World Bowl XXXVIII Everything Thread

[Main Nation Ministry]

Death and Taxes: Mystery

"This is where my boss's office is?" Terry asked Rayyan, as they stood in a short line that led to a secretary's desk that was near a large set of double doors. "Correct. Our boss Mr. Fontaine is in charge of this floor. There are many floors in the Ministry, but the Leader is in control of all of them. Mary will help you with your problem. We just got to wait in line for a bit." Rayyan explained, as they waited in line until they managed to arrive to the desk. Behind the desk was a young woman, around Terry's age, wearing a soldier's uniform, though she had a red carnation on her uniform. She was chewing something in her mouth, though Terry didn't mind people chewing gum around him. "Excuse me? Mary? A worker and I has some problems." Rayyan asked Mary, where she looked up from her computer. Another radio was at her desk, where she was listening to patriotic music at a low volume.

"It's you again, Khan. I have already told you, your issue is currently in the middle of being resolved. You will be notified of it soon." Mary said, where her teeth looked like they were recently whitened.
"I know that. But I have a new worker who is suffering from technical difficulties from his monitor."
"I need your name, sir." Mary asked Terry.
"Terry Fitzpatrick."
"Right. I'm currently sending a technician to overlook your situation."
"That's it?"
"I'm not in charge of overlooking all of the monitors on this floor. Technicians are always on standby."
"Ok.. I notice that you dressed a lot nicer than I expect a secretary would."
"Don't waste my time, Fitzpatrick. I deserve this status. I help contribute to my nation with giving aid to the ones in need. Unlike new workers like you."
"I work in labor. Isn't that contributing?"
"No, Fitzpatrick. You need to give support emotional towards sufferers of the enemy. If you want, I can send someone to give you some pamphlets to show you what I mean."
"That can be nice." Fitzpatrick said, as he let the person behind him go up to Mary.

"You know, I known about Mary. She isn't someone who you should question. She's someone who will question you." Khan told Terry, as they walked down through the cubicles. "I don't see this as some sort of white collar job. There are a lot of random people here."
"You need to know, Fitzpatrick. People here are just like you. They have their own problems you shouldn't get involved with. Help can be good, but not all help can solve some wounds." Rayyan said, as they arrived back at Fitzpatrick's cubicle, where some technician guy was messing around with the monitor with a screwdriver. "Excuse me? How long is this going to take?" Terry asked the technician, as a puff of smoke erupted from the monitor. "I'm sorry, but this is going to take me a while. Possibly going to be all day. Don't worry, you get some extra funds, courtesy of the Ministry!" the technician told Fitzpatrick, as another man appeared with some pamphlets. "What am I supposed to do all day? Also I can take that, thank you.." Terry said to the technician, as he grabbed a pamphlet or two from the man that Mary sent. "You can get some dinner at the canteen. I love to chat some more, but I need to return to work. I can meet you outside in two hours near the Ministry. Front of the building. You should recognize me by now." Rayyan said, as Terry was left by himself.

"Hang on! You know anything about if I can make phone calls to friends and...family." Terry wanted to ask Rayyan more, but he was already off.

Terry managed to find the canteen by himself, asking a couple of people for directions, where he sat at a table, as the canteen functioned like a mini food court. Not a lot of people were around, though it was past the lunch break. Terry looked at the pamphlets that he was given. Unity against an enemy that spreads in the air! Remember those and the children who had suffered from Rot Virus! That were some of the words that were on the first pamphlet. It was more of a pamphlet to encourage people to support the Ministry of Health, against viruses similar to the Rot Virus crisis that happened a while ago. He opened it to see that there were looking for artists to help paint murals for some locations in support of the Ministry of Health. Terry checked the second pamphlet, as it showed some foreigner from possibly Raffia, a young girl with shells on her hair posing next to a soldier. He knows enough of Raffia in the Ministry of Regions to say no.

Terry went to see what he can bring home to his apartment for dinner, where a bartender dressed in worker's clothing called him over. "Hello, sir. May I fancy you a drink? Cocktail? Hot toddies?" the man said, as Terry wasn't in the mood for some drinks. Especially since the man looked like the man was having engine trouble, since there was a noticeable black stain on the man's white shirt that reeked of oil. Also, is that red glitter on the man's shoulder. There was a mixture of awkward smells from the man. Terry could smell a strong hand sanitizer on the man's hands.

"Actually. Tell you what. I can get you a free drink, if you like to support me." the man told Terry, where it looked like the man was trying to barter with him on something.
"Support you with what?"
"You see I'm currently working this part of the canteen as a side gig. I'm running for a spot in the Ministry of Health without all of the climbing the corporate ladder crap. A good minister of health knows what the public can have."
"What do you insist?"
"We can allow smoking to happen! There isn't anything better than relieving a little stress with a drag or a puff."
"But smoking is illegal. It's against the law. Enforcement isn't going to take that lightly." Terry said, as a soldier with a large rifle was eavesdropping them.

"Please! We have the technology and medication to cure infections and what not! Everyone said that tiny-brained Solan cannot run a political race, since everyone in the nation hates politicians! I'm running this race and I'm going to be the one in the big chair at the Ministry of Health!" Solan declared to Terry, as he had heard enough. "I think I should go.."
"Come on! How about a free drink? You don't need to pay for anything."
"No thanks.."
"C'mon, let me hit you up! Fontaine says I'm a good bartender! We can legalize alcohol, but not tobacco? What's wrong with this country?" Solan raised his voice, as Terry started to fast walk away from the scene, as several soldiers were coming towards Solan. This was something he didn't want to get involved with.

Terry left the Ministry, as he took a deep breath. He has to put up with this bullshit for now. He doesn't know how long he has this job at the Ministry, but he knows it isn't something that he would enjoy. As he looked up to the towering building of the Ministry, Rayyan Khan arrived from the entrance and met up with Fitzpatrick. "I'm sorry it took long, but I wanted some privacy." Rayyan said, as they started to walk back to the fountains. "No kidding. I think I just saw a dead man who is now going to die."
"You mean Solan? I guess he was finally taken care of."
"How chaotic is work for you?"
"Fitzpatrick. My best advice is that if you only need to stay in where you need to work. I had decided to wander a few times and I immediately regretted it."
"What's wrong with wandering in the Ministry?"

"You know what rooms you not supposed to look into, but the rooms you're allowed to go in are something that aren't what they seem.."

"I don't understand?"
"It's best that you don't understand. It's madness in visual form."

"What is it that you wanted to tell me, though?"
"I think that something is happening in the software in the floor of the Ministry. I work as a higher up in your floor and another. Something is encrypting things on my monitor and there are important files that I was in the middle of trying to decrypt on my own. I'm guessing I tripped some anti-virus software, but it's corrupting everything on my monitor."
"How important are these files?"
"They were on military stuff, Fitzpatrick. The best way to explain it quietly is that they were some weapons. Not special top-secret stuff. But some stuff that I can't risk getting deleted."
"And how does this apply to me?"
"Because someone or something is messing up software in the Ministry. It led to a death of a worker and the Ministry is taking it more seriously than it seems."
"You want me to try to look for a way to recover these files?"
"No, I need you to inform me, if you are suffering from any more strange technical stuff that the Ministry doesn't inform you or me of. It could be an actual computer virus or a breach in our system. You will help the Ministry by doing this, Fitzpatrick." Rayyan patted his shoulder, as Terry let him head away from him.

Terry didn't know what to do. He could help Rayyan, but it was his first day and he was delving into some important stuff. Terry started to walk through the fountains, where he saw a strange beefy man with a white suit next to a snakefish on a stick stand. It seemed like he was looking at him, however the man suddenly realized that Terry knew he was being watched, where he jerked his head away from him.

Terry tried to get the coffee maker in his new apartment working. The machine poured a stream of coffee, where Terry wanted to try to make himself a cappuccino, but when he tried to pick up the mug, he accidentally managed to burn his hand. The coffee was so hot that Terry felt it from outside of the mug. "Shit.. Damn it, why can't I get a proper coffeemaker for once!? The one back at home is always being hogged by my narcissistic aunt, so why can't I get some peace with some coffee?!" Terry was frustrated, as he was trying to find some oven mitts to get the cup to the table. After doing so, he had to put an ice cube into the glass to keep the thing a bit cold. That was when there was a knock at the door.

"Ughh.." Terry grabbed his cup and went to the door. He peeked through the door to see the same strange man from the fountains is outside his door. He unlocked the latch and opened the door. The man stood in front of him in a white suit, though it was more neater than the one that Solan wore. He was a bit muscular, as Terry saw that he had a visible army tattoo on his arm that was close to his hand, which Terry saw since the man had his sleeves pulled towards his shoulders. One of his arms was covered in bandages from a possible recent injury.
"Uhh.. Can I help you?"
"I'm sorry for stalking you at the fountains, but I didn't know if you were a relative of Mr. Lupus Orwell." the man said, as Terry could smell some mint toothpaste from his breath.
"Who?"
"Oh. Well. Sorry. I guess I need to explain myself."
"So who are you? You work with Rayyan Khan?"
"Rayyan Khan? No. I only interrogated him over the death of Orwell. He denies anything suspicious or why Orwell died. My name is Johnny Carvel."
"Orwell? Who's Orwell?"
"Orwell's death is the reason you were transferred to the Ministry. Since Orwell didn't have any family or any noticeable next of kin, a random individual with the same work skills though lower than him was to be sent to his old desk. Orwell worked at the Ministry of Science, but he had all of the basic skills you have to be brought to the Ministry."

"So you're saying that because some guy died is because I'm here." Terry said, as he sipped his coffee. He already felt the ice cube in his mouth, which he swallowed. "I need to know what happened to him. Orwell was murdered in the Ministry without a witness and no evidence other than it could have been a demon attack. You were transferred to his desk, so you are using his old monitor."
"The thing short-circuited out on me at work. Some technician is fixing it, so I'm guessing it's going to be fixed for tomorrow."
"I needed to know if you saw anything on the monitor that was peculiar. Like something left over that you informed a secretary or a technician."
"Nothing. It's just the technical breakdown that was out of the ordinary. Rayyan said he was having some similar problems and that his own monitor was out of funk."
"Rayyan? What did he tell you?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Because I work for the Ministry, Terry. The Ministry of National Security. It's a tightly disorganized branch in the Ministry. However, we are trying to investigate Orwell's death like I am. I only serve as a detective and informant."
"Ok Carvel. Do you have a fancy badge to support that?"

"I would have to shoot you literally, if you saw my identification."
"Right."
"Your transfer isn't out of the ordinary, but you could still be of good help to us. Maybe even a transfer back to your original job?"

Terry thought about it for some minutes, but he knew that Johnny did seem to possess some knowledge about Fitzpatrick himself. He wanted to go back to his girlfriend and try to continue once more. His family was probably worried sick, but that was the least of his concerns. "You want me to help you look for stuff that could show what happened to Orwell?"
"Exactly. Are you interested?"
"Yes. Tell me more about Orwell."
"Well, Orwell was known by some co-workers. You could ask them during breaks or while they are waiting only if you're not interfering with their work. You also need to ask your boss Fontaine about Orwell. I attempted to talk to him, but he seemed hesitant on giving information."
"Right. I'm not going to be much help, but I would still like to have my old job back at the mines. So I can return home for once."
"I understand your predicament. Though, I want to give you these." Johnny reached out to his pockets, where he handed Terry a small pocket-sized lockpick kit and a business card with a phone number.

"This is my number disguised as a legitimate business. Only try to call me from your apartment phone or from work at a nearby phone booth. I want you to try to muster up some courage to snoop around some areas, where you think might be suspicious. That's what the lockpicks are for."
"Johnny, I know this is basically helping the law, but I don't want to get fired."
"Getting fired should be the least of your concerns. It's helping people that might still be in danger." Johnny told Terry.

"I'm still going to be supervising people at the fountains near the Ministry. You should see me at the snakefish stand or looking at the sweet shop that's in the metro. Don't talk to me. Only talk to me at your apartment or at a phone booth. Do you understand?" Johnny asked Fitzpatrick.
"Yes. Yes I do."
"Good. Now try to imagine tomorrow as a regular day of work. Don't look so tense or suspicious. Farewell, Terry."

Terry shut the door, where he finished up his coffee and laid on his bed. He wanted to stay up a bit, but the coffee didn't really help. All he just wanted to do now was just sleep. Maybe he can ask Rayyan more about Orwell. He missed his girlfriend. His family. The mines. His friends. How much of a rabbit hole would he have to jump in just to solve a mystery of a man he doesn't know?

[Free Republics]

World Bowl XXXVIII

The groups names, randomized groups and schedule are up in the 2nd post. The stadiums for the 2nd group stage and the double elimination round are now up in the IC information post (3rd post). The World Bowl will return to action 70-72 hours from now.

[Ranoria]

Ranorian National Team Finishes First Stage at a Perfect 5-0 Mark
Thanks to Last Minute Heroics From an Unlikely Source

The Sarian shouldn't have been an issue, and it is very possible that the Ranorian squad, sitting at 4-0 and being very much in control of their own destiny, took them lightly. Derek McNair has been impressive, but unfortunately he has not quite lived up to his performance last season, which was a downright legendary performance. In phase 1, McNair had put up over 1,400 yards and and 11 touchdowns with only three interceptions, that to go along with nearly 300 rushing yards and a pair of scores, that with a shambled-together receiving core to play with.

