Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section - World Bowl XXV Coverage
Sports Section - World Bowl XXV Coverage
Regulars finish Group 11 5-1, second place
Drawn into group with Osarius, Britonisea, and Qocaekia
Despite the sloppy loss to Jeckland, the Regulars went down to Vaalhulmspurt full of confidence against Mieraskya. That confidence turned out to be completely merited, as the Allamunnic side laid down a 27-0 thrashing on the newcomers.
In his first week back play-calling, head coach Baeryk Vaalburger called about as good a game as the Regulars have had this cycle. From the opening possession, the Regulars remained committed to the rushing attack, and it paid off. Out of 58 plays run during the game, 45 were rushes. The biggest share went to Graagur Baaltrsunn, who rushed 18 times for 103 yards and a touchdown. Complementing him was Daanyl Wyndhorst, who rushed 14 times for 88 yards and another touchdown. Anna Eriklunn took 8 rushes for 41 yards, and Torren Tormundsunn rushed 5 times for 18 yards. They were helped through the air by Leif Eriksunn, who went 10/13 for 136 yards and a touchdown, without throwing an interception. Justyn Kynyks booted two field goals to help widen the lead.
Defensively, the team battered Mieraskya's signal caller, receivers and tailbacks on every down, only allowing them to accumulate 144 total yards. Maarkus Staalhelm led the team with 8 tackles and a forced fumble, while Waaldr Baersvylk finished with five tackles and a fumble recovery. Rikard Junnsunn also snagged an interception, and Danley Vicious finished with two sacks to lead the team as they compiled a total of seven.
The Regulars followed that win up by going on the road and winning a defensive slug-out with Farlandria. The offense was not as effective in this match-up, but that was more than made up for by another dominant defensive effort, allowing the Regulars to escape on the road with a 10-3 win. Another strong day from Baaltrsunn (14 rushes, 83 yards, TD) and Daanyl Wyndhorst (12 rushes, 81 yards) powered the team, and Leif Eriksunn managed another mistake-free game (11/15, 151 yards) to ensure they managed the win.
Maarkus Staalhelm continued his dominance, tallying eleven tackles, including four for loss, a sack, and forcing and recovering a strip-sack to kill a promising Farlandrian drive. Baeryk Skarrsunn also continued his lights-out play, tallying 7 tackles, a half sack, and grabbing another interception. The pass rush, again led by Danley Vicious (1.5 sacks), tallied 9 total sacks, and the besieged Farlandrian offense only managed 173 yards, with their only score (a field goal in the third quarter) coming after a long kick return.
With those two wins, the Regulars finished 5-1 in Group 11. However, based on point-differential, the Regulars actually finished second to Jeckland, and as a result, were put in the second pot for the second group draw. The result of this was that while the Regulars find themselves in a group with weak links in Britonisea and Qocaekia (say that three times fast), the Regulars have also been placed with 17th-ranked Osarius, a team they have faced numerous times before, boasting an explosive offense and an aggressive defense. Pundits are not calling it a group of death, but the draw is still tougher than many would have liked.
"We have nobody to blame but ourselves for that," Vaalburger said at the post-draw press conference. "If we wanted an easier group, we shouldn't have let Jeckland take one from us at home. It's that simple. We got what we deserved. And it is not the end of the world, anyway. Are all of these teams potential threats? Absolutely. In the World Bowl, as I've said before, everybody is. And Osarius is very good; we have played them several times before. But they are all beatable. We are not scared of any of them. But it does mean that we absolutely must play good, solid, fundamental gridiron, and not give anyone any free shots or opportunities. We simply cannot afford that."
The Regulars will open Group B play against Britonisea in Onneria.
-----~~~~~=====~~~~~-----
Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section - World Bowl XXV Coverage
Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section - World Bowl XXV Coverage
Regulars stomp Britonisea
Complete effort sees Allamunnae win, 26-3
Opening Group B play in Onneria against Britonisea, the Regulars came out and laid out a dominating effort to dismantle their opponents, 26-3. A mix of swarming defense and efficient offense was enough to let the national team dispatch their third-straight opponent without much trouble, and the win sets up a big game on the road with top-seeded (in-group, anyway) Osarius.
