World Bowl 42 [rosters/RPs/results]

[TJUN-ia]

Final: Tumbra 41-34 TJUN-ia
BOX
Q1
RAN TD - Garrett 10yd to Hauptmann (Conversion Missed)
TJU TD - Griffin 34yd to J. Davidson (Chi Conversion)

Q2
RAN TD - Garrett 12yd run (Conversion Missed)
RAN TD - Garrett 23yd to Gilmore (Chlorid Conversion)
TJU TD - Griffin 3yd to Mac (Chi Conversion)

Q3
TJU FG - Chi 23yd
RAN TD - Bean 98yd Kick Return (Chlorid Conversion)

Q4
RAN TD - Garrett 2yd run (Chlorid Conversion)

Pain

If things were dire before the bye, then tonight could've seen the end of an era in the Superdome.

In front of more than 100,000 people, we were simply swept aside by a dominant Ranoria team that looked like serious contenders for the World Bowl itself tonight, let alone this group.

The Krauts are 5-0 for a reason and they definitely showed that tonight, Gus McKerrin having almost no answers to whatever Raul Nieler did.

If 2 lossess was panic time for TJUN-ia, 3 may be fatal.

Can we get out of this group and into the knockouts with 3 losses?

I know this nation has gotten out of worse, but even this seems a bit...unlikely.

Margaret isn't really on TJUN-ia's side at the moment and no one knows what to do.

We return home to face Xanneria where, hopefully, we can at least win a game of football.

Go Jags!

---

SCHEDULE (Group 5)
MD1: vs Ranoria (3) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington L 20-23 (0-1)
MD2: @Xanneria (21) W 31-7 (3rd/1-1)
MD3: vs Arjunnagar (UR) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 39-7 (2nd/2-1)
MD4: @Tumbra (27) - Gamaliel State University Field, Gamaliel L 34-41 (2-2)
MD5: BYE
--------------------------BREAK--------------------------
MD6: @Ranoria (3) - The Karmin-Falce Superdome, Ranoria City L 17-33 (2-3)
MD7: vs Xanneria (21) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD8: @Arjunnagar (UR)
MD9: vs Tumbra (27) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD10: BYE

[Tumbra]

second chances
a documentary series

DAN WATERS
STARTING QUARTERBACK

"Ranoria. Uh...."

---

TYLER DAVIS
STARTING HALFBACK

"If I'm being perfectly honest, we all knew TJUN-ia was a hill we could climb if we put our heads to it. Ranoria was a mountain. But that, that didn't mean we'd not give it our best."

---

HANS KWAITKOWSKI
STARTING CORNERBACK

"Think they were scared shitless of us, for some reason. We were twenty-seventh. They were third [in the world], and had just smashed everyone."

---

DAN WATERS
STARTING QUARTERBACK

"To be fair, so had we, and that had to count for something, right?"

---

HANS KWAITKOWSKI
STARTING CORNERBACK

"Fresh from their bye, too. They had no right to be scared of us. But then their quarterback dropped an interception on the first bloody play of the game, and we knew they were scared shitless."

"I have absolutely no clue why. Maybe it's because nobody saw us coming. Well, it felt good to be respected as an opponent for once, when two years ago we drew a big fat zero against Banija."

---

John Garrett's dropped interception made waves on social media as the Misfits began their Sisyphan task of going 4-0 against the Krauts of Ranoria. The team were running nervous, scared, it seemed; these were not the Krauts who had beat Arjungaar 51-14 and had held Xanneria to a washout. And twii.tur went mad.

---

HANS KWAITKOWSKI
STARTING CORNERBACK

(Players are handed a small book compiling some twiis after the first quarter, where Tumbra went 7-0 up)

"Ranoria sucks, Tumbra to go 8-0 and absolutely destroy this group. After one quarter? One? You gotta be kidding me."

---

FRANCIS MARR
STARTING WIDE RECEIVER

"Lol our Krauts suck Tumbra is going to win the World Bowl imagine losing to a bunch of university kids hashtag Nieler out. This is, uh, why we have professional analysts, though from my memory of the game I think they were quite lenient toward us as well. I think Garrett's interception changed everything."

---

SEBASTIAN NEUMANN
STARTING CENTER

"Why am I even supporting Ranoria this team can't play for shit everyone could smash Ar-" (He squints, struggling to pronounce the name of the country which has been horrifically misspelled in the twii) "Ah-jug-gar 51-0 even the Tumbrans did. Buncha headless chickens on a pitch, no direction. To be fair, I think we did rattle them. I mean, we were 14-9 up and had been dominating proceedings. That they'd only scored one touchdown by the third quarter wasn't a good look on them."

---

Tumbra were 14-9 up going into the fourth quarter. Analysts, fans, seemingly even fans of the Krauts themselves, were bracing themselves for an underdog win of the ages. Except for one man.

---

DAN WATERS
STARTING QUARTERBACK

"Coach told us to not be disheartened if we lost this match. I asked him why. His response? They'll pull something out of their back pocket and we'll be down and out — but you lot have done brilliantly and if we hold on for fifteen minutes we can pull off the most famous victory of our lives or something like that. Deep down we all knew he was right, but we'd — me included — were getting carried away on the hype."

"I...I kinda feel bad about that now. But that's all in the past."

---

SEBASTIAN NEUMANN
STARTING CENTER

"I believe the exact phrase used was They'll pull something out of their back pocket and we'll be down and out — but you lot have done brilliantly and if we can't hold on, don't hold it against yourselves. He didn't expect the win, which was entirely fair. Ranoria's defence was properly pulling their weight that night."

"Yeah, they eventually came back, but it was a less-than-convincing win for them. Can't imagine their head coach was too pleased with them for that. Ours, however..."

---

FRANCIS MARR
STARTING WIDE RECEIVER

"He was thrilled for some reason. And looking back at it, yeah, he had every right to be."

"After all, we'd held the world number three side to just seventeen points and had been leading up till the last seven seconds of the match. Was there anything we could've done? No."

---

DAN WATERS
STARTING QUARTERBACK

"Actually, there was..."

---

FRANCIS MARR
STARTING WIDE RECEIVER

"Shut up, Dan. That Ranorian defence was beefy. We hadn't played gridiron on a level above 'throwabout' for two years. We'd end up taking that three point loss in stride. After all, we took that L, but our PD only went down by three — and we knew that we had to juggle that to come out ahead of the Jaguars and secure a better playoff spot."

---

DAN WATERS
STARTING QUARTERBACK

"...yeah, you're right."

---

Tumbra would lose 14-17 to the Krauts to take their first defeat of the competition; but in the grand scheme of things, they were still second in the group, with a three-one record. Across the midseason break, more details emerged of how and why this team had been assembled to take on the beasts of World Bowl 42; and more of the mystery was unveiled.

---

HARRY HEWITT
SPECIAL TEAMS COACH

"So what Charlie'd told us was that the Ministry of Culture had told him to re-assemble his team — really I think they just told him to get 53 people to go for the World Bowl — and that Tumbran participation this time would be officially sanctioned."

---

ANDREA RATZINGER
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

"I don't buy that explanation. Never did. I mean, the officially-sanctioned part, sure, but the rest? Bullcrap. He could've assembled a star-studded team, the best of all 8 colleges..."

---

HARRY HEWITT
SPECIAL TEAMS COACH

"Nine, you mean. Not Nantwich?"

---

ANDREA RATZINGER
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

"We don't talk about Nantwich. Anyway, he could've assembled a 53 man roster of the best university players at that time. And he went for the exact fifty-three that he brought to Squidroidia, Appalachia, Equestria and Banija two years ago. Even though some of them had graduated. Even though some of them had dropped out. Even though most of them had pivoted to focusing on their studies."

---

SIMON DUNN
DEFENSIVE TEAMS COACH

"I'm with Andrea on this one. By the time he came knocking I'd left gridiron for a while. He had to coax me, bring me out to multiple dinners, before I said yes. He was relentless."

---

HARRY HEWITT
SPECIAL TEAMS COACH

"Maybe he was just sentimental."

---

ANDREA RATZINGER
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

"That man lived and breathed gridiron. There was zero fucking chance he'd not have gone for an all-star team if he had the one. Weren't you his co-conspirator in the whole plan? He wanted to make gridiron a mainstream sport in Tumbra."

---

HARRY HEWITT
SPECIAL TEAMS COACH

"...That's true. Perhaps that's fair. Yeah. Though we hadn't seen him for about two years. There was the jail sentence, then we'd all went our separate ways."

---

ANDREA RATZINGER
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

"I guess we'll never know."

---

Tumbra's second half of the campaign would kick off with a low-scoring game in torrid weather conditions in Xanneria, with the Tumbrans scoring three touchdowns and following each of those up with a point each to ensure another win and improve their record to 4-1. Their closest competition, the Jaguars, would mark their second loss to a Kraut side who'd recovered their form across the halfway mark.

It seemed, then, that the TJUN-ia match would decide things again. Whether they'd head to the playoffs in Buffalostan or not. But they couldn't allow complacency to get the better of them.

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Football

Phoenixes blow out BJ again, Serpent Eagles next
Delaclava records necessary road win, but faces stiffer challenge at home

Taurus Wright and Michael Willis recorded two passing touchdowns each and the Delaclava football team recorded a second win over Bongo Johnson 43-10.

"Good win to get out of the way," coach Frank Newman said. "I know we haven't had the perfect season so far, but the games you're supposed to win, you have to start by taking care of those. Then you can talk about the harder games. So we feel good about today's effort."

The Phoenixes had previously romped over the Mighty Kittens of Murbley 65-10 at Sullivan Stadium in Quinniville. At that post-game press conference, Wright had said he'd "challenge my own manhood" if he'd lost 67-13, as the Sarzonia Stars had done against the Phoenixes back in the middle of World Bowl XXXIX. While Wright was not referencing the just-concluded Bongo Johnson contest, the team could not have been too pleased that Wright made the comment after the Phoenixes demolished them in a similar fashion.

And indeed, Bongo Johnson seemed intent on making it a wholly different game; they drew first blood as Wallace McWallace beat Tecumseh Mallard with a stutter step and caught the pass from Jimbo Jangles to waltz in for the 69-yard touchdown. Undaunted by the early deficit, the Phoenixes got to work on their own opening drive, picking up five to six yards at a time before Dexter George got around the right side on a toss from Wright and tightroped along the sideline before diving for the pylon and the tying touchdown.

Delaclava and Bongo Johnson played the positioning battle as they traded drives, but it was Seamus Shore's punt that pinned Bongo Johnson on their own 1. On first down, Dog Gommit was caught grabbing the jersey of Jake Allen in the end zone, resulting in a safety as Delaclava took the 9-7 lead and the battle.

That set up a three-touchdown second quarter for the Phoenixes, with Wright concluding the ensuing drive with a 4-yard QB sneak, then spreading the ball around the receivers with ease. A 10-yard linkup to tight end Robbie Hahn put the Phoenixes up 22-7, and a long reception by Kevin Alés set up power back David Conley's first international touchdown.

Like the first matchup against Bongo Johnson, Wright gave way to Michael Willis at halftime, exiting with 13/18 passing for 245 yards and one touchdown, and six rushes for 36 yards and a touchdown. Willis had his own performance of 15/21 passing for 176 yards and two touchdowns, showing his good form as a viable backup option for Delaclava.