Now, while in terms of production the offense has certainly stepped it up, McNair himself hasn't been quite as accurate of comfortable in the pocket, a surprise to be sure after his MVP season in the domestic RFL. In the game against the Sarian alone, he was intercepted thrice, with one of those turnovers going straight back for pick 6. Overall, the team dug itself into a hole, and by the 4th quarter, with McNair's statline sitting at 18/30 with 170 yards, and three picks, Ranoria was down 18-30. Fortunately, the coaching staff never panicked. Head coach Raul Nieler, knowing that he could likely get at least three possessions if he played his cards right, decided to start hammering the run game. Mettis Thiel, the team's starting running back, whom had only earned just thirty seven carries in the previous four games, took the ball.

Thiel had tallied only 87 totes for 411 yards and one touchdown in the RFL's campaign, but now, he was taking over. In the fourth quarter, Metthis took sixteen carries and ran wild, hammering in the first touchdown on his third attempt, while running down the clock on his second go round, taking it into the end zone with just over a minute to play. He finished the game with twenty one carries for one hundred and fifteen yards. And the defense, to their credit, capitalized once they weren't playing from poor field position. Tight end Johnny Farmer, lining up on the edge, managed a sack and a tackle for a loss in the fourth quarter, while defensive end Jarrett Hauptmann chipped in with a sack of his own. The star edge rusher finished the game with five tackles, an impressive number for a rusher who primary plays the pass. After the game, Hauptmann made it clear that Thiel's running gave the defense a little extra juice, not just with momentum, but thanks to some time to sit down and catch their breath.

It isn't often that a comeback can be placed on the shoulders of a running back, but with Thiel's dominant performance, the Ranorian national team still has yet to lose a game, and they'll head into the next round of this tournament with nothing but momentum and confidence at their backs.

[Cassadaigua]

Advancing to the second stage,
by Hannah Rafferty, SS

Our stay in Free Republics has been extended to a point that we were hoping it would, which is reaching the second stage of this tournament. If we accomplish nothing more in this World Bowl, I am pretty sure that we have successfully re-established ourselves as a force on the gridiron. A 4-1 record over the initial record, which included a 35-20 win over the T.C. of New England allowed us to surprisingly win this group over the likes of Cosumar, the nation that did defeat us. Cosumar struggled in their finale, with a loss to TJUN-ia, that opened up the door for us to win the Dixon Light Group. Overall, we average allowing about seventeen points per game as a defense, so that shows that we were able to get it done fairly well. After managing five interceptions in the opener, we concluded with a total of fifteen picks for the first round, with four of them going back for a touchdown. Personally, I was able to have one of those TD’s in win over the Commonwealth, which at the time extended our lead to 28-6.

While we are happy with these results, we are not going to sit on our laurels here. We are excited about what the next round may do for us, and feel that we are playing well enough to make some noise in a group that is sponsored by a marijuana company. Smoking pot is not illegal in Cassadaigua, but is looked down upon in our locker room during a competition. It does not matter anyway, because our focus is on Drawkland, Geektopia, and The Greater Nordics, all of whom did as we did and found their way through the first stage. Drawkland had an impressive final win over Terre Septentrionale which seemed to demoralize that nation. They represent our first opponent.

As a defensive back, playing Drawkland is a massive challenge, mainly due to the height advantage that their receivers have. They all have a height advantage, but for me personally having to contend with that is not going to be easy. In order to combat that, I, and the rest of us will need to be perfect in our assignments as well as playing the angles. The Grid Corps can score, it’s what they do, and many will probably say that in order to beat them, you need to succumb to the fact that you will give up points, and beat them by scoring a bunch as well. Stubbornly, I will not admit that or give in to that. It is my job to do what I can to cover the receivers that I am assigned. They’re an aggressive group, and when you can watch them as a neutral observer, I am sure you will find them entertaining. As I have watched game film, I have not been entertained as much, because stopping that will be hard. That’s why I am here, accomplishing easy tasks is not why I have made this level of football, and not what makes us a nation emerge as a threat to be a champion in football, our football, once again.

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

NOW COMES THE HARD PART

by Taylor Larson,

Like you, I was excited to know that the Rockets advanced to the second stage of World Bowl 38. After a 34-17 win over Resarkia in the finale, a game in which we found the end zone four times, even with Marvin Dineen’s play-calling, Newmanistan went 4-1 in the group, tied Anthor, and sent Ko-oren packing.

There is some enjoyment in sending Ko-oren packing, knowing they were the top seed in the world. It means that our team has done something right, and maybe they are not as bad as we make them out to be sometime. Still, prior to the win over Resarkia, even our victories to that point were underneath the shadow of stalled drives settling for field goals a little too often. Brian Scanlon went 24-for-33 through the air with 339 overall passing yards and three touchdown passes, two to Kyle Scandella. “Scanlon scans the defense, to Scandella for the score!” should be more commonly heard then it has been. I like that Scanlon through no picks, showing way he is currently the best quarterback in Newmanistan. Or simply the best choice for the job that Marvin Dineen had in mind. Thomas Browning ran for 99 yards on 22 carries, the closest to 100 for a game that he has been during this World Bowl. The defense was excellent in this game, and simply gave us plenty of reason to be excited.

We were excited, until we saw our second stage group draw. Now, first you have to understand that this was done by seeding and not by a drawing of pots. Therefore, the way the numbers lined up throughout those that qualified resulted in the Rockets being in a group with both Pridnestrovia and Main Nation Ministry, ranked #4 and #5 in the world, as well as Allamunnic States, who were are technically ahead of, but still they have championship pedigree. The winner of the group goes to the double elimination stages. In light of that, it’s been an enjoyable ride and we can hope to carry this into World Bowl 39. Maybe we’ll shock people, but I wouldn’t put money on it.

[Free Republics]

Sporting World

World Bowl XXXVIII: Free Republics win O'Reilly Group of Greatness, advance to RepublicSoft Group
by: Debra LaFleur

The first round of the World Bowl is now in the books. As usual, Katakin Maier's team was dominant most of the time. However, like always, they had that one head-scratching loss. As they prepare to face Ranoria, Abanhfleft and Vangaziland in the RepublicSoft Group for a spot in the Final Four, let's focus on what they've done right and wrong thus far. First off, let's look at that loss to Space.

The loss to Space is truly inexplicable or at least it seems that way on paper. In some countries, the press would blame losses like this on the officials and it is indeed true that the officials blew one of the most flagrant defensive pass interferences I've ever seen and that some of those holding penalties were egregious. However, blaming the officials is just that: an excuse. If you want to be successful, you have to accept that sometimes the officials and maybe even the goddess Margaret herself will be against you and you have to find a way to overcome the odds anyway. Afterall, look at professional wrestling where you have genuinely crooked officials and opponents who blatantly cheat but if you're great you still find a way to overcome the odds and get the 1-2-3 anyway. Besides, we encourage our foreign visitors to keep in mind that our laws prohibit the use of any kind of replay technology. We trust our officials to get the call right and we ask that fans, coaches, players and other officials from foreign teams respect the calls of our officials.

So then what happened in the Space game? For one thing, the Republicans were 0-for-4 on fourth down conversions and 0-for-1 on 2 point conversions. The lone score of the game was a 64 yard run by Dania Sandberg. Republican receivers combined for a truly incredible 8 dropped passes and yet Sandberg still managed to throw for 340 yards and run for 120. There are surely idiots out there who say that Sandberg isn't truly a great quarterback because she threw 3 interceptions, 2 of which came on dropped passes and 1 of which came on a receiver falling down on a deep route. There are those who say that she isn't great because she didn't singlehandedly carry the team to victory. We can ignore those people though. They don't know what they're talking about. No one player can singlehandedly carry a team to a championship in this or any other team sport if the team is out of sync and utterly failing to execute the offense. All of these mistakes combined to hand Space an easy win despite being outgained 580 to 243 in total offense

To reach success, the Republicans are going to have to avoid duds like that one. Fortunately, they looked extremely good in their 4 wins with only Xanneria able to hold the deficit under 10 points. The one constant across all 5 games for Katakin Maier's team this year has been their ability to dominate the time of possession. They simply don't spend much time on defense. Maintaining that is critical but equally critical is ensuring that the offense does not leave the field empty-handed after a long drive. You only get so many shots at a scoring drive in this sport and when you're a team that grinds out long drives, you cannot afford to blow 4th down conversions or turn the ball over. In the 4 wins, Katakin Maier's team was 10 of 11 on 4th down and had a total of 2 turnovers. In the loss, they turned the ball over 4 times in addition to the 4 turnovers on downs.

The World Bowl will soon resume. Republican games will be broadcast live on WOLF. Other games are broadcast by various other WOLF networks and/or available on the WOLF Sports app as WOLF has the exclusive rights to broadcast the World Bowl in the Free Republics. I want to finish by wishing the best of luck to all 16 nations remaining in the World Bowl and I look forward to seeing which 4 nations will make it to the final double elimination round in Republica.

Debra LaFleur is Sporting World's international football correspondent. Debra graduated from the University of Nejax where she majored in journalism and was a backup quarterback for the Lady Horns women's college football team. While she was expected to start for the Lady Horns in her senior year, she was injured in the first quarter of the season opener and lost her job to true freshman Paige May, who went on to win the Sporting World MVP award for women's college football.

[Drawkland]

NO SECOND CHANCES
Written By: Abraham Osta and Buck Peterson

---

Welcome to the second round, World Bowl competitors! After a quick and dirty first round group stage, we've whittled the competition down to 16 hard-nosed and hard-working football teams, and this time there are no second chances.

Wait, the playoff is what? Double elimination? Shit, there goes all the drama of that statement.

For all intents and purposes though, there are no longer any second chances, at least for the second group stage. We'll get to that in a moment, though. Let's review our final match of the first group stage, against the ill-fated Terre Septentrionale.

vs TERRE SEPTENTRIONALE
Terre Septentrionale did not have the campaign they were hoping for this World Bowl. Coming in as the Pot 3 team, they were mathematically not expected to make it to the second round. They would need a bit of good luck to make it through, maybe an upset win or two. This need was especially amplified due to the short single round-robin schedule. Unfortunately for them, this did not pan out as they expected. A loss to Vangaziland was bad enough, but they followed this performance with a crushing overtime loss to Christos. Those back-to-back losses had sunk their chances of making the second round, and then they had to face off against the Grid Corps with a head of steam.

Things, as you might have assumed, did not turn out well for the Nordiques. With a top seed slot in reach for the Corps and all the momentum in the world on their side, it was going to be tough to beat Drawkland in normal circumstances. Pessimism and a bleak attitude only fed the fire against their favor.

Terre Septentrionale got the ball to start the game, and had a decent drive going. They had driven past midfield, thanks especially to a 25-yard catch-and-run by Jennifer Killebrew. Their momentum was suddenly halted on the next play, as Haylie Woo threw an interception on the edge of the field to Osman Oswald, who brought the ball back to the other side of the 50 before he was wrestled down by Montavious McBride. From then on, the Nordiques couldn't get a solid drive going.

Dak Waterman once again scored 2 touchdowns in the air, one to Daniel Madison and one to Jack Hoy on a screen. As seeding was in the balance, the Corps offense elected to try a two-point conversion for every touchdown they scored (besides the last one late in the game). On all 5 they converted, much better than previous games where they'd missed a few. Jack Hoy also got a touchdown on the ground after a long 9-minute drive by the Corps to send off the first half.

The second half was no different. With Dustin Beck at the helm, the Grid Corps offense continued to thrive. He threw and ran for a touchdown apiece, the passing one being a 30-yard post route to Rich Covington on their first drive of the second half. The name of the game was ball control, and the Corps controlled the ball for a staggering 70% of the game. When the Nordiques had the ball, they simply couldn't put together a drive that lasted long. The silver lining was that the Corps defense, besides the one at the beginning of the game, could not manage to get another turnover.

As far as performance goes, the Grid Corps defensive line were the stars of the game. Leo Cross and Phillip Tomek combined for 11 sacks on the game, and several other players on the D-line and secondary got some too. Despite all of this though, Haylie Woo managed to hold on to the rock or fall on it every time, so that's something. The Nordiques finally got a breakthrough when Beck fumbled the ball on a strip sack by Eldrick McLeod deep in Corps territory. McBryde finally broke through, and scored a touchdown on an 11-yard run. Being in a big deficit, the Nordiques tried to go for two and failed, keeping their score at 6.

The last real drive of the game was run by Drawkland, as they marched down the field taking 7 minutes off the clock in the process. The drive was capped with a tricky reverse gadget play, resulting in Daniel Madison tossing a touchdown pass to fellow wideout Toby Miller. This was followed by a PAT, and the Nordiques got a couple tries at a hail mary before time expired.

With this 47-6 win and a 5-0 record, Drawkland proved themselves as the current cream of the crop in this World Bowl. Only two other teams had remained undefeated thus far, Taeshan and Ranoria. Drawkland's point differential was the second best of these teams, and thus were resigned to second seed. However, in a second group stage, this was good enough for Pot 1, so it all worked out well for now.

THE SECOND GROUP STAGE
The groups were done based on seedings rather than a more common Pot shuffle. Because of this, Drawkland was placed in a group with the 2nd seed (themselves), 7th seed (Cassadaigua), 10th seed (Geektopia), and 15th seed (Cosumar). However, due to Cassadaigua and Cosumar having been in the same group in the first stage, Cosumar was swapped with #16 seed The Greater Nordics. All things considered, this is probably the best the group draw could've gone without being the top seed.

We mentioned earlier than there are no second chances. For all intents and purposes, these are the playoffs. Only 16 teams made it in, and only the top team will advance to the next round. For all intents and purposes, a single loss will be your demise (barring some strange circumstances). Like a World Cup group, you only play your 3 groupmates once each, and the top team plays in the double-elim format.