Winning the coin toss at home, the team captains elected to defer, and Britonisea opted to take the opening kick-off. A modest return saw them take over at their own 21. The drive ended at their 24 before they booted the ball to the Allamunnic 33, where Anna Eriklunn caught the ball and returned it to the 40. Perhaps simply trying to throw the Britoniseans for a loop, the first play the Regulars ran was a play-action pass. Presumably having actually watched tape of the Regulars from any time in the last decade-and-a-half, they bit on the fake run hard, resulting in Edryk Waalturs being wide open deep down the field. Leif Eriksunn hit him for an easy completion at the 12, and Waalturs was able to dive into the end zone to give the Regulars an early 7-0 lead after Justyn Kynyks' PAT.
After the teams traded punts once, the Regulars quickly forced the Britoniseans to punt again, getting the ball back at their own 33. Another longish drive saw them drive down to the Britonisean 21 before a mix of penalties, a drop, and a good play by the opposing defense saw the drive stall. Rather than try and convert on 4th and 1, the Regulars put it in Kynyks' hands (or on his foot, rather), and the kicker knocked in a 38-yard field goal with ease. With that, the Regulars had a 10-0 lead.
The teams punted on two consecutive possessions each afterward, with the second time the Regulars punted pinning Britonisea at their own 3 yard line. Two plays later, Maarkus Staalhelm and Henrik Baaldr all but annihilated the Britonisean ball-carrier in the back-field, knocking them into the end zone for a safety. With only two minutes left in the half, the Regulars got the ball back on the fair punt with a 12-0 lead. The Regulars managed to get out to the fifty from their own 20, but they ended up punting before throttling another Britonisean possession as the half ended.
The second half started with the Regulars getting the ball, but nothing came of it. The ensuing punt was deep, but their returner managed to pick up a few blocks, and was able to bolt to the Allamunnic 39. With the momentum on their side, the Britoniseans were still only able to push to the 23 before the drive stalled and they were forced to boot a 40-yard field goal to end the shut-out bid. The Regulars' lead was now only 12-3.
On the next drive, the Regulars were able to burn time off the clock as they marched 81 yards down the field over the course of 7:49, with the drive culminating in Graagur Baaltrsunn's 4-yard dive into the end zone. After Kynyks' PAT, the Regulars had widened their lead to 19-3. Following that drive, the teams traded punts for the rest of the third quarter, although the Regulars in general were able to move the ball more, where the Britoniseans had serious trouble even getting to double-digit yardage for the rest of the quarter.
Early in the fourth, the Regulars had the ball back at their own 24 when Daanyl Wyndhorst took the hand-off on an off-tackle run. Shaking two tackles in the box, then eluding a corner's attempt, Wyndhorst bolted down the field for a 76-yard touchdown. Another PAT from Kynyks gave the Regulars the final margin of victory at 26-3. The Regulars spent the rest of the game running the clock and punting, playing conservatively to try and end the game quicker while the defense suffocated the Britonisean offense.
When the game ended, the disparity in offensive efficiency was jarring. While the Regulars finished with 394 total offensive yards, while the Britoniseans finished with 99 yards. Equally important was the turnover differential; counting the safety as a turnover, the Regulars gave up no turnovers, while their opponents surrendered four (the safety, a fumble forced by Alf Vaalhulmsunn and recovered by Rikard Theodur, and two interceptions by Belle Margusunn and Erik Dahlhorst).
Once again, the Regulars were carried by their rushing attack; Graagur Baaltrsunn tallied 17 rushes for 101 yards and a touchdown, complemented by Daanyl Wyndhorst (15 rushes, 112 yards, TD), Anna Eriklunn (5 rushes, 17 yards), and Brandt Hendriks (4 rushes, 13 yards). Through the air, Leif Eriksunn was efficient, if unremarkable by some team's standards, going 12/16 for 152 yards and with a touchdown, and once again not turning the ball over. Maarkus Staalhelm reached 55 total tackles during the game, with 19 for loss throughout the seven games.
The win sets up an important match-up between Osarius (7-0) and the Allamunnic States (6-1) at the Benevolence Bowl in Dynapolis. The explosive Firebirds have seen something of a resurgence with their head coach, the well-regarded Leon Saint, with his back to a wall. This should be an intense match-up between an explosive, aggressive Osarian program and the tradition-steeped, smashmouth gridiron of the Allamunnic States.