The Phoenixes improved to 3-2 and now return home to Sullivan Stadium, where they will face the top seeds Banija. The Serpent Eagles previously defeated the Phoenixes 36-23 in Busukuma. However, Robbie Hahn had a note of interest on the coming matchup:

"We crushed Bongo Johnson twice and these Serpent clowns couldn't even do it? This game is ours if we want it. Fake Chineze's going to get exposed soon."

Delaclava      9 - 20 - 7 - 7 -- 43
Bongo Johnson  7 -  0 - 3 - 0 -- 10

1st Quarter
BGJ, Jimbo Jangles 69 yard pass to Wallace McWallace (Roberto vas Deferens kick), 13:34.
DEL, Dexter George 52 yard run (Kieran Conley kick), 10:22.
DEL, Dog Gommit holding penalty in end zone, safety, 3:42.
2nd Quarter
DEL, Taurus Wright 4 yard run (pass failed), 14:57.
DEL, Wright 10 yard pass to Robbie Hahn (Conley kick), 8:21.
DEL, David Conley 2 yard run (Conley kick), 3:09.
3rd Quarter
BGJ, Roberto vas Deferens 34 yard FG, 6:28.
DEL, Michael Willis 34 yard pass to Andre Michel (Conley kick), 1:18.
4th Quarter
DEL, Willis 8 yard pass to Hahn (Conley kick), 9:47.

---

Kit change possibly in the works after Pres. Urso announces flag change

A variety of Delaclav national teams and sports federations were left scrambling for answers after Delaclava President Joseph Urso announced that the national flag would be redesigned to switch the red to purple, with possible redesigns on the horizon.

"We believe the red and gold is still synonymous with the bravery, sacrifice, determination, prosperity, and enlightenment that defines the classic Democratic Republic of Delaclava," President Urso said in a prepared announcement. "However, after our acquisitions and unions in the past few decades, we recognize that a wide variety of nations, commonwealths, and territories now reside under the flag of the United Republic. We therefore believe that the color of purple signifies the manifest destiny of Delaclava and the mystery of our new lands and our future, while the gold continues to represent wealth, knowledge, and good fortune."

But the decision leaves multiple national teams, either in the middle of or about to commence their regional and world championships, with red and gold kits already created and packed for the trip. Each sport now has a question to answer - will they continue to have their representatives don the red and gold, and face potential sanctions from the national government? Or will they rush to sew together their first purple-and-gold uniforms?

There are other factors at play for some sports. For example, a spokesperson for the Delaclava Football Association, the national governing body of soccer, stated that Delaclava's uniforms should represent the Republic of Delaclava, rather than the entire union of nations: "Verceola has fielded multiple national teams in the past few years. Firinsymnia, Grote Vrede, Senzymnia, Filbertana - they've all at some point in their histories entered by themselves. And if they might do it again at some point, Delaclava's uniforms should stay red and gold. They would represent the Delaclava, the proudest and most loyal version of it."

The football team, however, would perhaps at some point consider a "unified" jersey. Kevin Alés and Tasunka Coleman both hail from Verceola and lived and played in the Federation through college; now, they are unquestionably valuable members and veterans of the Delaclava national team. Additionally, Alés and Jaap Wouters play professionally for the Cacalecher Mudders, based in Le Pays de la Douche.

Any decision on the football team's threads will likely wait until after World Bowl LXII. When asked about the new flag, coach Frank Newman said, "We're in the middle of a hard qualification fight. I don't think we're worried about new uniforms right now."

[Bollonich]

A show at the Heinz as playoffs remain a possibility
Having won our first game in the World Bowl against Kriegiersien, we had one win out of our four games placing us at 4th place and 2 wins off 3rd which would give us a playoff spot. Having played our last game in Maihar we stayed back as our 5th game against Konhead would agains be at Maihar as we attempt to better our performances from the first half of the group stage.
In our first encounter against Kinhead on Matchday 1 we had been battered 46-6 as the amateur level of the players were clearly visible with some of them even being college students or amateur players from the corners of Maihar and Maribaya. To keep our playoffs hopes alive winning would be crucial as it would be one step closer to third place. In the first quarter both teams got off to quick starts with some points being scored with Konhead slowly taking a small lead in the second quarter. It was everything to play for in the other half of the game. The third half was completely even as Konhead’s players held onto their 1 points lead as we now needed to make a recovery. And with a last minute touchdown we took the game with a narrow margin of 24-23.
Winning against Konhead was crucial for us as this is an important win at home pushing us ever so closer to that elusive third spot which still is no easy task for us to get. Facing Newmanistan on Matchday 7 we’ll need to gear up as we play away from home and against a team, against whom if we come away with a win our chances at qualification become much better. Drawkland who’ll be receiving a bye will be comfortably sitting on first place with no team to challenge them as of yet with both Konhead and Newmanistan attempting to reach 4 wins.

[Ranoria]

Krauts Beat Jags 33-17, Clinch Playoff Berth (Again)

With no signs of any injuries to this point, the Krauts have John Garrett whipping the ball all over the field. And at home, that was more than enough to handle a Jags team that gave us trouble in the first game of World Bowl 42. With Tumbra's victory over TJUN-ia a week ago, that left Ranoria playing to clinch a playoff berth here in week 6, and they delivered in this important matchup.

"We let the outside noise get to us against Tumbra," admitted star tight end Johnny Farmer after the game, "And TJUN-ia had given us a run in week one. We new we had to be dialed in against them, and we knew we have to get locked in and focus on playing whoever's in front of us from now on. This team has a legitimate chance at winning a championship, and to do that we have to be at our best every week."

He stumbled forward when Javier Gilmore hopped on his back mid-interview, and gestured up at the scoreboard. "And as you can all see - we were!"

As the wideout indicated, it was a phenomenal outing. John Garrett put up four total touchdowns - two passing and two on the ground, and connected on 23 of 33 passes for 301 yards, one a 23 yarder to Javier Gilmore - his fourth reception of the season and third touchdown - and and the other a 10 yard corner route to Khalil Hauptmann, which really just isn't fair. At 6'5", it's virtually impossible to defend a nice over the shoulder ball against him. And with John Garrett pulling the trigger, of course the throw was perfect. And a 98 yard kick return by Harry Bean in the 3rd quarter to make it 26-17? Well, we're willing to bet that's the play that broke the Jags.

It was however the first game in this World Bowl that didn't see Johnny Farmer reel in a touchdown. The Jags made a concerted effort to take him out of the game, and while they were met with some success on that front, Khalil Hauptmann and Calvin Hale feasted with their 1-on-1 matchups. Hauptmann would end the day with 8 catches for 111 yards and a score, while Hale recorded his biggest day of World Bowl 42, finishing with six receptions for 83 yards.

Though Tumbra's Misfits are still nipping at our heels, Ranoria continues to churn forward at 5-0, hoping to avoid losing in the groups stage, as happened last year. They are now one of two undefeated teams along with Squidroidia, and would draw South Newlandia if the knockouts started tomorrow. But as is, they'll get some possibly needed R&R with a bye week before heading to Xanneria to take on their crumbling, 1-4 squad.

And as always - Go Krauts!

Results:

Week 1: @ TJUN-ia: W 23-21
Week 3: vs Xanneria: W 26-0
Week 4: @ Arjunnagar: W 51-14
Week 5: vs Tumbra: W 16-14
Week 6: vs TJUN-ia: W 33-17

Player Stats

QB John Garrett: 103/148, 1,569 yards, 14 TD, 1 INT, 10 carries, 52 yards, 2 TD
QB Jeremiah Quill: 5/9, 29 yards, 7 carries, 30 yards
HB Vice Jackson III: 83 carries, 499 yards, 3 TD, 13 receptions, 99 yards
HB Emilio Annaise: 23 carries, 138 yards, 6 receptions, 49 yards
TE Johnny Farmer: 32 receptions, 492 yards, 5 TD
WR Khalil Hauptmann: 28 receptions, 436 yards, 5 TD
WR Calvin Hale: 21 receptions, 319 yards, 1 TD
WR Javier Gilmore: 4 receptions, 84 yards, 3 TD

ILB Ross Monarch: 49 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack
OLB Sean Morgan-Horne: 27 tackles, 1 PDef, 1 INT
DE Angelo Gordon: 24 tackles, 6 sacks, 2 TFL, 1 FF/1 FR
DE Zach Skinner: 21 tackles, 4 TFL, 4 sacks
DT Kevin Gerhart: 8 tackles, 1 sack
CB Cameron Barborosa: 16 tackles, 3 INT, 1 PDef

[Sarzonia]

The morning before the Sarzonian national gridball team boarded the plane to Mertagne to fly out for their away match against the only winless team in Group C, Gavin Davis got a phone call.

"Gavin, please come to the office on your way to the airport," the text read. Davis looked at the timestamp for text. 0355, his mobile phone read.

This can't be good, Davis thought as he arose and decided to take a shower and get dressed now, even though his alarm wasn't supposed to ring until 5 a.m. He'd completed the shit, shower, shave routine and was out the door at 4:45 a.m. He got into his Estrella Galaxy and drove in, all the while fighting a growing sense of anxiety as he sped through non-existent traffic on The Overpass on the way to Joe Gibbs Stadium.

His Stars were 3-1 and were firmly ensconced in second place for the moment in a widely-acknowledged Group of Death in World Bowl XLII. The team lost its match to Banija at The Stadium of the Restoration and had knocked out Delaclava at Sullivan Stadium. Now the Stars would face both teams in Woodstock, so Davis was hoping he wasn't being fired. The results were strong. He could point to that, and could point to how the team coalesced around him to defeat the Phoenixes in an important away match. He could point to a lot of things, really. But he was well aware there could be a case to be made against him, too.

There was the fact he cut Colin Grassley after he'd learnt of the talk of a bounty being placed on Delaclav quarterback Taurus Wright. There was the fact that he made that decision without consulting the Incorporated Gridball Federation to advise him of his intentions. It was a decision Les Steckhall likely would have had to consult with his superiors in Sarzonia's governing body for the sport before making that call. After all, Davis was the interim coach. A Joe Gibbs or a Gregg Williams might have leeway to make that call without seeking approval from the higher ups, but an interim coach? Davis was aware of the grumbles back in Woodstock, but he decided that even if he was being busted back to being a position coach, he'd done the right thing.

Finally, he pulled in to the parking lot. He walked into the office, where he saw a few grim looking IGF Chairwoman Hannah Pearlman sitting at her desk.

"Have a seat," she said, looking over the interim field boss sternly. She didn't even say "good morning" and she opted not to begin with small talk. Davis steeled himself for the inevitable as he saw two burly men in security guard uniforms standing behind her to either side. Davis did, suppressing a desire to gulp.

"Gavin," she said, looking down at her desk and reaching into a drawer to pull out a piece of paper, pulled it out, but then smiled broadly.

"We'd like to remove the interim tag from your title and make you the full-time coach," she said. "We felt the way you handled the situation with Grassley was spectacular, and showed you have the kind of leadership we want for our team moving forward. Congratulations!"

The relief, then joy suddenly washed over Davis, as he gratefully accepted the paper, which was a contract giving him a three World Bowl term and an opportunity to grow into the role and, hopefully, bring at least the third World Bowl championship to Sarzonia that he would play a central role in winning.

