think about, and it was one of the few times she wasn’t recognized.

It felt strange even, to walk through a place like this and not get any recognition as either a member of a famous family or as one of the few female football players in the country. There were other cadets, too, but they didn’t notice her at all. They walked right by, and she took a moment to stop and take the top from a soldier who was unconscious and slumped against the wall in one of the hallways. She put it on and dropped her own to the ground, deciding that it would be better to not show her bandages.

Finally, she reached the downstairs level, and she was met by the sounds of gunfire and explosions in the distance. Of artillery firing and making impact, and of tank cannons going off, and close air support flying over the battlefield and dropping unguided bombs onto the enemy forces. The battle was closer to home than she thought it would be, but that was fine. She had to get into the city and get to the base there, so she walked to the hospital parking lot and looked for the first truck that she saw, finding that the keys were inside. Someone would probably have a problem with her taking it, but if they did, they hadn’t showed up yet, and so she climbed inside and started the engine.

It was time to take back Gallia.

by **Valanora** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:48 am

Valanora Times
Tech Grabs Prized Quebecois Recruit

Amid the news coming from the Mar Sara squad in Drawkland, as The Raiders prepare for the upcoming Drawk Bowl against Universite du Saguenay, the biggest is that Tech has managed to wrestle a potentially game changing recruit from Quebec. Kendall-Jimmy Asse-Asselin from Kaepernick High School in Goose Bay had committed to the Raiders, right before Mar Sara Tech is set to go up against a school from his homeland. Asse-Asselin played both ways for Kaepernick but for the Raiders he is slotted to play exclusively as a tight end, despite many people believing that his better position is the outside linbacker spot, and is currently projected to be either first or second in the depth chart for the Raiders in next season's NSCF. The six foot five, two hundred fifty-one pound player adds a bit of bulk and size to a Raiders squad that has the same problem that most Vanorian teams do, outside of football and ice hockey, in that elves typically are shorter and more lithe than their human cousins. While no one player can make up for such a physical disadvantage across the whole field, it does add a nice wrinkle into the Raiders passing game, with Asse-Asselin looking to be a nice safety valve for whoever lines up under center for the Raiders next season.

An unexpected development, much to the dismay of mathematicians in Valanora and Drawkland, is that with their win in the last Out of Conference game, combined with other results in the last week, Raynor University's OSPI managed to get high enough that they were able to become bowl eligible. That means that the Rockets are making the short trip north up to Tropicorp, where they will be playing in the inaugural Tropicorp Bowl against another Quebecois team in the University of Iqaluit. For two Atlantian Oceania based schools, both know that they are going to have a large audience presence at the bowl game and it should make for a very festive atmosphere, especially when one considers the distance that Tech fans will have to travel if they want to see their Raiders in their bowl game. If distance makes the heart grow fonder, the the fans of Mar Sara Tech shall be truly fond of their team while the Rockets faithful, well they will get to root them on in person instead of through the silver screen.

Neither Vanorian school is favored to win its matchup and both are likely to lose and finish with just .500 records, but on the whole, the seasons are ones that can be major stepping stones for both the Raiders and Rockets. The lessons learned by both teams in the second half of the season should be able to get the squads playing up to their expectations in future seasons, with the non conference performances seemingly having convinced the VSC to continue the expenses needed to keep both teams participating. Now the battle comes down to recruiting and with the Raiders already grabbing a prized recruited from abroad before signing day, the Raiders seemingly have the upperhand on that race. Unlike in many other nations, signing day in Valanora takes place before the bowl season begins, where in other nations it is usually a few weeks after the end of the bowl and championship weeks. However signing day is just that, the first day commits are able to send in their signed commitments to the schools that they have pledged to, with recruits having until the summer to make their choice, officially.

Back in Valanora, it will be a battle of the opposite ends of the spectrum of Innusburg and Paulo will take place in the Valhalla Bowl, the third iteration of the bowl, and whose criteria this edition pits the best non playoff offense against the best non playoff defense (that was not selected to a higher slated bowl already). With the game to be played in Raynor City, there is expected to be a modest to good crowd, even if most of the gridiron fans in the capital would rather have seen a local team and don't have much rooting interest in either of the participants. The Valhalla Bowl committee will be hoping for a good amount of traveling support to fully sell out the Vahalla Falls venue, though there should be enough locals to help fill out the stadium regardless, with Vanorians affinity for sporting competition and viewing. All in all, it is not the brightest or most glamor filled bowl but it helps build the game in the nation, where not all hopes are pinned on Tech and RU pulling off upsets in their own games to keep up the interest levels.

by **Banija** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:19 pm

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

Northern Moravica playoff matchup set as the team lands in Sadeg State University

Head Coach Horace Browning leads his team onto the field on senior day

DRAWKLAND- 42 teams. 7 conferences. And only 12 are left. This is the most exciting time of the year for any NSCF fan, and for good reason. The playoffs have arrived. And, for the first time ever, both Banijan teams will be playing in the postseason, on opposite sides of the bracket, for a chance to win it all. And here we are, analzying Northern Moravica's chances.

How did we get here? Northern Moravica was absolutely dominant during conference play. They went 9-1 during conference play, and were the #1 team in the entire NSCF after blowing through the Celestia Conference. They then, of course, lost games in both week 11 and week 12 to fall from #1 all the way down to #10, but they finished off the season strong by winning by a score of 16-10 against Saguenay of Quebec. This team was led by their senior quarterback, Bastiaan Rodo, who has had an up and down 4 years at Northern Moravica, but now has one chance to rewrite his legacy, with his first ever playoff appearance in the NSCF.

The Cougars have had many players make plays for them. The brightest spot on their team, of course, is their true freshman running back, Beluchi Okparro. He has, time and time again, been asked to carry a heavy load, and has done so. Unheard of usage in today's game, the guy arrived a shockingly high 21 carries per game, and yet, he was able to stay healthy and upright over the entire course of the season. They have a championship winning coach in Horace Browning, and their ability to stay focused and dominant throughout conference play allowed them to succeed in this season.

Of course, much is going to be made over their 1-2 non-conference record. Those, of course, were three close games, and two plays could've made all the difference in Northern going 12-1 and getting that #1 seed, or what actually happened. But a pick six on the first play of the second overtime against Stoneshore College killed them in week 11, and their kicker missed a game winning field goal attempt on the last play of regulation. Against Raynor University, their kicker once again missed a game tying field goal attempt on the last play of regulation. Who knows what happens if they make those kicks?

Regardless, this team is battle tested. They actually came out on top in their third non-conference game, this one against Saguenay of the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. The former school of the Northern offensive coordinator. They will do battle against Sadeg State University, who went 10-3 out of the Horizon Conference, which is usually considered to be one of the toughest conferences in all of college football. That team, however, has now won 5 games in a row, whereas Northern Moravica had lost 3 in a row before beating Saguenay.

But what doesn't matter is what you've done in your past games. What matters, of course, is what you'll do in your next one. What will Northern do? Well, they will have to play against this red hot Sadeg State, away from home. Northern Moravica has been an average road team this season, going 4-2 away from home, though they have lost their last two road games, week 10 at Loyola-Istria and week 12 in Valanora at Raynor University.

This will be the time for Bastiaan Rodo to step up and claim his legacy. Will he be known as a decent quarterback, an acceptable presence, one who was a good leader and relied on his defense? Or will he be known as one of the Northern legends, who won the first ever NSCF playoff game for this school? Even though their archrivals to the South have won the NSCF 14 title, this team lost playoff games in NSCF 12 and NSCF 13. Will Bastiaan Rodo be the first to win a playoff game? Can Browning get that monkey off of his back?

That's what makes these games so important. In college sports, it's all about legacy. Horace Browning has built a legend in his own right. Three Celestia Conference championships in 4 seasons? He would be known as one of the greatest to coach Northern of all time already, if it wasn't for Loyola's title run in NSCF 14. That raised the bar. How could their archrival to the South win a championship before Northern did, when Northern was the first Banijan side to play on this stage? Horace Browning, however, has a donut hole on the wrong side of the win-loss column in his career playoff record at Northern Moravica, while Alastair Job's donut hole is on the right side.

Every playoff game is winner takes all. The winner will move ahead to face the #2 overall seed, Universite St.Croix, out of Quebec. The loser, of course, will have to return home. Banija's keys will be simple. Bastiaan Rodo isn't going to throw for 400 yards. That's simply not who he is, even though Kweon has made him much better than last season. They need to run the ball to set up the pass. Okparro will have to get going, and the Northern Moravica will have to be a rock. The experience on the offensive line and at the quarterback position will be key to calm the team down in this hostile environment, as Sadeg State's fans try to do whatever it takes to make sure that this team can be boarding a plane next week, to fly to Quebec.

It'll be a close battle. The red hot Sadeg State, or the Celestia Conference champs? Our prediction here is a tight, low-scoring game, and Northern Moravica eke out a 17-14 victory on the road, with Bastiaan Rodo not turning the ball over and Okparro running for a pair of touchdowns, and that the Cougars, rather than the Skyhawks, will be playing in Quebec next weekend.

Loyola voted into the playoffs; has rematch with the Gallian Military Academy at the Istria Lightning Yard

The Blue Thunder will be taking the field at the Istria Lightning Yard one last time this season

ISTRIA- The Blue Thunder will be taking the field at the Istria Lightning Yard one last time, before their new stadium is complete. They've won a playoff game here before, back in NSCF 14. This is a program with a stunning postseason record, going 4-0 all time in the postseason. They won the Pioneer Bowl in NSCF 13, and then won it all in NSCF 14. Meaning Head Coach Alastair Jobs has a brilliant record that he can write home about. Those records, however, mean nothing.

They will get their rematch against the Gallian Military Academy. In week 12, Loyola took a flight to New West Gallia to do battle with the GMA, in a game after their thrilling 34-30 loss against Richardson University, was regarded as a must win to impress the committee enough to take an at-large playoff berth. They did what was required of them in that game, with Isaka Jawara playing well as Loyola-Istria pulled off the victory against the Mineral Conference champions, which was key to their being voted into the postseason for one of the two at-large committee berths, the other school being Stoneshore College.

They are the #8 overall seed, which means they will be starting the postseason at home, against Gallian Military Academy. It is always a challenge to beat a team twice in a season, especially when they played just two short weeks ago. Considering the game was a must-win for Loyola-Istria, they left everything on the field in New West Gallia. They shut down star quarterback Amber Vanderleigh, who has been playing hurt for quite a while. But the gameplan for Loyola-Istria has been revealed. While people will say use the same gameplan, you don't win the Mineral Conference without making the necessary adjustments. Loyola-Istria, of course, will have to make adjustments too.

This game will be harder for that simple fact. However, there is also a change of venue. This game will be taking place at the Istria Lightning Yard, where the Blue Thunder have gone 6-0 this season, going undefeated during conference play on their home field, as well as a victory against Gyan-Johnson University on senior night. This team's dominance and energy at home is driven by the fans constant desire to see a winning team on the football. They have one of the most rowdy crowds, and they will look to bring it to their visitors from New West Gallia.

What kind of adjustments will they have to make against the Gallian Military Academy? It's hard to tell for sure, and naturally, Alastair Jobs isn't giving anything away. But the key, of course, will be scoring touchdowns. They scored 3 field goals against the Gallian Military Academy, and they would be much better served punching the ball into the end zone. This is the #1 scoring offense in all of the NSCF, of course- and they must show it. They need to reach the end zone. Isaka Jawara will be going for the big play, of course, and finishing drives will be key.

Can they make the necessary adjustments? This will be a tough one, especially with offensive coordinator Dennis Zervos being so young. However, we think they can pull it off. Even with a young offensive coordinator, Alastair Jobs has been in this business for many years. The 61 year old is in his 20th season as the head coach, and has seen it all. I'd look to him to really be leading the process of making playcalling adjustments. Ultimately, we believe that Loyola can make the necessary adjustments, and end up winning a good game, 31-21, and advancing to the next round to play the #1 overall seed, Cenesis Naval Academy.

NSCF 17 Title Game Host- Ranoria City
The projections from this magazine were exactly correct. Liberty Stadium in Istria, host of the NSCF 12 and NSCF 14 title games, has not been selected to host the title game. The Ranoria City bid won, which was clearly the best bid. Istria's bid finished second, the Space bid finished 3rd, and the Gold Coast bid finished fourth. No surprises, then. The facility in Ranoria City is state of the art. The two things that set them apart were the start of the art aquatic center inside the stadium open for fans(who wouldn't want to go swimming?) and the ability for the bid to cover the cost of bringing teams to Ranoria City. While Istria wouldn't have been able to cover that, this is a financial benefit for the member schools. This will mean everyone will look forward to a season-ending trip to Ranoria City, and hopefully at least one of our sides will be there.

by **Space** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 9:56 pm

Astronauts blast off to playoff rounds

The academy of space waited long enough and finally it was revealed that they did actually qualify for the NSCF playoff round. Due to their outstanding performance during the Sequoia conference season with only one team finishing a better record, Space qualified for the playoffs.