-----~~~~~=====~~~~~-----
Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section - World Bowl XXV Coverage
Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section - World Bowl XXV Coverage
Regulars batter Firebirds
Regulars run away to 22-3 road win
The strengths and weaknesses of Osarius and the Allamunnic States appeared to be a perfect match for one another. The Allamunnae had an efficient, if less-than-explosive running-based offense with a functional, unremarkable passing attack complementing it, with a defense that was geared more against the run than the pass. Meanwhile, Osarius boasted and explosive, pass-first offense complemented by a functional running game, and an aggressive defense geared to stop the pass first.
In practice, however, in front of a full house in Dynapolis, it turned out to be anything but the perfect match-up, as the Regulars ran over the Osarian defense and took a sledgehammer to their well-oiled machine of an an offense. When the smoke cleared, the Allamunnic national side marched out of Osarius' home field with a 22-3 win, putting themselves in the driver's seat to win Group B.
The Osarians won the initial coin toss and opted to take the ball first, receiving Justyn Kynyks' kick off and returning it to their own 38. However, they were hard pressed to get anything going, reaching the Allamunnic 48 before Luke Saint had a pass batted by Waldr Baersvylk, then caught by Baeryk Skarrsunn as it fell. Setting the tone for the rest of the game, the Allamunnic offense took over at their own 41, and marched down the field in eight plays, with Junn Kaiser springing a block for Daanyl Wyndhorst on a 5-yard run for a touchdown, giving the Regulars a 6-0 lead. A bad snap on the extra point attempt saw Izaak Kleiner scoop up the ball and toss it to Godwyn Braanur for the unplanned two-point conversion, extending the Regulars' lead to 8-0.
Both offenses were able to move the ball, although neither managed to move within field goal range for most of the rest of the half. The Osarians did manage to drive to the Allamunnic goal-line before three successive stops at the 1 forced them to settle for the 18-yard field goal by Paul Atkinson. The two teams went into the locker rooms at the half with the Regulars in an 8-3 lead.
Lyna Donalsunn managed a solid return on the kick-off for the second half, returning it to the Allamunnic 40. Unfortunately, the Regulars got nothing out of the possession when Justyn Kynyks missed a 58-yarder. Luckily, the defense played lights-out and stopped the Osarians promptly, forcing a punt. Another exchange of punts would follow (although both teams were able to move the ball with some effectiveness), and the Regulars began another scoring drive.
This one began from their own 23, after a nine-yard return by Eriklunn. Although they never hesitated to throw the ball on third and long (the four times it came up), for the most part the Regulars trusted their tailbacks to move the chains. Their trust was rewarded, and after eight minutes and fourteen plays, Graagur Baaltrsunn followed Junn Kaiser into the end zone on a 2-yard dive to widen the Allamunnic lead to 15-3. The teams traded punts on the following two drives before the third quarter ended.
The Firebirds actually looked to be putting together a good drive as the fourth quarter began. By two minutes into the quarter, they had reached the Allamunnic 19. However, on 2nd and 8, Luke Saint dropped back to pass and was almost immediately bear-hugged by Henrik Baaldr, who burst through the line as soon as the snap went off. Still trying to secure the ball when he was hit, the ball slid out of Saint's hands and rolled onto the ground, where Maarkus Staalhelm scooped it up. He managed to run it back to the Allamunnic 30 before he was brought down by three Osarian players.
With momentum firmly on their side, the Regulars were able to put together one more scoring drive. Once again, they primarily trusted the run, only letting Eriksunn hold the ball on third downs for the most part (there were two first-down passes). Graagur Baaltrsunn and Daanyl Wyndhorst served them well, combining for 48 yards on the drive. On the final play of the drive, with 2nd and goal on the one-yard line, the Regulars looked set to punch it in on the ground against a stacked box on the Osarian side. However, seeing an opportunity, they worked the play-action, and Leif Eriksunn hit Godwyn Braanur for a yard and a touchdown to give the Regulars the final margin of victory, 22-3. From there, they were able to run out the clock and leave Osarius having emphatically made their point.