"We wanted to make sure your status didn't hang over the team's head for the remainder of qualifying," Pearlman said. "We might have appreciated the heads-up you were cutting Grassley, but we felt it was the right thing to do. Oh, and these guys," she said, pointing back to the burly guys in the security guard uniforms, "they're from HR. They were working with your agent to draw up the contract."

Davis couldn't help breaking out into a wide grin as he hit The Overpass on the way to the Turnpike and the Woodstock International Jetport. That flight was going to feel so much more relaxing than it might have otherwise.

[Saint Kanye]

"There's no denying or sugarcoating it: we sucked out there. We entered the game hoping the momentum from our three-game winning streak would help us through, but no. We were outplayed, outmatched, and out of our element. Only on paper did it look like a close fight. But you know, it was a learning experience. We gotta learn not to do all the same mistakes again, move on and not let one bad game spoil all the rest."

Thus spoke St. Kanye Surge quarterback R.J. Linetti after his team faced the six-time champs the Allamunnic States on the road in the World Bowl XLII group stages. The latter prevailed, 13-9, snapping the former's three-game winning streak to start the tournament. Linetti completed only ten of 27 passes for 97 yards, no TDs and a pick (QBR 32.48); running back Noah Sherman fumbled two times, one resulting in a turnover; and it was truly a disappointing performance for any Yeezie on the field not named James Rasputin (3/3 field goals made with a long of 58).

---

1Q ALS TE1 16 pass from QB1 (Kick failed) ALS 6-0
2Q STK field goal Rasputin 45 ALS 6-3
2Q ALS WR1 37 pass from QB1 (K kick) ALS 13-3
3Q STK field goal Rasputin 34 ALS 13-6
4Q STK field goal Rasputin 58 ALS 13-9

---

The result enabled the AS to tie their victims and idle Chromatika at 3-1 atop Group D, as the first half of the World Bowl group stages drew to a close. "Quite a shakeup that caused," said Surge special teams coordinator Ken Kirby. "Major playoff implications. This is a solid group. We can't afford any more results like this. I know some third place teams in their group could have a shot at the postseason, but do we really want to deal with the added stress of that, instead of making it outright by placing first or second?" In the other Group D match, Lisander (1-3) pulverized Malandrin (0-4) by a score of 60-17 in a battle of previously winless teams.

In other groups:

- The Squidroidia Flyers (4-0) had another brilliant performance to remain perfect at the top of their group as they fifty bombed Equestria (0-4). The score was 53-6.
- The Ko-oren Dragonflies (4-0) prevailed 18-13 against the South Newlandia Elephants (2-2) in a matchup between two of the Surge's World Bowl XLI groupmates.
- The Banija Serpent Eagles went 3-1, tying and giving the a first loss to the Sarzonia Stars in the "Group of Death". The final score was 34-20.
- The Ranoria Krauts (4-0) joined the Flyers and Dragonflies as the only squads to remain perfect so far, winning a close one, 16-14, against the Tumbran Misfits (3-1).
- Another three-way tie for first place occurred in Group F, as the Drawkland Grid Corps turned back the Kohnhead Brains 23-10. Both go 3-1, same record as idle Newmanistan.

---

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| MD | Opponent           | Rank | Uniform       | Score   | Record | Place |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 1  | BYE                |      |               |         |        |       |
| 2  | Malandrin          | UR   | Purple/Black  | W 28-10 | 1-0    | 2nd   |
| 3  | @Chromatika        | 18   | White/Purple  | W 22-7  | 2-0    | 1st   |
| 4  | Lisander           | 33   | Purple/Purple | W 22-10 | 3-0    | 1st   |
| 5  | @Allamunnic States | 4    | White/White   | L 9-13  | 3-1    | 1st   |
|    | BREAK              |      |               |         |        |       |
| 6  | BYE                |      |               |         |        |       |
| 7  | @Malandrin         | UR   | White/White   |         |        |       |
| 8  | Chromatika         | 18   | Purple/Black  |         |        |       |
| 9  | @Lisander          | 33   | White/Purple  |         |        |       |
| 10 | Allamunnic States  | 4    | Purple/Purple |         |        |       |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Buffalostan]

MD6

      1   2   3   4   F
EQS   0   0   0   0   0
BUF   0   3  13   7  23
BOX                                                                               EQS  BUF
  2 Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez 32 yard field goal                                       0    3
  3 Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez 45 yard field goal                                       0    6
    Xococoehua Tlachihuani 70 yard punt return (Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez kick)        0   13
  3 Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez 24 yard field goal                                       0   16
  4 Machakw Mochni 4 yard pass from Jack Anderson (Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez kick)     0   23

Offensive Player of the Game: Millard Simpson hasn’t really run up the touchdown counter this World Bowl but he’s churned the yards on the ground. A humble lad from Burntover Buffalostan, a time-bubble in which frequent religious revivals have led a spiritually weary populace willing to embrace crazy radical causes such as not enslaving other human beings in chains or allowing women to wear trousers in public, Simpson has put his head down and charged forward, behind what is certainly not the greatest offensive line in the world. It’s almost always not even the greatest offensive line on the field. He rushed for 171 yards on the day, and yet when the team finally sniffed the endzone, Jack Anderson threw a quick slant to tight end Machakw Mochni. Poor old Millard loped off, uncomplaining.

Defensive Player of the Game: To a heavy synth soundtrack, apollox jordan smashed the Equestrian four times, credited with two sacks and two quarterback hits. They had two pass deflections at the line, too, the second one bobbling into Ezra Carrington’s hands for an interception, and forced a fumble by blowing up the Equestrian running back (cantering back?) on a busted play after jordan had overpowered their guard. On the other side, Jonny Rubio had three quarterback pressures and another couple of knock-downs as the Equestrian line buckled to the relentless Buffalostani pass rush.

Special Teams Player of the Game: Jaessa made her kicks on a day when Anderson’s passes weren’t quite falling and Zinc Strangegear couldn’t get open, but the first touchdown – and the only one for 57 minutes of gameplay – came when Xococoehua Tlachihuani, who’s filled in as a useful two-way defensive back and third option receiver – caught a punt and returned it. The play was credited at 70 yards but he ran twice that, taking the ball almost into his own endzone to beat the Equestrian gunner, then juking up the sideline. With little time to practise, special teams blocking has not been a priority for the Janissaries: this was all about the solo speed of the Aztec warrior.

[Buffalostan]

MD7 cutoff

Each MD I will be offering a small prompt. These prompts are not required and there is no extra bonus for doing them compared with doing a match report or any other type of RP; they’re simply there because, with a long group stage format and many tournaments competing for attention, inspiration may be running thin. Feel free to respond in whatever format you like – or ignore them entirely.

Today's cutoff is brought to you from the U. R. S. I. N. E. S. time bubble of 1895. In 19th century Buffalostan, the debate over slavery was growing serious and intense, with a group of states in the South wanting to keep slavery. But then a bear came along and slapped some sense into them. The late 19th century saw the United Reconstructed States of the Independent New Emancipated South engaging in radical economic and social transformation to right the historic wrongs of the past. Does your nation have an 'original sin'? How has your nation reckoned up to the deeds committed in its dark past? Are there still things about your nation today that other nations may sit in judgment of?

---

Group A

New Gesem 35–37 Buffalostan (scorinated by South Newlandia)
Equestria 20–26 Abanhfleft

                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Squidroidia               5    5   0   171   68 +103
2 Abanhfleft                5    4   1   143  104  +39
3 Buffalostan               6    4   2   174  148  +26
4 New Gesem                 6    1   5   130  170  −40
5 Equestria                 6    0   6    76  204 −128

Group B
South Americanastan 6–37 HUElavia
Ko-oren 9–0 Karditan

  Group B                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Ko-oren                   6    6   0    98   16  +82
2 Karditan                  5    3   2    90   40  +50
3 South Newlandia           5    3   2   110   54  +56
4 HUElavia                  6    2   4   102  144  −42
5 South Americanastan       6    0   6    46  192 −146

Group C
Delaclava 22–10 Banija
Mertagne 30–53 Sarzonia

  Group C                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Banija                    6    4   2   153  138  +15
2 Sarzonia                  5    4   1   159  118  +41
3 Delaclava                 6    4   2   212  116  +96
4 Bongo Johnson             5    2   3    94  180  −86
5 Mertagne                  6    0   6   141  207  −66

Group D
Chromatika 38–3 Allamunnic States
Malandrin 26–41 Saint Kanye

  Group D                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Chromatika                6    5   1   164   81  +83
2 Saint Kanye               5    4   1   122   66  +56
3 Allamunnic States         6    3   3   107  143  −36
4 Lisander                  5    1   4   124  113  +11
5 Malandrin                 6    1   5   111  225 −114

Group E
TJUN-ia 43–23 Xanneria
Tumbra 30–17 Arjunnagar

  Group E                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Ranoria                   5    5   0   149   65  +84
2 Tumbra                    6    5   1   183   98  +85
3 TJUN-ia                   6    3   3   184  134  +50
4 Xanneria                  6    1   5    72  168  −96
5 Arjunnagar                5    0   5    47  170 −123

Group F
Newmanistan 32–30 Bollonich
Kohnhead 27–0 Kriegiersien

  Group F                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Drawkland                 5    4   1   117   85  +32
2 Kohnhead                  6    4   2   167   82  +85
3 Newmanistan               6    4   2   180  143  +37
4 Bollonich                 6    2   4    99  179  −80
5 Kriegiersien              5    0   5    65  139  −74

Teams that are guaranteed progression or elimination are marked. As always I make no guarantees these are accurate.

                           Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Ko-oren                   6    6   0    98   16  +82
 2 Squidroidia               5    5   0   171   68 +103
 3 Ranoria                   5    5   0   149   65  +84
 4 Chromatika                6    5   1   164   81  +83
 5 Drawkland                 5    4   1   117   85  +32
 6 Banija                    6    4   2   153  138  +15

 7 Tumbra                    6    5   1   183   98  +85
 8 Kohnhead                  6    4   2   167   82  +85
 9 Saint Kanye               5    4   1   122   66  +56
10 Sarzonia                  5    4   1   159  118  +41
11 Abanhfleft                5    4   1   143  104  +39
12 Karditan                  5    3   2    90   40  +50

13 Delaclava                 6    4   2   212  116  +96
14 Newmanistan               6    4   2   180  143  +37
-------------------------------------------------------
15 Buffalostan               6    4   2   174  148  +26
16 South Newlandia           5    3   2   110   54  +56
17 TJUN-ia                   6    3   3   184  134  +50
18 Allamunnic States         6    3   3   107  143  −36

[New Gesem]

New Gesem   7  0  14 14 35
Buffalostan 14 7  6  10 37

Once the administrative hurdles were cleared and the necessary backroom deals were made, the real work of building the Pilgrims team began. Here the timing worked in the Reverend Lee Gibbs’s favor, for once; it was late August, the start of the GFL preseason, and teams were beginning to trim their rosters. Lee had counted on a few sources of players for his team; players cut from college for “moral failings” or academic reasons, players cut from GFL teams, and those few high school prospects who weren’t interested in playing collegiate football.

For most of these, the place to recruit was obvious; any and all of the various “football clinics” that had sprouted up in the major cities. The GFL has always had more qualified players than spaces on rosters, and those not playing either professional or college football have always needed a place to hone their skills. Many of these players find their way into the depth chart of a pro team, or back into college if they are eligible, but many more spend all their time grinding, hoping for a chance. Lee meant to be that chance.