Additionally, Space is ranked well in the playoff, 6th out of 12 competing teams. This has an important meaning for space - instead of facing Richardson University or Loyal University in the first round, the Astronauts will be playing the Stone Shore College from Cosumar. Sometimes its controversial when a nation is chosen to enter the playoff round and the selection of Stone Shore is not a different story. There are some who might question the inclusion of Stone Shore in the playoff round. But some may also have questioned space qualifying for the playoff round despite failing to schedule non-conference games.

Space answers to this by suggesting that they can not be reasonably faulted that teams do not want to spend their non-conference weeks floating around in outer space. Maybe they will only come to Space when they are forced to. Well, Stone shore, welcome to Space.

Naturally stone shore is going to try to prove their doubters wrong. They will want to show them that not only is stone shore a team that should be invited to the playoffs but that stone shore is also a team that can win the playoff. To do this, they would have to first beat the astronauts of the academy of space, in space, at the extra-terrestrial dome of sport.

We hope they don't.

In preparation for the match star offensive line player Viola Hendricks injured a hand. So for the game against stone shore college, Viola will be playing with one of those weird cast gloves on the hand. The bad thing is Viola will lose some leverage which may create a vulnerability for the quarterback. The good thing its unlikely that Viola will get flags called for Holding in the First Round NSCF 17 Playoffs.

Go Astronauts!

by **Drawkland** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 10:21 pm

Sadeg State Drumline
Stand Tunes

Interstate
High Seas
Hit Stick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP-Pw8NOUsw

by **The Royal Kingdom of Quebec** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 11:04 pm

Chicoutimi, Saguenay

Alexis made his way to the small table right in front of his family couch and sat down, with five cards placed right in front of him: California, Saguenay, Saguenay Tech, Gyeongbuk A&M and Queen's. Sitting next to him was his stepfather, Simon Mustipher-Yu, and his mum, Claire-Anne Alarie-Bragman.
Right in front of him, at least fifty of his family members, friends and even his longtime girlfriend's family were there to cheer for him, though this only made him feel more nervous than ever! Alexis was dressed in his Gyeongbuk Collegiate uniform: white dress shirt, black blazers with elaborate, bright green logo and black pants. He would also carry 3 badges by his side: student council president, athletic achievement bar and alumni association student representative, just to list some of his achievements.

"I have to say...I have no words for what's going to happen in my life. I remember coming to my first ever training camp in grade 9 after a very long persuasion by my father, the great man standing right next to me in Simon Mustipher-Yu. It was not easy: I didn't know how hard and demanding football was going to be until then, but I worked it all out, because I knew I could do it. And it wasn't just myself pulling through- it was all of you who helped me to make the impossible possible."
By this point, Alexis started having some waters in his eyes, so he had to briefly calm himself down by drinking a cup of water right in front. "With that being said, I'd like to thank all those who gave me a shot, their offer and promises. With that being said, it's time to make my decision, as I end my high school career with Gyeongbuk Collegiate. I'm very proud to enrol and play immediately for.." He selected the leftmost card and turned it around. "Le Fighting Irish de l'universite du Saguenay!"

First everybody shouted 'YES!' as they pulled their Fighting Irish and Patriotes (of Gyeongbuk Collegiate Athletics) gears out. Then "AND NOW WE PARTY!" was the very next thing everybody on Bragman household heard, as his cousin Ernst picked up his vuvuzela just in time for celebration. The crowd in the room was celebrating, and the tension in the 212 Chilseong Boulevard was very much upbeat and flying. Anybody in Chicoutimi knew playing for the Fighting Irish was a honour, the prestige that came away it and the Saguenay pride that came from the people. Alexis knew this was real, something that he could remember for a very long time, confirming that arguably the craziest high school prospects in Quebecois football this year felt he just made the right decision.

"I'm proud of you, son," said Simon, as he kissed his only (step)child upon the announcement. The Fighting Irish alumnus himself, graduating in chemical engineering under class of 2012 with his best friend, late Albert Bragman, he knew Albert would have loved to watch his son graduate. It was a promise the former Fighting Irish quarterback made to his number one wideout when he passed in 2020, to make sure that his son would pick up his memories and not forget him. That's the promise Simon lived with since then, and the final push has been made. "You have become your own man. I knew your dad would have been very proud of you."

To him it wasn't about money: his late dad was a pilot and stepdad a former baseball player for none other than local Lions, so he wasn't interested in playing for all that. So it all came down to what was the best for him: the Irish had won 2 national championships with not just one of the greatest collegiate quarterbacks of all time, but also some of the most dominant defensive sevens in the 21st century. But, in comparison, they always missed that complete game on secondaries and he felt that he could perhaps make a huge difference. Not only that, Alexis knew that living in South Bend would give him a genuine experience of being a normal university student, especially in the supportive net of the university. The campus visit, interview with coach Chang and defensive coordinator Woito, went as smoothly as possible and he was more than sold out on their residences. Besides, liked the idea of having a roommate outside of his own team. He was very well aware of the risk fame could bring upon him, which is what enticed the 17-year old even more to come to a small-town university after the visit: he wanted to stay a human being after all.

And of course, every body in the Irish fandom and Gyeongbuk Collegiate community were happy. The hometown hero, coming from none other than Gyeongbuk Collegiate, is staying home. As disappointing as it may be to let hotshot Kim Chae-Heung go, keeping the safety that intercepted him off 3 times in a game? That's a huge gain for any team, but especially the Fighting Irish. "Thanks, dad," said Alexis as he hugged his stepdad with a bear hug, before proceeding to reach for a kiss on his girlfriend, Alaina Padar-Gabrielli. Behind them kissing and Simon watching in tears of joy with Brianne, you could hear the people sing the Fighting song: "Rally sons of mother Saguenay, Sing her glory and sound her fame..."

by **Yesopalitha** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 11:06 pm

First... The Bowl Games:

The Pioneer Bowl (best newcomer teams not in Playoffs)
Lindon Technical College (GAL) 13–14 Cold Hill University (RAN)
Leviathan Arena, Kaldukosic, Cosumar

The Drawk Bowl (best remaining Woodlands/Big8 teams)
Université du Saguenay (QUE) 14–15 Mar Sara Tech (VAL)
Corps Central Stadium, Drawk City, Drawkland

The Mugisha III Memorial Bowl (best remaining Celestia/Sequoia teams)
Marabesh Elite Academy (MRB) 3–13 Northern Dinagat State University (ISL)
Stadium of the Restoration in Busukuma, Banija

The Valhalla Bowl (best remaining offense vs. defense)
Innusburg University (ALS) 10–19 University of Paulo (NOV)
Vahalla Falls, Raynor City, Valanora

The Tropicorp Bowl (best remaining Atlantian teams)
University of Iqaluit (QUE) 14–27 Raynor University (VAL)
Tropicorp Park, Tropicoast, Tropicorp

The Northwood Ballistics and Equipment Bowl (best remaining offense vs. point-differential)
University of Konigsberg (VOR) 24–23 University of Arkinesia (AKN)
Northwood Yetis Stadium, Northwood, Ranoria

NSCF 17 PLAYOFFS - First Round
Full Bracket

_#8Loyola University (BNJ) 24-14 _#9Gallian Military Academy (GAL)
@Istria Lightning Yard, Banija

_#5Richardson University (RAN) 9-26 _#12Ramusok Capital University (COS)
@ Richardson University Coliseum, Ranoria

_#7Sadeg State University (DRK) 45-16 _#10Northern Moravica University (BNJ)
@ Skyhawks Gridiron Park, Drawkland

_#6The Academy of Space (SPA) 7-3 _#11Stoneshore College (COS)
@ Extraterrestrial Dome of Sport, Space

NSCF 17 PLAYOFFS - Quarterfinals

_#8Loyola University (BNJ) @ _#1Ceneisis Naval Academy (ABF)
@ Lieutenant Helmut Tatuwal Memorial Athletic Field, Abanhfleft

_#12Ramusok Capital University (COS) @ _#4Thereisnogodistan Community College (NGD)
@ Richard Dawkins Park, Thereisnogodistan

_#7Sadeg State University (DRK) @ _#2Universite St. Croix (QUE)
@ Stade Ste. Croix, Royal Kingdom of Québec

_#6The Academy of Space (SPA) @ _#3Calix City Institute of Archaeology (KBC)
@ Calix City Stadia, Kebec

by **Ranoria** » Wed Nov 01, 2017 2:37 pm

Richardson Ends Season At Home Against Underdog Ramusok Capital

Against Ramusok Capital, who knocked the Governors out of the playoffs last season, only for RU to dominate them on their home turf, the Governors were brought down 26-9.

The most surprising part of the whole thing is that Richardson actually took an early lead, scoring a field goal and stopping a long RCU march outside of field goal range. The Governors took the ball down the field again, John Garrett torching Capital's secondary for a 8/10, 92 yard drive in which he tossed a thirty yard score to Johnny Farmer, whom also forced the fourth down on the Dragons' last drive with a sack.

Unfortunately, their troubles began there, missing on their extra point on what proved to be the breaking point for struggling Richardson kicker Ta'Shaun Blue.

The next drive, Ramusok Capital hit a long field goal to get on the board, 9-3, employing a good deal of power, smack, and toss concepts. It could be speculated that they were more focused on tiring out the defensive line, forcing them to get on the move and fight multiple reach blocks as well as taking on multiple blockers and a powerful runner in Shabazz Salcousin, who carried the Dragon offense in this one. Multiple shots were taken on the defensive line as well, nothing dirty, rather just heavy hits from lead blockers and pullers.

On their next drive, the Governors managed to get inside the twenty, but Ramusok's defense, as became a trend, tightened up, and forced a field goal...a field goal that they blocked.

They once again drive down the field, and in the middle of the second quarter hit another field goal to get within 3.

Notably, after that second drive, Dragons tackle Luca Focault had a stellar performance, almost constantly dominating DE/TE Johnny Farmer, who finished the day with one sack and two tackles, all coming in the first quarter.

By the end of the second quarter, the Richatdsom offense had a ridiculous amount of yards, 233, for only 9 points to Ramusok Capital's 147 yards for the same number.

Ramusok Capital was forced to a three and out on the next drive, with Davon Stovall guessing run on third down and hammering the back for a loss, but regardless, the next drive saw John Garrett throw an interception at the two, allowing Capital to begin a 87 yard, 8 minute drive that ended in their fourth field goal.

Richardson managed to stay on the field for one minute before John Garrett dropped back, looked for Gilmore on the corner only to see that he was being locked up by DB Ansel Silverwyk, and instead tossed it up to his star tight end. Unfortunately, Farmer's exhaustion due to Ramusok's offensive play cost him a step, allowing for safety Cygnus Scribe to notch the second turnover of the game for either team, and his own second pick.

By that point, the Dragons opened up their offense, picking apart a gassed Richardson defense that could produce zero pass rush. Ramusok Capital QB Foldar Hammerstien II, who only had 172 yards passing on the day, had 72 in that one drive.

Down 19-9, Richardson let it rip, getting inside the thirty once more before taking a pair of sacks. When they attempted a field goal, which Blue missed, of course, from 49 yards.

With a short field, Ramusok Capital once again attacked through the air, scoring once again, and when another Ta'Shaun Blue kick went wide, the Governors hoping to score and get a pair of onside kicks, Ramusok Capital had a great deal of green grass to drive down, eating up clock until it hit double zeroes, the final score 26-9, Ramusok Capital Dragons.

As much as this one stings, it's important to remember that the Governors are in their second season of competition, and have an overall 21-6 record, including playoffs. They have won two straight conference championships, and made the playoffs in both years. Even if this was seen as a year that they could really establish themselves as competitors, as the old saying goes, 'There's Always Next Year.'

And folks, don't forget, had it not been for kicker Ta'shaun Blue, this team might have ended up at a 11-2 record coming in, and may have advanced. I promise you, Richard Steinheil will find a way to address that issue.

Richardson University 2018 Outlook

FIrst off, it's very likely that star tight end Johnny Farmer leaves for the RFL. He could have left after his sophomore year, but stayed in order to contend for just one more NSCF season, and to win a domestic championship. After dominating in both, and on both sides of the ball in the NSCF, his going first overall isn't out of the picture.

Beyond that, Bradley Johnson, a mauler in the run game who hugely buffed Richardson's rushing totals on his own, is a senior, and will leave. LT Brandon Billing, who had a phenomenal year besides his encounters with athletic freak Angelo Gordon, declared for the draft already. Meanwhile, Rick Pierre, Ark Portman, and Walt Wallace, the other starting members of this vaunted offensive line, are all seniors.

Anyone else?

Speedster Javier Gilmore will be departing, as a senior, for the RFL. Melvin Strong, despite his struggles against NSCF competition, has also declared, hoping his 1,300 yard, 20 TD breakout year in the domestic season will be enough.

So on offense, the only remaining starters will be QB John Garrett and #2 wideout Larry Foster. Encouraging. But defense may be getting hit just as hard.

Again, Johnny Farmer. Yes, the defense did fine without him, but when he replaced Tank Briggadine(a consistent pass rusher who will also be departing), the defense took on an explosive, dominant look up front. Along with him will be monster DT Kevin Gerhart, who finished the NSCF season with 27 TFL and 11.5 sacks. Clark and Paul Braunn, the team's cover and middle backers, will be departing. Heinrich Stills, a senior and a force against the run, will be gone.

