NSCF XX - Everything Thread

[Banija]

I'm gonna take my horse to that old cutoff!

I'm gonna score till I can't no more!

Woodlands Conference
University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa (APU) 31–24 Université du Saguenay (QUE)
Portvestir University (MEL) 9–20 Xannerian Polytechnical Institute (XAN)
N-N Palæontological-Centred Research University (NTN) 30–14 Faith College (XAN)

Woodlands Conference                                      Pld   W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Université du Saguenay                                   6    4   2   133   95  +38
2 N-N Palæontological-Centred Research University          6    4   2   169   77  +92
3 Xannerian Polytechnical Institute                        6    4   2   126  101  +25
4 University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa                         6    3   3   119  149  −30
5 Faith College                                            6    2   4   108  148  −40
6 Portvestir University                                    6    1   5    98  183  −85

Zephyr Conference
University of Javoser (SAJ) 30–20 Cenesis Naval Academy (AFT)
Silver Valley School (APH) 27–15 Thereisnogidstan Community College (AFT)
Kanjin University (NQU) 13–13 Bowerstone University (ATH) (29–26 OT)

Zephyr Conference                                         Pld   W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Cenesis Naval Academy                                    6    5   1   224  124 +100
2 Kanjin University                                        6    4   2   149  104  +45
3 University of Javoser                                    6    3   3   105  127  −22
4 Bowerstone University                                    6    2   4   153  162   −9
5 Thereisnogidstan Community College                       6    2   4   170  175   −5
6 Silver Valley School                                     6    2   4    84  193 −109

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Celestia and Horizon Conferences Results - MD6

50 shades of Beauty and The Beast

Celestia Conference
New Pathshala for Military Training Priests (NHS) 16–32 Northern Moravica University Cougars (BNJ)
University of Rasisikenev Bull Tigers (RKV) 23–47 Loyola University Blue Thunder (BNJ)
University of Fisher City Mariners (BGS) 0–9 Salamantic Universities Professors (KOR)

Celestia Conference                                  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD 
1 Northern Moravica University Cougars (BNJ)           6    6   0   0   185   47 +138
2 Loyola University Blue Thunder (BNJ)                 6    5   0   1   294  116 +178
3 Salamantic Universities Professors (KOR)             6    4   0   2    71   28  +43
4 University of Fisher City Mariners (BGS)             6    2   0   4    60  125  −65
5 New Pathshala for Military Training Priests (NHS)    6    1   0   5    56  225 −169
6 University of Rasisikenev Bull Tigers (RKV)          6    0   0   6    84  209 −125

Horizon Conference
University of St. Vincia Black-Eyes (USV) 20–37 Sadeg State University Skyhawks (DRK)
University of North Tunheim Orcas (BJØ) 23–41 Ramusok Capital University Dragons (COS)
Veerakerala College Royals (INS) 6–26 Stoneshore College Bruins (COS)

Horizon Conference                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD 
1 Sadeg State University Skyhawks (DRK)        6    6   0   0   223  103 +120
2 Stoneshore College Bruins (COS)              6    5   0   1   188   50 +138
3 Ramusok Capital University Dragons (COS)     6    4   0   2   215  135  +80
4 University of North Tunheim Orcas (BJØ)      6    2   0   4   111  195  −84
5 University of St. Vincia Black-Eyes (USV)    6    1   0   5   122  240 −118
6 Veerakerala College Royals (INS)             6    0   0   6    56  192 −136

[Sajnur]

Nation States College Football XX

We're six matches into NSCF XX and the University of Javoser is doing surprisingly well. The Crocodiles have won three of their six matches so far, most recently upsetting the Ceneisis Naval Academy (CNA), inflicting the first defeat for the leaders of the Zephyr conference. On an individual level, no single player has been a standout, although the defensive unit has proven to be strong, at least after the opening match.

That opening match was a 37-3 loss to the Naval Academy. Disappointing? yes. Unexpected? No. The scoreline was a harsh reminder that university athletes in other countries put their heart and soul into their sports even when not receiving big professional salaries, with Waylon Dalton notably passing for four touchdowns and Javoser's only points against the ninth ranked team being a field goal from Orla Kasim in the fourth quarter, much to the delight of the 35,000 fans at Filibuster Street.

That harsh introduction proved not to be a sign of things to come, however, as North Quadana's Kanjin University made the trip to Crocodile Stadium and lost 16-9. The teams scored one touchdown each, but three field goals for Kasim to one for Hizano Matata, who also missed his extra point in the second quarter, meant victory for a rock solid defensive platoon.

A second trip to Abanhfleft territory, albeit this time the Esportivan colony of the Fhulghamous Peninsula, produced a second loss to the Thereisnogodistan County Community College with a score of 30-21 to the hosts. Ed Paxson threw four touchdowns for the Atheists, with a safety on Valon Tursind by Marcel Blake providing the other two points. Samuel Mathews sent in two touchdowns and Tursind picked six from 93 yards in the fourth quarter but there was no loot to be had from Richard Dawkins Park.

Worse was yet to come, though, as a loss to the hitherto winless Silver Valley school sent the Crocodiles to the foot of the Zephyr conference, a 14-6 scoreline showing problems with the offensive platoon as they failed to score a touchdown against a team that had leaked 142 points in their opening three matches. Two field goals by Kasim was mere consolation against two touchdowns by the Rattlers as they snatched a win from Sajnuran turf.

The disappointment would not last long, though, as the Crocodiles flew down to the city of Darstown to disappoint more than 40,000 Anthorans, a 29-17 victory over Bowerstone University propelling Javoser to third in the conference. The 16th ranked Bolts had no answer to the Crocodiles' ambushas Mathews passed for two touchdowns, James Odoye ran 26 yards for one, and Juan Peron picked six from 72 yards, with the opening touchdown in the 5th minute getting a two point conversion with Kyle Williams running in to make it 8-0.

The most recent Crocodiles fixture saw CNA arrive in Javoser for the return fixture and receive a mugging, losing 30-20 to the Crocodiles. Mathews passed for two touchdowns in a relatively laid back performance as he took few risks with ball in hand, although Petra Khalinye juked Ilar Yates and stiff armed Jacquelyn Murray to the floor during a 15 yard trip to the end zone. Crocodiles head coach Nicolas Markelov was equally as conservative as he sent Orla Kasim on for three field goals, one just two minutes from time and 58 yards from goal to put CNA two scores down and secure another upset against a top-20 team.

[Banija]

In honor of the great white North's NBA team making the NBA finals for the first time... here's our cutoff. Featuring the stadium of the greatest University in the world. Beat Golden State!

Woodlands Conference
N-N Palæontological-Centred Research University (NTN) 17–7 University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa (APU)
Faith College (XAN) 17–50 Portvestir University (MEL)
Xannerian Polytechnical Institute (XAN) 7–13 Université du Saguenay (QUE)

Woodlands Conference                                      Pld   W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Université du Saguenay                                   7    5   2   146  102  +44
2 N-N Palæontological-Centred Research University          7    5   2   186   84 +102
3 Xannerian Polytechnical Institute                        7    4   3   133  114  +19
4 University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa                         7    3   4   126  166  −40
5 Portvestir University                                    7    2   5   148  200  −52
6 Faith College                                            7    2   5   125  198  −73

Zephyr Conference
Kanjin University (NQU) 30–20 University of Javoser (SAJ)
Bowerstone University (ATH) 46–29 Silver Valley School (APH)
Thereisnogidstan Community College (AFT) 14–10 Cenesis Naval Academy (AFT)

Zephyr Conference                                         Pld   W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Cenesis Naval Academy                                    7    5   2   234  138  +96
2 Kanjin University                                        7    5   2   179  124  +55
3 University of Javoser                                    7    3   4   125  157  −32
4 Thereisnogidstan Community College                       7    3   4   184  185   −1
5 Bowerstone University                                    7    3   4   199  191   +8
6 Silver Valley School                                     7    2   5   113  239 −126