He had a short list that he’d compiled based on anecdotal research, and the proprietors of these private gyms were more than happy to plug their own clients, but Lee needed more than to just fill out a depth chart. For the Pilgrims to one day make it out of the group stage of the World Bowl, as he hoped they would, he needed them to have staying power, something besides the product on the field that would draw people to them. He needed players with compelling stories that would bind them more than superficially to the team.

His first stroke of luck came in the form of a letter from a Renauto Castillo. Lee knew the name from his connects at AU; Castillo had been a blue-chip recruit at defensive back a few years previous, started a few games as a freshman, and then promptly dropped out without a word. When someone finally got ahold of him, he said his mother had fallen ill and it was his job as the oldest to take care of her until she passed. When the PIlgrims first started putting out feelers, he reached out immediately, explaining his mother was in a better place and he was ready to play football again. Other letters came in; guys in trouble with the law, guys who gambled their careers on playing for this team or that team and it didn't work out. Lee read each of them, and one by one began to build a depth chart.

[Sarzonia]

When Gavin Davis walked into the team's dressing room following his team's 53-30 track meet victory over Mertagne that eliminated the winless team from contention from the knockout rounds, he did so with much of the weight of being an interim manager who'd stuck his neck out to do the right thing off his shoulders.

The Stars won going away. They clinched at least a .500 record. They had a good chance to qualify for the knockout rounds as long as they didn't blow their eventual away match to Bongo Johnson and they had their two big rivals in the group of death coming to Woodstock. There was still work ahead of them. There was the rivalry game against Delaclava and the questions about the reception Phoenixes quarterback Taurus Wright would get from Sarzonian supporters in the wake of his intemperate remarks about the Stars coaching situation. There was also the rivalry game against Banija in Woodstock after the Serpent Eagles delivered Sarzonia's only loss thus far in the Stadium of the Restoration, aka Sarzonia's house of horrors in Busukuma.

Players were celebrating by blasting a variety of classic rock, rap, and country music that would make aficionados of the respective genres either vibing to the music or cringing, sometimes within minutes of each other. There were high-fives, fist bumps and bro-hugs aplenty. But the locker room celebration was notably subdued. The next match was why.

"The Phoenixes will be a huge match for us," said quarterback Sam Rosen, who authored a 30-for-47 passing performance with 386 yards and five touchdown passes. He also ran 28 yards for another score as Mertagne played to stop the run and keep Ty'Relle Clinton in check. They held him in check for three quarters, but he rumbled for 76 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter to end with 119 yards on the ground. The Stars even got a safety when Orla Rivero was called for holding Al Cohen in the end zone as he tried to collapse the pocket around Stags quarterback Maenwallon Vane.

Rosen hit wide receiver Steve Swain with a 38-yard scoring strike to open the scoring in the first quarter after he evaded the rush and launched the ball high into the Mertagne night sky. He ended up rushing the ball seven times for 69 yards and the touchdown, as offensive coordinator Khrys Taylor said he wanted to take advantage of Rosen's mobility and negate the height of the Limeys defenders for the 6-foot signal caller.

"Sam's got deceptive mobility," he said. "We've been meaning to get him out of the pocket more with design rollouts and bootlegs and we wanted him to use his mobility to his advantage against those guys."

As for the matchup in Sarzonia, IGF chairwoman Hannah Pearlman said she'd discussed the idea of moving the game to the new Iron Bowl in Portland, but stadium officials there rejected the notion of playing gridball in a stadium intended for football. They'd also considered moving the game to Mike Sarzo Stadium in Nicksia with it being the largest city near the southern border with Delaclava, but Davis vetoed the idea, saying they wanted to keep the game in Woodstock.

"Woodstock is this team's home," he said. "We know we're going to get a large crowd of red and gold-clad Delaclav supporters," he said as he felt a tug on his right sleeve. He looked.

"They're wearing purple and gold now," defensive coordinator Kyle Hanley interjected.

"Don't you have game film to break down as to why the only winless team in our group dropped 30 points on us," Davis asked in mock indignation before both men cracked up.

There was a lot of work ahead for the Stars (4-1). But that didn't mean they couldn't have fun doing it.

[TJUN-ia]

After back to back road losses that were seriously tough to take for us all, the fate of TJUN-ian Gridiron was in a bit of a state of limbo. Now don't get me wrong, TJUN-ia is still pretty good as a Gridiron nation, but both Ranoria and Tumbra certainly came to play in this group and now, TJUN-ia were at risk of being left behind from the flight to Buffalostan. Gus McKerrin and his staff have certainly been busy in the last few days trying to figure out how to stop these mistakes from happening again but now, more than ever, mistakes from this Jaguar team must be limited to absolute zero. That was the plan, at least, as we finally returned home to take on Xanneria once again.

This game wouldn't be the most exciting overall, but it did what it needed to do as TJUN-ia bounced back once again. Jake Griffin was certainly back in form as well with 4 Touchdowns and 27 total points in total offence as he put TJUN-ia's comeback mode on full pelt. He ran in two touchdowns, threw one to Hubert Valois and threw the other to...himself after he caught his own ball after a reflection and ran that into the end zone. It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done. Chi On-Ma went 3/4 on conversions but made up for the one missed with a 45 yard Field Goal that put the game on ice. Xanneria did get points in this contest, 17 in fact, but they wouldn't be causing an upset anytime soon. The Jags move to 3-3 and, according to the tournament organisers, secured their spot in their 2nd straight playoffs.

But many in TJUN-ia either don't think the team are in a position to celebrate just yet or won't even think about the playoffs until we beat Tumbra in New Washington on MD9, the final home game of the season. Before that though, we need to boost up our record to something more respectable and that starts on the road against winless Arjunnagar where hopefully, we can at least secure something good before we face Tumbra on our final day. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group 5)
MD1: vs Ranoria (3) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington L 20-23 (0-1)
MD2: @Xanneria (21) W 31-7 (3rd/1-1)
MD3: vs Arjunnagar (UR) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 39-7 (2nd/2-1)
MD4: @Tumbra (27) - Gamaliel State University Field, Gamaliel L 34-41 (3rd/2-2)
MD5: BYE
--------------------------BREAK--------------------------
MD6: @Ranoria (3) - The Karmin-Falce Superdome, Ranoria City L 17-33 (3rd/2-3)
MD7: vs Xanneria (21) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 39-7 (3rd/3-3)
MD8: @Arjunnagar (UR)
MD9: vs Tumbra (27) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD10: BYE

[Saint Kanye]

It's the second half of the World Bowl XLII group stages, and after a bye, the St. Kanye Surge will start facing the four other squads in Group D for a second time, but with the venue flipped. For instance, they were the home team when they played Malandrin and won 28-10, but now they were the visitors. And they won again, this time by a score of 41-26.

After posting an abysmal 32.48 passer rating in the road loss to the Allamunnic States, Surge quarterback R.J. Linetti rebounded and completed 26 of 33 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns (QBR 135.98) against Malandrin. "This is a crucial win as we try and make the playoffs," he said. "We're not in yet. We gotta survive the other teams too. Chromatika will be tough, they're in top form in their last few games and are itching to get back at us after we beat them at home the first time. The AS, of course, we can't afford to get swept by them. And Lisander must not be overlooked. Teams with lowly records can and will spoil potential playoff contenders' days."

---

1Q STK Dobler 24 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) STK 7-0
Bruce Dobler, the Kanyeans' star wideout, caught his first of two touchdown passes in the first quarter, running along the sideline and almost getting pushed out twice.

1Q STK field goal Rasputin 52 STK 10-0
James Rasputin added three points to the Yeezies' score with a field goal from beyond fifty yards. "James is an indispensable member of the Surge," said their head coach Jeff Delphine. "Some teams overlook their kicker and special teams unit, but not us. As long as he's with this team, we've got the edge in that category."

2Q MAL TE1 25 pass from QB1 (Kick failed) STK 10-6
The Malandrinians got on the board in the second quarter; however, they could only score six instead of seven as their PAT attempt was blocked.

2Q STK Lane 35 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) STK 17-6
Linetti went with a five receiver set on third and 14, connecting with WR4 Hunter Lane to make it an eleven-point lead for the visitors.

2Q STK Bradman 67 interception return (Rasputin kick) STK 24-6
With less than a minute left in the half, Malandrin had the ball and were trying to cut the deficit, but a pick six courtesy of free safety Gary Bradman threw a wrench in their plans.

3Q MAL WR1 17 pass from QB1 (K kick) STK 24-13
The home team were able to score their second touchdown of the game as Yeezie corner Mason Schwartz was called for pass interference. This time, the Malandrinian kicker would succeed on converting the extra point.

3Q STK N. Jackson 9 run (Rasputin kick) STK 31-13
A few sequences later, Surge fullback Nico Jackson would bulldoze his way to the end zone and make it an eighteen-point game once again.

4Q MAL WR1 27 pass from QB1 (K kick) STK 31-20
4Q STK Dobler 55 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) STK 38-20

Both Malandrin's primary receiver and Dobler got their second TD receptions during the final period as the lead remained a three-possession one.

4Q MAL RB1 15 run (Two-point conversion failed) STK 38-26
The Kanyean defense allowed only their first rushing touchdown of the tournament, although they did stop the Malandrinian running back's rush for a two-point conversion.

4Q STK field goal Rasputin 46 STK 41-26
Another field goal by Rasputin with less than three minutes left sealed the deal.

---

The Surge improved to 4-1, while Malandrin fell to 1-5. The Chromatika Iron Legion (5-1) retained their position atop Group D as they demolished the Allamunnic States (3-3) at home, 38-3. "If we don't play against the Legion with the same intensity as we showed in this game, that'll be us getting upset next," said Dobler. "Of course, we don't want that."

Here's what's happening in the other groups:

- Hosts Buffalostan (4-2) punched a ticket to the postseason after edging and eliminating the New Gesem Pilgrims (1-5). The score was 37-35.
- The Ko-oren Dragonflies (6-0) turned back the Karditan Ironworkers (3-2) by a score of 9-nil. The Dragonflies have the least points scored among all teams that are already playoff-bound at 98, but having allowed their opponents to scored a combined sixteen, that gave them a decent +82 point differential.
- Over in the "Group of Death", the Delaclava Phoenixes got their revenge on the Banija Serpent Eagles, beating them 22-10. Despite identical 4-2 slates, only the Banijans are through to the playoffs after this matchday.
- The TJUN-ia Jags (3-3) went back up to 0.500, making their way to the playoffs after a 43-23 destruction of Xanneria (1-5).
- The Kohnhead Brains (4-2) advance, while their fellow participants in the previous NSSCRA season Kriegiersien (0-5) are eliminated. The game between the two ended in a 27-nil win for the Brains.