For Drawkland, I'd say our best way to play is to play as if there are no second chances; this is almost certainly true in the group stage, if not the actual four-team playoff. Even so, playing like you don't get to come back if you lose is the best way to succeed. Leaning on the opportunity to maybe claw back in double elimination is a fatal mentality for many teams. Drawkland may not have started at the top in the World Bowl, but once we got there our mentality has always been to put pedal to the metal and win at all costs. In this journalist's mind, this is the only way you can expect to win a World Bowl in this format.

GROUP PROJECTIONS
So what about our supposedly top-notch group? We've got to face Cassadaigua, Geektopia, and The Greater Nordics. While they made be only mediocre seeds for this second round, they're still teams with a ton of talent, or so you'd think. The Greater Nordics (the Pot 4 team by this measure) are actually the highest-ranked of this trio at #20. Geektopia follows at #22 and Cassadaigua at #23. I don't mean to be arrogant or bring hubris upon us, but anything less than a berth to the semifinal playoff would be humiliating. This group should be easily winnable ... so let's look at the matchups.

This stage begins with the hardest matchup by this Bowl's standards: Cassadaigua. The Drawkians and Dagans are renowned for being skilled across the multiverse in multiple sports, though none can claim to be better than the mighty pink and black when it comes to universal titles. If anything, Cassadaigua have been the inspiration for Drawkland's Corps in every sport, a someday-attainable goal to master every sport and bring silverware to home soil. As far as this match is concerned, the key matchup is definitely going to be the Drawkian offense versus the Dagan defense. In the first round, the Dagan secondary came away with fifteen interceptions. That's an average of 3 turnovers per game, and that's not counting fumble recoveries. The Drawkian defense and Dagan offense are also nothing to sniff at, but the game will be won or lost on the arms of Waterman and Beck. The neutral fan should definitely watch this game on MD1 if they want to see a chess match of QB vs Secondary.

The next matchup will be The Greater Nordics, the worst seed to make the playoffs at 3-2 and a negative point differential. Some 3-2 teams (like World champion and #1 ranked Ko-oren) definitely wish there was a wild card system in place so they could've gotten in instead. If I'm being honest, I'd much rather be playing The Greater Nordics in this game than Ko-oren, so you won't see me complaining about the format. This game will be easily winnable, if the Corps keeps their heads on and plays like they've been playing the past 5 (at this point, 6) games. If the worst happens and we lose to Cassadaigua, this match is win or go home.

The same goes for the final match against Geektopia. Provided we've won our previous matchups, this will just become a game where we need to just hold serve against whoever the second-placed team is. If not, we're gonna be praying for an upset and a win in this game. Margaret willing, this will simply be a higher-stakes tuneup game going into the double-elimination playoff. Like the others, this is an easily-winnable match that if we just play our game, we'll come out on top.

In conclusion, all of these teams are very similar in skill level. We've gotten lucky with our draw, so all we have to do now is not play down to the competition, put our foot on the gas, spit out a few more sports cliches, and go on to the third and final round of the World Bowl. The sports experts all agree that Drawkland will likely come out of this group 3-0. Cassadaigua, Geektopia and The Greater Nordics: you're welcome for jinxing ourselves right there. Enjoy your upset-fueled ticket to being eliminated in two straight games next round.

THE PLAYOFF PUSH
With this said, our eyes furtively glance at the promised land: the World Bowl final. The double-elimination playoff is unique to the World Bowl this time around, as this has never been done before in its 38 cycles of history. It remains to be seen whether or not it was a good idea (mostly based on whether or not the format screws us in particular), but all there is to do now is hit the gridiron and win games. No matter the format, that is the recipe for success.

Our projections for the third and final round see us and Taeshan winning our lopsided groups and moving on to the next round. The other groups have a little more drama to them. Namely, the only other 5-0 first stage team in Ranoria going toe-to-toe with the home field team in the Free Republics. You also would be loath to understate the significance of the Main Nation Ministry vs Pridnestrovia matchup. Both of these teams have been floating around the top recently, and either one has an easy chance to make it to the next level.

We're not gonna further jinx things by making deep double-elim predictions for the final stage, but we can say with certainty this is gonna be a drama-laden set of matchdays. For us, we gotta sign off and watch some games. As always .... On Corps!

[Free Republics]

World Bowl XXXVIII

Against all the odds, who will find a way? Its the BearOil Group Stage 2 Matchday 1 Cutoff! BearOil: Fueling Your Life!

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Matchday One Results

Dr. Spice Group
Taeshan 22–27 Anthor
Cosumar 12–13 Xanneria

  Dr. Spice Group      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD
1 Anthor                 1   1  0   27  22  +5
2 Xanneria               1   1  0   13  12  +1
3 Cosumar                1   0  1   12  13  −1
4 Taeshan                1   0  1   22  27  −5

Johnston Marijuana Company Group
Geektopia 49–27 The Greater Nordics
Cassadaigua 14–40 Drawkland

  Johnston Marijuana Company Group Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD
1 Drawkland                          1   1  0   40  14 +26
2 Geektopia                          1   1  0   49  27 +22
3 The Greater Nordics                1   0  1   27  49 −22
4 Cassadaigua                        1   0  1   14  40 −26

RepublicSoft Group
Free Republics 17–14 Ranoria
Abanhfleft 6–14 Vangaziland

  RepublicSoft Group   Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD
1 Vangaziland            1   1  0   14   6  +8
2 Free Republics         1   1  0   17  14  +3
3 Ranoria                1   0  1   14  17  −3
4 Abanhfleft             1   0  1    6  14  −8

Safari Group
Main Nation Ministry 26–13 Newmanistan
Pridnestrovia 19–26 Allamunnic States

  Safari Group         Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD
1 Main Nation Ministry   1   1  0   26  13 +13
2 Allamunnic States      1   1  0   26  19  +7
3 Pridnestrovia          1   0  1   19  26  −7
4 Newmanistan            1   0  1   13  26 −13

Host Note: Going forward, I will be pushing the cutoff window back an hour (7-9 PM US Eastern, not 6-8 PM).

[Free Republics]

With under a minute to go and the Free Republics leading by a score of 10 to 7, Ranoria had moved the ball into field goal range. Derek McNair's offense needed just 21 yards for what would surely be a game-winning touchdown and, if that failed, could bring on their kicker for a chipshot field goal to send this game to overtime. It was 3rd down and 1. The entire Soccer Palace expected a running play. Instead, McNair decided to go with play action. The Republican defense keyed on Mettis Thiel, who would finish with 85 yards on 17 carries in this defensive struggle, sending him to the grass for what would have been a big loss as he was taken down by a gang of 4 Republican defenders. Then McNair took a shot at the end zone, finding a wide open Earl Beets for a touchdown to shock the Petrograd crowd and secure a 14 to 10 upset or at least that's what the headlines would have said if it wasn't for what happened next.

Ranoria's kicker Barry Chlorid came out with 46 seconds left on the clock with one task: pin the Republicans deep in their own territory. Instead, he bungled the kickoff, sending it out of bounds on the Republican sideline around midfield. Dania Sandberg, who had struggled all day long, led the Republican offense onto the field. At this point in the game, Sandberg had completed just 6 of 20 passes for a total of 93 yards. She had also been held to a mere 44 yards on 17 runs. The lone Republican touchdown had come on a Hanna Ostrowska interception return and the field goal had been set up by a long Marta Remer kickoff return. Now, the Republicans needed an offensive touchdown to secure a victory.

On the very first play, disaster almost struck as Sandberg tossed a wild pass downfield intended for Zack Parkes which would end up going right to opposing safety Kyle Browning, who dropped what would have been a game clinching interception. On the second play of the drive, the Republicans inexplicably went with the triple option and Sandberg's toss to Park Han ended up on the grass. Miraculously, Han managed to fall on it, forcing the Republicans to take a timeout. They now had just 1 remaining after previously squandering a timeout on a miscommunication during the 3rd quarter. The clock now read 24 seconds.

It was now third down. Sandberg dropped back to pass and found Alauddin Panova across the middle of the field. Panova caught the ball and powered his way through the Ranorian secondary, moving closer and closer to the Ranorian sideline as he ran towards the end zone. Finally, Ranoria would knock him out of bounds at the 5 yard line with 9 seconds left on the clock. The Republicans now had 2 plays to win the game including a timeout. Katakin Maier called a triple option play. This time, Sandberg handed the ball to her fullback Makharbi Barsukov and Barsukov powered forward but fell just short of the goal line. On television, they showed Barsukov clearly crossing the goal line but the official said he was down a foot short and so he was a foot short. The Republicans used the timeout with 1 second remaining on the clock. There would be 1 more play and it would decide the outcome of the game.

As the Republicans prepared to snap the ball and run a play action pass play, Ranoria called timeout at the last minute. The play that didn't count would result in a Ross Monarch sack. Now both teams were out of timeouts and the deciding play of the game could commence. This time around, there was no question what play Maier would call. Sandberg had insisted upon a quarterback sneak play and thus the Republicans lined up in a goal line formation. Tao Tu snapped the ball to Sandberg and she pushed forward but the line wasn't moving forward. Then, Barsukov came up from behind and pushed his quarterback across the goal line. The celebration began immediately but the officials cleared everybody off of the field so that Takehiko Susui could attempt an extra point. Susui put it through and the Free Republics had a 17 to 14 victory. Abanhfleft awaited them on the second matchday but for now the Republicans could celebrate their victory that had secured a critical win in this winner take all second group stage.

[Drawkland]

BEST POSSIBLE START
Written By: Abraham Osta and Buck Peterson

---

We had both high hopes and high momentum going into the start of the second group stage. Naysayers and pessimists may have seen this as being overly confident or perhaps cocky, but it would be hard to deny that Drawkland has been playing some of its best game to start off this World Bowl group stage. Our biggest challenge yet was right in front of us, though.

As previously mentioned, the matchup against Cassadaigua was going to be the make-or-break moment for the Grid Corps in this second group stage. Their performance in this World Bowl has been solid, as they're the Pot 2 team in the group. One hardly has to mention their pedigree either, their two titles speak for themselves. However, one could easily forget how Drawkland has two World Bowl titles of their own, and much more recent ones at that. This was easily the biggest matchup on the first matchday, except perhaps Free Republics vs Ranoria.

Going into the game we said that the key matchup was going to be the Drawkian offense against the Dagan defense. The Dagans are known for their remarkable skill in the secondary, but Drawkians have the natural height advantage. Any team playing Cassadaigua will live or die by the ground game, but if a team can beat them in the air, it could be a guaranteed rout.

The Grid Corps is known for its high-powered juggernaut of an offense, especially with its air game. The brunt of the game would fall on Jack Hoy, who's actually used to being a workhorse back home playing for the Ducentu Glassmen. With such star power seen in the Grid Corps though, his workload has been much lighter, especially since he shares the backfield with a host of solid running backs. This would be the first real game to show what he was made of, though, and that he did.

vs CASSADAIGUA
The game got off to a slow start, with both teams punting on their first drives. Cassadaigua had their hands full with the Drawkian defense, especially the defensive line. Conversely to the Dagans, the Drawkian defense's strong spot is their front seven. As many football fans know, the trenches is where the game is won, and the Drawkian D-line is excellent in the trenches. After all, if you can't get your offense moving on the ground, it's hard to set up your passing offense, and soon you fall behind and it's hard to get moving at all. This is the exact problem Cassadaigua faced in this game. Fortunately, they got off to a solid start thanks to an amazing play by slot receiver Kaitlyn Rogers.

After two mediocre running plays to start the drive, the Dagans faced 3rd and 4. Taylor Crimmins ran a beautiful play-action, and fit the ball with a bullet to Rogers on a post route. The Corps is notorious for being aggressive, especially early in the game when big plays can set the tone for the rest of the match. Crimmins took advantage of a bit-too-eager William Peers attempting to bait Rogers' route, and instead popped a lob pass over his head, which Rogers caught in stride. Rogers sprinted down the field, but was caught at the seven yard line after a seventy-yard gain. This put the Dagans in prime field position though, and Stacey Carlson punched it in two plays later, putting the Dagans up 7-0.

This was not how the Grid Corps wanted to start the game, but fortunately their offense sparked to life in the next drive too. As expected, they leaned on the ground game. Things looked a lot like they do watching a Glassmen game, as Jack Hoy was not just getting most of the carries, but was almost operating the whole offense himself. Half of the plays were normal, out of the shotgun or handoffs under center, but another half were snapped straight from the wildcat. The Corps has been known to give the wildcat formation a crack or two during normal games, but this was entirely new (and caught the Dagan D way off guard).

The introduction to the wildcat came after the Corps had just achieved a first down to start their next drive. Waterman was in the pistol, but slowly drifted away from behind center and to more of an offset position in the backfield. With silent timing, Gordon Shiva snapped the ball to Hoy, and ran a power run to the right. The Dagan defense was unprepared, and Hoy slipped past a pair of would-be tacklers to take a 50-yard run to the house. The Corps went for two, as they've been doing aggressively this Bowl, and scored with a Hoy run straight up the gut.

After their solid start, the Dagan offense was beginning to fall short. The Corps defense, after giving up a score thanks for overaggression, decided to play it safe for the next few drives while the defense found its rhythm and stopped the Dagan offense enough to be able to attack it more often. This came to a head at the end of the second quarter, with time waning. Cassadaigua decided to go for a halfback screen pass, but it was sniffed out by middle linebacker Keegan Masters. Before Crimmins could see him, she tossed the ball to Carlson, but Masters barged in the way and snagged the ball out of the air for the interception. With half the offense unaware the interception had occurred, and all of it with momentum in the other direction, Masters was able to get the ball to the 10 yard line before he was caught. In a cruel twist of irony, the Corps decided to run a halfback screen the very next play, Waterman tossing the ball to Hoy who followed his blockers in to score.