[Drawkland]

Big Eight Conference and Mineral Conference
Results - MD6 and MD7

I swear to god I'm gonna start hitting the cutoffs correctly okay

BIG EIGHT
Kandonica National Military Institute (KDN) 14–13 Richardson University (RAN)
Raynor University (VAL) 26–48 Cold Hill University (RAN)
Mar Sara Tech (VAL) 9–17 Tecumseh University (ROJ)

Mar Sara Tech (VAL) 26–6 Kandonica National Military Institute (KDN)
Tecumseh University (ROJ) 14–0 Raynor University (VAL)
Cold Hill University (RAN) 24–27 Richardson University (RAN)

  BIG EIGHT CONFERENCE                         Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Cold Hill University                           7    5   2   197  132  +65
2 Richardson University                          7    5   2   127   95  +32
3 Tecumseh University                            7    5   2   185   90  +95
4 Mar Sara Tech                                  7    3   4   114  127  −13
5 Kandonica National Military Institute          7    2   5    52  123  −71
6 Raynor University                              7    1   6    70  178 −108

MINERAL
Iokiaq International Institute (IQK) 10–32 University of the Commonwealth (CBP)
The Terrestrial Acclimation Academy (SPA) 33–38 Clawtown University (ABG)
The Academy of Space (SPA) 37–10 Loirgrunzodd University (ABG)

The Academy of Space (SPA) 23–7 Iokiaq International Institute (IQK)
Loirgrunzodd University (ABG) 30–23 The Terrestrial Acclimation Academy (SPA)
Clawtown University (ABG) 17–36 University of the Commonwealth (CBP)

  MINERAL CONFERENCE                           Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 University of the Commonwealth                 7    6   1   249  140 +109
2 The Academy of Space                           7    5   2   217  130  +87
3 Clawtown University                            7    4   3   169  179  −10
4 The Terrestrial Acclimation Academy            7    3   4   164  193  −29
5 Loirgrunzodd University                        7    2   5   136  173  −37
6 Iokiaq International Institute                 7    1   6    48  168 −120

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Celestia and Horizon Conferences Results - MD7

I'm aware I'm late to the cutoff, but it's not because of my new swag.

Celestia Conference
University of Fisher City Mariners (BGS) 16–13 New Pathshala for Military Training Priests (NHS)
Salamantic Universities Professors (KOR) 26–0 University of Rasisikenev Bull Tigers (RKV)
Loyola University Blue Thunder (BNJ) 35–21 Northern Moravica University Cougars (BNJ)

Celestia Conference                                  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD 
1 Northern Moravica University Cougars (BNJ)           7    6   0   1   206   82 +124
2 Loyola University Blue Thunder (BNJ)                 7    6   0   1   329  137 +192
3 Salamantic Universities Professors (KOR)             7    5   0   2    97   28  +69
4 University of Fisher City Mariners (BGS)             7    3   0   4    76  138  −62
5 New Pathshala for Military Training Priests (NHS)    7    1   0   6    69  241 −172
6 University of Rasisikenev Bull Tigers (RKV)          7    0   0   7    84  235 −151

Horizon Conference
Veerakerala College Royals (INS) 40–14 University of St. Vincia Black-Eyes (USV)
Stoneshore College Bruins (COS) 35–0 University of North Tunheim Orcas (BJØ)
Ramusok Capital University Dragons (COS) 28–41 Sadeg State University Skyhawks (DRK)

Horizon Conference                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD
1 Sadeg State University Skyhawks (DRK)        7    7   0   0   264  131 +133
2 Stoneshore College Bruins (COS)              7    6   0   1   223   50 +173
3 Ramusok Capital University Dragons (COS)     7    4   0   3   243  176  +67
4 University of North Tunheim Orcas (BJØ)      7    2   0   5   111  230 −119
5 Veerakerala College Royals (INS)             7    1   0   6    96  206 −110
6 University of St. Vincia Black-Eyes (USV)    7    1   0   6   136  280 −144

[Ko-oren]

Challenge time is upon us. We're nearing the end of conference play of the 20th NSCF season, and the Professors are sitting nicely at 5-2. The two losses have been versus Banijan teams - and guess what our next two rounds are.

What we've said all season, still stands. The defence is performing well over expectations, the offence is rolling and making good use of the drives they get. If anything, the offence could get rolling a little more: the defence forces so many turnovers that the offence could realistically get a few more points on the board. That said, this team is pretty good and we're already looking forward for what happens after the Banijan teams are gone. We're now on three straight shutouts, so that generates some expectations ahead of the next two rounds.

After that, there is one conference game left: @ Priests (1-6). Once the clock reads 0:00 on that game, our record is frozen as far as conference standings are concerned - the best team in the Celestia Conference qualifies for the playoffs. That doesn't end the season, though: there are three more games left against out-of-conference opponents, and these results will count towards seeding: not only conference champions make the playoffs. Four more teams will go there, based on the OSPI. That acronym will appear a lot for Professors fans: it's the Oracle Sporting Performance Index. It's easy:

((((home wins * 0.4 + away wins * 0.6) / games played) * 2) + (the formula on the left, but for every opponent, then averaged)) / 3

So, effectively, scheduling tough teams in weeks 11 through 13 - and winning them - is heavily rewarded. Also, playing these two Banijan heavyweights helps us, as long as we win enough games outside of those. But that's not all: if the Professors impress enough, they could be one of two lucky teams to be invited to the playoffs as teams #11 or #12. Yes, those aren't measured, those two teams are invited.

In fact, for the conference standings, there's a little more going on: the Blue Thunder and the Cougars have played, and the home team triumphed once again: the Professors are now 5-2, behind two 6-1 teams! There is still a monumentally tiny chance that we win this conference. If the Cougars had won, they'd be too far ahead for us to realistically chase.

On the topic of OSPI (we told you you'd see this acronym): where are our week 11 through 13 opponents right now?

The Université du Saguenay Fighting Irish are atop their conference at 5-2, in the Woodlands Conference, having just beaten the third-ranked team in their conference 13-7. With a fine defence and capable offence, they are probably a lot like the Professors, only more experienced as a programme.

The Sadeg State University Skyhawks, from Drawkland, are first in the Horizon Conference, at a scary 7-0. They have just won 41-28, at home, over the third placed team in their conference. The Skyhawks are incredibly good on both sides of the ball, though it could be extremely close between these two teams. The Drawkland team do give up quite a few opportunities on their defence.

The Kandonica National Military Institute Officers are the final fixture for the Ko-orenite purple project. They are on a disappointing season, 2-5, on a 26-6 loss to the fourth ranked team in their conference. Before that, they won a close one over Richardson, in second place in that conference.

Well, it seems that the opponent's record part of OSPI is taken care of... but everything hinges on whether the Professors keep winning as much as they have. The team have been much better than expected, especially as a year 1 programme, and being in contention for the playoffs even after week 7 is pretty damn good. If it all doesn't work out, we could still shoot for a Bowl, but that's in really, really uncertain territory.