---

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| MD | Opponent           | Rank | Uniform       | Score   | Record | Place |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 1  | BYE                |      |               |         |        |       |
| 2  | Malandrin          | UR   | Purple/Black  | W 28-10 | 1-0    | 2nd   |
| 3  | @Chromatika        | 18   | White/Purple  | W 22-7  | 2-0    | 1st   |
| 4  | Lisander           | 33   | Purple/Purple | W 22-10 | 3-0    | 1st   |
| 5  | @Allamunnic States | 4    | White/White   | L 9-13  | 3-1    | 1st   |
|    | BREAK              |      |               |         |        |       |
| 6  | BYE                |      |               |         |        |       |
| 7  | @Malandrin         | UR   | White/White   | W 41-26 | 4-1    | 2nd   |
| 8  | Chromatika         | 18   | Purple/Black  |         |        |       |
| 9  | @Lisander          | 33   | White/Purple  |         |        |       |
| 10 | Allamunnic States  | 4    | Purple/Purple |         |        |       |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Buffalostan]

      1   2   3   4   F
BUF  14   7   6  10  37
NGS   7   0  14  14  35
BOX                                                                                               BUF  NGS
  1 ve’jol’viam veetarg 17 yard pass from Jack Anderson (Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez kick)               0    7
    Isaac Mosley 52 yard pass from Gil Conway (Jackson Lindsay kick)                                7    7
    Xococoehua Tlachihuani 85 yard interception return (Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez kick)                7   14
  2 Machakw Mochni 12 yard pass from Jack Anderson (Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez kick)                    7   21
  3 Shane Curry 6 yard run (Jackson Lindsay kick)                                                  14   21
    Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez 46 yard field goal                                                      14   24
    Shaun Levy 1 yard run (Jackson Lindsay kick)                                                   21   24
    Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez 21 yard field goal                                                      21   27
  4 Shane Curry 26 yard pass from Gil Conway (Jackson Lindsay kick)                                28   27
    Millard Simpson 1 yard run (Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez kick)                                       28   34
    Ignacio Salinas 41 yard pass from Gil Conway (Jackson Lindsay kick)                            35   34
    Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez 38 yard field goal                                                      35   37

Offensive Player of the Game: Cliff Robinson had Zinc Strangegear wrapped up, permitting xe just 4 catches out of 11 targets for a total of 31 yards, long of 11. Pretty pathetic from the first choice receiver option for the Janissaries. Fortunately, Machakw Mochni had his best game of the tournament, pulling down 10 catches for 120 yards which made up the bulk of the Janissaries’ pass offense. The highlight was his twisting catch in double coverage, clinging on with one hand as he fell. His touchdown catch – a busted coverage leaving him completely open – was disappointingly prosaic by contrast.

Defensive Player of the Game: Three Janissaries’ defensive backs had interceptions, all three of them two-way players. Xococoehua Tlachihuani has now scored offensive, defensive and special teams touchdowns; ve’jol’viam veetarg caught the opening touchdown and dived in front of Antonio Mooney for a pick on the very next series; fullback Jean-Michel Blaise de le Sueur was on the field as an extra safety for the final Hail Mary, which sailed straight into his arms. But it was a defensive specialist who really lit up the game: while apollox jordan was well contained this game, that just opened up space for Samuel Eriksen to rush Gil Conway, sacking him three times, forcing a fumble, and forcing a penalty that pushed back that Hail Mary attempt.

Special teams Player of the Game: Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez has been a steady presence as kicker, perhaps something of a luxury pick as the only player who does not feature on other sides of the ball, but proved her worth today with an ice cool field goal to sneak a fourth quarter win. The game-winner was a 38 yard attempt, and the petite Kimimoto-Chávez being carried off the field seated on the shoulders of the incredibly-not-petite long snapper Haumakapu’u Keli’i will be an iconic image of Buffalostani handegg for years to come. Or years that are yet to come. Or years that never will be. Just… don’t, don’t try to make it all make sense.

[Chromatika]

Team   1Q  2Q  3Q  4Q  |  Tot
CMT     7   3  14  14  |   38
ALS     3   0   0   0  |    3

1Q
08:21 CMT TD - Amber Feeley 2 yard pass from Sarai Gwenderyn (Sara McAllister Kick)
02:11 ALS FG - Kicker 51 yard Field Goal

2Q
05:48 CMT FG - Sara McAllister 47 yard Field Goal

3Q
12:51 CMT TD - Kimberley Fowler 41 yard run (Sara McAllister Kick)
02:28 CMT TD - Kimberley Fowler 32 yard run (Sara McAllister Kick)

4Q
13:21 CMT TD - Alessandra Mio 66 yard pass from Sarai Gwenderyn (Sara McAllister Kick)
07:37 CMT TD - Kimberley Fowler 17 yard run (Sara McAllister Kick)

HENZA CENER, D'REA, CAPITAL DISTRICT, CHROMATIKA - For going on five years, the Iron Legion's offensive line has heard time and time again that their role is to keep Sarai Gwenderyn clean while the Chromatik defense did their work. These strong, powerful men and woman have been reminded of their role to keep the Chromatik superstar safe and ensure that they stay just close enough in the match for the big play to win the game.

What people forget is that some of these players play for teams that run the ball. Perry and Lockhart's Angels are a heavy play-action team, the Mance's Lynx are a 60/40 pass-run squad, meaning running the ball is of import to them as well. Arguably, Oscar and Kingston are the only linemen who play for squads that predominantly pass the ball.

Against the Allamunnic States, the five played their best run-blocking game in Chromatik history as Kimberley Fowler ran the ball 23 times for 194 yards and three touchdowns. Counting the fact that Amber Feeley caught another touchdown pass in the flat, and the Chromatik running backs really came to play.

"The front five played so well," stated Fowler after the match, "The holes that I got to run through were so large, and when I have that opportunity, you can be sure that I'll make the most of it."

Fowler's three touchdown runs are the most in a game in Chromatik history. No running back has still ever run for more than 200 yards in a game.

When asked about how she liked playing in a game where she only had to go 17 of 22 for 175 yards and one score, Sarai Gwenderyn explained, "I don't care what my stats look like as long as we win. It was nice to see Kimberly have the day that she did."

Chromatika next travels to Saint Kanye for what will effectively be the group decider. They've already clinched a playoff berth, but in order to have better seeding, they'll need to hand Saint Kanye their second loss.

"We are eager to pay them back for defeating us," stated Naia Curentino flatly, "We've been clicking on all cylinders - I think we're ready."

---

The Chromatik Football League: Who Are the Teams? Part 3

Lanar Turtles
7-7, 7-7, 4-10. 18-24 combined. Coming off a disappointing season, the Turtles will be hoping to get back to their previous form. Many were surprised when the cities of Lanar and Sanar got the berths; they're not the biggest areas in the country as far as gridiron goes, but the name branding remains too strong. There are three players on the Iron Legion's roster that play for the Turtles, with the most influential being Mic Carleigh, Defensive Tackle.

Qet Lynx
10-4, 10-4, 8-6. One of the perennial title contenders, winner of the inaugural season. Plays a very ball-controlling game, supported by a very good defense. Eight players on the Iron Legion's roster play for the Lynx, and they have names like Candice Jones, Jack Mance, and Amber Feeley.

[Delaclava]

Highlights from the post-game conference in the press room of Sullivan Stadium, Quinniville, following Delaclava's 22-10 win over Banija. Players requested are:

QB Taurus Wright (TW) - 21/36, 278 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception; 8 carries, 35 yards, 1 fumble lost
WR Kevin Ales (KA) - 6 receptions, 64 yards, 1 touchdown
SS Jaap Wouters (JW) - 7 tackles, 2 interceptions
DE Kamari Harrison (KH) - 3.5 sacks, 1 fumble forced

Gentlemen, congrats on the win today. Give us your thoughts on how things went, and what do you think was the difference in how today's game played out last time?

TW: Thank you, I don't know if it was quite the game we were expecting. Both of our teams have quite a lot of offensive weapons and it certainly wasn't a shootout. But our defense did a lockdown job, hard to lose when you shut a team out in the first half. And we did enough offensively with that. I think today we had more urgency, we did well with that pressure of knowing we need a win to help our chances.

KA: I think today's game spoke to how good each team is on defense, having a strong defensive gameplan. Both of us saw what the other team was capable of and had weeks to make the requisite adjustments. They didn't give us an easy go with the ball, but we had plenty of answers for them on defense and that made the difference. And shout out to Kieran (Conley) for knocking in all those kicks.

KH: The crowd was dope today. I think the crowd was so loud that sometimes the Serpent Eagles couldn't get their offense together. And we just had a lot more intensity. No excuses for the first game, it is what it is, but we had a lot of hunger and desire today and knew what was on the line.

JW: Yes, thank you, we did a much better game today. We used zone more, we knew their route patterns better and so we were not surprised really by anything they did. Then we just make good plays and win the game.

Jaap, Kamari, we don't get much an opportunity to bring you both in here, but you had breakout games against a very capable team. What was your take on how the game played out with the Phoenixes defense on the field?

JW: Yes, thank you. The defense was team effort, I made plays that I did because they did not have other options. I think Tecumseh, Tasunka, they locked down their main receivers. Chineze, their quarterback, he kind of looked like he wasn't seeing things in the middle well. We made it too crowded and he made passes that weren't there. So that's how I could jump up and get two interceptions today.

KH: A big focal point of our strategy was to blitz heavy and put pressure on the offensive line. They're talented, but they're young and they don't have cohesion. We thought we could pick them apart and get them flustered. They don't get a lot of good blocking help from their ends or receivers either. We just kept busting through, all in the first half. They were able to start running a bit more in the second and find some success. But their game plan now is, they want to air the ball out, they have this great quarterback, these world-class wide receivers. And it turns out, when you take away his line, his receivers, his home fans, Ike Chineze is actually pretty useless. He was more absent today than Dennis Zervos.

Taurus, the game was still close in the fourth quarter, Delaclava up by a touchdown, and you went to Charlie Coffin for several targets in the closing drives, including the touchdown that sealed the game. Given you haven't targeted him a whole lot this year, what was the key factor in utilizing him in the game plan?

TW: I always use the options that I can. Usually he only gets in for the three, four-wide sets. But he's a good kid, really smart, and he's really valuable to us because he's such a clean route-runner, he makes adjustments, he knows how to shake defenders loose even if they're not familiar with his patterns. He's not a downfield threat like Kevin or Andre (Michel), but the Serpent Eagles had their panties in a bunch trying to deal with them, and so going to Charlie was the obvious choice. We just have a lot of valuable receiving options. It can be hard to handle. But it was super cool for him to get his first international touchdown in that situation.

You got a really big win today, but I think it'd be fair to say you had a handful of mistakes in the third quarter - miscommunications, the fumble, the interception. What do you attribute that to? Tactical, physical, focus?

TW: I think mentally I tensed a little bit, and tactically I got just a little bit flat with the options I was calling. I was totally focused, but the mistakes are definitely on me. I'm glad we fixed some things in the fourth quarter, but I can't have lapses like that again. Just gotta be smarter with the play calling and execution.

Next up is a battle between Delaclava and Sarzonia in Woodstock. With both teams at four wins, it's a pivotal game to see who might gain some control of their destiny for the playoffs. What are the keys to success there?

KA: I don't think we'll share too much tactically, of course, but we kind of talked to you about it last time, that game was very close. There were things they did better like getting drives started, getting over the 50 and giving themselves chances to score. We saw that Kieran's automatic when we get him in range, so we have to make those opportunities happen. Smart and steady plays to move up the field.

KH: Defensively, I think we have a good read on Sam Rosen's tendencies. He's solid for sure, but we didn't do enough to try to rattle him. But we've got a plan, and believe me when I say, you can't wait to see it.

Taurus, given the sort of back-and-forth that's happened between the two teams, some of the comments you made, what do you think the reception will be like in Woodstock for the team, and for you personally?

