NSCF XXII (22) - Everything Thread

[Kohnhead]

Kohnhead City recruiting class looking good as Richardson looms


Byron Joseph has lead Kohnhead City to a 2-0 record against Richardson, can they get it done on Saturday?

As a Kohnhead City fan you knew it was going to happen, no matter that Northern Moravica University had been the better team in the regualar season, no matter that they had home field advantage against a team that squeaked its way in. No matter that it took a walk off touchdown by a Banjian running back to beat the Cougars, you just knew we would have to face Richardson again.

Now sweeping a playoff team during the regular season is difficult but beating a team three times in one season just doesn't happen. There's a reason we beat Richardson twice during the regular season and we didn't even have Whitworth and were on the road in the final series. This time we are at home, coming off a bye we should be well rested and we should be mentally prepared. However it just doesn't feel like a win is in the cards, it doesn't, we are 2-0 against Richardson and there's a reason for that. However this is the first playoff game in school history and while it's a relief the game is at Chicken King Stadium, Richardson knows what they're doing. They have Kuenda Sello who played for Banjia in the World Bowl they clearly have all sorts of advantages in that department.

We know our defense can shut down Sello in the regular season, however he's probably a different animal come playoff time and Richardson will be hungry for this. There is no reason to fear Beacon Murray at quarterback and while our defense is coming off of allowing 50 points against FSU that will not happen again we assure you. Ultimately it boils down to two things, can Byron Joseph score points against a top tier defense with our rushing attack and can the defense contain Kuenda Sello, he's not a player you can stop you can really only hope to contain him.

Ultimately no matter how we fare in this one it will still be a completely successful season. 2nd place in the BIg Eight, beating out Richardson in the Conference, going 9-4 and earning a first round bye, winning the Squidhead Cup. We haven't reached the point yet where playoff success is required each and every season but wouldn't going 3-0 against Richardson feel really nice. My prediction is that we aren't able to pull it off and Richardson takes the 20-17 win.


Recruiting


High School Football and College Football are two very different games

While of course this year's NSCF team was entirely from Kohnhead, that will not be the case for next year and while no Kohnheadians played in other nations this year that will also not be the case. We have gotten five players to commit and have landed one transfer while four Kohnheadian High Schoolers will be going to other schools.

Where are Kohnheadians going?
5. Zachary Lewis (TE)
School: Northern Moravica (Banjia)

Lewis will get to play for one of the premier teams in college football that being the Cougars from Banjia, once he heard they were interested he happily committed knowing full well what a program like that could do for his college career. As was said in his bio he is a physical freak at 6' 5 and had 230 pounds on him in his Senior season although he may have added a little extra in preparation for college. In addition it was noted that he needs time to develop his route running and learn more of the playbook as he is currently primarily a blocking Tight End, he will not see too much action next year and it will be primarily to block but that is a perfect role for him.

In addition tight end is definitely a future need for NMU as of the three on the roster right now one is a senior and two are juniors which gives Lewis a year to develop but means he has a chance to be their number one soon. Lewis could become a real beast in a few years if his development goes well and Northern Moravica seem like a perfect place for him.


4. Katie Sawyer (Athlete)
School: Felswyr State University (Chromatika)

Sawyer gets to join fellow new school Felswyr State University who are currently up there in terms of title favorites having captured the number one seed after a 12-1 regular season record in their first year of NSCF. Sawyer's best trait is that she can be anywhere on the football field especially on the defensive side which is the side she will be playing on for FSU next season. This completely fits in with the 3-3-5 formation run by FSU that has a lot of emphasis on the nickel cornerback's ability to play at linebacker or at safety in addition to their duties at corner. This completely fits with Sawyer's skill set and because of this she and FSU are a perfect match. She is extremely athletic but needs work at all positions although she can play at all three. We will see if she's named a starter next year but if not she should still see the field a decent amount.


3. Danielle Raynor (OT)
School: Kohnhead City University (Kohnhead)

Raynor is the only one of the KSPN top five to commit to KCU itself and she will probably not get too much playing time next season with the Mighty Eagles also landing Deidre Gott from Chromatika. While Gott will be a day one starter, Raynor who has the ability to start will be in a battle with Gabriella Ross who is currently a junior to figure out who will protect Joseph's blindside. Ross played okay this year and it's clear Raynor will be the starter in her Sophmore year it's just a question of whether she can beat out Ross to earn the job as a Freshman. Either way she's a big pickup for the team that has two seniors and a junior as the top three tackles this year.


