Sports - World Bowl XXXIX Coverage
Allamunnae open strong
Regulars wallop United Civil Republic, 41-0
by Aldyn Wyrnur
The Regulars opened up their 33rd World Bowl campaign by kicking off World Bowl XXXIX in front of a sell-out crowd in Torsfeld, and opening the competition with a blowout, shutout win over unranked United Civil Republic, 41-0. The decisive win puts the Regulars at the top of Group H after the first day of competition, and confirming their early favorite status to win the group.
The winning effort was led by a pair of big days by HB#22 Fredrik Eriksunn (13 rushes, 102 yards, TD) and FB#24 Derrik Staalburg (15 rushes, 78 yards, 2 TDs) on offense. On the other side of the ball, the shutout was keyed by a dominant defensive effort, led by Claetus U'Daanyl (5 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 1 Pass Def, 1 INT), Anke Baenty (3 tackles, 2 Pass Def, 1 INT), and Theo Waalturs (3 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble) to keep UCR's offense from even converting a field goal by forcing six turnovers. The hope is that this game, which is by itself of little consequence, will be a good tone-setter for the Regulars as they advance deeper into Group H; hopefully, following it with another victory against the Mathuvan Union on MD2 will give the team all sorts of good momentum rolling into the tougher back-half of the first round robin.
The game itself was perhaps a bit routine for the Allamunnic faithful. The team was never in any danger of trailing. The UCR team won the coin toss and elected to receive. After getting the ball at their own 20, the Regulars were able to force a quick three-and-out before getting the ball at their own 36 courtesy of RS#28 Elisa Junnsunn's 14-yard return. Mostly running the ball, the Regulars were able to move down to the UCR goal-line over the course of 11 plays, capping off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run by Staalburg out of the Power I.
After defeating another UCR drive on its second play, this time courtesy of an interception by CB#07 Bryndyn Witt, who returned it to the UCR 30. From there, it was relatively simple for the offense to drive back to the endzone in four plays, with QB#12 Ed Kaarlsunn dropping a tidy over-the-shoulder 6-yard pass to TE#89 Torren Rikards on a slant route. After K#15 Sofya Torrus' PAT, the Regulars had a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
While the teams traded punts for the remainder of the first quarter, the Regulars kept pushing the field position further and further in their favor. This payed off relatively early in the second quarter when Eriksunn took a hand-off at the UCR 27-yard line and tore off a long touchdown run to widen the Regulars' lead to 21-0. While the teams traded drives (UCR's next two ending on an interception and a fumble respectively), the Regulars were able to draw closer, with their last drive before the end of the half culminating in Kaarlsunn keeping the ball on a triple-option run for a 4-yard touchdown. The teams went into the locker rooms with the score at 28-0.
The third quarter was relatively quiet; by halfway through the quarter, Derrik Staalburg had punched in another 8-yard touchdown run to widen the lead to 35-0. When the quarter ended after a Sofya Torrus field-goal and a 38-0 lead, head coach Rik Olafsunn pulled the team's starters and the back-ups were able to push through a final field goal in the last quarter of the game, creating the final 41-0 score line.
The Regulars will get another game at home to face the Mathuvan Union, who fell 3-7 to Abahnfleft on matchday 1. Elsewhere in Group H, Karditan fell on the road, 21-14, to South Covello. In Group F, Newmanistan handled Lovisa, 41-10, while in Group D, Cassadaigua found themselves stunned on the road by TJUN-ia while Ko-oren slammed the door on The Sarian, 30-7.
Stat Leaders:
Passing:
QB#12 Ed Kaarlsunn - 6/10, 98 yards, TD, INT
QB#14 Ole Ward - 2/3, 18 yards
Total: 8/13, 116 yards, TD, INT
Rushing:
HB#22 Fred Eriksunn - 13 rushes, 102 yards, TD
FB#24 Derrik Staalburg - 15 rushes, 78 yards, 2 TDs
HB#31 Piotr Sfynsunn - 9 rushes, 37 yards
QB#12 Ed Kaarlsunn - 5 rushes, 24 yards, TD
HB#23 Lucy Jaans - 2 rushes, 11 yards
Total: 44 rushes, 252 yards, 4 TDs
Receiving:
TE#89 Torren Rikards - 3 receptions, 31 yards, TD
SE#83 Haarlyn Wyrnur - 2 receptions, 40 yards
TE#81 Theoden Jaans - 2 receptions, 18 yards
FL#80 Ole Haensley - 1 reception, 27 yards, TD
Total: 8 catches, 116 yards