TW: Well, I think we can get enough fans there that it's not too hostile or anything. That's what makes the matchup interesting, you get a good portion of people on your side regardless of where the game is. I know it's not all roses yet, I still get the occasional "you suck" and "someone needs to teach you a lesson", and some other things I don't need to repeat, that trickles in. I'm sure there's some upset about it, but now that they got one over us and I had to concede that, I'm sure some of it has faded. The cool thing is, I think there was a lot of anxiety in that matchup for the players, a lot had changed for both teams and neither one knew how it was going to work. Now we're both borderline playoffs and we know that, so it's going to be a really good game. The fans are passionate about the football and they'll be more focused on that.

Lastly, what's your take on the change of national colors from red and gold to purple and gold? I know Kevin and Jaap, you were born in different federations, so we'd love to hear your take. And when do you think you might be donning purple and gold uniforms?

TW: I'm glad Coach Newman's confirmed we're sticking with red and gold for now. I guess we'll have to go to purple at some point, yeah? I just don't know if that's really us, or what we stand for. The president was saying things about, we don't have the same national identity of bravery and loyalty, all of that, but I think that's wrong, you know? For me, Delaclava is still all of those things. It's brotherhood and sisterhood, it's community, it's generosity of body and spirit. Purple doesn't fit all of that, I think. But maybe they're just colors, I don't know.

KH: I think the purple's stupid, really. It's a fine color, whatever, but when you think purple, you're thinking Valanora, Starblaydia, Equestria, and that's fine. It's just a bit square, a bit stiff, you know? Red is bold, daring, it has personality. We're the Phoenixes, not the Silk Bathrobes or some shit.

JW: For me, I know this President Urso, he wants to include the other federations, like Grote Vrede where I'm from, he thinks purple represents that. But I don't need a color that's meant to represent me, you know, I made my choice to come to Delaclava, and I'm proud of that, I'm proud of my identity as a Delaclav. Maybe President Urso is not?

KA: I'm worried about the tone of some of what President Urso said. He can talk about togetherness and union, but that's not what I heard. He used to be about "Openness" - now I think he's an imperialist. It's dangerous, because I think there's a good balance to the geopolitical world that he seems intent on disrupting. And the sooner our nation is concerned with expanding our borders and making more acquisitions, the less we'll be able to defend our best interests at home. We're headed towards an unstable time of our lives, I think.

Now, the colors themselves? Purple is cool, and I think it'll be fun to see it splash into our supporters' sections. But I'm telling you, we're winning a championship in red and gold.

Banija         0 - 0 - 3 - 7 -- 10
Delaclava      6 - 7 - 0 - 9 -- 22

1st Quarter
DEL, Kieran Conley 37 yard FG
DEL, Conley 45 yard FG
2nd Quarter
DEL, Taurus Wright 10 yard pass to Kevin Alés (Kieran Conley kick)
BNJ, Komani Achaje 39 yard FG
3rd Quarter - No Scoring
4th Quarter
DEL, Conley 26 yard FG
BNJ, Kuenda Sello 9 yard run (Komani Achaje kick)
DEL, Wright 31 yard pass to Charlie Coffin (run failed)

[Ranoria]

Free Agent Johnny Farmer Reportedly Narrows Shortlist to Three Teams

TE Johnny Farmer has played his entire, storied career thus far for the Halifax Blizzard, but has stated he intends to look for opportunities elsewhere

You all know him by now - Johnny Farmer is the star tight end for the Ranorian National Team, and before that was a dominant force for the Governors in the NSCF. With all-pro awards galore and an NSCF Most Outstanding Player award to his name, we all know what he can do.

However, after his quarterback, Terry Grayson - a former World Bowls starter - retired at the age of 39, Farmer became somewhat dissatisfied with his role on the team. He's entering his age 30 season, and knows as well as anyone that he has two more years of peak production left if he's lucky. After Grayson - an all time great by any stretch - retired, Farmer has been left on a mediocre squad that, unfortunately, has failed to nab a championship ring during his career. Hell, they haven't won a title in 44 years, and with no promising future with a passer, who can tell when that number will be reset.

So who's on this shortlist? Farmer's reportedly visited with the Indianapolis Hogs, the Hawks, and the Dietrich Dynamos, and we're going to assume that those are the three teams he's narrowed his choice down to, for reasons you'll see below.

Option 1: Indianapolis Hogs
The first has an obvious attraction - John Garrett. Coming off a championship season, the Hogs are always in the mix with their three time MVP quarterback at the helm, and Farmer and Garrett have played together since their middle school days, with the only lapse coming between Farmer's graduating college and Garrett's taking the reigns as the quarterback of the Krauts. However, the Hogs are tight against the cap due to their front office paying a lot of money to players who probably haven't earned those contracts. One example is Javier Gilmore, raking in 12.5 million per year with only one All-Star game nod in his career. Or perhaps defensive linemen Eduardo Gabbi, making 19 million per year on average...and having never recorded more than 4 sacks in a season.

So that's there, but analysts have advised that they'd be able to pay Farmer just a little over one million a year. That's a lot of cash to be giving up in Farmer's prime money making years.

Option 2: The Hawks
Next up, we have the Hawks. Led by third year quarterback Byron Joseph, the Hawks went 4-12 in his rookie season and looked to do about as well last year, but things really turned around for them. After a 1-5 start, the team rallied to finish 7-3, a huge improvement that shows they're capable of winning a bunch of games when given the opportunity. They've made a couple key free agent acquisitions to shore up glaring weaknesses and have 2 picks inside the top 15 due to savvy moves by their general manager, but they're already a trendy pick to make their conference championship - adding Johnny Farmer with their plentiful cap space would be a complete game changer.

That rally to finish 7-3? Their quarterback was a huge part of that. Byron Joseph showed massive improvement from year 1 to year 2. He threw for 2,515 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions as a rookie, and ran for another 981 with ten touchdowns. In his second season, he made a huge leap as a passer. He'd end the year with 3,344 yards and 25 scores against just 7 picks. Better yet, his rushing totals only dropped a smidgeon compared to the increase in production, with 902 yards and ten scores on the ground. With a true top notch target, we'd love to see what he could do.

Option 3: Dietrich Dynamos

This is perhaps the most intriguing option. The Dietrich Dynamos, through a series of aggressive trades and some dumbass general manager (now former general manager) drafting Ricky Cappa over Deondre Rhine, the Dynamos ended up with Deondre "Diamond" Rhine at quarterback and Chromatik sensation Alessandra Mio at wideout.

Instantly, the two elevated the 3^rd worst team in the RFL to one that got into the playoffs by the skin of its teeth at 8-8. Mio won offensive rookie of the year, and the next season, Rhine showed some improvement. The two led their squad to a 10-6 campaign, Alessandra led the RFL in receiving yards, and they managed to win a playoff game before being sent home by the Pittsburgh Ironmen's infamous Wrecking Crew. This offense was the only one, however, to manage to put 20 up on the Ironmen in the 2026 season, and no one is faulting either of these two for that loss. However, the receiving core, and skill positions in general, are lackluster behind Mio. If Farmer is willing to take on the task of putting up with Rhine - which may require more compensation even than he needs to play football, we could see this team rival Garrett's Farmers as the most explosive unit in football.

[Buffalostan]

MD8 cutoff

Each MD I will be offering a small prompt. These prompts are not required and there is no extra bonus for doing them compared with doing a match report or any other type of RP; they’re simply there because, with a long group stage format and many tournaments competing for attention, inspiration may be running thin. Feel free to respond in whatever format you like – or ignore them entirely.

Today's cutoff is brought to you from the New Arkangel time bubble of 2170. In this alternative future, the Alaska Purchase never went through under Secretary of State Billy P. Sewerrat, and Alaska never became Buffalostani territory, remaining part of Russiya. As such, tensions between residents of the New Arkangel time bubble and other Buffalostanis can be a bit tense. What is the relationship like between your country and its closest adversaries. Do you have a major "rival", geopolitical, sporting, or otherwise?

---

Group A
Abanhfleft 36–17 New Gesem
Buffalostan 23–28 Squidroidia (scorinated by South Newlandia)

                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Squidroidia               6    6   0   199   91 +108
2 Abanhfleft                6    5   1   179  121  +58
3 Buffalostan               7    4   3   197  176  +21
4 New Gesem                 7    1   6   147  206  −59
5 Equestria                 6    0   6    76  204 −128

Group B
Karditan 16–3 South Americanastan
HUElavia 22–15 South Newlandia

  Group B                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Ko-oren                   6    6   0    98   16  +82
2 Karditan                  6    4   2   106   43  +63
3 South Newlandia           6    3   3   125   76  +49
4 HUElavia                  7    3   4   124  159  −35
5 South Americanastan       7    0   7    49  208 −159

Group C
Sarzonia 18–20 Delaclava
Banija 47–14 Bongo Johnson

  Group C                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Banija                    7    5   2   200  152  +48
2 Delaclava                 7    5   2   232  134  +98
3 Sarzonia                  6    4   2   177  138  +39
4 Bongo Johnson             6    2   4   108  227 −119
5 Mertagne                  6    0   6   141  207  −66

Group D
Saint Kanye 8–7 Chromatika
Allamunnic States 52–10 Lisander

  Group D                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Saint Kanye               6    5   1   130   73  +57
2 Chromatika                7    5   2   171   89  +82
3 Allamunnic States         7    4   3   159  153   +6
4 Lisander                  6    1   5   134  165  −31
5 Malandrin                 6    1   5   111  225 −114

Group E
Arjunnagar 14–34 TJUN-ia
Xanneria 13–33 Ranoria

  Group E                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Ranoria                   6    6   0   182   78 +104
2 Tumbra                    6    5   1   183   98  +85
3 TJUN-ia                   7    4   3   218  148  +70
4 Xanneria                  7    1   6    85  201 −116
5 Arjunnagar                6    0   6    61  204 −143

Group F
Kriegiersien 23–26 Newmanistan
Bollonich 15–42 Drawkland

  Group F                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Newmanistan               7    5   2   206  166  +40
2 Drawkland                 6    5   1   159  100  +59
3 Kohnhead                  6    4   2   167   82  +85
4 Bollonich                 7    2   5   114  221 −107
5 Kriegiersien              6    0   6    88  165  −77

Teams that are guaranteed progression or elimination are marked. As always I make no guarantees these are accurate.

                           Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Squidroidia               6    6   0   199   91 +108
 2 Ranoria                   6    6   0   182   78 +104
 3 Ko-oren                   6    6   0    98   16  +82
 4 Saint Kanye               6    5   1   130   73  +57
 5 Banija                    7    5   2   200  152  +48
 6 Newmanistan               7    5   2   206  166  +40

 7 Delaclava                 7    5   2   232  134  +98
 8 Tumbra                    6    5   1   183   98  +85
 9 Chromatika                7    5   2   171   89  +82
10 Drawkland                 6    5   1   159  100  +59
11 Abanhfleft                6    5   1   179  121  +58
12 Karditan                  6    4   2   106   43  +63

13 Kohnhead                  6    4   2   167   82  +85
14 TJUN-ia                   7    4   3   218  148  +70
-------------------------------------------------------
15 Sarzonia                  6    4   2   177  138  +39
16 Buffalostan               7    4   3   197  176  +21
17 Allamunnic States         7    4   3   159  153   +6
18 South Newlandia           6    3   3   125   76  +49

[Saint Kanye]

The second meeting between the St. Kanye Surge and Chromatika Iron Legion in the World Bowl XLII group stages was something that everyone was looking forward to - not only fans of both teams, but also their own players and staff. According to Surge quarterback R.J. Linetti, "Chromatika will be tough, they're in top form in their last few games and are itching to get back at us after we beat them at home the first time," while wide receiver Bruce Dobler was quoted as saying "If we don't play against the Legion with the same intensity as we showed in this game [a 41-26 win against Malandrin], that'll be us getting upset next." Of course, their opponents also had something to say about the upcoming matchup. "We are eager to pay [the Surge] back for defeating us. We've been clicking on all cylinders - I think we're ready," said Naia Curentino, the Iron Legion's assistant to the offensive coordinator.