Bryan Gray, the team's mediocre #2 corner, will be gone, as will Davon Stovall, an athletic freak with the hands of a god, and the definition of a shutdow corer, notching 9 INT, a sack, and 14 Pdef while allowing 5 receptions for less than 40 yards all season. And behind them, Maxwell Blunt has declared for the draft, the team's starting SS.

What does this mean?

For one, John Garrett must stay healthy. He will need his scrambling ability, a talent that was often kept under wraps this season after his injury. If he can stay mobile, and protect himself, he could be the driving force behind the whole team that Farmer was at TE/DE.

Secondly, second year starters Larry Foster, Jason Dim and Emmanuel Miller have to explode. Dim, the team's free safety, notched 2 INT in the domestic season...and none against NSCF competition. Miller performed well, with 8 sacks, but his 6'9" frame has to get bigger, faster, stronger, and more coordinated, while Foster must continue to develop his trade as a red zone threat and a jump ball specialist.

And finally, freshman recruits SS Judas Wolfson, MLB Isaiah Bryce, and WR Kieran Kweo Atkison must be key starters. Wolfson will have to learn that in the college game, he must hit even harder, and play even faster, and more disciplined, to boot, while Atksison has to overcome his own troubles and use his god-given talents to make himself a true #1 wideout as a Richardson Governor.

And as for Bryce? He has to become the centerpiece of a rebuilding Richardson defense.

by **Banija** » Wed Nov 01, 2017 6:49 pm

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

Northern Moravica's season ends in nightmarish fashion as Sadeg State sends the Cougars packing

Bastiaan Rodo gets sacked in the 2nd quarter against the swarming Sadeg State Defense

DRAWKLAND- The playoffs have come. And, of course, once again, the moment has proven too big for Horace Browning's squad in Herzegovina City, and it was the type of loss that will have the rumblings start to turn louder against Head Coach Horace Browning. The team allowed a record 45 points on the road, all in 3 quarters no less, as they got dominated by Sadeg State University as the Drawkland school advanced with a 45-16 victory.

This was the worst defensive performance in Horace Browning's time at Northern Moravica as a head coach, and it wasn't even close. IT was interesting- the two years off for Northern Moravica seemed to hurt them more than it did their rivals to the South. In NSCF 12, NSCF 13, NSCF 14, and this season, which is NSCF 17, Northern Moravica has only allowed 30 points twice coming into this game- they allowed 31 points in their non-conference game against Stoneshore College in NSCF 12, who were the then defending NSCF champions. And then, of course, they allowed in NSCF 14 against Vietussia Academy, when the Celestia Conference title race was spiraling out of their control. They hit their NSCF low during that season too, when they lost away from home to a then 0-5 Leopard Central University.

To only allow 30 points twice in their first 54 NSCF games, and then allow 45 in game 55? Defense is Horace Browning's home. He was the defensive coordinator of the dominating Stoneshore College defensive unit, that ended up running away with the NSCF 11 championship. The offensive incompetence was shocking during this game as well, but Northern was thoroughly dominated in all 3 phases of the game. Special teams, defense, offense. They were well-prepared, and Horace Browning was taken to the cleaners.

It was not originally evident that this result was going to happen. Northern Moravica's first drive was excellent, considering the circumstances. 80 yards in 15 plays and 6 minutes? They got down to 4th and goal at the 1 yard line, and Horace Browning, being aggressive, decided to go for it. Bastiaan Rodo, the senior, most unfortunately, made a huge mistake as he had a miscommunication with sophomore center Yoro Camara, and fumbled the snap. The ball was recovered by Sadeg State, and everything went off the rails from there.

It only took one play for Sadeg State to punish Northern Moravica for their mistake. The Northern Moravica defense brought the pressure upon the Sadeg State quarterback. They called the blitz and blocked perfectly, and Beck threw the ball downfield to 5th year senior Jarrod Driscoll. He had a step on Ayele Zelalem, caught the ball at the 50 in stride, and ran the rest of the way to the end zone. In 2 plays, Northern was a yard away from a touchdown, to being down 7-0. They went three and out on the next drive, and when Joey Ash returned that punt 66 yards for a touchdown to make the score 14-0, you knew the route was on.

The game was ugly. There's no need to go a serious in-depth summary of the rest of the game. We all already saw it once on television, and that was enough. We will, however, give a quick summary. The remaining first half scores were a 17 yard TD pass to Paul Jockey, a 33 yard touchdown run by Sam Artair, and a 50 yard field goal by Roger Henry as time expired in the half, as Northern were down 31-0 at halftime. They were smacked in the mouth, and this team was shell shocked.

They did not respond well. Senior quarterback Bastiaan Rodo led another drive at the beginning of the 3rd quarter, after Northern had forced a 3 and out. There were no running the ball down 31-0 in the playoffs- it was spread em out and air it out, an offense that Northern is not comfortable running. Rodo drove the ball to the red zone again, but this time, at the 15 yard line, he threw an interception on a wide receiver screen to Lenox Ralley, who ran the ball 85 yards to the house. The score was 38-0, and the game clearly out of reach. Dustin Beck added a 13 yard touchdown run with a minute left in the 3rd quarter, which meant Northern was down 35-0.

Not a single starter for Sadeg State played in the 4th quarter, as it was near impossible that they were going to score. Horace Browning put his seniors on the field, as Bastiaan Rodo threw foruth quarter touchdown passes of 17 yards and 22 yards, to Grant Vezaquez III and Dobromir Margolin, respectively. Okparro ran the ball into the end zone for 2 point conversions on both plays. However, the Vezaquez III touchdown happened with less than 2 minutes left in teh game, and Margolin's score was with no time remaining on the clock.

This is a terrible way to end the season for Northern Moravica, and it will leave a lot of questions for this team to answer going into the offseason. For one, where is the magic of Horace Browning? He may have won the Celestia Conference title, but there is a feeling of gloom around this program after losing that badly in the first round of the playoffs. While the Athletic Director said that he 'has full faith and confidence in Horace Browning', the facts on the ground are the facts on the ground. He signed a 4 year deal in NSCF 12, and got a 4 year extensions after the move back to domestic football was completed. The buyout in the contract drops from $8 million NSDs to $1 million NSDs if he lasts halfway through the NSCF 18 season, and his contract only goes through NSCF 19. It will be a big pressure year for Horace Browning to win a playoff game, as the fan base will not be happy with an 0-3 playoff record.

What makes it worse, is an uncomfortable truth that no Northern fan will ever admit, and the true source of Browning's problems- they are no longer the premier college football program in Banija. They have three Celestia Conference titles to Loyola's 1, but that doesn't' matter. The premier program in Banija is clearly Loyola-Istria. Northern has 3 conference titles, and came to the NSCF first- but no matter. Loyola-Istria is now 5-0 all-time in the NSCF postseason. Loyola-Istria has won it all and Northern hasn't, even though Northern has been playing at this level longer. And despite both teams having the same record this season and Northern winning a conference championship, Loyola-Istria had the home playoff game, and actually won, while Northern got ran out of the stadium.

This situation would be far different if Loyola-Istria had gone .500 every year, and hadn't won bowl games. But that's the curse of college football- you will always be compared to your rivals, and right now, Northern Moravica simply isn't cutting it. Next season will be put up or shut up for Horace Browning, who is having an excellent recruiting class with successful forays into Quebec, but it will come down to this- can he win a playoff game? He'll be back next season, but the pressure will be on. If he doesn't perform, and he especially doesn't get his own unit in shape, then I'd expect him to not be coaching this team beyond NSCF 18.

Loyola advances in the playoffs with 24-14 victory over the Gallian Military Academy

Hezekiah Berehanu runs down the sideline on a 55 yard gain late in the 4th quarter

ISTRIA- The Blue Thunder started their path to Ranoria City at the Istria Lightning Yard, their fortress in the City of Istria. Dating back to NSCF 13, they have now won 15 straight NSCF games at the Istria Lightning Yard. Considering their powerful and dynamic offense, this makes them one of the best teams in the NSCF- if not, the best home team in the NSCF. They ferociously protect home field, as they have a 20-2 overall NSCF record at the istria Lightning Yard. The only away teams to win there, of course, are Northern Moravica in NSCF 13 and Conquerer's Academy in the same season.

In the friendly confines of their home field, which will be much, much larger next season, the Blue Thunder came out to a raucous crowd. The Northern game was finishing up as the Blue Thunder were preparing to kick off, of course- and these fans loved nothing more than to see their archrivals get embarrassed on the grandest stage of them all- the playoffs. It gave the fans even more energy, as they created absolutely insane amounts of noise that gave trouble to Amber Vanderleigh and her offense. The crowd noise was really effective, as they forced 8 false starts from the Gallian Military Academy, including a stunning 4 in the 4th quarter.

Even with the home crowd behind them, this game was always going to be a battle. This was a battle between 8 and 9 seeds- while home field may have given the Blue Thunder an advantage and motivated the defense, these were the Mineral Conference Champs. They weren't going to be pushed around, especially in a revenge game. Gallian Military Academy even struck first. Loyola-Istria themselves got three first downs on their first drive, but a holding penalty killed the drive and they punted from their own 44. The punt was blocked, and Gallian Military Academy recovered at the Blue Thunder 21 yard line. They drove towards the end zone, and Vanderleigh ended up punching it in from a yard out on 2nd and goal from a sneak to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.

Loyola-Istria had a beat on this defense, however, and they'd take advantage. It took 6 minutes and 15 plays, but Justice Greenspan did score from a yard out to make the score 7-7. Greenspan is playing with such heart, and such passion. Greenspan, kicker Noab Ahungena, and left guard Amare Demissie were the only three players on this squad that were starters on the NSCF 14 championship team, as freshman, and they are leading this team, now as seniors, with the heart of champions. Loyola-Istria did a well executed 2 minute drill at the end of the 2nd quarter, and they led 10-7 at the half.

To start the 3rd quarter, Amber Vanderleigh once again took the game into her own hands. She scrambled, and with great toughness, drove her team down the field. With 11:50 remaining in the quarter, she scored on another running touchdown, this one from 7 yards out, as her team retook the lead, leading 14-10. But the Blue Thunder had to respond. They returned the ensuing kickoff to the Gallian Military Academy 47, and just like the game in New West Gallia, the Blue Thunder struck quickly. Isaka Jawara ran an option, and kept the ball instead of pitching. He saw a hole and blasted through it, 47 yards to the end zone, and the Blue Thunder were once again in the lead.

The score was the same as the game devolved into a defensive battle. With the Blue Thunder leading 17-14. The crowd was getting into it, and as we mentioned earlier, they forced a number of key false starts. One was with 7 minutes left in the game, on 3rd and 4, from their own 39 yard line. But the false start made it an obvious passing situation, and the ensuing sack made them punt. Then, the Blue Thunder went for the kill. They ran the ball, milking clock and getting first downs. Until, of course, with 4:50 left in regulation, they had a 2nd and 1 from their own 44 yard line.

They decided to run a wide receiver screen to Hezekiah Berehanu. He caught the ball, broke a tackle, and ran the ball all the way down to the Gallian Military Academy one yard line, where he was finally brought down by Arren Adrey. You simply cannot silence this Loyola-Istria offense for an entire game- they're too good, and have way too much talent. They have speed, they have size, they have skill, and will not be denied. Greenspan punched it in from a yard out, and they led 24-14, which ended up being the game's final score.

The Blue Thunder played well, as they usually do at home. Their next game, of course, is a visit to Cenesis Naval Academy, where they face the #1 overall seed. The Blue Thunder, though underdogs, are quietly confident. Alastair Jobs said that "this team is ready for anything. Our defense is putting it together, this team hustles, they work hard, they can compete with the best of 'em." And, of course, with this victory, Alastair Jobs is becoming a living legend at Loyola-Istria.

The Banijan coach has officially made the statement that his program is the premier college football program in the entire nation. 5-0 postseason record against 0-3. A much better non-conference record. A NSCF title under his belt. And, of course, this season, getting the higher playoff seed even though his team did not get the conference's automatic berth. He has put the pressure on Horace Browning, and is the primary reason that a coach who has won 3 conference championships in four seasons is on the hot seat all. He has raised the bar and the standard of success at Loyola, and the longer he lasts this postseason, the further his legend will go.

The key against the Naval Academy will, of course, be Isaka Jawara. The Ensigns will be well rested and healthy- they did not schedule any non-conference games in addition to their first round bye, so everybody will be fresh and 100%. Isaka Jawara and Justice Greenspan have to be able to run the football against a formidable defense, a defensive squad that only allowed 7.5 points per game. It's a strength vs. strength matchup when the Blue Thunder's offense hits the field, but if the Blue Thunder can keep Jawara upright, they can protect the football, and get into more 3rd and 4 situations as to 3rd and 9, and limit the opportunities the Ensign defense has to tee off on Jawara, then the Blue Thunder will be able to pull off the upset.

by **Space** » Thu Nov 02, 2017 10:13 pm

Space Wins first Extraterrestrial Playoff Game

For first time in the history of the Extraterrestrial Dome of Sport the stadium hosted a playoff round match and it was the Academy of Space with the #6 seed in the playoff against Stone Shore College of Cosumar with the #11 seed in the playoff doing battle.