Even with all this momentum, the score at halftime was still only 7-16 in Drawkland's favor. Things did not improve as the Corps got the ball to start the second half. With Dustin Beck now leading the Corps offense rather than Waterman, there was now a shift in attitude. Waterman is more mobile than your average pocket passer, but he's an older player now and not as fast as he once was. When Jack Hoy was taking the snaps out of wildcat or from an option, it was easier to ignore Waterman and tee off on Hoy. But with Beck's dynamic speed taken into account, the defense had to respect whoever was getting the ball. With all this in mind, the initial drive was going well for the Corps until they decided to get too arrogant. With the drive going so well, Coach Averfel called a pass play for Beck. He tried to get the ball on a cheeky corner route to Rich Covington, but Kenzie Gibbons had other ideas. Gibbons was lurking in the area and undercut the route at full speed, and took it all the way for six. All of a sudden, Cassadaigua was in striking distance at 14-16.

Unfortunately for the Dagans though, this would be the last they would score in the game. Besides a long missed field goal and a few failed fourth downs late, the rest of their drives were resigned to punts. The Drawkians only got better though, as they would add three more touchdowns and two-pointers to their total before the clock hit 0:00. Dustin Beck would make up for his turnover by scoring the next touchdown on a goalline read option, while Hoy would find paydirt again in the early 4th quarter. The last score of the game came on a tricky double reverse play from the wildcat that resulted in Jack Hoy tossing a touchdown pass to Daniel Madison.

Despite the slower start to the game and the tension going into halftime, by the end the game was a solid rout. Drawkland had proved that it didn't need its passing attack to win, and thoroughly worked the Dagan front seven to the bone and then some. Once again, the Corps defense also showed that they aren't messing around, and teams will need to come up with something revolutionary to win.

THE PLAYOFF PUSH
With arguably our hardest matchup of the second group stage out of the way, it now comes down to holding serve. Our next match, against The Greater Nordics, is likely to be another game which isn't really close. The only team to win by more than three touchdowns last matchday, besides us, was Geektopia. Geektopia being the team playing The Greater Nordics. This should be an easy win, provided we don't beat ourselves. Hopefully this doesn't become a trap game setting us up for a big showdown with Geektopia in MD3, but we'll see.

As for Geektopia, it remains to be seen whether they're a secret juggernaut or if The Greater Nordics are just in way over their heads. We'll likely have a clearer picture next matchday when we see how we fare against The Greater Nordics and how Geektopia fares against Cassadaigua. Stay tuned!

Around the other groups, there's been some surprising results. Firstly, the #1 seed after the first group stage, Taeshan, fell to the Pot 2 team Anthor, 22-27. This is definitely an interesting twist, as it shows that the big powerhouses from the first round may not be exactly what their record showed. The biggest matchup of MD1, Free Republics vs Ranoria, ended in a tight last-minute drive which resulted in the FFR scoring a touchdown with a second left off a QB sneak. With this, Drawkland is the only undefeated team remaining in this World Bowl. Another big-name team to fall was #2 ranked Pridnestrovia, who lost by a touchdown to Allamunnic States.

All these things considered, Drawkland is looking like the cream of the crop through MD1 of the second stage. Will hubris finally catch up and kill the Corps? Or are the Drawkians now an unstoppable juggernaut on the way to their third title? We'll be finding out very soon ... but until then, On Corps!

[Free Republics]

World Bowl XXXVIII

Those teams that lose today will be singing Heaven help us now! Its the Ecumenical Coalition for Morality Group Stage 2 Matchday 2 Cutoff! Ecumenical Coalition for Morality: Uniting People of Faith to Advance Our Values!

---

Dr. Spice Group
Anthor 19–13 Xanneria
Taeshan 3–17 Cosumar

  Dr. Spice Group      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Anthor                 2   2  0   46  35 +11
2 Xanneria               2   1  1   26  31  −5
3 Cosumar                2   1  1   29  16 +13
4 Taeshan                2   0  2   25  44 −19

Johnston Marijuana Company Group
The Greater Nordics 9–10 Drawkland
Geektopia 20–44 Cassadaigua

  Johnston Marijuana Company Group Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Drawkland                          2   2  0   50  23 +27
2 Cassadaigua                        2   1  1   58  60  -2
3 Geektopia                          2   1  1   69  71  −2
4 The Greater Nordics                2   0  2   36  59 −23

RepublicSoft Group
Ranoria 21–21 Vangaziland (24–27 OT)
Free Republics 10–6 Abanhfleft

  RepublicSoft Group   Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Vangaziland            2   2  0   41  30 +11
2 Free Republics         2   2  0   27  20  +7
3 Ranoria                2   0  2   38  44  −6
4 Abanhfleft             2   0  2   12  24 −12

Safari Group
Newmanistan 23–40 Allamunnic States
Main Nation Ministry 40–27 Pridnestrovia

  Safari Group         Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Main Nation Ministry   2   2  0   66  40 +26
2 Allamunnic States      2   2  0   66  42 +24
3 Pridnestrovia          2   0  2   46  66 −20
4 Newmanistan            2   0  2   36  66 −30

Host Notes

I ran into an xkoranate bug and now will have to generate manual tables for the remainder of this second group stage. The bug is now recorded in the xkoranate-CE repository so that it can be fixed. Please check the tables to make sure that your group's results have been recorded correctly and report all discrepancies to me ASAP.

The cutoff was late tonight as I had a fantasy baseball draft scheduled for 8 and I decided to cut off after the fantasy draft so that somebody other than me would RP before cutoff. Therefore, MD3 will now take place on Wednesday with the rest of the schedule being moved back a day.

[Ranoria]

2nd Straight Loss and Ranorian Squad is Sent Reeling

This game started strong, that's without a doubt. Running back Mettis Thiel carried the load early, with eleven carries in the first half for just over sixty yards, clearing the way for a nasty play action attack. Derek McNair attempted twelve passes in that half, and looked to be going strong when he faked a handoff in the second quarter. Perennial all pro wideout Earl Beets left his defender in the dust, and the safety just wasn't able to cover ground quick enough to defend the pass. Beets snagged the ball and kept running, going untouched to reach the end zone. That would be the only score of the half, but once the team took the ball at the start of the third quarter, they took off. Another play action pass saw another Earl Beets touchdown reception, and Derek McNair took off for a seventeen yard touchdown run on the next possession. Unfortunately, as has been a theme this season, the team collapsed in the late stages.

Vangaziland's squad stopped running the ball almost entirely, dropping back on almost every play, but managed to score thrice by the time the clock hit double zeroes. This can likely be attributed to attacking a secondary that, outside of von Arris, has very little in the way of even borderline starters. Even adding tight end Johnny Farmer into the pass rush wasn't enough, unfortunately, to stem the tide. And while McNair's offense put up just three points, the other squad put up two field goals, with a tipped pass ending the game on fourth down for the Ranorian national team.

Unfortunately, due to the format of this World Bowl, only four teams make it into the tournament. As such, Ranoria has a very, very low chance of making it into the final, double elimination tournament after two straight losses in this round, a development that can be seen as nothing less than disastrous, especially with the Ranorian National Team, a privately run organization, currently attempting to rope in more star players to bolster their roster. Right now, the team needs players in the secondary, and a stronger offensive supporting cast outside of a single tackle, wideout, and quarterback. And, if they continue on the path that they're on, there's no way that they'll end up securing those lucrative players, and they'll be forced to run it back at best, while they'd be seen with an even worse squad if fortune didn't go their way. After all, most of the players on the team last season managed to at least get on some team for an extended period of time, and after another season, they very well may have improved just enough to avoid getting cut, and won't need the team anymore.

So, with that bleak outlook in the future, this football team is going to have to step up. Even if they finish at 3-0, they likely won't make the tournament, they could at least convince a few players to return or, better yet, secure more stars. Regardless, revenue is up this season, so they will be able to lure in players whose primary motivation is money.

[Cassadaigua]

A nice run,
by Hannah Shanley- SS

I want to thank everyone for all of their support during this World Bowl. Unfortunately, things went badly for us against Drawkland and that really stung. I was really hoping that game would have gone better, and it was for a while. At 16-14, we were still in it, but there is never an excuse to give up 24 unanswered points. Especially as a defensive player, that really hurt, and I think we realized that the loss essentially eliminated us from the competition, and these last two games really don’t mean anything for us. We won nicely against Geektopia, so now what are we hoping for here? A scenario where Geektopia beats Drawkland and then we crush The Greater Nordics to the point of overcoming whatever Geektopia might beat Drawkland by? Well, I don’t think any of us are optimistic about that. We are confident that we can defeat The Greater Nordics, but this is not in our control any longer. Can Geektopia beat Drawkland? I really don’t think so.

Therefore, again, I want to thank everyone for their support. Go Fillies!

[Drawkland]

A DANGEROUS GAMBIT
Written By: Abraham Osta and Buck Peterson

---

We're gonna be honest. We did not have our best performance against The Greater Nordics. To the casual observer this may look like it spells bad news for the Corps going forward, but it's not what you think! Allow us to explain.

With the playoffs quickly approaching, and every match counting, it's about to be a long haul for the teams that make it to the third and final round. Especially if a team loses a game and has to traverse through the loser's bracket, a team potentially has to play 5 games in a row to win it all (as opposed to a team which wins out the double-elim playoff, which would only have to play 3 games and the final game comes after a bye MD). This is a brutal potential stretch, so when you face inferior competition, you feel the temptation to rest your starters and give the second-stringers some rest.

Head Coach Quentin Averfel felt the temptation and gave in. As it was done for a match in the first group stage, Drawkland went into the game with the "reverse depth chart," where the players at the bottom of the depth chart start the game and the players higher on the chart are viewed as substitutes. For a normal football team, this could be viewed as suicide. For a national team though, especially one like Drawkland's where only the best of the best make the cut, it isn't as much of a risk.

As you can see by the match result, it didn't go exactly as planned. But hey ... a win is a win, no matter how ugly.

vs THE GREATER NORDICS
Since the depth chart for this match was reversed, the starting QB for this game was Zac Gold, a relatively seasoned pocket passer kind of QB. Starting at running back was Sammy Wilkins, a ridiculously speedy and slippery back, but with some ballcarrier vision and security to be desired. The key of the game would rest on the backup offensive line and its blocking, as Gold's pocket passing is perfectly on point, when he's not feeling too much pressure. He's not as light on his feet, of course. And then Wilkins, given large enough holes, would have the ability to rush into the secondary and make the opposing defense pay.

Spoiler alert: the offensive line did not perform as well as they would've hoped. The Grid Corps defense backups at least played up to snuff, which was perhaps a saving grace for the team. That's the issue with Drawkland's defensive depth chart on the NT. The starters are incredibly powerful and can bring even the greatest of the multiverse's offenses to ineffective. The backups, on the other hand, are good enough to contend, and that's about it. Take this match against The Greater Nordics as an example. Sure, they held them to just three field goals the entire game. On the other hand, they forced zero turnovers and "only" had 3 sacks on the game.

Drawkland got the ball first to start the game and failed to score. The Greater Nordics had a great punt return though, which set them up just outside field goal range. This eventually resulted in the Nordics' Anders Carlson scoring 3 to start the scoring of the game. The rest of the first half was rather boring and uneventful though, with offensive ineptitude reigning supreme for both teams. As the half was winding to a close, the Grid Corps got the ball back right after the two minute warning. Gold put together a few solid passes and got the Corps into field goal range. There was an opportunity to even score a touchdown before time expired, but a holding penalty and a sack left the Corps on the 40 yard line with just seconds left.

Matthew Watts trotted out for his first field goal try of the night, from 55 yards out. With a long Drawkian leg, Watts had been known to reliably nail field goals from 60 yards, but a 55-yarder was still no walk in the park. After The Greater Nordics called their last time out to ice him, Watts lined up and sent the ball skyward. Before it had even got past the 10 yard line, Watts had turned away from the goalposts triumphantly, holding his arms up in the scoring gesture. The slightly lifeless crowd were probably the loudest they'd been so far, seeing the tying score and the swagger move by Watts to celebrate before the ball had even officially made it through.

Unfortunately for the crowd, the excitement was short-lived. The Greater Nordics managed a great kickoff return coming out of halftime, which set them up in prime position to once again get a field goal. This was actually a relief, as Nordic QB Herman Lang had an open WR Rain Alvar in the end zone on third down in the red zone. Thankfully, Lenox Daley managed to run in and sneak a hand onto the ball right before Alvar could grasp it, forcing it out of the end zone to the ground. The incomplete pass forced the field goal from the Nordics, which kept the score at a more manageable 6-3.

The backup Corps' offensive mediocrity continued in the second half. Things nearly took a turn for the worse late in the fourth quarter when Zac Gold threw a pick six to Nordic DB Laura Patterson. The score was soon reversed when another Nordic player had committed holding on the runback, which erased the score but kept the turnover on the record. The defense held strong though, and forced a three-and-out right outside the red zone, forcing yet another Nordic field goal try. With only 5 minutes remaining in the game, the score was 9-3. Drawkland would need a touchdown to stay in the game and potentially in the tournament itself.