The much-hyped clash between Group D's two frontrunners turned out to be a low-scoring affair, but it did have an exciting finish. Trailing five points to seven with a minute and a half remaining, St. Kanye chose to rely on the ever-accurate James Rasputin to provide the go-ahead score. Rasputin geared up for the field goal attempt, which would be from almost sixty yards. The ball sailed through the air, approached the uprights, hit the left one, then the right one..... and fell out. It was a rare miss for the Kanyean kicker, and the Chromatiks would get the ball back, potentially just taking a knee until the end to secure the victory.

But wait. There was a penalty on an opposing player, which meant that Rasputin had the chance to retry the kick. Once again he let it fly, as all of Pencurve Electronics Field looked on. Once again the ball hit the left upright. However, this time, it would fall in, making the field goal a success and putting the Yeezies up 8-7. The Iron Legion tried moving the ball through the air as the clock worked against them, but free safety Gary Bradman ended their drive prematurely with a pick, and the Surge knelt out the last fifteen seconds of the game.

---

1Q STK field goal Rasputin 43 STK 3-0
The Yeezies had first possession, but the visiting Chromatiks were able to hold them to just three points on their opening drive.

2Q CMT Gwivern ?? pass from Gwenderyn (McAllister kick) CMT 7-3
Both teams just exchanged three and outs and turnovers until late in the second quarter, with tight end Niles Gwivern catching a pass from quarterback Sarai Gwenderyn to give the Iron Legion the lead before halftime.

3Q STK Safety, Edison tackled Gwenderyn in end zone CMT 7-5
Midway through the third, the Surge had the Legion backed up at their three-yard line. Nose tackle Robby Edison added two points to the home team's tally after he found Gwenderyn trying to look for an open man (or woman) and sacked her.

4Q STK field goal Rasputin 59 STK 8-7
Rasputin kept his field goal percentage perfect throughout the tournament, since his double doink miss was nullified by a penalty. He was also awarded the game ball for his heroics.

---

With the win, the Surge (5-1) find themselves in the playoffs, joining their victims, who fell to 5-2. The Allamunnic States (4-3) were also through after disposing of Lisander (1-5), 52-10. "Despite the fact we're already in, we won't be caught slacking in our final two matches. Getting a higher seed is also important, so we better keep our record up," said Surge defensive coordinator Kevin Macintyre.

Elsewhere...

- The Squidroidia Flyers (6-0) sweep their series against hosts Buffalostan (4-3), beating them 28-23.
- The Karditan Ironworkers (4-2) continue to make a push toward the playoffs, defeating South Americanastan 16-3 and keeping them winless at 0-7.
- The Delaclava Phoenixes (5-2) become the next team to advance out of the "Group of Death" as they win a close one, 20-18, against the Sarzonia Stars (4-2).
- The Drawkland Grid Corps (5-1) open the playoffs door for themselves and shut it on Bollonich (2-5), the former winning their matchup 42-15.

---

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| MD | Opponent           | Rank | Uniform       | Score   | Record | Place |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 1  | BYE                |      |               |         |        |       |
| 2  | Malandrin          | UR   | Purple/Black  | W 28-10 | 1-0    | 2nd   |
| 3  | @Chromatika        | 18   | White/Purple  | W 22-7  | 2-0    | 1st   |
| 4  | Lisander           | 33   | Purple/Purple | W 22-10 | 3-0    | 1st   |
| 5  | @Allamunnic States | 4    | White/White   | L 9-13  | 3-1    | 1st   |
|    | BREAK              |      |               |         |        |       |
| 6  | BYE                |      |               |         |        |       |
| 7  | @Malandrin         | UR   | White/White   | W 41-26 | 4-1    | 2nd   |
| 8  | Chromatika         | 18   | Purple/Black  | W 8-7   | 5-1    | 1st   |
| 9  | @Lisander          | 33   | White/Purple  |         |        |       |
| 10 | Allamunnic States  | 4    | Purple/Purple |         |        |       |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Football

Phoenixes escape Stars comeback to qualify for playoffs
Two-point stop helps Delaclava walk out of Woodstock with a crucial victory

In another instant classic in Cyanea, it was a deflected pass on a two-point attempt that made the difference.

Jaap Wouters batted down a pass from Sam Rosen intended for Al Langston on the potential game-tying conversion, and Delaclava just barely managed to hold onto a 14-point lead to squeak by Sarzonia 20-18, therefore qualifying for the playoffs of World Bowl 42 in Buffalostan.

"Phew, that was a close one," said coach Frank Newman, who recorded his first win as a coach over the northern rivals. "We didn't get away easy last time either, but I'm proud of our team for having just a little bit extra and digging deep to make the last few plays they needed."

Delaclava led the game 20-6 with 4:17 remaining in the third quarter following a 20-yard touchdown reception by Andre Michel from Taurus Wright. Sarzonia managed to claw back the deficit with physical play that shut down Wright and George, an interception of Wright by Will Donnelly, and two field goals by Matt Vargas. That was all capped off by a 49-yard pass from Sam Rosen to Matt Largent, setting up the fateful two-point try that would have tied the game at 20.

The narrative surrounding this game focused on the rare bad blood that had developed between the two squads, starting with comments that Wright had made about the Stars in the wake of former coach Les Steckhall's firing as a result of long-term player abuse, and continuing with a contentious match in Quinniville - a 30-27 victory for the Stars - after which the opposing coaches had to be separated at midfield, followed by the shocking revelation that Colin Grassley would be expelled from the team for threatening a bounty on Wright. For those fans and pundits wondering about the tone of this game, the reception of the Phoenixes at Joe Gibbs Stadium in Woodstock was certainly not as amiable as usual, but as the pregame coin toss proceeded uneventfully, tempers had noticeably cooled from where they were several weeks ago. The players shook hands respectfully, both sides perhaps more focused on the playoff push than any other squabbles.

Sarzonia opened the game with a steady, efficient drive that led to a 47-yard field goal from Matt Vargas, his first of four in the game, but the Phoenixes seized control through the remainder of the first quarter. Despite the loss in the last matchup, Wright had a positive offensive performance with 314 yards and three touchdowns. While the front four - minus Grassley - and linebackers seemed more up to the task of putting pressure on Wright in the pocket and preventing him from escaping, Wright managed the game like an expert veteran, spreading out his passing option and leaning heavily on Dexter George, who had his first 100-yard running game of the season (135). A good chunk of that came on the very first drive, ending with George taking a toss on the right side and cutting by Calvin Jacks before making his way down the sideline for the score.

"I'm always ready to go and do my thing," George said of his increased role in the contest. "We have a lot of ways to win the ballgame, so it's not going to be my time to be the star every game. Tonight, I was more part of the plan and we all got it done."

Both teams relatively stalled for much of the first half, with the Phoenixes falling short of a second touchdown on a third-down sack by Arlen Cunningham, forcing Kieran Conley to convert a short field goal. Vargas converted a three-pointer of his own for the only score of the second quarter, and Delaclava led 10-6.

The Phoenixes steadily extended the lead in the third quarter with a field goal from Conley on the opening drive of the half; then, Delaclava put an end to a Stars drive around their own 34-yard line as Kenley Bond picked off a pass intended for Steve Swain. Wright led the Phoenixes back the other way, leaving the offense guessing as he switched targets from Kevin Alés to Robbie Hahn to Devin Santana, finally freeing up Andre Michel to run a fake hook around Quinn Bowles and running onto the pass in the endzone. The Stars were stunned as the Phoenixes celebrated the two touchdown lead, but both sides knew the game was far from other.

"I think some games we'd think, if we get up by two scores, that's something we can work with until the end," Alés said. "This game just felt like we were going to have to fight. We were mentally ready to do that."

After two more field goals from Vargas, Rosen fed the ball to Ty'Relle Clinton and worked the short passing game until he was able to isolate Matt Largent against Tasunka Coleman. Largent got the jump thanks to a head of steam off the line, and blew by Coleman to catch the pass from Rosen and waltz into the endzone uncontested. But on the two-point attempt, the strong safety Wouters read the slant route by tight end Langston and jumped in front of it just in time, the 5-foot-8 Wouters celebrating even after getting laid out by the 6-foot-5 Langston.

"Our defense has felt confident to take risks, make the big plays, like we had to against Banija," Wouters said. "If there was ever a time to make a bold move and put it on the line, it was then."

Sarzonia kicked off traditionally with 3:19 to go, hoping their defense could get one more stop, but the running back tandem of Dexter George and David Conley picked up bunches of yards until the Stars were out of timeouts, out of options, and out of time. After Wright kneeled the ball for the final time, the teams met at midfield - no drama, no fighting, only respect. The difference in demeanor between Newman and newly promoted Stars coach Gavin Davis was obvious as they spoke briefly around the 50 - no security necessary.

Newman declined to share his conversation with Davis, but acknowledged the skill and class of the Stars in the game. "I know coaching this Delaclava team why everyone talks up this matchup. It always delivers and brings out the best in both teams... We got our postseason spot tonight, but no doubt they've earned theirs too, and they'll get it soon.

Delaclava moves to 5-2, equal to Banija but trailing by a head-to-head differential of just one point. Although that will make it nearly impossible for the Phoenixes to win the group now, they have the playoff spot they need, with hopes of staying in the top two and securing a Round of 16 berth. Sarzonia falls to 4-2 with a game in hand, but cannot fall below third on record alone and can easily secure their playoff spot with a victory over Bongo Johnson.

Delaclava   10 - 0 - 10 - 0 -- 20
Sarzonia     3 - 3 -  3 - 9 -- 18

1st Quarter
SRZ, Matt Vargas 47 yard FG, 10:54.
DEL, Dexter George 37 yard run (Kieran Conley kick), 5:36.
DEL, Kieran Conley 25 yard FG, :14.
2nd Quarter
SRZ, Vargas 34 yard FG, 3:24.
3rd Quarter
DEL, Conley 41 yard FG, 10:23.
DEL, Taurus Wright 20 yard pass to Andre Michel (Conley kick), 4:17.
SRZ, Vargas 27 yard FG, 1:18.
4th Quarter
SRZ, Vargas 46 yard FG, 9:02.
SRZ, Sam Rosen 49 yard pass to Matt Largent (pass failed), 3:19.

[Buffalostan]

Host announcement: tonight's scorination is postponed and the schedule pushed back 24 hours owing to

a bad outbreak of temporal tornados

some family issues

.

Apologies for late notice and everything should resume on track tomorrow.