Both team had their peels of banana in the regular season and were looking to prove the were really one of the top team. For the Academy of Space the banana was the Calix City Institute of Archaeology - responsible for 2 of the 3 defeat that the astronauts suffer during the season and after the opening weekend bad result. Stone Shore College had a slightly better regular season record than the Academy only losing two games in conference play before their bad non conference play where they did not win any games in regulation.

Stone Shores banana was just the beginning of the season. They start nice with two wins but immediately lose the next two games against Sadeg State University and Ramusok Capital University. To be honest Horizon is just a strong conference so its not a surprise there would be some tough bananas to peel. The point of the Stone Shore winning the last 6 games in a row in the Horizon conference shows how good they are.

Both teams have shown a history of low scoring games. In particular the Stone Shore College lost their last match going into the playoff, a non-conference game against the University of Iqaluit that was decided by a field goal. The only goal. The score was 3-0. And it wasn't the only time Stone Shore played a 3-0 final score during the season, they did it the last game of Horizon Conference play as well. So maybe Stone Shore has a good defense but a not good offense and Space had the chance to take advantage. BUt even more crazy, Stone Shore first out of conference game ended 0-0 until overtime.

So there was not a lot of scoring expect in the playoff and guess what, there was not a lot of scores. In fact there were no touchdowns in the game at all. It was all defense, all the time.

Space took the lead first in the first quarter with a sack of Stone Shore College quarter back Mordred O'Hir in the end zone. This made the score 2-0 for Space. But Stone Shore took the lead at the final play of half time because they kicked a 48 yard field goal. The kicker was Enes Carasov and he made a good kick it was right down the middle and showed he is ready for the pros because he made the kick twice after the Academy of Space was trying to be really jerks calling a timeout before the first kick play.

The academy got a field goal on the first drive of the third quarter to re-take the lead in a 5-3 game and then the defense took over. Stone shore did have one opportunity to go back in front but it was an unfortunate event for freshman tight end andrew stillwagon because he caught a pass from O'Hir and gained 11 yards and Stone Shore was approaching the red zone, but Still wagon lost control of the ball before being tackled down and Space recovered, ending the threat. Space would add two more points late in the 4th quarter after pinning Stone shore college on the one yard line from a very good special team punt play. A mistake on the snap caused confusion and once again the ball was downed in the end zone for a safety. Space would win the game 7-3 and now advance to the next round of Playoff.

Unfortunately the next playoff is not going to be played at the Extraterrestrial Dome of Sport. Even worse news for the Dome of Sport, it was not selected to be the host of the championship game. It was finishing third in the ballot behind the selection venue Karmin-Falce Superdom in Ranoria City, and also behind Liberty Stadium in Istria, Banija. If something happen to make those two stadium not able to host, maybe they will come to the Dome. Otherwise, it look like maybe there won't be any more grid play at the Dome this season.

Where does The Academy of Space go next? Its a place the Astronauts have been before. Calix City Institute of Archaeology. Of course! Its banana time for the Academy of Space. It will be an unprecedented third meeting of the season between the two teams. Calix City has already won both games but perhaps its a good thing for the Astronauts as the Archaeologists will come in overconfident on their chances having a 100% all time record over space and also being the higher seed playing at home. But they might forget how close the games were.

The first game was decided by just 2 points and the next by barely more than a touchdown. Space is in the game and the Astronauts are getting better every match. Playing in Calix City at the Calix City Stadia won't be a big deal for Space because its a stadium that the Astronauts already know.

Now they can focus on the play, give it their best shot and hope to put in a good performance to make it on to the Semi-Final.

Go Astronauts!

by **Drawkland** » Thu Nov 02, 2017 11:06 pm

SOUNDS OF SADEG'S FIRST PLAYOFF WIN

Skyhawk's 45-16 Win Described by Commentators

Written by Jacob Harding

I'm sure everybody knows by now, considering how hyped everyone got (and the lack of anything else interesting happening in international sports at the moment). In the Skyhawk's 45-16 home thrashing of Celestia Conference champions from Banija, Northern Moravica University, Sadeg State absolutely dominated. As this is Drawkland's first-ever NSCF playoff (or postseason) game, this was a massive deal, and thus everybody tuned in. Not only were they presented with an incendiary performance on the field, but a fantastic and exciting play-by-play by Brad Newman and color commentator Brian Anderson. Brad and Brian have been the voices of Skyhawk football and many of its other sports teams for years. Being employed by the Sadeg State University media department rather than a DNSN or other national media source, this the first major international match they've ever called.

1st Quarter, 8:48 remaining
"...and the Cougars' offense is staying on the field! They're lining up on the one yard line, after the incomplete pass on third down."
"Better watch for the QB sneak."
"Here they go. Rodo gets the snap- oh no he doesn't! Bastiaan Rodo fumbles the snap and here comes Sadeg State! The ball is bouncing around in the backfield and it's .. picked up by the Skyhawks! Harvey Donovan has the ball and he's running the other way, only open field ahead of him, but he stumbles and falls down at the 18 yard line! Sadeg State shuts down Northern Moravica on their opening drive and come away with a turnover!"
"Just the beginning for the Skyhawks. Can you feel it?"
"I feel it."

1st Quarter, 8:39 remaining
"Dustin Beck and the Skyhawks have the playcall now, and they're set. Beck from the shotgun. He gets the snap, Cougars show a blitz and they do. Beck with a play action to Artair, Artair gets a key block on the Cougar blitzer, and Beck launches it downfield. He's looking for Jarrod Driscoll on the go route ["Driscoll is miles ahead of Zelalem."]! and Beck's passss .. catches him in stride! He could go! He's at the 40 yard line, 35, and nobody from Northern Moravica will catch him! Touchdown Skyhawks! Sadeg strikes first in the first round of the NSCF playoffs."

*on the replay*
"Just look at the ingenious call here. Artair and Krusen in the backfield along with Beck in the shotgun. Moravica is showing a blitz and you can see Beck audible to max protect on it."
"Notice Driscoll over here on the right side. Only Ayele Zelalem on him pressed on the line. The safeties on the other side of the field, really Moravica just weren't ready for this play."
"Yep. You can see as soon as Beck hands off the ball he's looking right over at Driscoll, and Driscoll does his job. He gets the step on Zelalem almost immediately."
"Excellent execution from the Skyhawks, and that's why they're up 7-0 right now."

1st Quarter, 7:32 remaining
"3rd and 13 for the Cougars of Banija. Rodo takes the snap, he's looking to pass. Still looking, nobody's open. The pocket is starting to shrink on him, he tosses the ball up. It's going deep to Margolin! ["Bad pass."] Looks off target and it is. Lamar Ranna knocks the ball out of bounds but can't make the pick. Still, Sadeg State holds strong and forces a 3-and-out on the Cougars deep in their own territory!"
"Great defensive stand, especially with the two consecutive run stops for negative yardage."
...
"And here comes the punting unit for Northern Moravica. Joey Ash back deep to return for Sadeg State. First punt of the game, on Moravica's second drive of the game. Here comes the snap, it's clean, and Kandeh sends it spiraling deep. Joey Ash steps forward a few steps, fields it. He gets it around the 34 yard line, and he's looking to return it. Moravica's first rushers miss him and he's gaining steam. He crosses midfield ["Look out!"], leans into a would-be tackler and sends him to the ground! Only the punter to beat, and the punter runs into a brick wall of a block! Ash is taking this punt to the house! ... Touchdown Skyhawks!"
"Wow!"
"An amazing punt return by Joey Ash and the crowd here is absolutely booming! Nobody's going to keep Sadeg State down now!"

2nd Quarter, 13:56 remaining
"Sadeg State now 2nd and 8 after the two-yard run by Brody Krusen. Beck under center on the 17 yard line. He takes the snap. Moravica is sending a blitz off the right side. Beck picks it up, dodges the tackler!"
"There he goes again."
"Beck dashes out to his left to avoid the collapsing pocket. They have a spy on him, he'll have to get rid of- no! Beck stops on a dime and turns the other way! Beck, extending the play, two defenders just missed him! Receivers going all over the place in the secondary, Beck directing traffic, and he flicks it ... into the hands of Paul Jockey, in the end zone! Jockey was totally uncovered!"
"Nobody within 5 yards of him at all. Great vision by Beck there."
"Skyhawks grab another 6 points, this time on their first earnest offensive drive, and pending a good PAT will be up 21-0 against the Celestia Conference champions. Incredible."

2nd Quarter, 6:56 remaining
"Beck and the Skyhawks have been driving down field well this drive and have the ball on another 1st and 10 on the 33 yard line, after the 12-yard run by Beck. Skyhawks in a singleback formation. Beck takes the snap, handoff to Artair. Artair runs out to the right, looking for a lane. Cuts back upfield. ["Good blocks right now."] He skirts around a defender, skirts around another, and he's gone! Artair streaks down the sideline, and nobody will touch him! Touchdown Skyhawks!"
"Oh man this is getting ugly."
"The Skyhawks in the first half alone have scored 4 touchdowns, and Northern Moravica's playoff dreams are slowly fading away."

2nd Quarter, 0:01 remaining
"After the last-second timeout, Manlio sends out the field goal unit. This one is from 50 yards. Roger Henry hasn't attempted any field goals besides PATs today, but he's made all of them."
"His career long is 47 and he's missed a few from over 40 this season."
"They get the snap, good hold, and here's Henry. It's up ... and ... ["Come on!!"] ... IN!! Henry makes the field goal!"
"Unbelievable!"
"It's 31-0 Skyhawks, and it's halftime folks! Stick around, this'll be a good one."

3rd Quarter, 10:39 remaining
"It's 1st and 10 now for the Cougars, on the Sadeg 15 yard line. The Skyhawks defense so far have pitched a shutout to the Cougars and are not privy to let up now that they're in the red zone."
"A stop here would be curtains for the Cougars. This has been their best drive since the first drive where they fumbled a snap on the goalline and turned the ball over."
"Rodo takes the snap. He's looking to his left, going for a Vezaquez on a scree- no! It's picked off in stride by Lenox Daley! Daley has nothing but green grass in front of him and a 10 yard headstart on anybody behind him!"
"He's the fastest cornerback on the Skyhawk defense by a mile."
"...and he's going to take it all the way to the end zone! Yet another touchdown Skyhawks, on their second pick and third turnover of the game!"

3rd Quarter, 1:01 remaining
"And in this blowout game, the Skyhawks are in the red zone yet again after an excellent screen pass to Nico Rigi brought them to the 13 yard line. Moravica has yet to score and this is likely going to result in another 7 points for Sadeg State."
"The Cougars have bent then broken every time the Skyhawks have visited the red zone in this contest."
"Beck takes the snap out of the shotgun. Receivers crossing the field, they're all covered. Beck, pump fakes to Artair out of the backfield, then takes off the other way! Beck is out of the pocket and he has a full head of steam!"
"Ohhh boy."
"Here comes the safety, and Beck .. jumped right over his diving tackle AND stays on his feet! He rights himself and cruises right into the end zone! Look at this guy!"
"Unstoppable."
"It's a 13-yard touchdown run, and it's Beck's first run for points of the night."
"Really surprising it came this late in the game. With a different gameplan outcome we could be having this same score all on the back of Beck runs."
"I don't care how we did it, I just care that we're up 45-0 in Sadeg State's first ever NSCF playoff game."
"Amen to that brother."

4th Quarter, 0:02 remaining
"With the score at 45-8, the game is pretty much deceased at this point for the Cougars of Northern Moravica. It looks like they're staying on the field, perhaps one last play for pride's sake. Cougars on the 22 yard line with 2 seconds left remaining. Too close for a hail mary of course, so let's see what the Cougars do. Rodo gets the snap. He's looking for a man but Sadeg State has stacked the end zone secondary, only rushing 4. Rodo travels out of the pocket to extend the play. Rodo fires to the end zone ... and it's .. caught! Somehow fitting it into a minuscule window, Rodo gets the pass to Dobromir Margolin with zeroes on the clock, and now the Cougars get to have one last play for pride to end their season."
"I'm still surprised he managed to get that pass in such a tight window. Great job by their senior quarterback, but it's too little too late for sure."
"Looks like the Cougar offense, mainly comprised of the seniors at this point, are lining up for the two point conversion. I-formation. Rodo takes the snap, hands it to Okparro and he manages to coast into the end zone. That results in a final score of Sadeg State 45, Northern Moravica 16! Your Sadeg State Skyhawks are moving on in the playoffs in their first ever year of NSCF contention!"
"Incredible win tonight."
"Fantastic win for all the players, especially all the super-seniors who get to play at least one more game before moving to the pros or to normal life. In the next round Sadeg State will have to face Universite St. Croix in Quebec, the #2 opponent and Woodlands Conference champions. That game will probably not have the same ending as this one, but it's always something to look forward to and for Sadeg State and Drawkland fans everywhere to hang their head high for. Again, the final score, Skyhawks 45, Cougars 16. Goodnight everyone, and as always, Fly High Hawks."

by **The Royal Kingdom of Quebec** » Thu Nov 02, 2017 11:35 pm

Saguenay.que - Saguenay High School Football Rankings - Top 20 (1)

Michel Varilou-Koo

CHICOUTIMI, Saguenay - We're only 3 months away from high school football season, yet it seems farther than ever. Like always, the province's best teams will be eyeing various district, regional and state championships. Some of these dominant squads feature a stud recruit or two, while others are well coached.....and there are some that have both! A combination of talent, returning starters, past performance, coaching and competition quality all served as the main factors in determining this list.