[Banija]

A rap battle between the world's superpowers will take us into our cutoff

Woodlands Conference
University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa (APU) 23–37 Xannerian Polytechnical Institute (XAN)
Université du Saguenay (QUE) 10–3 Faith College (XAN)
Portvestir University (MEL) 0–13 N-N Palæontological-Centred Research University (NTN)

Woodlands Conference                                      Pld   W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Université du Saguenay                                   8    6   2   156  105  +51
2 N-N Palæontological-Centred Research University          8    6   2   199   84 +115
3 Xannerian Polytechnical Institute                        8    5   3   170  137  +33
4 University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa                         8    3   5   149  203  −54
5 Portvestir University                                    8    2   6   148  213  −65
6 Faith College                                            8    2   6   128  208  −80

Zephyr Conference
University of Javoser (SAJ) 24–7 Thereisnogidstan Community College (AFT)
Cenesis Naval Academy (AFT) 23–13 Bowerstone University (ATH)
Silver Valley School (APH) 16–61 Kanjin University (NQU)

Zephyr Conference                                         Pld   W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Cenesis Naval Academy                                    8    6   2   257  151 +106
2 Kanjin University                                        8    6   2   240  140 +100
3 University of Javoser                                    8    4   4   149  164  −15
4 Bowerstone University                                    8    3   5   212  214   −2
5 Thereisnogidstan Community College                       8    3   5   191  209  −18
6 Silver Valley School                                     8    2   6   129  300 −171

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Celestia and Horizon Conferences Results - MD8

Believe me. This series is darn good.

Celestia Conference
New Pathshala for Military Training Priests (NHS) 20–36 Loyola University Blue Thunder (BNJ)
Northern Moravica University Cougars (BNJ) 3–6 Salamantic Universities Professors (KOR)
University of Rasisikenev Bull Tigers (RKV) 23–30 University of Fisher City Mariners (BGS)

Celestia Conference                                  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD 
1 Loyola University Blue Thunder (BNJ)                 8    7   0   1   365  157 +208
2 Northern Moravica University Cougars (BNJ)           8    6   0   2   209   88 +121
3 Salamantic Universities Professors (KOR)             8    6   0   2   103   31  +72
4 University of Fisher City Mariners (BGS)             8    4   0   4   106  161  −55
5 New Pathshala for Military Training Priests (NHS)    8    1   0   7    89  277 −188
6 University of Rasisikenev Bull Tigers (RKV)          8    0   0   8   107  265 −158

Horizon Conference
University of St. Vincia Black-Eyes (USV) 16–43 Ramusok Capital University Dragons (COS)
Sadeg State University Skyhawks (DRK) 26–3 Stoneshore College Bruins (COS)
University of North Tunheim Orcas (BJØ) 33–23 Veerakerala College Royals (INS)

Horizon Conference                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD
1 Sadeg State University Skyhawks (DRK)        8    8   0   0   290  134 +156
2 Stoneshore College Bruins (COS)              8    6   0   2   226   76 +150
3 Ramusok Capital University Dragons (COS)     8    5   0   3   286  192  +94
4 University of North Tunheim Orcas (BJØ)      8    3   0   5   144  253 −109
5 Veerakerala College Royals (INS)             8    1   0   7   119  239 −120
6 University of St. Vincia Black-Eyes (USV)    8    1   0   7   152  323 −171

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Warriors seek more gold in Mineral Conference
Teresa Bramlage
Daily News Football Writer

With three games remaining in their NSCF regular season schedule, the University of the Commonwealth football team could possibly clinch their third straight conference crown with a victory against Northern Alenburg at Gleason Field tomorrow night.

With only a single defeat to the Terrestrial Acclimation Academy in week 5, the Warriors sit one game ahead of the Academy of Space, whom they will face after this second contest of the season with the debutantes from NAU. TAA and Space will square off against one another this week, and a victory by the Terrens coupled with a UC win will guarantee that the Baker Park school will finish no worse than a tie for title.

UC came into the campaign with question marks across the board following their rebuilding season in UAC play, but have looked solid in all phases of the game, having the 4th best offense in NSCF at 35.5 ppg and allowing 17 points of fewer to 4 of their seven opponents. Freshman Lamin Kah, the import from Banija, has thrived since his insertion into the starting lineup in week 3, and leads the team in receptions, yards and TD's on the season (50-806-8).

Elsewhere, the battle for the playoff spots seems to be a close run race. With 36 schools entered in this edition, there will be just 12 playoff slots available and by the Daily Mail's estimation at this point, there are 17 teams with a legitimate chance; we've discussed the Mineral Conference but what about the rest:

Celestia--UC opponent Northern Moravica (6-1) are the defending champions and sit tied atop the standings with their own in-country rival Loyola-Istria (6-1), but Salamantic Universities (5-2) of Ko-oren are poised to take advantage of a slip-up by either of the Banijans, who split their season meetings.
Horizon--It's a battle between Cosumar's longtime entrant, Stoneshore College (6-1) against Drawkland's Sadeg State (7-0), the lone remaining unbeaten team.
Big 8--The return of Vanorian powers Mar Sara and Raynor to the league should've made this the group of death--unfortunately, it has been for those two. Cold Hill and Richardson have traded wins on the others home field and second time participants Tecumseh have stayed in lockstep with the Ranorians up to this point, as all three sit at 5-2
Zephyr--Cenesis Naval Academy have been used to having their way in this group in the past, but they dropped their last game against their rival TCC and are under pressure from Kanjin (both at 5-2) while the trailing pack hope to throw a banana peel in the path of the frontrunners.
Woodlands--At this point, it really is a coin flip between University du Saguenay (5-2), PCU (5-2) and Xannerian Poly (4-3) for what will probably be the lone berth.

The Daily Mail's View: we don't generally bet long shots, so we'll go with Sadeg, NMU, UC, Cold Hill, Cenesis and Saguenay for the automatic berths, Loyola, Stoneshore, Richardson and Space to qualify by OSPI, and a heated battle between Salamantic, Tecumseh and PCU for the final places.

((OOC disclaimer--I was in the process of writing this when the above leagues were scored, and as a potential voter for the at-large berths this is IC opinion ONLY!! I would always make an objective decision based on merit))

[Drawkland]

Big Eight Conference and Mineral Conference
Results - MD8

It's summer vacation! Let's have a bicycle race.

BIG EIGHT
Kandonica National Military Institute (KDN) 7–37 Cold Hill University (RAN)
Richardson University (RAN) 21–23 Tecumseh University (ROJ)
Raynor University (VAL) 33–31 Mar Sara Tech (VAL)

  BIG EIGHT CONFERENCE                         Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Cold Hill University                           8    6   2   234  139  +95
2 Tecumseh University                            8    6   2   208  111  +97
3 Richardson University                          8    5   3   148  118  +30
4 Mar Sara Tech                                  8    3   5   145  160  −15
5 Raynor University                              8    2   6   103  209 −106
6 Kandonica National Military Institute          8    2   6    59  160 −101

MINERAL
Iokiaq International Institute (IQK) 0–29 Clawtown University (ABG)
University of the Commonwealth (CBP) 50–20 Loirgrunzodd University (ABG)
The Terrestrial Acclimation Academy (SPA) 20–13 The Academy of Space (SPA)

  MINERAL CONFERENCE                           Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 University of the Commonwealth                 8    7   1   299  160 +139
2 Clawtown University                            8    5   3   198  179  +19
3 The Academy of Space                           8    5   3   230  150  +80
4 The Terrestrial Acclimation Academy            8    4   4   184  206  −22
5 Loirgrunzodd University                        8    2   6   156  223  −67
6 Iokiaq International Institute                 8    1   7    48  197 −149

[Natanians and Nosts]

-Hey,we won again!
-Yea,it's weird.
-Also this data.It might be wrong!
-Why?
-It says we have the best point difference.
-No!?!
-look by yourself.
-How do we also have this good an attack?
-I don't know.
-It's weird.
-Also,we are in sencond.
-This kind of makes more sense.
-Yes,it does.
-It really does.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Kingston Star

Heo Myeong-Shin : As the #1 recruit of the 2038 class returns to school, excitements await and humility remains

August 25, 2037

William "Bucky" Simmonds

KINGSTON, FRONTENAC - When Heo Dong-Soo and his son Heo Myeong-Shin sat down to dinner earlier in a late August evening, at a Kingston restaurant near their Davisville home, the two chose to dine in a room among themselves, usually without an outside view. "There's no one ready to contact today, sir," the waiter said, and that left the two with much-needed relief. How long will be, though, before both the father and the son get pestered with exceeding amount of attention from the recruiters?