It was starting to look more and more like Averfel had made a massive mistake, throwing away the team's entire campaign just to rest the starters at a time when it wasn't even necessary. Despite this, Averfel kept Gold and the backup offense in the game, insisting that they could put together a last-ditch drive to save the game and the season. Besides, with the starters having been rested all game, they likely would be too cold to be able to pull off a clutch drive like this.

Zac Gold proved why he was a national team-level talent in this moment. With 5 minutes, 2 timeouts, and 75 yards to go, Gold put together an impeccable drive. Wilkins got the ball for a couple handoffs and a screen pass, but otherwise it was the all-passing show. The timeouts weren't even necessary until Gold took his first sack of the drive, taken down by Stig Berg at the 25 yard line with a bit over a minute left. The very next play, Gold punished the Nordic defense. Roy Benn, a reliable set of hands great on deep passes, took a streak route into the corner of the end zone. Gold didn't even hesitate, launching the ball in a perfect touch ball to the back corner of the end zone. It landed directly in Benn's hands, dropping right over the outstretched arms of corner Ulla McPhee.

The stadium atmosphere launched into a frenzy at the beautiful play, and suddenly the Corps had tied the game at 9. While the Corps has been notorious all Bowl for being aggressive and going for two after touchdowns, with this less powerful offense present and only 1 point needed to secure a win (not to mention a two pointer would be equally useless to a PAT if the Nordics scored again), it was a no-brainer to go with the PAT. Despite the magnitude of the moment, Watts came out again and nailed the chip shot with little fanfare from himself, and much more for the crowd.

There was still time in the game though, and The Greater Nordics had about a minute to score just a field goal. The Corps defense went aggressive though, and came away with a sack to start off the Nordic drive. With the momentum now firmly against the Nordics, it was no surprise to those watching when their next two passes fell incomplete. On fourth down, Lang was stuck throwing an underneath route to Kamilla Jonasen, who was stopped short of the line to gain. The turnover on downs spelled the end of the Nordics in both that game and the tournament, clinching their failure to make it to the third round. Gold knelt the game away, and Drawkland had officially won, 9-10.

THE PLAYOFF PUSH
Earlier on we had made it clear that there would be no second chances in this group stage. If you lose just one game, you're most likely done. This may be strange for even World Cup fans used to a 4-team single round robin group stage, but with the absence of ties, this is a very real possibility. What we initially thought would be a simple cleanup game against Geektopia has actually become a make-or-break match to ensure qualification, thanks to the development of the group results. Let us explain.

We, being 2-0 and on top of the group, control our destinies. If we win this game, we're in the playoffs, no question. However, if the unthinkable happens and we lose to Geektopia, things get a lot more complicated. If Geektopia wins, we'll both be tied at a 2-1 record, and since the first tiebreaker is head-to-head results, Geektopia would be given the top spot and qualify, since they'd have beaten us.

However, there is a saving grace here. If we lose to Geektopia but Cassadaigua beats The Greater Nordics, suddenly we have a three-way-tie at 2-1. This makes things much more interesting. Since we beat Cassadaigua, H2H ranks us ahead. But Geektopia beat us in this scenario, so they should be ahead on H2H. But Cassadaigua beat Geektopia, which means THEY should be ahead on H2H. Then the cycle repeats. This means that we're technically tied on H2H, and it goes to the next tiebreaker.

The next tiebreaker is based on H2H point differential, so point differential among the tied teams. For us three teams, this basically means our point differential minus our collective results against The Greater Nordics. Cassadaigua has already played both of us, so their results are solidified. They lost to us by 26, and beat Geektopia by 24, meaning their H2H PD is at -2. This is not ideal for the Dagans whatsoever, but what about the Drawks & Geeks?

In this scenario, it'll be hard for Geektopia to make it through. Thanks to our 26-point margin rout of Cassadaigua, our current H2H PD against these teams is +26. Since Geektopia lost to Cassadaigua by a similarly large margin, their H2H PD here is -24. To make our point differentials even (to go on to overall PD), or to outright beat us in H2H PD, Geektopia has to win by 25 points (-24 + 25 = 1, 26 - 25 = 1) or more. If Geektopia ties us in H2H PD, they'll end up winning in overall PD, since we'd be at +1 PD, and they'd be at +23. Even though they'd be beating us in overall PD by winning by 15 points or more, that number is irrelevant unless they're tying us in H2H PD, so 25 is their magic number.

This may seem confusing to those who don't quite grasp this system, so here's a chart with the various outcomes to help visualize the situation.

DRAWKLAND WIN
1 Drawkland:    3-0
2 Cassadaigua:  2-1 or 1-2
3 Geektopia:    1-2
Drawkland qualifies, since no other team can get 3 wins.

DRAWKLAND LOSS, CASSADAIGUA LOSS
1 Geektopia:    2-1
2 Drawkland:    2-1
3 Cassadaigua:  1-2
Geektopia qualifies, since they beat Drawkland in their H2H matchup

DRAWKLAND LOSS, CASSADAIGUA WIN
Drawkland:    2-1
Cassadaigua:  2-1
Geektopia:    2-1

The teams create a tie in wins AND H2H, since Drawkland > Cassadaigua > Geektopia > Drawkland etc.
This sends it to the next tiebreaker, H2H Point Differential.

HEAD 2 HEAD POINTS
Team         DRAWK CASS  GEEKS
Drawkland     ---  (+26) (???) = ??
Cassadaigua  (-26)  ---  (+24) = -2
Geektopia    (???) (-24)  ---  = ??

If Geektopia wins by less than 25, Drawkland qualifies by superior H2H PD.
If Geektopia wins by more than 25, Geektopia qualifies by superior H2H PD.
If Geektopia wins by exactly 25, both teams have +1 H2H PD and go on to overall PD.

In this situation:
  Team        W  L   PD  
1 Geektopia  2  1  +23
2 Drawkland  2  1   +2

So, in essence, Geektopia needs to beat Drawkland by at least 25 points to GUARANTEE their qualification. They can still qualify with a lower margin of victory provided Cassadaigua loses to The Greater Nordics. Because of the tiebreaker quirks at H2H PD, even if Cassadaigua wins, they cannot possibly qualify in any situation. Finally, if Drawkland wins, we go on automatically since there's no tie to break and we'd have the superior record.

Looking at other groups, it's clear there's gonna be a big shakeup. The Dr. Spice Group features a similar situation to ours playing out, except Taeshan is in the Nordic spot (can't qualify no matter what), Anthor is in the Drawkland spot (win and in, but can still make it through with specific loss parameters), Cosumar in the Geektopia spot (win and in, lose and out), and Xanneria in the Cassadaigua spot (can't make it in even with a win, but Cosumar's fate depends on them winning). This is obviously huge, as Anthor has never made it this far in a World Bowl before if they qualify. Cosumar also have a chance of making it in, which would be a pleasant surprise considering how they've been on a decline lately.

The RepublicSoft and Safari Groups have much simpler qualification situations. Ranoria, Abanhfleft, Pridnestrovia, and Newmanistan are all 0-2, and are playing each other. There is no scenario where they advance to the next round. In the RepublicSoft Group, Vangaziland and Free Republics play each other at 2-0. The winner advances, the loser goes home. The Safari Group's winner-take-all match is between Main Nation Ministry, the newer powerhouse searching for their first title to cement their greatness, and Allamunnic States, the old dynasty looking to recapture old glory.

What's crazy about these results so far is that most of the big powerhouse nations have already been eliminated. In fact, if Vangaziland, Allamunnic States, Anthor, and Geektopia advance, there will be zero Top 10 ranked teams in the semifinals. Conversely, if the FFR, Drawkland, MNM, and Cosumar make it through, it'll be exclusively Top 10 teams in the semis (ranks 3, 4, 5, and 10 respectively). Half of the Top 10 teams are already eliminated, effective either last matchday or some (Ko-oren comes to mind) that didn't even make it to the next round. No matter the outcome, the ranks are gonna have a little bit of a hefty shakeup no matter who comes out on top.

In any case, if we win, we're in. And that's just what Averfel and the rest of the Grid Corps plans to do. We can take nothing for granted, and you can bet your ass the Corps will be coming out full strength against Geektopia. If this tournament and group stage has shown anything, it's that any team can win at any time. I think everyone here knows what they'll be saying come game time, though ... On Corps!

[Free Republics]

World Bowl XXXVIII

It all comes down to this. You can sink or swim! You can hit or miss! Its the Trudeau Firearms Company Group Stage 2 Matchday 3 Cutoff! Trudeau Firearms Company: Do Your Civic Duty. Buy a Trudeau Firearm Today and Help Keep Republica Safe!

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Matchday Three Results

Dr. Spice Group
Cosumar 39–26 Anthor
Xanneria 40–17 Taeshan

  Dr. Spice Group      Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Cosumar                3   2  1   68  42 +26*
2 Xanneria               3   2  1   66  48 +18*
3 Anthor                 3   2  1   72  74  −2*
4 Taeshan                3   0  3   42  84 −42

*Cosumar, Anthor and Xanneria split their head to head games. Xanneria beat Cosumar 13-12. Anthor beat Xanneria 19-13. Cosumar beat Anthor 39-26. Thus Cosumar has a +12 head to head point difference, Anthor has a -7 head to head point difference. Xanneria has a -5 head to head point difference. Thus, Cosumar finishes 1st, Xanneria finishes second and Anthor finishes 3rd.

Johnston Marijuana Company Group
Cassadaigua 41–34 The Greater Nordics
Drawkland 10–0 Geektopia

  Johnston Marijuana Company Group Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Drawkland                          3   3  0   60  23 +37
2 Cassadaigua                        3   2  1   99  94  +5
3 Geektopia                          3   1  2   69  81 −12
4 The Greater Nordics                3   0  3   70 100 -30

RepublicSoft Group
Abanhfleft 17–26 Ranoria
Vangaziland 9–23 Free Republics

  RepublicSoft Group   Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Free Republics         3   3  0   50  29 +21
2 Vangaziland            3   2  1   50  53  -3
3 Ranoria                3   1  2   64  61  +3
4 Abanhfleft             3   0  3   29  50 −21

Safari Group
Pridnestrovia 27–38 Newmanistan
Allamunnic States 20–7 Main Nation Ministry

  Safari Group         Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Allamunnic States      3   3  0   86  49 +37
2 Main Nation Ministry   3   2  1   73  60 +13
3 Newmanistan            3   1  2   74  93 -19
4 Pridnestrovia          3   0  3   73 104 −31

Host Note: Allamunnic States and Main Nation Ministry should have been drawn into different groups as both were in the Sporting World Group in the first group stage. As nobody caught this until I already started sorting out the seeding for the double elimination round, the results will stand. I apologize to Main Nation Ministry for this error.

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Seeding Table

-                      Pld   W  L   PF  PA   PD 
1 Drawkland              8   8  0  239  90 +149
2 Free Republics         8   7  1  180  98  +82
3 Allamunnic States      8   7  1  211 153  +58
4 Cosumar                8   5  3   68  42  +26

Double Elimination Day 1 (February 14th)

#1 Drawkland vs #4 Cosumar @ Barjavel Oval Stadium
#2 Free Republics vs #3 Allamunnic States @ Gem of the Oceans Stadium

Double Elimination Day 2 (February 15th)

Winners @ Gem of the Oceans Stadium (winner earns a bye on day 3)
Losers @ Barjavel Oval Stadium (loser finishes 4th)

Double Elimination Day 3 (February 16th)

1 loss teams @ Barjavel Oval Stadium (loser finishes 3rd)

Double Elimination Days 4 and 5 (February 17th and 18th)

Remaining 2 teams face off @ Gem of the Oceans Stadium (first team to 2 losses finishes 2nd, last surviving team wins World Bowl XXXVIII)

Host Note: A 3rd party scorinator will be required for all Free Republics games. Please contact me ASAP if interested.

[Free Republics]

After barely scraping by against Abanhfleft and Ranoria, pundits expected the Republicans to have a bigger fight on their hands against Vangaziland. That had even been the case in the first half as the two teams exchanged field goals in yet another defensive struggle. This all changed when Charles McAdam knocked the ball out of Norton Lind's hands while Vangaziland was backed up deep in their own end of the field. Ganix Lerma would recover his teammate's forced fumble and the big man would rumble into the end zone for a touchdown to put the home team up 16 to 9. Moments later, Marta Remer would return a punt for a game sealing touchdown as the Republicans were headed to their nation's capital for the double elimination round.

As the rest of the games concluded around the nation, they soon discovered that the other 3 teams advancing out of the second round were Drawkland, Cosumar and the Allamunnic States. The gigantic Drawkish players had to be considered the overwhelming favorites after steamrolling through 8 opponents. Fortunately, Drawkland would open up against a Cosumar squad that had barely made it due to a victory over Anthor on the final day. The Republicans, instead, would face a traditional power, the Allamunnic States.

Going into the double elimination round, there were now major questions about Dania Sandberg following 3 offensive duds in a row and 4 out of 5. Fortunately for the Free Republics, the defense had been absolutely dominant in the second group stage. This unit was so good, in fact, that they were conjuring the ghosts of the Jak Hamilton era when the Republican National Team were known for their stifling defense and their non-existent offense. Dania Sandberg, for her part, now looked more like the hapless Wibe Rus than like the superstar quarterback she was supposed to be.

Then Sporting World published a report on the eve of the match with the Allamunnic States suggesting that Katakin Maier intended to allow the contract of offensive coordinator Agrican Langelier to expire after the World Bowl. This news only put more pressure on the Republicans going into a game against a rare rosterless team from Allamunnic States that nonetheless looked like the great Allamunnic teams of old despite their lack of international media coverage...