As always, you will see that the list is fairly well spread out : A few programs in Chicoutimi are ranked high, while there are few more in other cities of South Bend, Sangju or Jonquiere. The countryside is also represented well on this list. It is also to note that all recruiting ratings and rankings are from Kushleesi Sports Rankings, while Player Evaluations are based from RougeTube and Ponhub.

3. Sangju College -- Sangsan-Dong, Sangju

Introduction : Sangju College, after coming empty-handed the last 5 seasons that included 2 3A semifinals and a championship game appearance, may finally have a strong core that is mature right in time. Spearheaded by their star pivot Archimedes Yeom (Junior) and cornerback Jordan Newell (Senior), can they finally make the difference and break the winless jinx suffered by Alain Dupre, their head coach of 32 years?
Head Coach : Alain Dupre, 65 (32 years with Sangju College)
A few players expected with big performance this season:

1) Archimedes Yeom (Junior, QB) - Oh, no! He's a dual-threat who scored 18 touchdowns but also 12 interceptions....but he's at least a promising project who should be more than polished after an offseason training in the mountains right in his backyard. With his recent tapes gathered by our staff members, it is expected that he should have a phenomenal season with both passing and rushing yards in almost another level for 3A football, and that's with 3A football often having lots of talent disparities because small towns and shit. Also having a reliable wide receiver in Naomi Hopkins-Williams (Senior) and tight receiver Sebastien-William Tremblay (Junior) will help him as well this year.

2) Jordan Newell (Senior, CB) - He's 6'4 and 208 pound cornerback. Very tall and lanky for his size, right? Well that's a huge positive the college scouts see in him as Sangju College starts drawing hype around this season- it is rumoured that University of Goose Bay and Mount Allison - both national powerhouses - have launched some big-time offers around this human-made island. He could defend, knock off passes and rush from the backfield in case an additional reinforcement's needed for pass rush situations. 9 interceptions in his junior stats is a bonus, too.
Top strength: All-around depth- they have finally filled this team with a 32-person senior class that may end up having up to 9 players with college offers, which would tie their record set in 1986 and 2009. And with those key players all spread out position-wise, Sangju College does not have a glaring weakness on their roster.
Top Weakness: Turnovers- Last year's state quarterfinals game turned froma 26-9 halftime score to 52-53 loss because of 4 turnovers by the Sangju College offence- 2 on quarterback and the other 2 on running back. If they learn from the lessons last year, they should be good for a great year ahead. If they don't, they will empty their lockers lot earlier than expected.
Roster size: 57 (26 offensive, 27 defensive, 4 special teams)
Coach’s comment on what one might expect of your team this season: My expectation is to go for an undefeated season to the 3A championships this year. The losses in the beginning is fine, however, for they will help us to grow and develop for times when they matter more.
Coach’s comment on what one might expect this season: Will be a challenging year like always. Sangwon and Saguenay Grammar may have lost their depth, but have coaching to make up for their developmental phases in between. St-Emond, Pie-IX and Osung are also bringing very skilled group of players from junior varsity, which should give them a strong nucleus of challenge. Our challenge, first and foremost, will be to win the division and make it deep into the state tournament.

2. Choonyang High School - Choonyang-Myeon, Bonghwa

Introduction : The Cheoyeongs are back for a 3peat. Can they country boys do it?
Head Coach : Laurent Resnais, 62 (17 years with Choonyang)
A few players expected with big performance this season:

1) Guillaume Vadnais-Triquet (Senior : OT/NT) - This guy is huge, and crushes everyone. Another man on this province who could claim no sacks allowed beside Kim Na-Seok of ES Belvedere (Alma), he is a physically domineering force who is probably the craziest thing to a yeti in this universe. Not only that, he's also technically proficient : expect him to rack up 10 sacks as a nose tackle and have his college offers pile up.
2) Rodney Hong (Junior : WR/KR/PR/CB/FS) - A hard hitting, versatile wideout who scores 4.1 and excels at multiple positions. Also in consideration for the Quebecois national athletics team, which should say enough about how scary this guy can be for next decade or two...

Top strength: The youth - Choonyang's fast, strong and most importantly of all nifty. The new strength and conditioning regime introduced by the trainer, Alanis Badum, has done them wonders and played significantly to their. And now, with the crop of players raised from this regime straight from the beginning entering their junior years, it can only be scary to be see what kind of performance they will pull off with structured game by coach Resnais, a well-renowned technician who has coached in college football for special teams. They may have lost a lot of talent, but look to be back for real once more.
Top Weakness: This Choonyang squad is very young- and I mean very young. 29 players and most of its forecasted starters are entering their junior year and even with top-level talents in their senior years, it remains to be seen on how promising there are
Roster size: 48 (23 offensive, 22 defensive, 3 special teams)
Coach’s comment on what one might expect of your team this season: Let's do it baby.
Coach’s comment on what one might expect this season: I could see another trophy. Can you?

1. Gyeongbuk Collegiate Institute Gaels -- Suseong District, Chicoutimi

Introduction : A year after beating their rivals Sangwon Spartiates in the 4A state final last season, the defending champions enter the season as the top ranked team in Saguenay. The Spartiates, 17-time provincial champions including 3 of last 7 4A titles, but this team wants more and will try to attempt their first undefeated season in 17 years.
Head Coach : Byeon Jong-Soo, 38 (5th year with Gyeongbuk Collegiate)
A few players expected with big performance this season:

1) Jean-Noel Groleau (C) - As a junior, Groleau was named to the first-team all-provincials after allowing only 2 sacks on his own part all season long, a feat that was noted very well into the Kushleesi Top 200 Rankings. Likely candidate for defensive captain, he is expected to anchor and rep up the mighty Saguenay offensive line into this year.
2) Seo Tae Joon (DE/OLB) - Seo Tae Joon, the son of famous all-Quebecois Gyeongbuk A&M linebacker Seo Hyeong Doo, is just like his father; the reigning defensive Chicoutimi East Region champions is a hard hitting sack machine who has already received offers from his father's alma mater and Southern Manitoba.
3) Ji Weon Dong (RB/KR/PR) - An all-around returner and running back who is expected to step up with a big campaign this season after a promising junior year where he scored 3 touchdowns in state semifinals over South Bend-Attisha.

Top strength: Strong lineman depth - only one starting offensive and 2 defensive linemen have graduated from last year's squad and they have a couple of promising linemen coming up from JV level- something that should help the senior Running Back Ji Weon-Dong rack up yardage.
Top Weakness: Their secondary's looking a little bit light on star players, especially after the graduation of cornerback Benoit-Luc Gregoire and strong safety Alexis Bragman to Saint Mary's and Saguenay universities.
Roster size: 51 (23 offensive, 24 defensive, 4 special teams)
Coach’s comment on what one might expect of your team this season: Nothing. Nothing but championships. That's how we go for it here.
Coach’s comment on what one might expect this season: Will be a challenging year like always. Sangwon and Saguenay Grammar may have lost their depth, but have coaching to make up for their developmental phases in between. St-Emond, Pie-IX and Osung are also bringing very skilled group of players from junior varsity, which should give them a strong nucleus of challenge. Our challenge, first and foremost, will be to win the division and make it deep into the state tournament.

by **Yesopalitha** » Thu Nov 02, 2017 11:48 pm

NSCF 17 PLAYOFFS - Quarterfinals
Full Bracket

_#1Ceneisis Naval Academy (ABF) 10–17 _#8Loyola University (BNJ)
@ Lieutenant Helmut Tatuwal Memorial Athletic Field, Abanhfleft

_#4Thereisnogodistan Community College (NGD) 20-35 _#12Ramusok Capital University (COS)
@ Richard Dawkins Park, Thereisnogodistan

_#2Universite St. Croix (QUE) 33-20 _#7Sadeg State University (DRK)
@ Stade Ste. Croix, Royal Kingdom of Québec

_#3Calix City Institute of Archaeology (KBC) 0-17 _#6The Academy of Space (SPA)
@ Calix City Stadia, Kebec

NSCF 17 PLAYOFFS - Semifinals

_#12Ramusok Capital University (COS) @ _#8Loyola University (BNJ)
@ Istria Lightning Yard, Banija

_#6The Academy of Space (SPA) @ _#2Université St. Croix (QUE)
@ Stade St. Croix

by **Banija** » Fri Nov 03, 2017 10:20 pm

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

Loyola lands 17-10 upset over the Cenesis Naval Academy; to face NSCF original RCU in semifinal

Isaka Jawara reaches over the goal line for the game-winning touchdown late in the 4th quarter

ISTRIA- There are many things that you can teach in football. You can teach route running. You can teach footwork. You can teach mechanics, when to slide, when to run. You can teach the fundamentals. Knowing the fundamentals is how you know if a team is well coached, and well disciplined. However, football, especially college football, doesn't simply come down to whatever your teacher can teach you.

It comes down to the it factor. Do you rise up in big moments, or do you fall? When the lights shine brightest, do you want to be the guy who needs to step up to the plate? Do you have the guts to accept failure, learn from it, and move on, and hopefully learn how to take victory from the jaws of defeat? They were going to play one of the top 5 defenses in the entire NSCF, on the road, at night, in a quarterfinal. That meant the crowd would be zeroed in on this squad. Would they rise to the occasion, or wilt under pressure?

It is a question that you cannot answer until you are in the situation. And boy oh boy, did Loyola-Istria answer that question admirably. They came out of here, in the toughest of tough situations, with a victory and a chance to extend their season by one more game. This was always going to be a tight one. With the Naval Academy's defense, Loyola-Istria went 3 and out on their first four drives, which was a season worst. However, their defense was up to the task, as the Blue Thunder matched Navy stop for stop.

It is with 4 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, where things really start to get interesting. It looked as if the Blue Thunder were going to go three and out again, and force yet another punt. However, as has been the mantra for the Blue Thunder all season long- you cannot keep this offense down for the entirety of the game. On a 1st and 10 play from their own 17, a halfback draw with perfect blocking for Justice Greenspan went for 53 yards. Noab Ahungena ended up kicking a 44 yard field goal with 2 minutes left in the half. However, the Naval Academy responded wtih a big play, and their kicker Casey Delariva kicked a field goal from 39 yards as time expired, as the teams went into the half deadlocked.

Cenesis Naval Academy is a defensive program in a country that is known for high flying offenses. Therefore, they were ready for the challenge that Loyola-Istria threw at them. But, however, it was clear the Blue Thunder offense was still capable. To start the 2nd half, they engineered an 11 play, 81 yard drive that took 5:15 off the clock. HOw did it end? Well, Blue Thunder fans had thought it had ended in a 3 yard touchdown run- but the play was negated by a holding penalty. A quick field goal later, and they were leading 6-3.

The game was a defensive battle. Early in the 4th quarter, the Blue Thunder almost broke the game open. With the score still 6-3, and just a minute into the final period, Zelalem Oromo made an interception at the Naval Academy's 29 yard line. However, once again, they could not punch the ball into the end zone, and they led, 9-3. But then, the Naval Academy offense came back to life. A big play and some hurry up later, a 13 yard touchdown run by Antonio McMichael, alongside an extra point, gave them a 10-9 lead with 10 minutes left in the half.

The Blue Thunder got 1 first down on the ensuing possesion, but were eventually forced to punt. Then, the home side had an opportunity to put this game away, and try did they do. The drive started with a 60 yard run by Antonio McMichael, to put them inside the Banijan 30. That may have benefited the Mormon team, as now the hosts ability to run out the clock so close to the end zone would be extremely limited. They, of course, were correct. They ran plenty of clock, converting two third downs, but a holding penalty on third and goal made them have to kick a field goal. However, the 30 yard field goal was hooked to the right. They missed the kick, and all of a sudden, the Blue Thunder had life.

Isaka Jawara began to march his team down the field. Now, of course, the 4 minute offense in college football is not a drag, but there are worse things, considering the clock stops after first downs. This tea was huddling. However, down 10-9, they knew they needed to win this game. Eventually, they had a 3rd and goal from the Navy 9 yard line with 42 seconds left. After getting the ball in the shotgun, Isaka Jawara faked the pitch and took it himself. He broke a tackle at the 5, and dove into the end zone to give this team the lead, a 15-10 lead with 38 seconds left in regulation. Duri Essayas caught a fade for the two point conversion, to give them a 17-10 lead.

The sellout crowd of 13,000 was silenced. 4 straight incomplete passes, followed by one kneel down by Isaka Jawara, clinched the upset for the Blue Thunder. Now, of course, they go back to the friendly confines of the Istria LIghtning Yard to face RCU for a spot in the final in Ranoria City. They've won 15 straight NSCF games there in a row, as well as a 20-2 overall NSCF record at the stadium, yet this will be the toughest of them all. A semifinal? Who doesn't want to see that?