Myeong-Shin's father, Dr. Heo Dong-Soo himself was very familiar with the process; Dr. Heo himself was heavily recruited by most top fencing programs in the nation before choosing Queen's, where he won 3 of each the individual and team titles, and two team national championships. But Myeong-Shin, who will be playing both baseball and football his senior year at Erskine Collegiate, is used to the short spurts of fame and has already received gradually increasing stares he has been getting from the coaches and recruiting staff. "I was lucky my dad was able to help me through the process," Heo says in an interview with Kingston Star, "and he understands it, tries to make sure I stay fully-focused and grounded."

There once was a time when Dr. Heo, who also played in the Quebecois national fencing team for 4 years, had to be kept in control by his mother Song Yu-Ja and brother Heo Dong-Joo (a two-time all-OUA defensive midfielder with Western Ontario). But those days and long gone for him, replaced by his remarkable erudition as Novopetrogradian literature professor in University of Kingston. These days, Dr. Heo makes sure all the eyes are on his elder child, Myeong-Shin, a senior linebacker for the Redmen. He has been intensively watched since his sophomore year, when big-time coaches started offering his son lucrative scholarship offers, as well as hometown QBO teams Kingston Blue Jays and Tigers.

Of course, Dr. Heo knew that the choice was going to be extremely difficult for his son in case he chooses to decide other than Queen's, where his parents met and his father made his legacy with his QIS championship banners. On the last week of June, before the Hahm males headed to Petrograd (his wife, Maureen Turner, and sister Myeong-Hyi, stayed in Kingston for summer), Dr. Hahm informed all recruiters that all potential letters and offers sent to either Kingston or Petrograd over the summer will be burned. His father knew the danger that came along with being a high-profile recruit. Of course, The son, quite annoyed with the inflow of letters, agreed to do so.

Of course, being the son of a former national team athlete and a choreographer brings advantages along with expectations. For example, when Erskine fell to Gyeongbuk in the clash of national powerhouses in the semifinals of Golden Leaf Flag National High School Baseball Championship his sophomore year, Myeong-Shin received kind words of advice from his father. "Sometimes, things get outta hand and we oughta beat them back the next year," Dong-Soo said as he and his wife Maureen walked back to their car near Stade Jamsil. "Sometimes, we can't have them all but we still showed them how they could've been the ones walking away." Myeong-Shin did, and the very next year he marked a particularly successful season where Erskine won 2 of 5 possible national baseball championships (Grand Phoenix and Golden Lion), with him as the tournament MVP both times.

Being a son of highly-regarded professor, the one with longstanding history to high-level athletics, have taught him to stay humble. When Myeong-Shin was in Novopetrograd with his father, Dong-Soo told his son to keep quiet, stay humble and work on his essentials outside of football and baseball. "One good thing about Myeong-Shin is that he tries to do whatever the job regardless of the circumstances," his high school coach Roger McDavis, a former mentee of Dong-Soo back in Queen's, says, "And that's partly thanks to his father not changing himself. He hasn't changed one bit, and the same passes onto his son."

While highly familiar with the game, Dong-Soo doesn't want to be Myeong-Shin's coach in any capacity, second, third, or whatever. When the Heos were looking to see potential options for their son's secondary school, they visited a wide range of possibilities for him (including his wife's school, an arts high school named Bartha Park Secondary School) before stumbling into Erskine Collegiate. The two, after meeting the aforementioned coach McDavis and visiting the school campus, came to agree in making their choice (followed by an optional attendance form). "Well, it seemed pretty obvious then and now," Dr. Heo says in standardised Korean, reflecting back into a moment three and half years ago. "Dong-Soo initially wanted to go to his home school which my wife went, but they didn't have a football team. So we kept looking around, and then Erskine came into our mind because Roger's been coaching a solid football program for some time, and they were really well known for academics. He was impressed by the new buildings, and a couple of his childhood teammates said only positive things about it. So I let my boy make the choice and he had us move closer to our workplaces as well."

Myeong-Shin, on the other hand, has had to handle everything delicately, just to make sure he could play both sports at a high level and meet the grades for schools he had in mind. During the fall of his freshman seasons (football in fall, baseball in winter), the team was in challenge when a string of injuries forced him to play starter for both the Running Back and Strong Safety positions in the Senior team. Having assigned for the Junior Varsity, he was not expecting to start until his sophomore season (in smaller and/or more academic schools, the smaller number of football players on the team would generally mean that there are exceptions applied for grades 9 and 10 to play Senior football). Yet there he was, starting over juniors and seniors as one of only three underclassmen. Heo would go onto play all 12 games, as he would record 2,480 rushing yards, 19 TDs (15 rushing, 4 defensive), 78 tackles, 7 interceptions and 5 forced fumbles to start his illustrative his high school career. "Sometimes exceptional cases happen," coach McDavis says. "and I'm happy that they contribute to us winning both on and off the field."

Erskine, after going 6-2 for the regular season, went undefeated in its last eight to win the bi-provincial OFSAA championship, followed by runs to semifinals and yet another banner his sophomore and junior years. The success would continue to follow, when Heo came out to the first baseball practice in one early February afternoon. Of course, that Erskine team would go onto win another national championship (2034 Golden Lion Flag) and the program 2 more so far- few newspapers have claimed that Erskine may win 3 nationals, a feat that has not happened since 2019 and 2022 when ESC Deoksoo and Sangwon CVI from Quebec City and Chicoutimi have done so.

His arrival coincided right in time with athletic resurgence in Erskine in the levels not seen since the legendary basketball centre Riley Jeon-Keane in early 2020s. So the challenge is great, to meet it all and satisfy his parents who expect great things from him. But if you're going to find a youngster who can handle it all athletically at a strong academic school like Erskine, it would be harder to pick a better one than Heo. "Yes, he is brilliant. He's the first guy to meetings, and he works all his time wisely so that he would not have trouble," McDavis says. "he's got the right physical tools, even though they could mature better before we send him to Cornwall or Ann Arbor or South Bend or even Quebec City. But everything else he's good - he could cover both the backs and the slots, and his leadership is there."

So far he's delivered, and as have said earlier, off-field as well. Heo finished his junior year, having never gotten lower than a 93% year average in Erskine, and has gone into great lengths in both social, linguistics (is a multilingual, being native speaker in Korean and English, while being fluent in French, Russian and Anishinaabe and learning Czech) and extracurricular lengths. He enjoys hanging out with his friends, many of them not as athletically oriented, and his girlfriend, another junior at a Kingston-area private school. "It's good to have all the joys in life, without being expected to destroy one for the other," Myeong-Shin says. "We can't expect ourselves to drive crazy over everything and lose it all after you're done with what you thought would last until your death."

And of course, when it comes to being a good person, Myeong-Shin is still the same old. "Growing up, my mum was someone I really looked into for paths other than sports and studies, and dad was always someone I appreciated the most for teaching me how to work on my goals. I'm still a normal person who loves life, and aim to stay that way," Myeong-Shin says. "They taught me the most important parts of my life."

[Banija]

An epic rap battle leading us into the cutoff for Matchday 9... At least we aren't the British Elmer Fudd, right?