[Drawkland]

THE PROMISED LAND
Written By: Abraham Osta and Buck Peterson

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Finally, after eight grueling matchdays of fierce competition, the field for World Bowl XXXVIII has been whittled down to four final competitors. Thankfully, Drawkland's Grid Corps is one of the elite teams that managed to make it into double elimination playoff. Thankfully for us at least, I'm not sure the other 47 participants feel about us making it in, but we're just focused on ourselves right now.

Our performance in this World Bowl has been one of our best to date. Sure, you could look at our fifteen-straight matches from World Bowl XXXI, but that was followed up by losing in the quarterfinals to Banija. Perfect and near-perfect performances are hardly remembered as the greatest of all time unless they're capped by a championship. I'm sure you can think of a couple examples. As for how we'll fare against the 3 other teams that have made it to the third and final stage, we'll look at that in a moment. First, let's see our final match of the second group stage.

vs GEEKTOPIA
Unlike the last game against The Greater Nordics, there was really no lee-way in this game. Coach Averfel knew that a loss here could become a tragic end to the campaign. There was no room for error. There would be no "reverse depth chart" in this game. Still though, the inventive and devious mind of Averfel and his coordinating staff had cooked up an interesting twist to this gameplan that, once again, could've ended in disaster.

Geektopia's team (The Spears) are relatively new on the scene, but they have established them as an offensive-based team. After all, they did beat The Greater Nordics by 22 points on the first matchday of the stage. They did make it to the second group stage with a 4-1 record, though their first stage group was not the most high-powered we've seen. With all of this though, they're still an inexperienced team on the World Bowl stage, and Averfel decided to take advantage of this fact.

The Grid Corps has been hallmarked as one of the most aggressive and risk-taking teams of all time, especially in this age. Trick plays, going for it on fourth down, going for two after touchdowns, aggressive blitz and coverage schemes, all of that. Lower-ranked teams can count on getting a couple scores by virtue of simply having the right play called up when Drawkland throws something too fancy in the mix. Simply put, we're the opposite of conservative. Many of our teams are like this, and the Grid Corps is no exception; they're more the shining example.

So imagine being Geektopia, thinking you have a chance if you simply match aggression and get a few lucky plays in here and there. Drawkland's going to play their game and you'll be able to come away with a win if you get ahead at the right time. And all of a sudden, Drawkland trots out on the field and plays with the most boring, slow, old-fashioned brand of football you've seen in your entire life. You'd probably freak out, right?

This is what happened to both Geektopia and most of the Coconut Coliseum when Drawkland got the ball to start the game and ran the ball for their entire opening drive. Don't get me wrong, this wasn't like the Cassadaigua game, where Jack Hoy was taking snaps out of the wildcat and throwing in razzle-dazzle everywhere. Here we're talking fullbacks on the field, handoffs under center. Dak Waterman only had one pass attempt on this drive, which fell incomplete. The drive came to a sudden halt at the 35 yard line, where the Corps was facing 4th and 2. The Corps has gone for it every single time they've faced a similar situation this Bowl, but here they simply trotted out Matthew Watts to go and hit a field goal to make the game 3-0.

Geektopia's defense was left wondering what was going on. Their offense soon followed the next drive when the Corps D came out in a 3-4 scheme for most of the drive. They didn't blitz once in this drive ... normally DC Mathis Southers dials up a blitz within 5 plays of a team's opening drive, but the blitz never came. Geektopia was calling plays with advanced protection schemes, getting blockers in waiting for an inevitable bull rush, but it never came. All it did was give Drawkland the numbers advantage in the secondary. The drive was stifled just past midfield, forcing a punt.

All of this happened, and most folks in the crowd thought to look at the clock for the first time. There was already only 4 minutes left in the first quarter. It had only been a drive apiece and the game was nearly a quarter done already. What was happening? This is the opposite of a Drawkland game! This was exactly the plan by Averfel. Low risk, low reward, and high probability of getting away with a quick win. The Corps offense, people now started to notice, was already running a chew clock offense. Every play on their second drive was snapped with less than 5 seconds on the play clock, and this caused the drive to last well into the second quarter.

This second drive petered out right on the outskirts of Watts's standard field goal range. It was 4th and 5 after an incomplete pass and a couple stifled runs, but easily in the Corps' ability to get a first down. Both options were open, go for it, or kick the field goal. It appeared they went for the former, as Dak Waterman and the rest of the offense trotted out, Waterman in the shotgun. But to the surprise of literally everyone, Waterman took a couple steps back right before the snap, and executed a quick kick. That's right, the Corps PUNTED ... and the stunned Geektopia defense ran to recover the ball. Safety Tetracontagol tried to get it before it bounced too far and pinned them deep, but he couldn't get to it before it hit the ground, and it bounced for a few more yards before he could scoop it. Corps WR Daniel Madison had sprinted right from the line of scrimmage like a gunner and buried Tetracontagol as soon as he had the ball in his grasp.

All of a sudden, Geektopia was starting their second drive of the game halfway through the second quarter, and pinned inside their five yard line. Everybody watching the game was rather in shock, but none more than the Spears themselves. Now, with the offense on their own goalline, the stadium was starting to wake up a bit. Would we see the Corps Defense's first safety of the Bowl? Would there be a turnover right on the end zone for a score? The Corps D seemed content to simply switch to rushing 4 instead of 3, as to not make it too easy. Sure enough, Geektopia managed to convert on third down to extend the drive ... but once again couldn't sustain a drive past midfield with the stifling defense. They punted right after the two minute warning ... and did the Grid Corps offense run out on the field and try to put together a backbreaking two-minute drill to drive the knife in? As you might be expecting by now, they did not. Waterman came out with the offense and kneed the half out (this hasn't been done by Drawkland in a World Bowl game in over 5 cycles).

It was the most bizarre first half of football most of the fans had seen. Some hoped that the Corps were simply lulling Geektopia into a false sense of security, and in the second half the dynamic Beck and Hoy duo would rip up the turf to end the game in a blowout. These fans and their hopes would be dashed though, as the second half was simply more of the same. Geektopia simply couldn't get the job done. Their offensive coordinator, Godtothol-turreted-tethrateron, was completely stumped. Over half of the playbook he had prepared for Drawkland had to be thrown out, because there was no defensive look the Corps were showing he could take advantage of.

The rest of the game continued in this conservative manner. The greatest excitement came when Geektopia had finally put together a decent drive by the start of the fourth quarter, getting to just outside the red zone. Finally, the stadium had woken up from its earlier slumber. There was finally some real tension. Disaster struck as Geektopia decided to finally go ultra-aggressive. QB Germain Sophie let loose, throwing one deep to Mara on a streak route in the end zone. He didn't account for safety Ross Sterling being there though, and he slid in to snatch the ball out of the air for the interception. Instead of zooming out of the end zone for a return though, he simply sat down for a touchback.

This is when the backbreaking play finally came. The Corps once again came through with their clock-sucking football, simply running the ball in various forms to keep the Geektopia from teeing off too well. Most of the time Geektopia attempted to blitz, it was picked up or Beck simply dumped it off to a spot route around the line of scrimmage. They'd been setting up one play all game, though. Both Waterman and Beck had run several stretch plays out of a specific shotgun package, which Geektopia was starting to pick up on. Finally, with Drawkland facing third down on their own 30 yard line, they showed the look again. Geektopia had dialed a DB blitz on the play, and Beck noticed this in his pre-snap check. It was time.

As the ball was snapped, Beck handed it off to Hoy, but stayed right with him and powered forward. Most of the secondary had already cheated left, expecting the same stretch play, but the offensive line split down the middle and opened a wide running line straight down the center of the formation. Beck and Hoy ran side-by-side, with only the two safeties to deal with ahead. Beck split to the left and pancaked one, and the other seemed to have Hoy right in his sights. Who he didn't have in his sights was the freely open Daniel Madison, who was running at full speed and absolutely laid him out in a show-stopping block. Hoy high-stepped into the end zone without being touched and scored the first & only touchdown of the entire game.

By then, two scores down with only a couple minutes remaining on the clock, Geektopia was suddenly in panic mode. This is when Drawkland's D turned on the jets, and started sending pressure with reckless abandon. It was simply too late for the Spears. The game ended soon after, and the most confusing Drawkland football game came to a close. However ugly the win, it sent Drawkland to the semifinals with an 8-0 record. Now the real fun begins.

THE SEMI-SEMIFINALS
We're calling these the semi-semifinals. Because, well, it's a knockout round of 4 teams. That's the semifinals! Except it's double elimination, so not really. They're only kinda the semifinals. So here we are, in the semi-semifinals. Our opponent is Cosumar, who've been around the scene for awhile now. However, this Bowl they've really only snuck into the playoffs at all, with a shoddy 5-3 record. They snuck into the second round with two losses, and then won on the final matchday of the second round to force a tiebreak they could win. By all logical accounts, it makes no sense. But, as the only still-undefeated team in the Bowl remaining, we're not gonna complain.

One of the biggest advantages of our shocking gameplan against Geektopia, besides the limiting of injuries and shock value to win the game, was the lack of advantage this gave to our future opponents. This was the least "Drawkland" match of all time ... and as such, nearly all of the film from the game is completely worthless. Allamunnic States, FFR, and Cosumar all don't have a clear picture on how standard Grid Corps in make-or-break games is gonna look like this Bowl. They're in the dark, and that's a good thing for us.

As for the games themselves, we've got Drawkland vs Cosumar, and Free Republics vs Allamunnic States. All of these are teams that have been in the World Bowl for many many cycles. In fact, Drawkland is the youngest of the teams, and this is our eleventh World Bowl to date. All of these teams have pedigree, though Drawkland and the Allamunnic States are the only ones who have actual silverware to show for it. This double-elimination playoff promises to be a crowd favorite ... probably. Mostly for oldheads, I'd imagine.

Not to discount the skills and history of Cosumar and Allamunnic States, but they're not really the elite teams this time around. It's only a matter of time until they go out, unless they steel their nerves and pull off some historic upsets (and they'll need a few, since it's double elim). The matchup everybody is looking at is Drawkland and the Free Republics. The #3 and #4 teams in the ranks, and arguably the two best teams in this Bowl so far.

With upsets ignored, it will come down to the Drawkians and the Republicans in a clash for the ages. The home field team, and the returning team thirsty to finally build a real dynasty. The best part? It won't be a single clash, either. Once again ignoring upsets, this could become a three-game series, in the winner's first final, the winner's finalist vs loser's finalist, and a potential rubber match to decide it all. Drawkian fans are already in the FFR, but now they'll be really coming in droves. Prepare for the battle of legends ... or the upset of a lifetime. Either way ... we hope we see you saying On Corps.

[Free Republics]

World Bowl XXXVIII

4 teams want Money, Power and Glory. Its the Dixon Light Double Elimination Day 1 Cutoff! Dixon Light: The Official Beer of Lovers!

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Day One Results

Drawkland 20–38 Cosumar
Free Republics 24–10 Allamunic States*

*Third party scorinated by Banija

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Day 2

#2 Free Republics v. #4 Cosumar
#1 Drawkland v. #3 Allamunnic States (loser finishes 4th)

Day 3

Free Republics/Cosumar loser v. Drawkland/Allamunnic States winner

Days 4 and 5

Free Republics/Cosumar winner v. Day 3 winner

[Free Republics]

Gem of the Oceans Stadium was packed for the opening game of the double elimination round. Those in attendance saw the Allamunnic States strike first as Dania Sandberg threw a pick 6 on the first play from scrimmage. After trading punts, the Republicans would drive down the field for a field goal which was quickly answered by the Allamunnic States after a long kick return. For most of the first half, both offenses looked absolutely anemic. The Republican offense continued its struggles but their defense suffocated the prolific Allamunnic offense, keeping them in the game.

With just 14 seconds to go until halftime, all of that changed. While offensive coordinator Agrican Langelier had called a kneel down to send the game to the half, Dania Sandberg audibled to a pass play. Sandberg took the snap, dropped back and saw the Allamunnic blitz closing in but no receivers open. In a split second, she side-stepped a defensive tackle and then took off on a scramble right through the middle of the Regular defense. Soon, the speedy Republican quarterback had evaded the entire defensive front and was loose in the secondary. With some assistance from a blatant chop block by Marianna Szep on a safety that the officials somehow missed, Sandberg was seemingly gone. Then one of the corners started gaining on her and managed to knock the ball out of her hand right as she crossed the goal line. The nearest official put his hands in the air, signalling touchdown. The replay on television showed that she had clearly fumbled before crossing the goal line but as instant replay was illegal in the Free Republics, there was nothing that could be done about that. Takehiko Susui kicked the extra point through the uprights and the game was tied at 10 going into halftime.

The second half began with a Susui touchback. The Regulars walked onto the field and started the second half with a pass play. On this play, Hanna Ostrowska blatantly tripped their receiver, allowing Pasi Pappila to scoop up the interception as the officials once again blatantly blew a call. Pappila would run into the end zone untouched for a pick 6. On the sideline, the Regulars were clearly frustrated with the blown calls from the officials and things would hit a boiling point after the next Allamunnic States drive was derailed by a holding penalty. After the Regular coach complained to the referee, the official added a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty onto the holding penalty and the Allamunnic States would punt.

In the fourth quarter, the Republicans finally put together a long scoring drive as they ran 16 plays and 7:37 off the game clock, culminating with a 1 yard touchdown run by Makharbi Barsukov to put the home team up 24 to 10. The Allamunnic States would run a few more plays on offense but by this point the game was over and the Free Republics were now guaranteed a top 3 finish in World Bowl XXXVIII.