This was a great win for Loyola-Istria. It showed the ability of this team to dig deep and make plays, when you thought that they were defeated, and pull out victory from the jaws of defeat. Now, of course, the game against RCU was a status game. A Loyola playoff win against RCU would surely vault them into blue blood status in the NSCF. Even without the history, their stunning ability to consistently win straight out of the gate would vault this program to traditional powerhouse status. But of course, to be the best, you need to beat the best, and that is RCU.

Can they clinch a spot in the final? Maybe they can, maybe they can't, but if they do, that means one thing is clear- Loyola will belong in the upper echelon of NSCF programs.

by **Space** » Sun Nov 05, 2017 11:49 pm

Astronauts Avenge Against Archaeologists

It was time for the Academy of Space Astronauts to leave the Extraterrestrial Dome of Sport and move on to Kebec to play in the Quarterfinals playoff round of the NSCF 17. Of course it was not the first time the Academy of Space had to travel in Kebec during the Nationstates College Football Season, and it wasn't even the first time they would have been in Calix City and the Calix City Stadia. Twice already the Academy of Space and the Calix City Institute of Archaeology have miet n the gridiron playing field. The first game the Academy of Space lost by just 2 points. The second time these teams played the Academy of Space lost by 9 points. So things were getting worse even though the Astronauts were starting to gel and play better.

So it was a mixed feeling for the Astronauts to be drawn against the Archaeologists again. Of course they are wanting very much to get revenge against Calix City Institute because Calix City is the only team the entire season that Space has played against and not defeated at least once. The players were upset. They beat everyone else but not Calix City. The players the astronauts players wanted to win this game. Of course there is also disappointment because maybe they wanted to play against a low rank team like Ramusok Capital University but it wasn't possible with the draw. Instead they play a team they know can beat them and a team that proved it multiple times already.

They had to focus because it would be a difficult game. It had to be, Calix City had been good before this. They made the best preparation. The Astronauts arrived early and were slow to the feet at the first practice - almost as if the extra 0.02 newton force gravity differential between mainland Kebec and the Academy was holding the astronauts back. But they knew better. They knew it wouldn't and shouldn't matter. They found their legs and got ready for the match.

Since Calix City won the toss and deferred, the Academy of Space received the ball and oh, boy. It was nice. The ball was kicked directly to Rocket Hydra-terra who turned on the after burners and broke through the mob, pummeling straight through the young kicker Tyler Pevvy and clear through to the end zone for an 88 yard Kick Off Return to start off the match. It was the perfect start for the Academy of Space.

But the Astronauts knew it was no time to celebrate. The game was just getting started and there was plenty of time for the Archaeologists to respond. The defense of the Academy of Space now had the requirement to play strong - play like they had played all ready during the season, very well. Of course the academy is well known for its defense but would they show up on this day in the NSCF quarter finals?

Yes. Yes they would. In fact, the Academy of Space defense was perfect. Even the offense decided to show up for a play with Solstice Conlin connecting with Ninasola Estastella for a recently rare touchdown pass - the first successful touchdown by the offense in the NSCF playoffs for the Academy of Space.

Finally the Astronauts would put the game on cement with a field goal in the fourth quarter and the defense did its job - so well that they did not give up a single points. No touchdown, no field goal, no points of any kind. The Academy of Space wins 17-0 over the Calix City Institute of Archaeology.

It was amazing revenge. Space defeated Calix City. Finally on the third try. But now the job was not done. Space would advance to the Semi-Finals. Incredible! The astronauts would get to play the Université St. Croix in the Semi-Finals. Unfortunately for the Academy, since Université St. Croix was ranked #2 in the playoff seeding, the match would need to be in the Stade St. Croix in St. Corix, the Royal Kingdom of Quebec - instead of being held in the Extraterrestrial Dome of Sport. On the other half of the bracket it was the lower seeded teams winning which allowed the 8th team Loyola University of Banija to host a match of the Semi-Final at their own stadium against the Ramusok Capital University. What an honor.

So the Extraterrestrial Dome of Sport is officially closed for the season, with no host games in the Quarter Finals or the Semi-Finals and if the Academy of Space is privileged enough to defeat the Université St. Croix in the Semi-Final match, then they will advance to the neutral venue Karmin-Falce Superdome in Ranoria City, Ranoria for the NSCF 17 Championship Final. But right now, the Astronauts don't care what comes next or if anything does come next, where it will be coming. The only thing the Academy of Space players are concerned about now is the Université St. Croix. Beat St. Croix!

Go Astronauts!

by **The Royal Kingdom of Quebec** » Sun Nov 05, 2017 11:54 pm

Le Journal Royaliste- Smurve Orgies celebrate its 50th anniversary in Aspen Hills
Small town outside of Quebec City continues celebration with much stronger destruction, stricter photography rules and absolute throwback to its historic traditions

Aubrey Shin

QUEBEC CITY, CAPITALE-NATIONALE - Even by the standards of a town that sees itself as fairly abnormal by Quebecois standards, it was a it was a febrile lead-up to this year’s La Noir Bleue. Every May of an odd-numbered year, this town just 30 minutes outside of Quebec City had many of its town buildings covered in blue and roads in dirt, as tens of thousands converge on the town centre.

A huge firework display culminates in a ceremonious orgy of all those involved, the pontiff when the first Smurve Orgy was held by the local fermiers in the honour of the respective Norrish cartoon that was first released in 1981, exactly 50 years ago from now. At the event, held on every third saturday of May per tradition, one of this year's must-see events were gigantic gargamelle-shaped 69-metre tall, 666-metre wide Donald Trump effigies (from RLStates), which was flogged, kicked and set on fire in the fashion of pinatas by enthusiastic crowd of over 20,000 as they celebrated the pre-orgy with some destruction. After all, as Alexander Herzen once said, "We do not build, we destroy"!

But it was much more than that, especially with recent controversies that nearly gave the local festival a huge hit. On Thursday night, a last-minute decision was to black out all possible inside media coverage was taken to end the conflict between organising committees of the annual smurve orgies. A possible delay or postponement was thus avoided, following a huge controversy in which a former MP was arrested for possession of illegal videos gathered from past smurve orgies and its use in blackmailing local businesses. It took a Prime Ministerial announcement and immediate enforcing of the data erasure regarding those that were violating security, to get the festival running and the committees settling down for agreement with each other. Now it's banned to produce any unofficial, personal photography, videography or social media posting unless on emergency stations.

The controversies aside, this year felt even more special for the annual festival. The ancient blueblood roots of the town's inkmakers had , coming just a month after the town's 500th anniversary celebrated in the very same town square. The public interest in this blue-skinned Smurves had also been stoked by the re-screening of the television series in TVA, who acquired the Quebecois broadcasting rights of the series from the QBC in 2012, starring Yi Bon-Gu as the Papa Smurve and Antoinette Blanchette-Morrisette as a Millette. The series, with star-studded cast of voice actors and actresses, drew massive critical acclaim.

Last month, some television viewers complained that Antoinette Blanchette-Morrisette's voice was too sexy to be taken seriously as Milleette, while others stated that Edgar Fernandes simply sounded like a bored high school teenager with angst when it comes to his depiction of Vane Smurvy. Was this suitable family viewing? There's all sorts of debates about such issues involving morals so personal in Quebec. Yet similar thoughts about the bizarre, slightly off-ish depiction employed by the voice actors, both past and present, has drawn great inspiration for biannual celebration in this otherwise quiet community of Aspen Hills.

Many of us may think of Quebecois history as something that is too complicated to be discussed because of its vast nature, or just takes it as the histories involving Quebecois cities and extravaganzas. But it's more than that, as our modern habits and memories are formed by those whose memories persisted well into now. Here, among the small, dandy houses and dainty coffee shops, the townspeople repeatedly remember the reproduction of the people under the blue skies, the water and of course the series that the comic artist DjaDja (his real name being Magnus-Alexandre Ingholm) was inspired of during his time under the blue skies here.

The very last part, which people associate more in coming to the ceremonial orgy, is very important. Merging the traditional celebrations of the town's founding with the smurves and turning into it was a very recent idea and perhaps it was the push into such a kinky mix that opened the world's eyes on this town. We go all the way back to 1971: After six months in this small town on a high school exchange, DjaDja would make small sketches of cartoon figures he dreamed of while asleep and when he ran out of any ideas on colouring their skin, DjaDja just coloured them blue like the sky he loved daydreaming of.

Ten years later, while working on a project, he rediscovered those sketches and then enabled his own interpretations out of it. He reworked on those concepts to create the cartoon series Smurves and BOOM! It was a massive success. Mere months after the very first edition came out on January 1st, 1981, a cooperative socialist union of Universite St. Croix students, including members of its widely celebrated gridiron and women's football teams, commemorated the origins of the cartoon series the very weekend the town was found, to give them the excuse.

Alexis Brodeur-Keon, the organising committee president (Universite St. Croix, Class of 1982), agreed on this. "We brought some blue paint, green lights, Trojanas (OOC : For those who don't know, it's the Quebecois condom brand that controls roughly the 80% of sporting multiverse's contraceptives production) and weed and then set a massive orgy, a festival where everybody could have a good time being relaxed like those smurves. We've always known that those smurves were inspired by Mr. Ingholm's times daydreaming of peaceful, comic personnages whom everybody could associate, laugh with and just enjoy their time in whatever and however the fashion one wanted it to be. Before that there were town founding celebrations, but not in this way. Guess we did help with the town's profile."

Last weekend, the very weekend after one of the oldest towns in this country was built, Aspen Hills celebrated with great relish of pleasure while blued to their insides.

by **Yesopalitha** » Mon Nov 06, 2017 12:09 am

NSCF 17 PLAYOFFS - Semifinals
Full Bracket

_#8Loyola University (BNJ) 43-13 _#12Ramusok Capital University (COS)
@ Istria Lightning Yard, Banija

_#2Université St. Croix (QUE) 6-12 _#6The Academy of Space (SPA)
@ Stade St. Croix

NSCF 17 PLAYOFFS - Final
_#6The Academy of Space (SPA) vs. _#8Loyola University (BNJ)
@ Karmin-Falce Superdome, Ranoria City, Ranoria

by **Banija** » Mon Nov 06, 2017 10:46 am

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

Loyola blow out RCU in a whiteout playoff game at the Istria LIghtning Yard to clinch a spot in the NSCF 17 Playoff Final

Freshman Safety Kostas Costas(#12) returns an interception for a touchdown in the second quarter

ISTRIA- Once the whiteout was announced, you knew you were going to have a very special atmosphere here at the Istria Lightning Yard. They hadn't lost in NSCF play at this stadium since their first season as a member of the organization, and the Istria Lightning Yard was beginning to be known as a fortress. This was going to be their biggest game ever played at this stadium. In their NSCF 14 Title run, they played the quarterfinal at this stadium and the semifinal away from home, while playing the final in Istria, but 6 miles down the street in the domed Liberty Stadium. They went 8-0 at the Istria Lightning Yard that season. And, of course, in this final game of the year here, they had a stadium record attendance of 81,233.

And, of course, they did not play in the NSCF for 2 years, and now, they're back, and they've picked up right where they left off. They've gone 8-0 in this season as well at the Istria Lightning Yard, with the final game, of course, being a whiteout. Once they had clinched the victory over Cenesis Naval Academy, the University was prepared to host their first ever semifinal. With the eyes of not only Banija, but the entire NSCF community on Istria, this was an opportunity to showcase how special of a place Loyola-Istria was.

The energy behind a whiteout game is something special. Loyola-Istria has not had many. In fact, they've only had 4 official whiteout home games in school history. 2 of those, of course, occurred against archrival Northern Moravica in their return to domestic college football, coinciding with NSCF 15 and NSCF 16, as the school looked for ways to improve their stadium atmosphere, and maintain a recruiting edge over their archrivals. They did not plan to have one this season, but the opportunity came knocking when the Istria Lightning Yard was unexpectedly asked to host a semifinal.

Once they decided to do it, fans responded enthusiastically. It will be part of what Loyola-Istria will do to continually be evolving and stay ahead of the competition, both on and off the field. The national anthem was sang with great energy. Everybody was standing for the entirety of the first half. They forced four different false start penalties on RCU in the first half. IN Alastair Jobs words, it was "an experience that is impossible to describle. Everybody united, in support for this great school, for this great institution, as we fight for a spot in the title game? The entire city, it seems, came out here tonight to support our boys, and we did extremely well."

Loyola-Istria, of course, could not simply ride the crowd energy. They had a game to play, and boy, did they come out firing. On Ramusok Capital's very first drive, they actually got two first downs, and had a 3rd and 1 at the Loyola 47. However, crowd noise forced a false start, which turned it into a 3rd and 6, and an obvious running situation into a passing situation. Loyola then got a sack, and then Jawara got the football, after a touchback after the punt. This drive, was quick. Four big plays. A 13 yard run by Greenspan, a 23 yard run by Greenspan, a 14 yard run by Jawara, and then a 30 yard touchdown pass to Jonah Bart to give his team a 7-0 lead.