2. Elliot Roach (RB)
School: Richardson University (Ranoria)

Roach will travel to one of our Big Eight rivals in Richardson to try and help replace the role of Kuenda Sello who will most likely be heading home to Banjia to play professionally. Now you can't replace someone like Sello with a freshman but Roach can definitely do his best and will help their running game a lot and will probably be in a committe approach year one as they have a lot of youth at the position. Roach will definitely have lots of opportunities to prove himself in his first year in Ranoria. This is normally a run first team and was extremely run heavy last year due to the combo of Sello and the massive question marks at quarterback which have been solved in the short term from the looks of it.


1. Pablo Sandoval (ILB)
School: Loyola University @ Istria

Of course it's Loyola that gets our number one recruit in Pablo Sandoval. While he wasn't going to go anywhere in Kohnhead, and I'm sure glad he didn't go to a school in the Big Eight. He will join multiple top recruits who try to help Loyola the defending champs mind you recover from their least successful seaon in 9 seasons. Sandoval will pair with some high talented defensive recruits the top out of Ranoria in Edge Abram Fairbanks, the top recruit in Northwest Kalactin in Edge Justin Peterson and the 4th best in Chromatika coner Emmitt Krell.

While a starting spot isn't just going to be handed to Sandoval the three of the our starting backers for Loyola are seniors which gives Sandoval a good shot at getting an inside spot. However he will have to compete with current starter sophmore Demba Diouf and Atatafi Atikem another sophmore who is currently the third MLB. Sandoval should be able to earn a starting role as part of a new look linebacker core but if he can't he will still see the field a lot.


Who is Kohnhead City University bringing in?
According to Ranorian reports Kohnhead's class ranks as the 5th best and second best in the Big Eight behind Cold Hill which should be good news for more good results in years to come. And this was before Gott had committed which can only make the class better.

Devin River (DE)
School: Richardson (Transfer)
Year: Sophmore

Devin River will be trading in his red and white Richardson colors for the gold and white of Kohnhead City University. With both Joseph Travis and Fox Middleton our two starting DEs being Seniors we need new players at the position for next year. Travis' production will be hard to place as in 13 games he was our sack leader with 10.5. Enter Devin RIver someone who had become upset with his lack of playing time on a very talented Richardson D-line. River decided to enter the transfer portal knowing full well his own talent and what he could do for his career at another school. The Mighty Eagles have picked him up out of the portal and he will be a starter for us next season most definitely.


Rowena Hastroff (RB)
Nation: Chromatika (#5)

Hastroff can play both offense and defense like a majority of players who come out of Chromatika but she has signed with Kohnhead City to be our speed back with Brandon Potter a senior. While Herman Whitworth was our best running back this year (he has the power covered) KCU are definitely a by committee team and considering how much we run the ball there will be snaps to go around. Potter has not done too well as the feature back since Whitworth went down and Hastroff is a better player than him so despite probably not being the starter until maybe her Junior role she will still have a large role.


Deidre Gott (OT)
Nation: Chromatika (#3)

The second of the Chromatika players who will be donning a Mighty Eagles uniform next season, Deidre Gott surprisingly committed to Kohnhead after being pursued by Z'ai'ai Institute of Technology. He has a massively built frame to play O-line and D-line but ultimately we need him more on the offense where he will be taking over for Peyton Whiteley in protecting Joseph's right side. Gott is currently better at run blocking which is why he will be our starter on the right side which is expected to be a big boost to the offense. Gott has the physical frame to be good in pass protection, we will have to see how that develops but he should be a four year starter on the right side with his run blocking abilities on a run first offense.


Keith Gray (WR)
Nation: Northwest Kalactin (#2)

Keith Gray is a true burner plain and simple, get the ball in his hands and he can score from anywhere on the field evidence by is 4.27 40 yard dash time. Gray will not see the field much as a freshman at least offensively as our current deep threat Jodi Lawrence is still a sophmore (although she's considerably slower running a 4.41) however he figures to immediately be the team's punt and kick returner something that was not a strength for us this season. Despite Ezekial Edwards having emerged in the slot this season he will be a Senior next year and so by his Sophore year Gray should have a big piece in the offense out of the slot where he is able to play. We may however see him this year on deep routes and designed screens, jet sweeps, and others stuff like that designed to get the ball in his hands.