Woodlands Conference
Portvestir University (MEL) 10–0 University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa (APU)
N-N Palæontological-Centred Research University (NTN) 14–33 Université du Saguenay (QUE)
Faith College (XAN) 6–16 Xannerian Polytechnical Institute (XAN)

Woodlands Conference                                      Pld   W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Université du Saguenay                                   9    7   2   189  119  +70 - WOODLANDS CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS; NSCF PLAYOFF BERTH CLINCHED
2 N-N Palæontological-Centred Research University          9    6   3   213  117  +96
3 Xannerian Polytechnical Institute                        9    6   3   186  143  +43
4 Portvestir University                                    9    3   6   158  213  −55
5 University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa                         9    3   6   149  213  −64
6 Faith College                                            9    2   7   134  224  −90

Zephyr Conference
Silver Valley School (APH) 3–34 University of Javoser (SAJ)
Kanjin University (NQU) 38–28 Cenesis Naval Academy (AFT)
Bowerstone University (ATH) 30–6 Thereisnogidstan Community College (AFT)

Zephyr Conference                                         Pld   W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Kanjin University                                        9    7   2   278  168 +110
2 Cenesis Naval Academy                                    9    6   3   285  189  +96
3 University of Javoser                                    9    5   4   183  167  +16
4 Bowerstone University                                    9    4   5   242  220  +22
5 Thereisnogidstan Community College                       9    3   6   197  239  −42
6 Silver Valley School                                     9    2   7   132  334 −202

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Celestia and Horizon Conferences Results - MD9

We've gone through all sorts of vids and fanfics so far, but Bollywood is still dopey as always.

Celestia Conference
University of Rasisikenev Bull Tigers (RKV) 20–13 New Pathshala for Military Training Priests (NHS)
University of Fisher City Mariners (BGS) 0–31 Northern Moravica University Cougars (BNJ)
Salamantic Universities Professors (KOR) 6–17 Loyola University Blue Thunder (BNJ)

Celestia Conference                                  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD 
1 Loyola University Blue Thunder (BNJ)                 9    8   0   1   382  163 +219
2 Northern Moravica University Cougars (BNJ)           9    7   0   2   240   88 +152
3 Salamantic Universities Professors (KOR)             9    6   0   3   109   48  +61
4 University of Fisher City Mariners (BGS)             9    4   0   5   106  192  −86
5 University of Rasisikenev Bull Tigers (RKV)          9    1   0   8   127  278 −151
6 New Pathshala for Military Training Priests (NHS)    9    1   0   8   102  297 −195

Horizon Conference
University of North Tunheim Orcas (BJØ) 34–23 University of St. Vincia Black-Eyes (USV)
Veerakerala College Royals (INS) 20–48 Sadeg State University Skyhawks (DRK)
Stoneshore College Bruins (COS) 7–24 Ramusok Capital University Dragons (COS)

Horizon Conference                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD
1 Sadeg State University Skyhawks (DRK)        9    9   0   0   338  154 +184   CHAMPS
2 Ramusok Capital University Dragons (COS)     9    6   0   3   310  199 +111
3 Stoneshore College Bruins (COS)              9    6   0   3   233  100 +133
4 University of North Tunheim Orcas (BJØ)      9    4   0   5   178  276  −98
5 Veerakerala College Royals (INS)             9    1   0   8   139  287 −148
6 University of St. Vincia Black-Eyes (USV)    9    1   0   8   175  357 −182

[Drawkland]

Big Eight Conference and Mineral Conference
Cutoff - MD9

Someone's got me in this mood...

BIG EIGHT
Raynor University (VAL) 25–17 Kandonica National Military Institute (KDN)
Mar Sara Tech (VAL) 14–7 Richardson University (RAN)
Tecumseh University (ROJ) 20–26 Cold Hill University (RAN)

  BIG EIGHT CONFERENCE                         Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Cold Hill University                           9    7   2   260  159 +101
2 Tecumseh University                            9    6   3   228  137  +91
3 Richardson University                          9    5   4   155  132  +23
4 Mar Sara Tech                                  9    4   5   159  167   −8
5 Raynor University                              9    3   6   128  226  −98
6 Kandonica National Military Institute          9    2   7    76  185 −109

MINERAL
The Terrestrial Acclimation Academy (SPA) 32–7 Iokiaq International Institute (IQK)
The Academy of Space (SPA) 33–24 University of the Commonwealth (CBP)
Loirgrunzodd University (ABG) 13–3 Clawtown University (ABG)

  MINERAL CONFERENCE                           Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 University of the Commonwealth                 9    7   2   323  193 +130
2 The Academy of Space                           9    6   3   263  174  +89
3 The Terrestrial Acclimation Academy            9    5   4   216  213   +3
4 Clawtown University                            9    5   4   201  192   +9
5 Loirgrunzodd University                        9    3   6   169  226  −57
6 Iokiaq International Institute                 9    1   8    55  229 −174

[Ko-oren]

Ko-oren is a nation of languages. Several native ones, some foreign arrivals, and even some native languages that have evolved from foreign tongues. So, with gridiron being one of just two nationally popular sports (the other being soccer), how is communication even possible?

Well, it turns out that most players, as far as the domestic league is concerned, stay close to home. Most of the time, they play for their home region's team, having 'graduated' from their home region's feeder teams. A minority plays for a team that speaks a language known by that player. In fact, multilingualism is such a necessity in Ko-oren, every single player will know at least a second language, opening them up to another feeder system and professional team. Sometimes even a third. It's very, very rare that a player turns up at a club without the linguistic tools needed to stay afloat at that club.

And then there's the national team. All of a sudden, these 12 professional clubs (and in the case of the Professors, these 12 development teams), sharing 7 languages, send their 50-60 best players off to play a game of telephone among themselves. Or rather, the national associations (in gridiron, soccer, but also other sports) have the tools necessary to accommodate the mayhem - how else did you think our nation could perform this consistenly at World Cups, Bowls, Classics, and the like? Of course, a lot comes down to the languages spoken by the coaches as well. The coach implements the system, and their key words are adapted. And here's the secret.

It doesn't really matter which language is used to denote what each kind of play or coverage, as long as it's reasonably clear what the play or coverage is supposed to sound like. A lot of words sound alike across language families anyway. The nucleus of a syllable, the loudest part, is nearly always a vowel (in English) - so that's a good way to start. In a full stadium, it's hard to catch the exact words, so as long as the point has been made clear, it's no big deal whether a player has heard 'right' or 'light' or 'slight', it all sounds the same in the middle of the violence. The vowel sound, the [ɑɪ] is what gives away the key word here. So, what happens next is that the staff and the players come up with words across the languages involved, to find a word with the same meaning or something easily associated with it, all sharing an equivalent vowel sound. 'Trips' is easy enough to convert to Dutch as 'trits', the meaning of which is close enough to three, or triple. Of course, it doesn't always work out that easily (French, for instance, lacks the [ɪ] sound of 'trips') - but as long as every player knows at least one language used for the key words, you're good. Just make sure that every key word, every key vowel, is unique.

And that trick alone gets you about 70-80 percent of the way there. The problem remains that the numbers one through ten are still used a lot on the field (opponent's jersey numbers, routes, 3-4/4-3 defences, coverages). You tackle that problem through choosing a completely manufactured counting system.
One - Two - Three - Four - Five - Zes - Zeven - Ocho - Neuf - Zéro(or Nil).
ɒ - u - i - ɔ - aɪ - ɛ - e_ə - ɔ_o - œ - e_o / ɪ
Ten different vowel sounds - and you could get even more creative.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Celestia and Horizon Conferences Results - MD10

Good luck, guys.