The two teams then traded punts, and then at the end of the 1st quarter, RCU were pinned deep, inside their own 2 yard line. After a false start penalty backed them up to the 1 yard line, senior nose tackle Kidane Bobost, the anchor of the defensive line in this 3-4 defense, blasted through the line of scrimmage on the last play of the 1st quarter to force a safety, tackling quarterback Foldar Hammerstien II as he tried to run an option handoff play in his end zone. The score was 9-0 Loyola-Istria, and the Blue Thunder were just getting started.

With the ensuing kickoff, the ball was returned to the 47 yard line. Loyola-Istria wanted to get on the board, and this time, even with a shorter field, Jawara would need more time. They took 4:30 to travel the length of the field, but a 3 yard touchdown run by Justice Greenspan made the score 16-0. The route wouldn't be on, however, until the next drive. RCU had gotten a couple of first downs with carries by stud sophomore running back Shabazz Salcousin, who was an All-Cosumar college football player. On a play at the 45, however, Hammerstien II was pressured, and threw an errant pass downfield to Kostas Costas. He returned the ball 64 yards for a touchdown, and with the score at 23-0, the route was on at the Istria Lightning Yard.

A successful 2 minute drill saw Loyola-Istria hit a 33 yarder as time expired in the first half, as they went into halftime with a 26-0 lead over a NSCF original school. The party was already starting when the second half started, but Ramusok Capital was not going to go down with a whimper. They had way too much pride to do that. Isaka Jawara threw an interception on the first play of the second half, and they made Loyola pay. Star running back Shabazz Salcousin took a screen pass 23 yards to the house, and all of a sudden, the score was 26-7.

Loyola-Istria, however, was able to punch back. The next drive was long and methodical. 14 plays, 83 yards, 6:44, and ending in a 2 yard touchdown pass to Hezekiah Berehanu on a fade route in the corner to make the game 33-7. At the very end of the 3rd quarter, the Blue Thunder added yet another field goal to make the score 36-7 going into the 4th quarter. The party was on in Istria, as Alastair Jobs began to rest his starters.

They went through the 4th quarter without suffering any major injuries. Backup freshman running back Chinou Obea, who is a highly prized recruit for next season, added a 40 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to make the score 43-7. Late in the game, Shabazz Salcousin took a swing pass, made three men miss, and went 67 yards to the house. A 2 point conversion was failed, and the final score ended 43-13. The Head Coach was pleased with his team's win. "We played lights out football today, and I could not be happier for this squad. Remember where we were when we were 2-2? We've won 11 of 12 games since, and are red hot going to Ranoria City. Congratulations to Ramusok Capital on a great season, and I hope many of our fans travel to Ranoria City for the final!"

He was then, of course, doused in a gatorade bath as Loyola-Istria made plans for a trip to the final. This will be a very budget friendly trip for the team, as Ranorian governmental authorities have pledged to cover the cost of transportation for the team and staff, and even cover the cost of food and lodging. And, of course, they will be playing to reaffirm their status as the premier program in Banija, over their fallen archrivals, Northern Moravica.

by **Banija** » Tue Nov 07, 2017 3:33 pm

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

Title Game Preview: Can Loyola-Istria win the big one in Ranoria City?

Scenes from a NSCF 17 Title Game pep rally on campus the night before the football team flew to Ranoria City

RANORIA CITY- This is it. This is what these players have been working this whole season for. This is what the coaching staff has been working towards, this is where everybody wants to be. There's one game left, between two teams in the NSCF, and the winner will be crowned the champion. If Loyola-Istria pulls it off, they will be the champions of the NSCF, and bring home their second rings. If the Academy of Space can pull it off, they can take home their first ring since they joined the NSCF, all the way back in NSCF 4. It is an epic matchup, with everything on the line.

Everyone remembers championships, for a lifetime. But people don't want to finish runner-up. We asked Alastair Jobs- what is he going to say to his players? "Well, you have to tell them to appreciate the moment. You don't know when you're going to be back- there is no guarantee we'll ever get back to this game. This competition is filled with so many quality teams, always chasing the same thing. So you must take advantage of the moment. We have leadership from a great senior class- who will have a unique opportunity to graduate with two rings. People like Justice Greenspan will never be here ever again."

This coach, of course, has been here before. He was here in NSCF 14, when Loyola-Istria won in a magical atmosphere at the Liberty Stadium, just 6 miles from campus, wearing their all whites, as they achieved a victory over South Seas University that would catapault them into the books and pages of history. Dennis Zervos, the offensive coordinator, won the NSCF Most Outstanding Player award that year, and star tight end Christos Cosse won the NSCF 14 Offensive Player of the Year. So he has this experience, and he will be ready.

This will be a very different game. This, once again, will be a strength vs strength matchup when Loyola-Istria hits the field. While this offense is the #1 in the NSCF, and is explosive and dynamic, the same could be said for the Academy of Space defense. They've allowed a total of 9 points this postseason, for an average of 3.0 points per game. This is exactly the kind of scoring defense that a team wants. With that ferocious defense, they will be able to force multiple stops, and keep their team in it for the entirety of the game. Loyola-Istria is flashy and entertaining, but the Academy of Space is a gritty team that finds way to grind out victory after victory, and that is a dangerous matchup for the red hot Blue Thunder, who have won 4 in a row and 11 of their last 12.

The game, as it usually happens, won't be decided when the strength vs strength matchup is on the field. The game will be decided from the side of the ball that is rarely mentioned about these two teams- the Academy's offense against the Blue Thunder defense. The Blue Thunder defense is a solid defense, of course, but nothing to write home about, and the same for the Academy's offense. Will the Blue Thunder be able to get stops? The Academy of Space will not put up tons of sustained drives on you,

Of course, the Academy of Space has a great special teams units as well. They returned a kickoff for a touchdown in their quarterfinal, and their kicker is very reliable. If the Blue Thunder can prevent the big play, they can probably prevent their opponents from getting into the end zone, and getting very many points on the board. Of course, it won't matter if they cannot score.

They will have to win the battle of field position, and win the battle at the line of scrimmage. The Academy of Space forced two safeties against Stoneshore College, and have been ferocious this entire postseason. The Academy's front seven, especially their defensive line, is probably the best in the NSCF. Loyola-Istria has an excellent offense, but if they are dominated up front, that won't matter. Greenspan won't be able to do anything, Jawara won't be able to do anything, and the playmakers for the Blue Thunder won't be able to get the football. If the Academy is blowing up plays in the backfield, Jawara, even though he plays with that "it" factor, will be susceptible to turning the football over, as he has done in big spots before, including against Richardson in this team's last visit to Ranoria.

If Loyola-Istria's offensive line can win the battle in the trenches, then they can do big things. But if they cannot, then it will be a long day for Jawara and Greenspan, and therefore for this whole team. We doubt Greenspan will be extremely involved in the offense- he will have to help block, and we expect to see a lot more two running back sets than normal, because the extra blocker will be necessary. If Alastair Jobs can find a way to win at the line of scrimmage, the explosiveness of this offense should be enough. If not, then it will be a long night for the Blue Thunder.

Ultimately, there will be tens of thousands of fans traveling to Ranoria City, as the University has sold out the allocation for their half of the stadium. They will be excited, and hopeful to come back happy. We will not be so bold to try and predict the outcome to this game, but we gave you the keys. If they can prevent the big play, and the offense can win the battle on the line of scrimmage, then the Blue Thunder can win this game. If not, then the Academy of Space will get a ring.

While we won't have a final score or a winner prediction, we'll predict a magic number- 17. If Loyola-Istria can score 17 or more points, then the game will be open enough to where they can outscore their opponents. But if Loyola-Istria scores less than 17 points, and it is a low-scoring, battle of the trenches, grind it out on defense kind of game, then expect Loyola-Istria to fall to the higher seeded team. This magazine will have exclusive post game coverage and reactions from Blue Thunder players, coaches, and administrators, so make sure to check back here after the game!

by **Space** » Tue Nov 07, 2017 5:35 pm

Dominant Defense Delivers Again

It was a momentus occasion at the Stade St. Croix for the Astronauts of the Academy of Space. Of course so many of the fans were there from the Royal Kingdom of Quebec to support the home team, Universite St. Croix. But not all of them There were pockets of fans of the Academy of Space both from the Academy and from abroad, including some neutrals who have jumped on the Astronauts bandwagon. One particularly enthusiastic fan came to the game dressed in full Astronaut gear - for floating in Space not for playing on the gridiron - and held up a purple sign with gold lettering written on it 'Put me in Cosmo!'. While it might not have been the single most clever thing to have ever occurred at a college football matchup, it made great for cut shuts during the broad cast especially when Space was going to score they would zoom in on Astronaut Man for the break. It actually took some kind of cahungas for Astronaut Man to show up as he did - we aren't sure if he was actually a student or he was just a neutral who has jumped on the bandwagon and supporting Space in their historic campaign. The cahungas, though, because some parts of the Royal Kingdom of Quebec are well known for their high density concentration of former and current convicts and felons. Imagine if they are among the 97,880 in attendance at the Stade St. Croix. The stands were littered in blue and white so definitely a lot of fans of Universite St. Croix but the Academy of Space was not fully intimidated - they had to win their Quarter Final match on the road as well against Calix City Institute of Archaeology - and they did.

The fans in attendance went into a very loud reverberating state of unmitigated and uncontrolled cheerdom when the home team entered the stadium. Breaking out of the tunnel they were wearing their dark blue shirts with a white helmet and the helmet had on it a horse shoe. I guess they were hoping to have some lucky horse shoe with them during the game. Bippy the Snow Elf was also getting the crowd riled up. More on him later.

Head coach Errol Harrison didn't acknowledge the crowd or his opponents as he came out to the sideline, clearly 'in the zone'. Of course, there were boos when the Academy of Space entered the field to far less fan fare and took their place on the sideline in their multi-colored galaxy themed uniforms. The Academy didn't bring an official mascot with them on the trip due to security concerns in the Royal Kingdom of Quebec - which made the presence of Astronaut Man in the stands all the more ironic.

In the match itself, it was a strong performance from the Academy of Space Astronauts. This time they won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. This was exciting for the home crowd as their team got the ball first. Jorge Mati was able to collect the ball on the 4 yard line from the opening kick off and progressed about 25 yards, being stopped just short of the 30 yard line on his return. The opening drive for the Universite of St. Croix was not going to get the crowd excited. It was a 'three and out' performance so they were not able to secure 10 yards and a first down. Instead, they only collected short yardage with two running plays led by Hector Swann and an incomplete pass thrown by Dont'aa McCallum that was intended for William Gong-Vezina in a minor trick play that was not executed when the freshman receiver failed to secure the ball. The resulting punt from Gabriel Song-Saulnier was a good one, however, and it pinned the Academy of Space on the 7 yard line to start their first drive of the game thanks to a fortuitous bounce and roll down the sideline.

From there a bit of a chess match broke out and the two teams exchanged opportunities to display their defensive prowess. The Royal Kingdom of Quebec team from the Universite St. Croix did get on the score board first with a field goal 9 minutes into the first quarter. It was a nice kick by Lorenzo Larocca that made 42 yards and looked nice enough that it could have made 50. The ensuing kick-off was an important point of turning for the match though because it was collected by Rocket Hydra-Terra and returned 64 yards to the St. Croix side of the field and set up the Astronauts in excellent field position. They made it all the way to the 1 yard line and then that is when coach Cosmo Ihii made probably a bad call. Instead of kicking the field goal attempt to collect 3 points on 3rd and goal from the 1 yard line, Coach Cosmo instructed Astronauts Quarterback Solstice Conlin to 'go for it' and he was thinking that since the team was already so close it would be better to collect 7 points instead of 3. It was a nice idea but it was also a chance to gain the momentum back for the Universite St. Croix if the Astronauts didn't make 7 points. That is exactly what happened. It could have been catastrophic for the Academy. The tackle was made by Sang Hoon Oh who refused to allow the Astronauts into the end zone standing up the line. So what happens is the Universite St. Croix receives the ball on their own one yard line with a new set of downs.

The momentum turn was quick because on the next play Dont'aa McCallum was sacked! Two points for the Astronauts. It was the end of the first quarter and the score was 3-2 in facor of the Universite of St. Croix. Because of the rules of the safety, the Academy of Space receive the ball again on another kickoff attempt from Lorenzo Larocca. Once again Rocket Hydra-Terra was able to receive the ball and carry it for a good amount of yards - not 64 but 51 and the Astronauts were starting in the St. Croix 'half' of the field again. This time it was another well executed drive from the Astronauts and it would be Hydra-Terra who finished it off receiving a 7 yard slant pass from Solstice Conlin to reach the end zone for a touchdown on second and goal. The drive also was eating 5 minutes of the clock from the board as we looked to get into the second half. The Astronauts led 9-3 at this stage of the game.

The rest of the half of football played again to a chess match without a result. The Academy of Space got the ball in the second half but the Universite of St. Croix defense was back on track after the less than stellar performance on wo back to back drives in the first half tha resulted in the Astronauts 9 points scored. Universite St. Croix got within 3 point on their third drive of the second half, late in the third quarter. They had put together a good drive but were shut down on the 28 yard line after another incomplete pass that was not the fault of Dont'aa McCallum. The field goal was good from Lorenzo Larocca and the score was 9-6.