Kalu Alazar (WR)
Nation: Banjia (#2)

This is probably the most surprising commitment the Mighty Eagles picked up as they surprisingly recruited the top offensive player and second best player out of Banjia in wide reciever Kalu Alazar with both Northern Moravica and Raynor both heavily pursuing him. This is an offense that is built on speed especially at the wide receiver position and while Alazar doesn't have the speed of someone like Keith Gray he still has speed. Alazar has the build and good enough speed to be the number one wide receiver for the Mighty Eagles on day one which was certainly a deciding factor in his decision to come here as well as the ambitions of the school to become an elite programs and he will be a big part of.

Albie Terry failed to really live up to his hype this season but Alazar should be able to make a major difference. With all the added talent on offense the hope is Byron Joseph will be able to take his next steps as a passer because as the run first offense worked for most of the season as we saw against FSU it can be stopped and Joseph wasn't good enough as a passer to make up for it.

[Valanora]

Do or Die

The Rockets of Raynor University have waited a week to see what fate might bright them, what foe would be at the gates of Vahalla Falls and would look to disrupt the flight of the Rockets as they look to ascend into the NSCF elite and do what their fellow Empire University did a few years prior, lift the NSCF trophy for themselves. It was a week of nursing minor injuries and making sure that the team was in the right frame of mind for the matchup ahead, as well as a team night on the Saturday to watch the Raiders of Mar Sara attempt to defeat the Skyhawks of Sadeg State in their battle at the start of the playoffs themselves, a bitter rivalry deciding who could move on and whose postseason would be cut short. The recruiting trip by the coaches during the week was also intense, going to both Banija and Chromatika to push a few last minute pledges to the Rockets cause, with various signing days set to occur during the week between the end of the out of conference games and the start of the first round of the playoffs.

It was an auspicious week in that regard then, as the Rockets missed out on both of their large targets from Banija, as Felswyr State out of Chromatika beat the Rockets out to the impressive safety of Ozioma Mazzi, while Kohnhead City pipped the side from wide receiver Kalu Alazar, both prospects having been projected to be starters for the Rockets had they committed to Raynor. In Chromatika, the scouts tried their best to find players that would fit the system for the team, but with having already secured the signature of running back Duke Beckett from Ranoria, there did not appear to be any talent there that would slot into the Rockets' system unfortunately. When you add in Ailo Børve, a hybrid defensive end and linebacker out of the capital, decided to travel to Banija and play for Northern instead of staying home, as well as Mar Sara landing a pair of elite recruits despite having been the poorer of the two Vanorian universities this season, it takes a bit of wind out of the Rockets' sails from a morale perspective, even if the side still looks to be in good shape next year despite missing out on their targets.

As the squad watched the Raiders fall against the Skyhawks of Sadeg State, they felt the burden of expectation fall upon their shoulders, now being the lone representative from the Eternal Empire in the the NSCF 22 playoffs, thanks to their Zephyr Conference title. Watching the game against Sadeg and Mar Sara showed the Rockets one thing, there was not a single moment in the playoffs that they could afford to take for granted, to believe that they were meant to be progressing as if it was some natural right of theirs. From the moment of the kickoff in the capital, in their sporting facility, until whenever the side finished their journey, they needed to find a way to not only embrace the momentous moment but to enjoy it as well, for it was not an occasion that was going to come around that often. The seniors on this team were not going to be around next year and even if they were, there was no guarantee that the Rockets could find a way to replicate the miraculous season that they had and that second half surge that saw them power past their domestic rivals, the traditional Zephyr powerhouse, and the early conference ringleader to capture that conference crown.

The enemies at the gates of Vahlalla Falls are the Mineral Conference Champions of Squidbreak from Squidroidia, an unexpected champion of their conference in much the same vein that the Rockets are. It is also quite impressive that Squidbreak is here after their first round against Salamantic, a side that everyone else believed would be taking on the Rockets in this Round of Eight contest, but Squidbreak rode a huge first half performance against the favorites and emerged in dominant fashion as the victors, the final score being forty-one to twenty. That they were able to double up on a favored side in the favorites own home speaks magnitudes about the ability and desire of this team to reach for the best and is a huge cause for concern for the Rockets, who will be playing as hosts. This is especially true when on paper, Squidbreak is the superior team in all the measurable statistics that one could use to compare the two conference champions, beyond a stark difference in their out of conference record. There the Rockets shine with their three and oh record, while Squidbreak did not win a single one of their out of conference games, though the strength of schedule scores does suggest that Squidbreak was facing a degree or two higher difficult opponent than our Rockets.