Celestia Conference

New Pathshala for Military Training Priests (NHS) 7–28 Salamantic Universities Professors (KOR)
Loyola University Blue Thunder (BNJ) 72–10 University of Fisher City Mariners (BGS)
Northern Moravica University Cougars (BNJ) 21–0 University of Rasisikenev Bull Tigers (RKV)

Celestia Conference                                  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD 
1 Loyola University Blue Thunder (BNJ)                10    9   0   1   454  173 +281
2 Northern Moravica University Cougars (BNJ)          10    8   0   2   261   88 +173
3 Salamantic Universities Professors (KOR)            10    7   0   3   137   55  +82
4 University of Fisher City Mariners (BGS)            10    4   0   6   116  264 −148
5 University of Rasisikenev Bull Tigers (RKV)         10    1   0   9   127  299 −172
6 New Pathshala for Military Training Priests (NHS)   10    1   0   9   109  325 −216

Horizon Conference

University of St. Vincia Black-Eyes (USV) 7–33 Stoneshore College Bruins (COS)
Ramusok Capital University Dragons (COS) 30–6 Veerakerala College Royals (INS)
Sadeg State University Skyhawks (DRK) 33–7 University of North Tunheim Orcas (BJØ)

Horizon Conference                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD
1 Sadeg State University Skyhawks (DRK)       10   10   0   0   371  161 +210
2 Ramusok Capital University Dragons (COS)    10    7   0   3   340  205 +135
3 Stoneshore College Bruins (COS)             10    7   0   3   266  107 +159
4 University of North Tunheim Orcas (BJØ)     10    4   0   6   185  309 −124
5 Veerakerala College Royals (INS)            10    1   0   9   145  317 −172
6 University of St. Vincia Black-Eyes (USV)   10    1   0   9   182  390 −208

[Banija]

The last night of the regular season... Is this cutoff the night of nights?

Woodlands Conference
University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa (APU) 24–13 Faith College (XAN)
Xannerian Polytechnical Institute (XAN) 13–37 N-N Palæontological-Centred Research University (NTN)
Université du Saguenay (QUE) 29–14 Portvestir University (MEL)

Woodlands Conference                                      Pld   W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Université du Saguenay                                  10    8   2   218  133  +85 - WOODLANDS CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS; NSCF PLAYOFF BERTH CLINCHED
2 N-N Palæontological-Centred Research University         10    7   3   250  130  +120
3 Xannerian Polytechnical Institute                       10    6   4   199  180  +19
4 University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa                        10    4   6   173  227  −54
5 Portvestir University                                   10    3   7   172  242  −70
6 Faith College                                           10    2   8   147  248  −101

Zephyr Conference
University of Javoser (SAJ) 40–20 Bowerstone University (ATH)
Thereisnogidstan Community College (AFT) 22–10 Kanjin University (NQU)
Cenesis Naval Academy (AFT) 45–10 Silver Valley School (APH)

Zephyr Conference                                         Pld   W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Cenesis Naval Academy                                   10    7   3   330  199  +131 - ZEPHYR CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS; NSCF PLAYOFF BERTH CLINCHED
2 Kanjin University                                       10    7   3   288  190 +98
3 University of Javoser                                   10    6   4   223  187  +39
4 Bowerstone University                                   10    4   6   262  260  +2
5 Thereisnogidstan Community College                      10    4   6   219  249  −30
6 Silver Valley School                                    10    2   8   142  379 −237

[Drawkland]

Big Eight Conference and Mineral Conference
Results - MD10

Did you Get Back to the playoffs tonight?

BIG EIGHT
Kandonica National Military Institute (KDN) 24–43 Tecumseh University (ROJ)
Cold Hill University (RAN) 32–36 Mar Sara Tech (VAL)
Richardson University (RAN) 29–10 Raynor University (VAL)

  BIG EIGHT CONFERENCE                         Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Cold Hill University                          10    7   3   292  195  +97     Big Eight Champions
2 Tecumseh University                           10    7   3   271  161 +110
3 Richardson University                         10    6   4   184  142  +42
4 Mar Sara Tech                                 10    5   5   195  199   −4
5 Raynor University                             10    3   7   138  255 −117
6 Kandonica National Military Institute         10    2   8   100  228 −128

Cold Hill ahead of Tecumseh on H2H wins (2-0)

MINERAL
Iokiaq International Institute (IQK) 33–30 Loirgrunzodd University (ABG)
Clawtown University (ABG) 10–24 The Academy of Space (SPA)
University of the Commonwealth (CBP) 33–3 The Terrestrial Acclimation Academy (SPA)

  MINERAL CONFERENCE                           Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 University of the Commonwealth                10    8   2   356  196 +160     Mineral Champions
2 The Academy of Space                          10    7   3   287  184 +103
3 The Terrestrial Acclimation Academy           10    5   5   219  246  −27
4 Clawtown University                           10    5   5   211  216   −5
5 Loirgrunzodd University                       10    3   7   199  259  −60
6 Iokiaq International Institute                10    2   8    88  259 −171

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

UC clinch 3rd title, head out for final 3 games

Teresa Bramlage
Daily News Football Writer

The University of the Commonwealth ended their NSCF 20 regular season with a resounding 33-3 victory over Terrestrial Acclimation Academy, putting a cap on their 3rd consecutive Mineral Conference crown in the process. The celebrations were muted in comparison to the last two seasons, as the school has been out of term for a couple of weeks, so the atmosphere at Gleason Field was a low key buzz rather the usual boisterous crowds that have become a trademark of NSCF campaigns.

Lamin Kah continued his torrid freshman season, catching 2 more touchdowns from Grant Loy, bringing his total to 14 on the year, from 72 receptions. Lah also broke Teo Redding's mark, set last year, for yards in a 10 game season, with 1,235.

The Warriors will play all three of the non-conference games in the leadup to the playoffs on the road; they will again face Richardson University and defending NSCF Champions Northern Moravica, then will square off against Tecumseh University, who were an opponent of St Leon in last season's non league slate.
UC Athletic Director Melissa Sweeney-Allen spoke about the decision. "When St Leon opted not participate, we offered to take their spot on Tecumseh's schedule, and they were going to be hosting St Leon anyway. When we had discussions with Metro PD about security arrangements for the season, they made it clear that they would prefer to concentrate the manpower they had on the (AOCAF) tournament, and we felt that was fair. They and the Sheriff's office have bent over backwards to accommodate us over the last 2 seasons, and we certainly owe them a few favors. If we have a playoff home game, it will be after the soccer is finished, so there will be no problem on that front."

Richardson will be looking to get an impressive win, as they are fighting for their playoff lives. Finishing third in the Big 8, behind Cold Hill and Tecumseh, they need to hope that they can maneuver themselves into wild card contention, which a UC win against Tecumseh would go a long way in assisting also.

[Ranoria]

Richardson's Governors Stagger To 6-4 Record, 3rd Place in Big 8

Let's all make one thing very clear: Richardson has, over the past three seasons, failed to match the script that was set for it by national media in the NSCF.

In the 18th edition, QB John Garrett took the field for one last run, and, rather than match what was expected, the squad fell short of a playoff run and Garrett played just one half of their bowl game. A national championship squad was absolutely embarrassed by the disappointing showing, taking a battering from conference rivals Raynor, Mar Sara Tech, and of course Cold Hill.

A year later, when the team was expected to fall off with a quarterback controversy, they soared. With three different quarterbacks vying for the starting job, Ifeatu Chineze was the bearer of the crown, leading the squad to a 10-3 run that culminated in a championship appearance. To get there, they had to bring down the vaunted Cold Hill national championship team, and that they did.

And this year? They were projected to be a stronger team offensively, but their attack was largely hindered by loaded fronts, disguised coverage, and blitzes that threw off BQ Ifeatu Chineze's timing. As deadly accurate as the passer is, he struggled to put it together this season. This season, Chineze managed just 150 completions on 225 pass attempts. His yardage per completion was still high, as he put up 2,175 yards, but only 14 touchdown passes were to be found against ten picks. It didn't help that standout #2 wideout Calvin Hale only participated in four games, leaving star Kieran Kweo-Atkison to face a ton of bracket coverage. The team's number one target, though, still garnered 85 receptions for 1,185 yards and nine scores. While it doesn't quite match the freakish production of his NSCF 19 season (135, 1,628, 11), he could still be considered an elite wideout who anchored the often stagnant passing attack.