[New Gesem]

Abanhfleft 0  0  0  0  0
New Gesem  0  0  0  0  0

Maybe it's too early for a postmortem on the New Gesem Pilgrims' first-ever World Bowl appearance; after all, there is one game remaining, against Equestria, and a bye week after that which may have implications for the standings, but I think it's safe to say that we've got what we came for in the World Bowl. The results aren't pretty; just one win, and likely one more against Equestria here in a couple nights, but the PIlgrims have held their own better than almost anyone thought they could. Since the last time we spoke, New Gesem has lost its return fixtures against Squidroidia, Buffalostan, and Abanhfleft, just as it lost in the first half of the group stage; however, the games themselves have been unequivocally more entertaining, with the match against hosts Buffalostan in particular a barn-burner.

What's more significant than the results is the fact that there are results; let's not forget that a year ago, this team was a pipe dream in the mind of the Reverend Lee Gibbs, the down-home preacher at the forefront of the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims are now playing legitimate, competitive games in the World Bowl. And the only way to go is up.

[TJUN-ia]

After another traditional TJUN-ian Bounceback Win, the Jaguars once again found themselves at .500 and looking to try and improve on that record in the best way they can. While this campaign has certainly been challenging for Gus McKerrin's team, the way they have pushed on despite this and secured playoff gridiron for the 2nd consecutive tournament can certainly be seen as admirable. While the flight to Buffalostan has already been booked, we still have two more stops to make...the first was tonight on the road against winless Arjunnagar.

Arjunnagar certainly hasn't had the best of times in their debut World Bowl, but the first half they had would certainly show some promise for the future to their home faithful as they went toe-to-toe with these Jags. While Griffin did score 2 TDs (one to Valois and one to Chris Davidson), the opposing QB scored twice himself. While Chi On-Ma went 2/2 on conversions, so did his counterpart with their legs. It was 14-14 at HT, which was certainly commendable by the hosts, but that wouldn't last for long. McKerrin wanted this game won convincingly and so, Griffin found Jack Davison twice in the 3rd to pull away for good while Chi went 4/4 on the night as well. The reserved then came on and scored a TD of their own, Allister Ghoulson using a trick play to let Alice "Acerola" Latifa score the first TJUN-ian TD by a female player - certainly a historic moment for the gender-neutral era of the International Community. While Yoshi Nakamura missed the extra point, that wouldn't damper the team as they climbed back up to 4-3 and are now certainly in contention for some sort of good seeding in the Playoffs.

But before we can even think about that, we still have one more group game to play - and oh boy, it's a big one. The Misfits of Tumbra, the team who powered past us in Gamaliel, now travel to New Washington with 2nd place on the line for now. The maths is simple: if we can win our final home game by more than 7 points, then we will take 2nd heading into our bye on MD10. If we win by less, then we can still claim 2nd if Tumbra loses to the undefeated Ranoria on the final day. We still have some control over our seeding fate but in order to be in the best position possible, we must win our final game. The Gardens want revenge for MD4 and in our final game, we will certainly try and make that happen. GO JAGS!

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SCHEDULE (Group 5)
MD1: vs Ranoria (3) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington L 20-23 (0-1)
MD2: @Xanneria (21) W 31-7 (3rd/1-1)
MD3: vs Arjunnagar (UR) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 39-7 (2nd/2-1)
MD4: @Tumbra (27) - Gamaliel State University Field, Gamaliel L 34-41 (3rd/2-2)
MD5: BYE
--------------------------BREAK--------------------------
MD6: @Ranoria (3) - The Karmin-Falce Superdome, Ranoria City L 17-33 (3rd/2-3)
MD7: vs Xanneria (21) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 39-7 (3rd/3-3)
MD8: @Arjunnagar (UR) W 34-14 (3rd/4-3)
MD9: vs Tumbra (27) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD10: BYE

[Sarzonia]

The energy at Joe Gibbs Stadium was different for the battle between the Sarzonian national gridball team and Delaclava.

For one thing, the usual collegiality between the two countries was noticeably tamped down. There was a smattering of boos from navy-clad Sarzonia supporters as Phoenixes quarterback Taurus Wright was introduced. There were a couple of shouts of, "You suck!" and there were signs telling him to stay in his lane. But that was the extent of the hostility.

The Stars came up on the short end of a 20-18 defeat to Delaclava, dropping Sarzonia to 4-2. But the Stars inspired some of their fans by rallying to cut the deficit to two points and coach Gavin Davis leaving the offence on the pitch to seek a match-tying two-point conversion. However, quarterback Sam Rosen, whose 49-yard bomb to Matt Largent with 3:19 remaining brought the team to within the conversion attempt of drawing the match level, couldn't get his pass to tight end Al Langston for the equalising points.

"Coach," special teams coordinator Dylan Massey said, approaching Davis. "Let's try an onside kick. I think we can disguise it well enough to make it work."

"No," defensive coordinator Kyle Hanley interjected. "They'll be expecting it. And if they recover it, they'll have the ball in great field position. My guys are gassed right now."

Davis looked at Hanley and Massey and shook his head. "Kick it deep," he said. "Let's see if we can get a stop and get the ball back for Matty to kick another field goal." Davis was confident in Matt Vargas, as the kicker already had four field goals on the day and had arguably been Sarzonia's best player against the Phoenixes. The Stars kicked it deep, hoping for a stop, but that stop never came and the Phoenixes were able to run out the clock to secure the two-point victory in front of disappointed Stars fans and cheering Phoenixes supporters. The post-match conversation between Delaclav coach Frank Newman and Davis was a brief one that lacked the anger of the one in Quinniville.

"That team over there is a quality team," Davis said. "We need to do a better job of sustaining drives and getting six points instead of three."

As for the possibility of lingering anger over Wright's comments about Sarzonia's firing former coach Les Steckhall, Davis said "that's water under the bridge by now. He wasn't in this locker room, so he didn't see first hand. I'm sure if he did, he'd have kept his mouth shut."

All in all, it was just a normal Sarzonia-Delaclava match, except for perhaps the majority of Stars players returning to the team hotel after they had dinner in their dressing room. Under different circumstances, several Stars players likely would have gone out to dinner with their Delaclav counterparts.

Of greater importance to the Stars is their current record sits at 4-2 after the loss to Delaclava, with an away trip to Bongo Johnson and their finale at home against Banija in the offing. The match against Bongo Johnson will be delayed due to "temporal tornadoes," according to a press release from Buffalostan, which left Davis fuming.

"What the hell?" he said. "Never heard of such a thing in my life. We've got an extra week to seethe over this loss. Great."

[OOC: I hope whatever family issues you're facing get sorted well, Buffalostan. RL is always more important than NS.]

[Tumbra]

second chances
a documentary series

DAN WATERS
STARTING QUARTERBACK

"The mood was high, you know. As it tends to be when you know you'll make it to the friggin playoffs in Buffalostan."

---

Four touchdowns and six points after touchdowns against a depleted Arjunnagar side secured a fifth victory for the Misfits, ensuring they'd improve on their WB41 record. With the Misfits' record now 5-1, qualification was secured. But there was still one more thing to be determined.

---

RUSSELL DEAN
STARTING TIGHT END

"Position, man! Seeding and all that. Of course, we knew in all honesty we were going to play one match in Buffalostan and then get on a flight back home — but we still wanted to make our qualification record impressive. And if it meant beating the Jaguars again, then, well, it had to be done. After all, we'd done it once before. It wasn't a matter now of whether we'd qualify or not — it was for pride, seeding, position, whatever."

---

HANS KWAITKOWSKI
STARTING CORNERBACK

"After all, we were just kids. Well. All of us were above twenty, but you know what they say about 30 being the new 20. So finishing second instead of third, to our feeble, young minds, probably meant a lot more to us then than it does now. Nowadays we'd probably be going, oh, the Playoffs are the Playoffs, we can switch off now, since our last two matches are against the top two seeds. Then, however, a small difference like that probably made a lot of difference to us. A symptom of being young, and hot-headed, though I must say, and I will repeat this — being thirty is the new twenty."

---

DAN WATERS
STARTING QUARTERBACK

"Yeah, I've still got no idea what to do with my life."

---

HANS KWAITKOWSKI
STARTING CORNERBACK

"Really?"

---

DAN WATERS
STARTING QUARTERBACK

"Well. Well, I might be exaggerating a little bit, but, uh, well, I sort of knew where this joke was going, but you questioning me on it kinda ruined my flow, so — Hey, this won't be in the final cut, right?"

---

VINCENT KRAMER
STARTING RIGHT TACKLE

"We'd beaten the Jaguars once. We knew they were smarting for revenge, and they fully intended on getting it in their home base. A country like that honestly shouldn't exist — trust me, I have a degree in Political Science, and the number of cultures and languages honestly makes administration near impossible, let alone feasible —"

---

DAN WATERS
STARTING QUARTERBACK

"Uh...Vince...we're live..."

---

VINCENT KRAMER
STARTING RIGHT TACKLE

"Forgive me. We'd be doing the equivalent of leaping into the lion's mouth here. It wouldn't be a simple task. If we lost our last two matches — and let's be real, with our last match against Ranoria—"

---

DAN WATERS
STARTING QUARTERBACK

"You're skipping ahead."

---

VINCENT KRAMER
STARTING RIGHT TACKLE

"Will you let me finish? But whatever. If we lost our last two matches, then they'd probably take second on point difference. We led, but not by much. So it really came down to the TJUN-ia match, and, what we thought at the time would be damage limitation against Ranoria."

---

TYLER DAVIS
STARTING HALFBACK

"Coach agreed. He said, you know, "Go out there and do your best", and he didn't seem to care that much whether we won or lost. He said it in Readale, he said it on the train in Straton, he said it in the airport terminal, he said it on the plane..."

---

SEBASTIAN NEUMANN
STARTING CENTER

"Positively chipper, he was. Perhaps it was the fact that we were through no matter what. Last time we came this close, and now we'd sailed through without any problems. The only problem now was where we'd finish — but even then, he didn't seem to pay it too much heed. Walked, talked, acted like a man whose weight was off his shoulders. And that calmed us on the flight."

---

DAN WATERS
STARTING QUARTERBACK

"It did. Maybe a bit too much, maybe not. You've heard of the sporting concept of arousal, have you?

---

NICK EVANS
STARTING KICKER

"Honestly, Dan, it just sounds like the kind of thing you'd be interested in."

---

DAN WATERS
STARTING QUARTERBACK

"Is this because I wore the number 6—"

---

NICK EVANS
STARTING KICKER

"Yes."

---

DAN WATERS
STARTING QUARTERBACK

"I'll ignore that. The sporting concept of arousal comes from when you feel sufficiently hyped up for a game or not. This is me putting it in very unscientific terms. You can get aroused by warming up, getting your head in the game, by doing almost everything. Mentally preparing yourself, physically, too. Arousal is the first battle you have to win. But if you don't do enough of that, you'll be sluggish — now the physical education department back in Readale said it was underarousal."

"The opposite of that — when you prepare too much, get your head too high, and can't think or focus on the game — overarousal. It's like an inverted U-curve — there's a sweet spot you want to hit, and you can't play with that sweet spot too much, or else you'll get overaroused."

---

NICK EVANS
STARTING KICKER

"So that night in TJUN-ia — were we underaroused, because we were generally chill? Or were they overaroused? They seemed to react pretty badly to losing."

---

DAN WATERS
STARTING QUARTERBACK

"Now that is a story for another time."