After the game, Sporting World caught up with Republican coach Katakin Maier and asked her about the officiating. The Republican coach started off by saying, "I'm not going to comment on conspiracy theories" and then commented on the officiating anyway. "I think the officials did a really good job today. I haven't looked at any of the footage but sometimes things happen quickly and you have to make a judgment call. Its not my place as a coach to critique the performance of the officials and I certainly don't want games to be delayed just so the officials can watch a tape and decide if they made the correct call. You can't take the human element out of sports and if it means that sore losers will whine about being beaten, well tough. As we all learned as kids, life isn't 'fair' and you have to make the most out of the opportunities you're given rather than whining about things you can't control or blaming other people for your failures."

Elsewhere, WOLF TV caught up with Dania Sandberg. Regarding her big touchdown run, she said "It was originally supposed to be a kneel down play but I wasn't about to go into the half without doing everything in my power to help my team win this football game. I thought the best way to do that was to throw a quick pass out of bounds and then toss a Hail Maria to the end zone but when my receivers couldn't get open and I had to expend precious time avoiding a sack, my only option was to take off. Fortunately, Marianna threw a great block and I managed to cross the line before that defensive back caught me and knocked the ball out of my hand." When asked if she was going to get the game ball for that, she responded "I shouldn't get the game ball for today's game. Give it to Pasi for that awesome interception. I can't believe their quarterback would overthrow his receiver like that but its even more unbelievable that Pasi could get to that and make that spectacular one-handed catch. Maybe he should get some reps at receiver!" Finally, as news filtered in that they would be playing Cosumar, the sideline reporter asked Sandberg about Cosumar: "I'm as shocked as anybody that Cosumar pulled off the upset but they're a scrappy little team that have found a way to make it this far. We've got to beat them to get that critical advantage and I can promise all of our patriotic fans that I will leave my heart, my soul and my body on this field. While there's another World Bowl every year or so, this may be our only chance to win it on our home soil. That would be truly special and we owe it to our fans to do whatever it takes to make that happen."

[Free Republics]

World Bowl XXXVIII

4 teams are Chasing the Horizon. Who will stay in the hunt for the gold? Its the Mingle Double Elimination Day 2 Cutoff! Mingle: The App That Gets You Laid!

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Day Two Results

Free Republics 13–9 Cosumar*
Allamunnic States 3–26 Drawkland

*Scorinated by Banija

Commiserations to Allamunnic States on their fourth place finish.

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Day 3

Drawkland v. Cosumar @ Barjavel Oval Stadium (loser finishes 3rd)

Days 4 and 5

Free Republics v. Drawkland/Cosumar winner @ Gem of the Oceans Stadium (Free Republics wins World Bowl with 1 win out of 2, Drawkland/Cosumar winner wins World Bowl with 2 wins out of 2)

[Drawkland]

An Interview With Jack Hoy

Hello, this is Tracy Fey with DNSN. I'm here with Jack Hoy of the Waxton Pilots and of course, Drawkland's Grid Corps national team. Thanks for joining me, Jack.

Thanks, it's good to be here.

Let's start with the obvious. How have you liked your performance with the Corps so far this Bowl?

I've been satisfied. The last few games have been great for me on the ground. The tail end of the second group stage was less than ideal but that came down to the gameplan and I can't really complain about that. I've liked my performance, but obviously there's always room to improve.

You and the Corps are heading into the Loser's Final of the World Bowl XXXVIII double elimination playoff. How do you think your chances are for the rematch with Cosumar?

I would've preferred that we had beaten Cosumar the first time around, but that's in the past now. Now that we have firsthand experience with them and plenty of film to review, there's no doubt in my mind that we'll be able to finish them off and go to the true final. I'll carry the team if I have to ... I won't be denied twice by the same team.

I'm sure most fans hope you're right in that assessment. Going back to the first Cosumar game in the "semi-semifinals" as we call it, what do you think was the biggest factor leading to the loss?

Isn't it obvious? The turnovers were what killed the game. I think we were just on the bad side of luck, because I've never seen our team perform that badly. This probably sounds a little cocky, but I never fumble in big games, but even I had a fumble. Plus that interception I threw on the gadget play on the first drive. That's one of the worst feelings I've felt on a football field in years. Some people are keen to blame our defense for giving up 38 points, but it was the first time we've allowed more than 20 points to an opposing team all Bowl. You wanna know why? This was also the first game where we had more than 2 turnovers. We had 6 that game, and Cosumar managed to turn all of them into points somehow or another.

Since the turnovers were such a big issue against Cosumar the first game, how are you going to limit them in this next game?

It's almost ironic, that we'd been treating every game this Bowl as if it was the championship. We've never let our guard down, and even allowed the second stringers to play matches to give the impression of a down-to-the-wire kind of game. I say that's ironic because our first game in the high stakes round we completely blew it. It's hard to recover from turnovers, both from a momentum and point perspective. I think if I hadn't thrown that interception on the trick play on our first drive, we absolutely would've won that game.

You said earlier that you would do everything in your power to win this game against Cosumar. What is your goal coming into this game?

Besides winning? Hahaha. I'd say if I score points I'm satisfied. My goal going into every game is to score as many points as possible. I don't care if I have to run them in, catch them, or even pass. I'll run everything out of the wildcat like the Cassadaigua game if I have to. I think everyone saw my capabilities in that game. I think a stretch goal would be to get a touchdown running, passing, and receiving all in the same game. A triple crown. I've done it a couple times in the regular season but I'd love to do that on a big stage like this. No spoilers here, but there may be a couple opportunities for that in this game.

That's certainly a bold statement. Is there anything else you'd like to say before we go?

Not much. I'm just gonna go out and do my thing. On Corps!

An Interview With Dak Waterman

Hello, this is Tracy Fey again with DNSN. You saw me here moments ago with Jack Hoy, but now we're sitting in with veteran QB of Drawk Corps and Grid Corps game, Dak Waterman. How are you feeling today, Dak?

Wonderfully, Tracy. I'm ready to hit the field and win a game.

I'm sure Corps fans are excited to hear that! What are your expectations going into this matchup with Cosumar?

I'm expecting we can catch them by surprise. They may have seen us once before, but for most of that game we were in panic, patch-up mode. They didn't see our original gameplan for that game and they certainly didn't see us at full strength. I've always said the winning team for the first matchup is always disadvantaged going into a rematch, and that's especially true for a small blowout we suffered against Cosumar. Simply put, they don't know what's coming for them.

These last few games have had fans questioning the gameplanning abilities of Quentin Averfel. Especially with the failures to repeat after the win in World Bowl XXXV, some think he's on the way out if he can't capture the title this time.

Fans always say that. In fact, most were saying he was definitely fired following that World Bowl XXXV, until he won it, of course. The man always has an immaculate plan, but you know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men. It's funny, considering the fact that most pundits were praising him on his revolutionary tactics in all three games of the second group stage. They're right in saying they were cunning and smart plans, but I also believe it put us at a disadvantage against Cosumar. We'd just gotten off of three straight games with very strange and uncharacteristic game plans, it's like we iced ourselves. We had to go out and play our normal game, but we hadn't played our normal game since the first group stage.

Do you think the Corps is back in their rhythm now?

After that flattening of Allamunnic States? Absolutely. Despite the loss against Cosumar, we definitely gained some of our chemistry back. I was definitely off in the first half, throwing a pick and no TDs, but by the time Beck took over in the second half the offense was starting to click again. The Allamunnic States match was just proof that we're far from collapsing right now.

Speaking of interceptions, you were often criticized for your penchant to turn the ball over in your early career. Do you think there's any chance that could come up again in these big-time matchups?

Not at all. Yes, I was a little too careless with the ball in my early career, but that was simply the Drawk Corps gameplan back then. We were used to the high-scoring and balls-out offense. We excelled at it. I'd throw a pick on one drive and a touchdown the next two. We were excellent at recovery and did what needed to be done, most of the time. I'm a different player now, though. Everybody develops in their career, and I am no exception. People get down on Dustin Beck for making questionable reads or decisions, but he's still a young player. He's a high level talent and he'll continue to grow. Just because he's an athletic dual-threat guy doesn't mean he doesn't do his homework. I can personally attest that he does.

I was just about to ask; with your World Bowl retirement looming, how do you feel about your chances of coming away with a title? And do you feel the team will be in good hands with Beck?

For the first question, I have to say I don't mind whether we win the title or not. I've won some Bowls, I've got a couple rings. My World Bowl career is one I'm proud of, and I'm going to be satisfied no matter what. This is a great group of guys, and the fun times we've had playing together is way more important than some silverware. As for Beck, these same questions were asked back in World Bowl XXXV when I had the tournament-ending injury and Beck took over full-time. Everybody saw that playoff run and everybody saw Beck lead the team to a victory. As I said before, he's a phenomenal mind and a phenomenal player and I believe we can only improve from here.

So let's say Drawkland beats Cosumar and beats the Free Republics to force the winner-take-all rubber match. In both World Bowls Drawkland won, you were an integral piece in making sure the Corps got to the championship and won, but still haven't captured the World Bowl Championship MVP title. Do you think this could be the Bowl you finally take in, in your swansong?

Ha, that award doesn't matter to me much. I guess the best thing about winning the MVP is that it means we win the title to begin with, which would be a great way to end this great campaign. Individual performance awards are nice, but really just being apart of the game is the best part.

That's all the time we have it seems, thanks for coming in.

My pleasure, Tracy. On Corps, of course!

That wraps up our pregame interview segment. Make sure you're here in a few hour's time when Drawkland and Cosumar play in a rematch to win the right to play Free Republics in the World Bowl final series. For DNSN, I'm Tracy Fey. On Corps!

[Free Republics]

World Bowl XXXVIII

If you lose today, you've got No Chance in Hell of winning this World Bowl! Its the New Republican Wrestling Conglomerate Double Elimination Day 3 Cutoff! New Republican Wrestling Conglomerate: Through All Eras, the Multiverse's Leader in Sports Entertainment!

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Day 3 Results

Cosumar 14–40 Drawkland

Commiserations to Cosumar on their 3rd place finish.

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Days 4 and 5

Free Republics v. Drawkland @ Gem of the Oceans Stadium (Free Republics wins World Bowl with 1 win out of 2, Drawkland wins World Bowl with 2 wins out of 2)

I now turn over the scorination for the remainder of this World Bowl to Banija.

[Free Republics]

It was 3rd and 4. Cosumar led 9 to 6. The clock read 1 minute and 43 seconds. The Free Republics were out of timeouts. All Cosumar needed was a first down to seal the win. They snapped the ball, the quarterback dropped back and, under heavy pressure, was able to get the pass off. A second later, Alex Dale delivered a helmet to helmet late hit while Ganix Lerma fell on his legs. The pass would be dropped by one of Cosumar's tight ends and would end up in the hands of Charles McAdam. McAdam accelerated down the sideline, delivering an elbow to a Cosumarite running back to avoid a tackle. After that, he was gone to the end zone. The WOLF TV cameras caught the complete disbelief on the Cosumar sideline as they saw no flags on the field even as their medical staff wheeled a cart onto the field to recover their quarterback's body.

Once McAdam crossed the goal line, the entire Republican team stormed the field for a celebration that lasted for several minutes until the officials finally called a delay of game penalty on the Free Republics. At that point, the 11 players from the field goal unit stayed on the field but the rest of the Republicans returned to the bench. Takehiko Susui booted the extra point through the uprights to put the Republicans up 13 to 9.

There was still a little over a minute on the clock and Cosumar had all 3 of their timeouts. If this were a movie, the hubris of the Free Republics at this moment would have been their downfall. But this was not a movie. This was reality and in reality, the villains win. The Republicans would quickly seal the victory after Cosumar's backup quarterback fumbled a snap and Mateo Nyberg fell on it. Yet even after the Republicans recovered this fumble, Cosumar still had a chance. After they stopped Park Han for a 3 yard loss on first down, they even began to think they might be able to get the ball back. Then Dania Sandberg took off for a 17 yard scramble to seal the victory.

While the last image of this game was Sandberg making a big play on the ground, she had been absolutely atrocious in this game. In the air, she completed 5 out of 16 passes for 71 yards and an interception. On the ground, she finished with 55 yards on 21 carries. Once again, the defense and officiating had bailed out the Republicans. In fact, there had been so many blown calls in favor of the hosts this World Bowl that many around the multiverse were speculating about corrupt officiating. The Republican media, however, went out of its way to defend the officials.

The Republicans would watch closely as Drawkland battled Cosumar to determine their next opponent. Ultimately though, that was a lopsided affair as Drawkland avenged their earlier defeat to guarantee themselves a top 2 finish. Now, it would all come down to 1 or 2 more games. The Free Republics needed to win one out of 2. Drawkland needed to win both. One of them would be the last team standing. The other would be the runner up.

Speaking to WOLF TV for the pregame show, Katakin Maier was asked about whether the fact that her team would have already been crowned champions under a conventional format mattered to her. "You can talk all you want about what might have been under a different format or about the Golden Bowl but the only thing we care about is winning the World Bowl under the official format used for this World Bowl. All of those 'unofficial' championships don't mean anything. If they did, then countries like Nephara and Space would be legitimate powers in international football, not just footnotes in the history of an imaginary championship." Asked about the hit, Alex Dale told WOLF: "All I was doing was playing football. When you're running in trying to sack the quarterback, you can't just stop because he throws the ball to your teammate a split second before you put his ass on the ground. I've never liked quarterbacks. Well other than Dania because she's hot but if I'm playing against her, she knows I ain't gonna be treating her like no lady! As for those pretty boys, there's nothing I like more than making them a little bit less pretty, if you know what I mean." They also asked Ganix Lerma about how he fell onto the quarterback's legs and he told the pregame show: "It wasn't my fault. I was knocked over and I just so happened to fall on their precious little princess. Tough luck but I don't give a fuck. That's football. If you can't take a hit, you should be playing figure skating or something!" When they asked McAdam about Drawkland's size, he told the pregame show that "We're gonna hit them in the mouth with old school power football and I guarantee they won't be able to take the heat."