In their current position, Richardson is on the outside looking in on the playoffs, and they'll have to put up some impressive performances against their upcoming slate of Baker Park, Ramusok, and Loyola-Istria. But this is the exact reason that head coach Richard Steinheil prefers a tough out-of-conference schedule. It allows an overall talented team to potentially bounce back from a disappointing conference slate.


QB Ifeatu Chineze struggled at times this season

It wouldn't be fair to say that only Chineze has struggled, either. A pair of inexperienced, true freshman starting tackles has left the team's OL in a spot where they show flashes of dominance, but also prone to big mistakes in critical situations. And RB Vice Jackson hasn't been able to mimic last season's magic while his backup, Kuenda Sello, hasn't quite been able to be the battering ram that he was before once teams began to blitz and get players to drag him down in the backfield.

But there is still one truly dominant player on this football team. Isaiah Bryce. While he, too, hasn't been able to do what he did a year ago, he is still a pro-ready, run stuffing force in the middle of the defense, with no true weaknesses to his game. The heavy-hitting and deceptively fast linebacker currently leads the team with 94 tackles. And he's made plenty of splash plays as well, with 7 tackles for a loss, three sacks, and an interception to his name. He's held this defense together, and he's been helped by a dominant unit up front with plenty of starting-caliber defensive linemen to keep him clean.


Junior and 3rd year Captain Isaiah Bryce is the leader of this defense

Coming up, the Governors will rely on their stars, dominant and struggling, to carry the day at home against Baker Park. Their opponent is a familiar one, and one that comes with a chip on their shoulder with plenty to prove. The best possible scenario for this squad would be to win out and see Tecumseh fall to Baker Park, who will play them later in the season. But they can't rely on anyone else to get into the playoff race. This will take everything they have. Because they can't just win, they have to dominate. They can't just prove their mettle to all of Ranoria. They must show the world that they are worthy of competing at the highest level of collegiate football.

[Ranoria]

Cold Hill Looks to Fine-Tune Its Squad Before Playoff Run

Cold Hill's football team running out onto the field

After allowing Richardson to drag down what was objectively the best team in the history of Cold Hill's program last season, it looks like they've bounced back nicely this time around. Cold Hill swept Richardson in regular season play and went on to win their first Big 8 Title, going 7-3 in that run. With an offense that scored 34 touchdowns to go along with 18 field goals, the team looks ready to go in a moderately difficult out of conference slate.

They'll start out with a trip to a perennially strong program in Xannerian Polytechnical Institute (XPI for short). The Big Blue had a decent season, going 6-4 despite placing just third in the Woodlands conference. They'll be looking to secure themselves a committee-voted playoff spot, and a win over Cold Hill's dominant program would do just that. On the other hand, the Buffalo have already notched themselves a spot in the tournament, and are simply looking to avoid injuries and go out with a bang.

While the records themselves are tight-knit, we have our doubts as to the Big Blue being able to stand up to Cold Hill, even at home, and we'll be predicting at least a two score victory for the Ranorian school.

As for the other two games, the week 12 matchup looks to be the toughest of them, coming at home against Université du Saguenay, also out of the Mineral Conference. The difference? The school went 8-2, and this will be a matchup between two powerhouse, conference championship holding programs. This game could hold significant sway in terms of seeding in the tournament, so each school will have to show up. This one looks to be a tight contest that will show just how playoff-ready Chris Dale's team is.

And finally, the week 13 matchup against Bowerstone should be a cakewalk, nothing but a tune-up game for this Cold Hill squad. If they win by anything less than 20 points, it can and should be worrying. The team went 4-6 with multiple blowout losses along the way.

As for why the team continued to succeed in spite of the loss of Thorn Davis? Well, we have the answer, and his name is Deondre Rhine, known by many teammates and fans as 'Diamond.' The quarterback has missed many a meeting and often shows up late to practice, but as long as he keeps doing what he's doing, it doesn't appear that the coaching staff is prepared to do anything to discipline him, and why should they? The true freshman has thrown for 3,051 yards to this point, over 300 per game, to go along with 23 touchdown passes. He's also turned the ball over 10 times in as many games, which is worrisome, but as long as he keeps producing like this I don't think that anyone is going to complain. There have been whispers of trouble off the field, as well, but they appear to be staying beneath the surface for now.

But much of his success could be attributed to the powerful workhorse back that is Hue Ross. Ross has rushed for 1,400 yards on 287 carries, tacking on 31 receptions as well, and is a huge piece of this offensive attack. He's hammered home eleven scores of his own on the ground, and forces defenses to leave an extra defender in the box to account for him. As such, this allows a gunslinger like Rhine to identify more favorable one-on-one matchups for his athletic wideouts to take advantage of, and drastically reduces his turnover rates.

Rodney Blades[pictured] and Dexter Slaughter have been explosive playmakers, even as true freshmen

Those wideouts? Of course there's the ever reliable senior Karl Kraus, but more enticing are a pair of freshman: Dexter Slaughter and Rodney Blades.

The two accounted for a combined 106 catches, 1,575 yards, and 15 touchdowns. And while Kraus held down the fort as a reliable possesion reciever, these two were let loose to make explosive plays on the outside. Their speed and agility gave this offense a pair of home-run hitters who excell on deep routes, which plays right to quarterback Deondre Rhine's strengths...and preferences. And while Karl kraus still led the team in receptions, it would explain his relative drop off from seasons past.

And defensively, the team is led by edge rusher and team captain Earnest Longhorn, who has thus far secured 10 sacks, and held up by three ballhawks on the back end. Corners Clarence von Arris and Clara North combine with senior free safety Marcell salley to form a lethal trio. They managed to put together nine interceptions in the ten game conference slate, and North, in particular, will have to have a standout performance in the final three regular season games and playoffs. As the first ever female collegiate football starter in Ranoria, she is looking to make a case for a professional career. She still struggles with jump balls and tackling, but has made her name as a corner who plays conservative, knows how to knock a ball down before it's catchable, and occasionally picks times to come down with a turnover. Salley has been a consistently productive starter for the Buffalo.

FS Marcell Salley has been a leader of this Buffalo defense

But Arris? He just might be the best player on this team. He is truly a complete corner, solid in run support, a turnover machine, and a blanket in coverage who knows how to blitz. He's gotten a lot of help from his brother, Alexander von Arris, in the RFL, and at this rate he may turn out to be as dominant as his brother in the pros.

The team as a whole, as I'm sure most readers have figured out by now, is strong, and very much so. They are priming themselves for the championship appearance they were robbed of last season, and it will take one hell of a football team to stand in their path this time.

[Banija]

Loyola-Istria win first Celestia Conference title since NSCF 14 as they gear up for playoff run


Loyola players celebrate with Celestia Conference championship trophy after Week 10 victory over the University of Fisher City

ISTRIA, MORAVICA- After Northern Moravica’s 27 point home victory over Loyola-Istria in Week 2, the storylines and the narratives began to write themselves. Had Loyola taken a step back? Was Northern Moravica truly the dominant college football program in the country once again? As for many years, the pendulum has swung back and forth between these bitter rivals, and ever since Northern Moravica first made the leap in NSCF 12, the battle for the country’s most dominant football program has been played on a stage far beyond our borders- in the multiverse’s premier college football program, the NSCF.