With the win, the Regulars can essentially claim that they have taken the driver's seat for Group B; seeded below Osarius, and with neither of the other teams likely to be in a position to catch them, if the Regulars can down the Firebirds at home in Staalburg, then they will be set to advance to the playoffs once again, and in position to be given a high seed.
Of great encouragement to Allamunnic fans will be the way their team stifled an explosive Osarian offense, keeping them out of the end zone and limiting them to 206 yards. By contrast, the Regulars got regular spark from their running game, riding Graagur Baaltrsunn (15 rushes, 85 yards, TD) and Daanyl Wyndhorst (14 rushes, 82 yards, TD) to good effect, with some help from Anna Eriklunn (6 rushes, 28 yards) and Brandt Hendriks (3 rushes, 10 yards). Leif Eriksunn had another efficient game, going 14/18 for 165 yards and a touchdown, once again managing to not throw an interception. Maarkus Staalhelm widened his lead in tackles, adding 10 to make his total 65 (22 for loss), as well as recovering another fumble.
The Regulars' next game will be against Qocaekia in Vaalhulmspurt.
-----~~~~~=====~~~~~-----
Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section - World Bowl XXV Coverage
Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section - World Bowl XXV Coverage
Five Straight
Regulars win defensive battle with Qocaekia 10-0 in Vaalhulmspurt
The Regulars got an unexpected challenge when they faced Qocaekia in Vaalhulmspurt, having to struggle on offense to finally escape with a 10-0 win. From early on, it looked like Qocaekia might be ready to throw the upset, holding the Allamunnic offense to 3 points in the first half, and missing two field goals themselves on what looked like sure-scoring drives. The unheralded (and unrostered) defense stifled the Allamunnic attack for three quarters.
Much of the game consisted of the teams trading punts, although at one point the Regulars managed to inch their way forward over the course of three drives (starting each drive a little closer than they had ended the previous one) by moving the Qocaekian offense backward. However, this only came out to three points, after they got to the 38, and Justyn Kynyks knocked in a 55-yard field goal to give the Regulars enough points to win the game. The rest of the first half passed without much incident.
The second half was more of the same, for the most part, with an uneventful third quarter seeing the Regulars out-gain Qocaekia 48 to 19. However, by the fourth quarter, the coaching staff was ready to pull out a relic from previous years that had yet to see the light of day at the 26th World Bowl.
Fans in Vaalhulmspurt witnessed the triumphant return of the Clydesdale package, a modified wildcat formation with a jumbo personnel grouping, devoted to one thing only: pushing the ball down the field, a handful of yards at a time. Sure enough, bringing a new meaning to the term "ball-control offense," they did exactly that, pushing down the field from their own 20 after a touchback to the opposing goal-line, crossing 80 yards in 22 plays and almost thirteen minutes. By the time Baaltrsunn finally followed a triple block from Torren Tormundsunn, Junn Kaiser, and Godwyn Braanur on a one-yard dive into the end zone, there were less than two minutes in the game.
After snagging the kick at their own 25, on their first play from scrimmage of their final drive, Maarkus Staalhelm strip-sacked the Qocaekian quarterback, because of course he did. With Danley Vicious, who almost made the sack himself, diving on the ball, the Regulars were able to run out the clock on the win.
Head Coach Baeryk Vaalburger seemed to find the use and success of the Clydesdale Package rather amusing during the post-game press-conference.
"Yeah, we had actually figured we were retiring it," he told reporters, "it sort of seemed like something that had limited value at this point, since folks had had a few years to scheme against it and prepare for it. But, y'know, we had the lead and needed a spark to put the game away, so we thought, hell, why not?" Laughing, he continued, "I didn't honestly think it would get us a touchdown, I thought we might just be able to get back into field goal range or so."
The Regulars' offense did not have a terribly impressive day, with the exception of Graagur Baaltrsunn, who really did practically carry the team, rushing 36 times for 122 yards and a touchdown. Daanyl Wyndhorst got fewer touches in the slog, rushing three times for 20 yards, while Anna Eriklunn and Brandt Hendriks did not even get any carries. Leif Eriksunn went 4/12 for 55 yards. Maarkus Staalhelm tallied another 9 tackles, bringing his total for the year to 74 (25 for loss), as well as the game-clinching strip-sack.