Of course, McAdam's comments were not the Republican gameplan. The Republicans planned to rely more heavily upon their speed. They weren't fools and knew there was no way they could out-physical a team of 8 foot giants. Still, it was all about making Drawkland think they were going to go one way so they could catch them off guard.

As the game began, numerous dignitaries and celebrities from around the Free Republics were in attendance to see if the Free Republics could win a championship in their sport on their home soil. This included Consul Scarlett Nicholls, Consul Kyle Bolton, all of the leading candidates for consul in this year's election, Senator Emeritus (and Olympic Council president) Robert Nicholls and National Baseball Team stars Honomi Kamei and Sarah Fuerst. Soccer General Rule Theriault was still in Valanora for the Di Bradini Cup so he wouldn't be in attendance but those who were in attendance were still a virtual who's who of wealthy, famous and/or powerful Republicans...

[Drawkland]

CLASH OF TITANS
Written By: Abraham Osta and Buck Peterson

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After this gauntlet of a World Bowl, we've finally made it to the real final. Well, sorta. We're in the double elimination final, coming from the loser's bracket. This means that we're facing the lossless (in the double elim playoff) Free Republics. To win the World Bowl, we have to win this first game and force a second one ... and win that one as well. Just one game against a high-powered squad like the FFR is a big challenge, but having to win two in a row? Some would call it impossible.

Look no further than our rematch against Cosumar. They admittedly got lucky in our first matchup as we suffered a small collapse. The second match? We absolutely punished them and took the win. More on that in a moment. My point is that it's much harder to win two matches against a team in a row, especially when they're back to back. We'll talk about our predictions later as well.

vs COSUMAR
The first game against Cosumar seemed to be ill-fated. It was the first match we lost in this World Bowl campaign, and it was by a significant 18-point margin. The crushing six turnovers on the game were enough to do us in, especially since the Cosumar offense managed to take them all in for points. Subtracting the turnovers from the game, it might've been a different story.

That different story is what unfolded in the "Loser's Final" of this World Bowl. This time, there would be no mistakes. Several players admitted that, while they did lead to wins and threw off the competition, the unconventional tactics employed by Coach Quentin Averfel in the second group stage matches unintentionally iced the team. Now when they planned to go in with a more standard Grid Corps gameplan against Cosumar, they were slightly out of practice. The lack of rhythm in the offense and defense was enough to sink them in this game. But, with that game's latter half and the match again Allamunnic States, the Corps managed to get their mojo back.

Cosumar's Azure Dragons may have had the first laugh in the semi-semifinal, but it did a lot to lull them into a false sense of security. They may've come away with a win, but in double elimination, it turned out to be a large disadvantage. See, they played Drawkland, but they didn't play a full-strength Drawkland. They never had to play from behind, or try to stop a Grid Corps with all the momentum on their side. In this match, when Drawkland took the lead, it was hard for the Dragons to try and get it back. To compound matters for Cosumar, their starting QB had been injured in their previous game against the Free Republics, forcing them to start their backup.

This fact was compounded at the beginning of the game. The Azure Dragons shot out to an early lead on their first drive, thanks to a solid pass by Perikomen Fothergill. Drawkian corner Jordan Max was too aggressive on his coverage and paid the price. Thos Na'Basi ran a clever double move route and was wide open on the boundary when he shook Max off his tail. Fothergill just put the ball on the money and Na'Basi did the rest to trot into the end zone. It was starting to look like Cosumar was going to have another repeat upset.

Then the Grid Corps offense came out onto the field. Their first drive against Cosumar in the first match resulted in a turnover, thanks to an interception thrown by Jack Hoy on a trick play. This drive would not repeat the same mistakes. The Corps came out in a standard and methodical manner, with Dak Waterman leading the way and Jack Hoy keeping the pace consistent. It wasn't necessarily a slow, clock-chewing drive, but it was steady and ended up taking a decent chunk out of the first quarter. The drive was capped on 2nd and 6 at the edge of the Cosumarite red zone. Dak Waterman got the snap from under center, eyeing up Toby Miller on the left side. Cosumar was running a blitz, but it was picked up. Waterman pump faked to Miller, which threw off the safeties for just an instant, giving him time to turn and fire a bullet pass to Jack Hoy. Hoy had checked the blitz and chipped a defender before sneaking out and running a wheel route. When Waterman threw the pass he caught it and immediately accelerated along the sideline. Iain O'Somni was the only defender between Hoy and the end zone at that point. He went low to try and stop Hoy in his tracks before the first down, but Hoy hurdled over him and stumbled the rest of the way for the touchdown. After a two-point conversion thanks to a slant from Waterman to Madison, the score was now 7-8.

Cosumar, though disheartened by giving up points on an extended drive like that, still had plenty of confidence going into their second drive. The Grid Corps defense was not as soft as they had appeared earlier in the game, though, and they stopped the Dragons before they reached midfield. The Corps refused to yield, and only kept their foot on the gas going into their next drive. Once again, they had a steady, methodical drive down the field, getting first down after first down. Once again, Drawkland went in to the Cosumar red zone and came out with points. This time, it was a Jack Hoy run, straight up the middle on a spread set on second and goal. The two point conversion play was also a run by Hoy, this time a power run to the right out of the wildcat.

With the end of the second quarter coming soon, and the score now at 7-16, Cosumar's offense needed to get points on the board. They, too, finally managed to get a consistent drive going. The clock slowly elapsed and the Dragons slowly progressed to the Drawkian red zone for the first time, fighting tooth and nail for every yard. They were out of timeouts when they reached first and goal with a few ticks over a minute left on the clock. The first two plays were runs by Morum Øygard to get them close, but he was stuffed on third down. With no time to call in the field goal unit, the Dragons rushed to the line to snap the ball on fourth down. Hopefully they'd come away with a touchdown as time expired to make the score much more even. This was, unfortunately for them, not the case. Fothergill snapped the ball and dropped back to pass, but was faced with pressure from Phillip Tomek as he tried to get a pass off. He ducked under the tackle and spun away to extend the play, hoping there'd be an open receiver. He did not account for the now free-running Leo Cross on his left; as he spun away from Tomek, he was buried by Cross for the crushing sack. The half was over, and the crowd was in a frenzy after the breakneck pace of the final minute.

With the two-score lead of 7-16, the Corps were sitting pretty coming out of the locker rooms for the third quarter. A score on their opening drive could easily be enough to keep them far ahead of Cosumar, assuming everything went to plan. It turned out that the Corps didn't even need the scripting for their half-opening drive, though. Alan Highsmith, the Cosumar kicker, sent it deep to start the second half. Jack Hoy and Daniel Madison, as is normal, were back deep to return. It ended up falling on Hoy's half of the field, and he took it out from the goalline. The blocks were lining up well, and he managed to glance off the first defender that had a chance at him. The momentum continued as the crowd swelled, and Hoy eventually spun past the Highsmith past midfield en route to starting the half with another touchdown. After another two pointer, the score was now 7-24 Corps, and Cosumar were becoming more desperate by the minute.

Their fears would be not be assuaged with their next drive, as it resulted in yet another punt. Fortunately for Cosumar, the proceeding Drawkian drive was cut short with a fumble by Dustin Beck on an option run, which was picked up by Iain O'Somni. He was tackled before he could return it for the touchdown, but the Dragons were now deep in Drawkian territory. Second-string RB Nicolas Perrantes would end the drive for Cosumar with a rushing touchdown, but they felt the risk was too great to try going for two. The score was now 14-24, and the Corps were getting the ball back.

Once again, the Corps dialed up the right plays to march down the field. Cosumar's defense was getting consistently tired out by the long and brutal drives, and further discouraged by the fact that they were barely stopping them. Drawkland once again got down to Cosumar's goalline, and were keen on stretching their lead back to three scores. On third down, the Corps lined up in the wildcat again, the exact same set (with the exact same motion) as the two-point conversion run from earlier. The defense recognized it and shouted at each other to prepare for it. They cheated a little too hard on the play, however. This time, instead of running to the right, Jack Hoy took the snap, ran a couple steps, then stopped and tossed a jump pass to the left. The ball landed directly in the hands of TE Riley Hoyt, who ran a spot route and caught the touchdown. The Hoy-to-Hoyt passing touchdown plus another two-pointer (read option to Beck) had the score come to 14-32 ... an 18 point lead.

The rest of the third quarter and most of the fourth quarter were mostly uneventful in comparison. The Corps and the Dragons traded punts, but something was a little different. Usually Daniel Madison, the wide receiver, runs back the punts for Drawkland. However, after that last touchdown, Jack Hoy was starting to stand deep to receive the kicks. If you've caught on by now, Hoy had been responsible for all 4 touchdowns in this game so far ... one receiving, one rushing, one kick return, and one passing. If he managed to come away with a punt return on the game, he'd achieve the impossible hat trick - all 5 offensive touchdowns in one game. With this in mind, Averfel and Madison gave Hoy the go-ahead to start returning punts, just in the off chance he could achieve it.

To Jack Hoy's delight, Cosumar's offense simply fell apart in the fourth quarter, unable to move the ball past midfield with any consistency. They punted the ball for the rest of the game, and Hoy's lucky chance came late in the fourth quarter, with the Dragons stuck on their own 30 yard line. The Dragon's gunners were blocked pretty well at the line of scrimmage, giving Hoy just enough space when he received the kick to make them miss at the beginning. The punt had veered towards the left sideline but not enough to go out of bounds, so Hoy ended up taking a diagonal route to reverse the field. There were a few defenders in front of him, but backup fullback Gunne Viggo caught them by surprise and knocked one down, who tripped up the other and sprung Hoy free. The stadium (which was mostly Drawkian fans at this point) was erupting in cheers as Hoy danced his way into the end zone to complete his Holy Hat Trick. Just to twist the knife, Beck threw a pass to Miller for the two-pointer to make the score 14-40, and that was how the score stayed until the clock hit 0:00.

Drawkland had done it. They'd overcome the only team to defeat them in convincing fashion to clinch a chance to play for the World Bowl championship.

THE "FINAL"
Despite the fact that we managed to defeat Cosumar in our second go, the issue is that we had to defeat them a second time in the first place. See, now we're coming from the loser's bracket, and this puts us at a significant disadvantage. In order to win the World Bowl, we have to face the higher-ranked and home-field team in Free Republics not once, but twice. I could go in circles all day speculating about advantages and momentum and strategy and format, but it comes down to one simple fact: we have to win two games. There's no way around that.

The Free Republics had taken out Cosumar in gruesome fashion in the previous round to send them to us. The end of the game was rife with controversy, as a dropped pass by a tight end resulted in a pick six to seal the low-scoring affair. The public outcry was centered around what happened right before the interception return, though. Cosumar's starting QB, Francis Hibbert, was clocked by a helmet-to-helmet sack right after releasing the pass, while another defensive lineman landed on his legs. He was taken out of commission by injury, but there were no flags for roughness thrown on the play. Of course, the Republican team and fans (and tournament officials, I might add) defended this course of action, claiming no wrong was done. Pretty much every other neutral or Cosumarite fan disagrees, however. The Drawkian fans were just relieved to not have to play the FFR in a non-final match, so we were more focused on winning our next matchup against the maligned Dragons.

What does that mean for this game though? If nothing else, it's gonna be a loudmouthed and passionate affair. This truly is a clash of titans: two Top 4 nations in the World Bowl rankings, undoubtedly the best throughout the course of this tournament, and ones that have been mainstays in the World Bowl climate for years. The Free Republics have the home field advantage, but the Drawkian fans travel well, especially for the World Bowl. Don't expect an extremely partial crowd. It will likely be split 50/50, or it'll be so loud and rambunctious at all times that the exact percentage of fans won't even really matter.

This, in all likelihood, will be a great game. It may come down to one or two crucial plays by the superstar players adorning these rosters ... or even a single bad call, which always seem to favor the hometown team in FFR in their recent games. If Drawkland wins, it's gonna force a winner-take-all rematch for the silverware. If Drawkland loses, it's gonna be a crushing blow and the Free Republics will take the title. If they win, the Free Republics will become the fourth team to win a Bowl on home soil. If Drawkland comes away with it all, it'll be our third title in our history, joining Dancougar and Allamunnic States as the only teams to win that many (though Allamunnic States have twice that number and may never be truly matched).

Once again, it's all a bunch of talk. There's only one way we'll know who will win, and that'll be decided on the gridiron. To all those watching the World Bowl tonight, I hope you'll be cheering on with me and the rest of Drawkland. As always ... On Corps.

[Banija]

And this Double Elimination Day 4 Cutoff is brought to you by the Regional Transit Corporation! Get your public transit needs from your favorite Echani-Banijan corporation!

Just remember, there are only two teams left. And from here on in- History Has its Eyes on You.

Day 4
Game played at Gem of the Oceans Stadium

Free Republics 65–39 Drawkland

The Free Republics are the champions of World Bowl XXXVIII. Drawkland are the runner-ups and silver medalists of World Bowl XXXVIII. Congratulations!