In the fourth quarter the mood was very tense on both sidelines because the game was so close. Universite St. Croix just needed to score a field goal to tie the match and make overtime. The Academy of Space was trying to score anything they can score because thats going to make more pressure on the University St. Croix. The Academy of Space would get their chance with 6 minutes to play with Socca WylWyl lining up for a 47 yard field goal attempt. The snap game in from Heather Ramirez and the hold from sophomore Concrete LaDucka was pure, straight and the laces were out correctly so there could be no complaints in the vain of Ray from Ace Ventura about the hold. WylWyl is a strong leg but it was a tough kick and it didn't look like it would make it. Actually it barely did because the ball clipped the bottom crossbar of the upright as it went through flipping end over end and into the netting behind. It was good! Barely! 12-6 was the score.

This is when it was time for the Astronauts Defense to step up. Freshmen Comet Jetson was putting pressure on the receivers with initial contact and not allowing them to streak open down the field as a target for McCallum. Unviersite St. Croix had to punt. There was just 4 minutes to play now. The home fans did get something to cheer about when the Astronauts were forced into what was effectively a 'three and out'. It wasn't actually. Marjuli Nitrogen ran for 12 yards on the first play of the drive to collect a new set of downs. But from there, it was three more plays and a punt from the Academy of Space so from a time and clock management perspective for the Universite St. Croix it was a good stop. There was less than two minutes to play and the home team had the ball. They were down by six points so they needed at touchdown. The Astronauts were playing a little loose on defense allowing the St. Croix to get small yards but not deep yards. It was similar to a prevent defense but not fully prevent. Universite St. Croix had to manage the clock and attempted to get to the sideline so there was a big moment with 46 seconds to go when a 9 yard pass from McCallum to Gong-Vezina resulted in the inexperienced receiver being tackled in the field of play by Comet Jetson. This forced the Universite St. Croix to use their final time out and made clock management more difficult.

There were just a few plays left. Universite St. Croix was on the Astronauts 23 yard line. They were well within the range of the field goal but the field goal was not enough. They required a touchdown and had to get into the endzone. They collected the first down to get to the 21 yard line and then it was clear they had to shoot for the end zone. The first pass by McCallum was poor - it was towards the pylon but never made it in the bounds of the endzone and actually struck Bippy the Snow Elf in the back of the head as he was trying to rile up the crowd. The next chance McCallum had to throw away for pressure from the strong Astronauts defense. They had two more chances. The next one was too high so there was just one final chance. There was still 8 seconds on the clock but it was fourth down. The pass was intended for Stephen Rostowski but Ristor Lane got a hand in and broke it up before Rostowski could gain possession. That was it. The Astronauts were one kneel away from the NSCF Championship Game!

The kneel came in and the Astronauts had won. The teams met at center field to exchange pleasantries but it didn't seem like there was much pleasant in the mind of the St. Croix. Astronaut Man somehow made his way onto the field and smacked Bippy the Snow Elf on the head - perhaps making fun of the St. Croix mascot for getting struck by the Football when his team was trying to make a touchdown. This incited a small brawl between Astronaut Man, Bippy the Snow Elf and a few of the St. Croix supporters. Suffice to say Astronaut Man was losing pretty bad before finally some officials came to break it up. That was the only fight St. Croix won on the day.

The Academy of Space didn't care. They were off to play the NSCF Championship Game. The defense had gotten them to the championship and the old saying is 'Defense wins Championships' so Space was on track to make this a truth. The Academy of Space had already contested three playoff games to get to the Championship - and in those three games the Academy of Space had yet to give up a single touchdown. Of course, it will be a great day for the Championship if they can keep up this streak but it will be difficult due to the offensive strength of Loyala University, the team that will be the Astronauts opponent in the Championship match. While the All-Banija Sports Magazine seemed to be more interested in printing large photos then acknowledging Space as their championship game opponents, the Astronauts would be making no such mistakes themselves, fully aware of the threat posed by the Blue Thunder in the championship match that will be played in Ranoria City. The 43 points that Loyola University scored in their 43-13 victory in their Semi-Final match over Ramusok Capital University was more than the Academy of Space had scored thus far in their three playoff matches. Of course, Loyola was playing at home but still they had 17 and 24 points in the matches before that so it was definitely going to be the best offense against the best defense in the championship match. Beat Loyola! Viva Ranoria City!

Go Astronauts!

by **Yesopalitha** » Tue Nov 07, 2017 7:13 pm

As always, it's been a pleasure to score the tournament. Thank you for the honor.

Both sides have RPed, and done it well. Time for the ultimate question:

Who wins it all?

NSCF 17 PLAYOFFS - Championship
Full Bracket

Congratulations to the winner, commiserations to the loser, and thank you all for another great season!

(Go Huskies!)

by **Banija** » Wed Nov 08, 2017 9:37 am

The All-Banija Sports Magazine
The only nationwide publication that is all sports, all the time!
Loyola-Istria wins NSCF 17 Championship with 13-7 victory over the Academy of Space

Isaka Jawara celebrates after throwing game-winning touchdown pass in 4th quarter

RANORIA CITY- Boy, was this magazine wrong. We gave a magic number of 17- that was the amount we predicted that the Blue Thunder needed to score. We didn't' score 17, but thanks to Alastair Jobs adjustments and the ability of this defense to match the power of their opponents, the Blue Thunder did what they've been doing all season- even when things aren't going your way, digging deep and finding a way to win, showing the heart of champions and proving that this trophy is much deserved.

Loyola-Isria had to punt the ball a season record 6 times, all in the first half, which was good for the parents of sophomore punter Chenor Tiyana, but not good for anyone else. This team would get a singular first down, but then run into a brick wall. Nothing was working for this offense in the first half. Senior defesnive tackle Ericol Small, trying to bring his school their first ever NSCF championship, was absolutely clogging up the middle. He had 5 tackles for loss today by himself. Loyola-Istria traditionally likes to spread it out in the shotgun, but that wasn't working at all. They had to switch to going under center and using double tight end sets for the majority of the first three quarters, as their five down lineman simply could not block the Academy of Space. The Academy of Space offense, however, is not similarly renowned, and the Blue Thunder defense was able to match their counterparts. They were helped however, when true freshman field goal kicker Socca WylWyl hooked a 49 yard field goal attempt to the right on the last play of the half, so they went into the half tied at 0. Normally an excellent kicker, the moment must have got to him due to his youth and pressure of the NSCF championship game.

At halftime, Alastair Jobs made some adjustments to try and open up the offense. They switched from double tight end sets, to a version of the pistol formation. They lined up Justice Greenspan behind Jawara, with Jonah Bart to Jawara's right with Chinou Obea & Edris Wubishet splitting reps lining up to Jawara's left. They slowed the tempo down, and began to ran the football less with Jawara, but more of an option style offense with Greenspan getting the majority of the carries, or short passes in space to Jonah Bart. This worked on the first drive of the 3rd quarter. They'd get gains of 4 or 5 and march down the field, though it took them 7 minutes to finally get inside the 10. Then, unfortunately, senior linebacker Ristor Lane turned the game on its head.

With the Blue Thunder having a 2nd and goal at the 7 and threatening, the Space defensive coordinator dialed up a blitz package. Senior linebacker Ristor Lane blasted through a hole in the offensive line, and his helmet connected right with the football being carried by Justice Greenspan. He forced a fumble, and fell on top of the football at the 10. It was a stunning play that turned the momentum around, and the Academy of Space would capitalize. Solstice Conlin did a play action, and threw the ball downfield to Ninasola Estastella, who caught the ball in stride at the 50 and ran to the end zone for a touchdown. Two plays ago, it looked as if the Blue Thunder would take the lead, but two huge plays for Space gave them a 7-0 advantage.

The Blue Thunder, knowing that their package was working, went to the same play calling style that they had used so successfully on the previous drive. They drove the ball down the field, and it took them another 7 minutes to get down the field. This time, however, Greenspan successfully punched the ball into the end zone from 4 yards out on 3rd and goal, and the game was tied at 7 heading into the fourth quarter. This was the first touchdown Space had allowed all postseason. T Hey had 14 minutes of possession in the 3rd quarter, and they would use that to wear down the defense. First, however, senior kicker Noab Ahungena got injured on the ensuing kickoff. A huge hit on the kicker while blocking downfield saw Noab Ahungena diagnosed with a concussion, and Banijans got memories of their World Bowl semifinal loss to Drawkland many years ago, when the punter came on for an injured kicker and missed the game winning field goal. Regardless, as he stood up and staggered over to the wrong sideline after the hit, it was clear that he was going to be out for the remainder of the game.

The Academy of Space, besides their big 90 yard touchdown pass, could not do anything for the rest of the game on offense. Their true freshman quarterback, against this experienced Blue Thunder defense, was absolutely no match. They immediately went three and out, then the Blue Thunder did the same, then Space did the same again. The Blue Thunder, having the ball with 10:30 left in regulation, decided to open up the playbook. The Space defense was clearly exhausted, with the Blue Thunder time of possession advantage being 16:30 to 3:00 at this point in the half.

Alastair Jobs definitely knows what he is doing. Jawara did not get hit in the backfield once in the 4th quarter. He led what was a much more traditional Blue Thunder drive, going 7 for 7 for 51 yards after starting the drive from his own 11, and ended up taking the team to the Space 4 Yard line with 6:30 left. On 3rd and goal, he threw what he thought was the go-ahead touchdown pass, but a holding penalty on freshman guard Sarjo Coote pushed the ball back to the 14. An incomplete pass, and since nobody wanted to go for it on 4th and 14, they brought out the makeshift field goal kicker. Chenor Tiyana came onto the field, and he hit the right upright on the 31 yard field goal attempt. Space had life.

Space finally got a first down, but then Solstice Conlin made a huge mistake. He tried to throw a deep post over the middle, but overthrew it and the ball was intercepted by the senior free safety, Obi Benti, at midfield, where he was tackled. It was then the Blue Thunder that would go for the kill with 4:45 left in regulation. On the first play from scrimmage, they ran Hezekiah Berehanu down the sideline on a straight streak. With both safeties in the box considering the Blue Thunder had run their pistol, Jawara heaved a ball down the sideline and Berehanu made a diving catch in the end zone, for a 50 yard touchdown reception to give his team a 13-7 lead.

The Blue Thunder, naturally, went crazy after this play, and got flagged for excessive celebration when Berehanu celebrated by dunking on the field goal crossbar. The Space head coach chose to apply the penalty to the extra point, and all of a sudden, the play was equivalent to a 35 yarder. This tiem, Chenor Tiyana hit the left upright, and the Blue Thunder lead stayed at 13-7. The Blue Thunder defense, however, held on. They forced a 3 and out with two incomplete passes and a sack. Then Space was forced to punt with 4 minutes remaining, and the Blue Thunder ran out the clock. They converted on third down three times on the final drive, and the game ended with Isaka Jawara in the victory formation. Time of possession in the second half was 25:11 to 4:49, in favor of the Blue Thunder.

They stormed the field, and it was a stunning victory and second NSCF championship for the Blue Thunder. This makes their neutral site record in the NSCF 3-0 all-time, this makes their all-time NSCF playoff record 7-0, and their all-time NSCF postseason record 8-0. Those wins comprising of the NSCF 13 Pioneer Bowl victory, the 3 wins from the NSCF 14 title run, alongside the 4 wins from this title run. With his second NSCF championship, Alastair Jobs has firmly put Loyola-Istria as the premier college football program in Banija, and alongside 6 national championships in 17 domestic seasons, firmly put himself in the discussion for the greatest Banijan coach of all-time, in any sport.

With that, the University of Loyola-Istria will look to keep him here. But will he want to say? Some might say he has nowhere to go but down, as two NSCF championships have seen his team clearly surpass that school up North. There are strong rumors that Ezekiel Daniachew, the head of the Banijan Gridiron Football Association, will look to hire him to coach the national team, which is a full-time and would require him to retire from this school. Since Banija lost the semifinals of World Bowl 29-31 under Daniachew as head coach en route to 3 straight fourth place finishes, he knows more than anybody how hard it is to win these big time knockout games. And is his title the cause of Northern Moravica's just announced "internal review" of Horace Browning's contract? Northern fans aren't happy being 0-3 all-time in the NSCF postseason while Loyola seemingly piles on championships.

That question, however, will have to be considered another day. For now? We will celebrated Loyola's second NSCF championship. What they have done is stunning, winning two of these in their first 3 NSCF seasons. He's made the Istria Lightning Yard a fortress, winning 17 straight NSCF games at home dating back to week 13 of NSCF 13. Meaning, of course, they went 8-0 at the stadium en route to the NSCF 14 title, and went 8-0 at home this season as well. It is the kind of home record that makes home games that much more profitable for Loyola-Istria, which increases his value as a coach.

Ultimately though, that is the end of our college football coverage for the season! We can't say for sure who will be roaming the sideline next season for either of Banija's teams, but we do know that they'll both be back, competing for the Celestia Conference! Our congratulations to Alastair Jobs, his football team, and his University. Our congratulations go out to Space for a wonderful city, and to Ranoria City for being such wonderful hosts for a travelling horde of 60,000 Banijans. And, of course, thanks to the NSCF and all of its member schools for making this all possible. See everyone next season!

NSCF 17 Everything Thread

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Sadeg State Playoff Round 1

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