The win sets up a chance for the Regulars to tighten their grip on the Group B lead as they go on the road against Britonisea. A win will give the Regulars a 4-0 Group B record going into a decisive clash with Osarius in Staalburg.
-----~~~~~=====~~~~~-----
Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section - World Bowl XXV Coverage
Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section - World Bowl XXV Coverage
National team wins on road again
Defense allows first touchdown, Regulars beat Britonisea by ten anyway
It had to happen some time. The Allamunnic defense finally surrendered its first touchdown of the tournament (earlier touchdowns had come on special teams and defensive plays by opponents) during their road game against Britonisea. However, the fourth-quarter score simply spoiled a shut-out, instead of playing any real role in the game's outcome, as the Regulars won handily, 17-7.
The Allamunnic offense was a little more balanced in this outing, if only because Head Coach Baeryk Vaalburger seemed to take special delight in confusing Britonisea's defense. Even then, however, the Regulars' offense was still fundamentally run-first, running 61 plays, of which 37 were rushes. After the way he carried the Allamunnic offense against Qocaekia, Graagur Baaltrsunn also received a little bit of a respite, rushing only 11 times for 38 yards. Daanyl Wyndhorst carried the bulk of the load, rushing 18 times for 122 yards and a touchdown, while Anna Eriklunn took 5 rushes for 16 yards, while Torren Tormundsunn rushed 3 times for 12 yards. Meanwhile, Leif Eriksunn went 16/21 for 203 yards and a touchdown, while being sacked twice.
The Regulars struck first, getting a 28-yard field goal from Justyn Kynyks on the opening drive after taking the opening kickoff at their own 23. Both defenses played well, and that score was the only one in the first half. Most of the rest of the half was spent trading punts, although both offenses were able to move the ball at least some.
The Regulars were able to score twice in the second half. The first came in the third quarter, about mid-way through, when the play-action pass sparked some momentum for the Regulars. Putting the ball in Eriksunn's hands, he guided the team down the field, calling audibles on numerous plays, often switching into runs, usually with good results. Over five minutes, Eriksunn took the offense from their own 27 to the goal-line, where he hit Braant Skyllur on a 5-yard slant into the end zone for the touchdown. The score widened the Regulars' lead to 10-0.
Late in the third, the Britoniseans actually started their scoring drive from their own 18. It would take them into the next quarter to complete it after some help from a face-masking penalty on a broken third-and-long play. However, on the next play their quarterback was able to heave a deep pass where the receiver beat Belle Margusunn deep, catching the ball and running into the end zone for the score, closing the gap to 10-7.
Another two drives went by, with both teams moving the ball before punting. After Britonisea's punt, the Regulars got the ball at their own 16. Eriksunn was able to move the team down to the Allamunnic 45. However, the drive stalled to a third-and-ten, and the Regulars ran the ball in the hopes of taking a little more time off the clock before punting. Wyndhorst took the ball up the middle, caught a block from his interior line, and managed to break away, galloping 55 yards down the field for a touchdown. With the PAT, the Regulars widened their lead again to 17-7.
From there, two different drives were mounted by Britonisea in an attempt to close the gap again. Both ended in turnovers, one in a strip-sack (this one by Rikard Theodur, recovered by Kyl Waalturs) and another on an interception (the quarterback was hit by Danley Vicious as he threw, and Erik Dahlhorst snagged the underthrown ball). Maarkus Staalhelm tallied another 11 tackles (including three more for loss) to increase his total to 85 (28 for loss).
The win sends the Regulars to Staalburg to face Osarius once again, with the opportunity to clinch the group on the line. Should the Allamunnic States (9-1) defeat Osarius (8-2), they will lock up Group B, and with it a ten-win campaign, at minimum. The Regulars are currently locked in to make the Round of Sixteen, should they finish out. The Firebirds, by contrast, are currently on the outside looking in, and a loss in Staalburg might sink their chances entirely.
"It will be a tough game," Vaalburger told reporters in the post-game press-conference. "Osarius is probably going to come out fired up to get revenge on us and save their playoff chances. So we have to be ready to weather their best shot, and dish our best back out to them." The weather in Staalburg is predicted to favor the Regulars' style of play, as snow and wind are both forecast, with accumulation of three inches on the day of the game being expected.