And while the advantage started with Northern Moravica, winning the Celestia Conference title their first two seasons, in NSCF 12 and NSCF 13, the pendulum swung back towards Loyola-Istria starting in NSCF 14. That was the season the Blue Thunder won their first ever Celestia Conference title, and when the pendulum made the first swing back south towards Istria. The Blue Thunder not only won the conference, but ended up winning the whole damn thing, winning the NSCF 14 title at Liberty Field, just 6 miles from campus in Downtown Istria. The 70,000 seater domed stadium playing host to the local school’s first title, what a moment that was.

And then, of course, that had to be followed by the forced exit of the two schools by the Banijan Collegiate Sports Group, for two seasons- NSCF 15 and 16. Back home, the Blue Thunder still got the better of their opponents, winning the national championship in the season coinciding with NSCF 15, and getting to the national championship game in NSCF 16 before falling, most unfortunately for them, to the Islamic University of Busoga. And then, when the schools returned for NSCF 17, the momentum was back with the Blue Thunder.

The Blue Thunder were able to maintain this momentum for quite a long time. While Northern Moravica won the Celestia Conference title, it was the Blue Thunder who would have the final honors, as another first round playoff loss by Northern Moravica was contrasted with another NSCF title for the Blue Thunder, this time defeating the Academy of Space in Ranoria. That was the first season, of course, of the Rebel Cannon’s Bowl, the rivalry between Loyola and Richardson University. In NSCF 18, the two Banijan schools met for the first ever time in the NSCF playoffs, in the NSCF 18 Quarterfinals. With the NSCF title game scheduled to be played at the Stadium of the Restoration down in Busukuma, this was a game filled with large consequences. The Blue Thunder defended their home field advantage at the Istria Lightning Yard, beating Northern Moravica, and romping in the semifinal too, before being upset at the national stadium by Mar Sara Tech, of Valanora. NSCF 18, of course, was supposed to be the crowning achievement. It would have completed a 16-1 season, and the second of back to back titles, which would have put them on the path to be talked of as one of the greatest NSCF squads of all time.

Instead, of course, they lost to that young and scrappy Mar Sara Tech that many thought were in the title game a year too early. And in Busukuma, as well. But of course, things were still looking up for them. After four postseasons, including a pair of NSCF titles, that NSCF 18 championship loss was the first time that the Blue Thunder had ever lost a postseason game in the NSCF. And who else was sitting there, lying in the wake, waiting to take advantage of Loyola-Istria? None other than Northern Moravica. Northern Moravica made a series of strange moves, firing Horace Browning, and then their athletic director, and then hiring Horace Browning as the school’s Athletic Director. Took a lot of guts for the Cosumarite to do what he did- accepting the position of the person who had just fired him. And yet, that’s where he was. You know, interesting debate- which Cosumarite has made a bigger impact in Banija? Browning or Brian Emerson? But we’ll come back to that one.

Northern Moravica finally swung the pendulum in the NSCF 19 Semifinals. Some of the most anticipated NSCF semifinals of all time, both big time national rivalries- the North v. South Showdown being shown to its biggest audience to date. And when Northern Moravica went to the Istria Lightning Yard, and did what no team had done in 35 straight games in NSCF competition- beat the Blue Thunder at the crazy confines of the Istria Lightning Yard- something happened. The curse seemed to disappear, right before their eyes. As if there was a curse, right? But they had finally gotten over that hump. That’s when they went from just a quality program, to a team of destiny. It seemed like destiny would happen when they faced Richardson University, another championship starved school, for their first ever NSCF title. And that’s exactly what they did, as Banija’s oldest public school notched a win for themselves.

And so when they came out rocking this season, and especially with a 48-21 victory over the Blue Thunder at Mugisha II Memorial Stadium, Northern Moravica seemed to be the program to beat. But right when the tide was turning, when everything seemed to be going from the blue of Loyola to the red of Northern, the Blue Thunder turned it around. They haven’t lost since that game- yet another 9-1 season for the Blue Thunder. Their offense, and their defense, have both stepped it up to another level since that loss. The Blue Thunder even beat the Cougars in the return trip to the Istria Lightning Yard, when they won 35-21 over their archrivals to the North. But it was Week 8 that was the definer. After Week 7, we saw where these two teams have been generally ever since their return to the NSCF. Both 6-1, battling over the course of the last three games for positioning. But it was this Week 8 game that sseperated the teams.

For the first time since their return to the NSCF, one of these teams lost to a foreign school in conference play. At the end of NSCF 17, NSCF 18, and NSCF 19, both schools were 9-1 in conference play each season, only losing in the road games to each other. But here, the Salamantic Universities of Ko-oren pulled off what was not only an upset, but sent a ripple effect throughout the Celestia Conference. Even if this would not be the season they won a conference title, Banijan hegemony atop the Celestia Conference would no longer go unchallenged. The Professors went to Herzegovina City, against the defending conference and NSCF champions, and won, 6-3. Just three field goals in that game- but they completely shut down Chae Heung-Kim and the Cougar offense. That was enough to drop them to their second loss, and crucially, behind Loyola in the standings. However, in Week 9, when the Salamantic Universities followed that up with a massive home game against the Blue Thunder, the Blue Thunder showed up, with their defense dominating in a grind it out, 17-6 ugly victory that put them atop the Celestia Conference standings for good. And then, they seemed to hit their groove again with this massive 72-10 victory on the final week of conference play.

Alanso Isa talked about the importance of winning the school’s first Celestia Conference title since NSCF 14, and his first as head coach in his 3rd season at the school. He, like most involved in this fierce rivalry, couldn’t stop himself from taking a shot at the other school. “Every season, we walk in saying that it is important that we compete for the conference title. It is always a goal of ours- win our conference, and then, we’ll talk about the rest. Unfortunately, our last two seasons, we weren’t able to do so. But this season, right when Northern thought that they were overtaking us as the country’s premier collegiate football program, we were able to show who the country’s true dominant program is. That is still Loyola, and the country’s best team is still the Blue Thunder. You see it in the standings, and now, the Celestia Conference trophy, after spending three seasons in Herzegovina City, is now back where it belongs- in the City of Istria. This is an important milestone for the program, and I am proud that we won it.”

Isa paused briefly, and then continued. “But now that we have, it’s on to the next step. We got some tough non-conference games coming up, and that starts with Ramusok Capital University. They’re fighting for a playoff berth, and they’re a perennial blue blood program within the NSCF. And then, of course, the Rebel’s Cannon Bowl. Richardson University is a team that we don’t like losing to- and that’s why, with the start of non-conference play, the clock in the weight room has been changed- as it usually ticks down to the next match against Northern Moravica, when non-conference play kicks off, it ticks down to the next match against Richardson U. Who cares that they’re 6-4? That’s a huge game for us. But first, of course, all our focus has to go to Ramusok Capital. They’re coming to the Istria Lightning Yard, of course, but we want to give ourselves the best chance for good playoff positioning. We’re in a position where we can achieve something that we’ve never done before, which is a #1 overall seed for the playoffs. But that goes out the window unless we can beat RCU. We’re gonna have to pull out all the stops to beat this program.”

We’ll have a look going forward at both big games this weekend, both of which will ensure that the Moravica region is the center of the NSCF world. RCU, of course, travelling to the Istria Lightning Yard while Sadeg State, the competition’s last remaining undefeated squad, travels to the home of the defending NSCF champions, Northern Moravica, a team that could use a quality win to boost their playoff resume, as they’ll more than likely be auditioning in front of the NSCF committee, competing for a playoff berth. But that, of course, will come later.

[Cosumar]

Non-Conference Week 1

Northern Moravica University 38–0 Sadeg State University

University of Loyola-Istria 40–17 Ramusok Capital University

Richardson University 23–6 University of the Commonwealth of Baker Park

Université du Saguenay 13–0 Salamantic Universities

Tecumseh University 27–3 Faith College

Stoneshore College 7–0 Kandonica National Military Institute

Xannerian Polytechnic Institute 7–23 Cold Hill University