If the Rockets are going to be able to defend the home turf and turn the tables on the would be upstarts, the three headed monster of the offensive scheme needs to come alive and in a big way. Chinweuba Jelan will be the absolute key to the matchup, as his talent is a sheer matchup nightmare for any opposing secondary and he has been Håkon Schau's favorite target throughout the season, especially in clutch situations when the Rockets have needed a big play or first down conversion. The sophmore quaterback has played fairly well, especially considering the makeshift offensive line in front of him, yet it is looking more and more like it was the right decision to have redshirted his first year on campus as he has played well beyond being only a sophmore and executed a few key drives when the game was in question. Lastly but far from the least is the star at the running back position, Aleksander Aas. The true senior has been the focal point of the offense and without him, the side would be fairly easy to match up against, but with his dynamic playmaking ability as either a runner or receiver, he keeps teams honest and denies them the chance to double Jelan the whole game. This trio has been fantastic all season and if the season is to continue, they will need to be fantastic once more in front of the home crowd.

[NSCF]

OOC : The Felswyr State-Saguenay matchup was scorinated by a different third party scorinator due to myself and Chromatika facing each other.

NSCF 22 PLAYOFFS - Quarterfinals

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Full Bracket

Felswyr State University Firehawks (CMT) 13–0 Universite de Saguenay Fighting Irish (QUE) (Scorinated by Siovanija and Teusland)

Kohnhead City University Mighty Eagles (KND) 10–6 Richardson University Governors (RAN)

Cold Hill University Buffalo (RAN) 45–28 Sadeg State University Skyhawks (DRK)

Raynor University Rockets (VAL) 35–17 Squidroidia Armed Forces Academy Squidbreak (SQR)

[Banija]

@IsakaJawara Down go the Governors! Hell of a win for Kohnhead City. It sucks we didn't make the playoffs but at least I don't have to watch our rivals get *the* trophy this year. #LoyolaForLife

@HoraceBrowningAD A rough year for the Celestia- 0 playoff wins. We'll get back next year. But we've proven one thing this year- Loyola is the *2nd* best football program in Banija. #NorthernBrotherhood

@ULIFootball Karmin-Falce Auto Bowl champs! Congratulations to the University of the Commonwealth on a great game played, and hats off to our seniors. Go Blue Thunder! #ULIvUCBP

@AllBanijaSportsMagazine This year's NSCF final is guaranteed to a blue blood against a newcomer. As open of a NSCF season as we've seen in a long time. An epic final four awaits. #RoadToBelleHaven

[Ranoria]

Just Like Last Season's Quarterfinals,
Cold Hill Wins a Shootout, Opponent Can't Quite Keep Up

No fault to Sadeg State on either side of the ball here, coming into Cold Hill in the winter is a tough ask for anyone, but the perennial championship contenders from Drawkland didn't appear too bothered by the climate. Where the Buffalo largely came out in sleeves, hoodies under their pads, the whole deal, it seemed a rarity for a Skyhawk to not have his arms bare. It showed on the opening drive. Everyone knew the Buffalo would come out fast and aggressive, and, frankly, they know that everyone knows that. It's almost daring other teams to find a way to beat Deondre Rhine's arm. Well, the Skyhawks evidently found an answer: toughness.

Look, with most teams this might not have worked. Deondre Rhine is bigger, leaner, and stronger than a lot of edge rushers. Whether or not the leaner bit is because of his previous use of methamphetamines, we can't be sure. But Drawkians are massive. At their height, even if they look scrawny, they're going to be one hell of a lot stronger than you'd think. So when they blasted a Cold Hill offensive line that looked miserable in their home turf's weather, Rhine never had a chance. All he could see in front of him was a haze of raised arms and, eventually, the gray sky.

Even in a shotgun formation, Rhine was sacked three plays in a row. Notably, with the exception of Moses Busara on the left side, the entire unit just appeared to lack the killer mentality that they normally carried, an oddity with Vince Vermillion, but the Skyhawks showed no mercy, and took advantage of a not only raw, but average sized corner in Katil Jackman to toss an early touchdown on the next play from scrimmage, Abram Davis hauling the score in before the offensive line had gotten its full chewing out session.

Now, Chris Dale wasn't ready to change his strategy quite yet, and got his star quarterback out of the pocket to get him away from that rather intimidating pass rush. This proved effective for one big completion to the explosive, but inconsistent, Felix Hamilton on a forty yard completion, but when the next pass resulted in a batted ball, Sadeg State must've caught on a couple plays later.

Some of you might remember Jamison Pound if you saw the week 12 matchup between Richardson and the Skyhawks. Big, mean safety, Kuenda Sello tried to hurdle him and got tossed fifteen feet or so in the air?


Right tackle Moses Busara helping Deondre Rhine to his feet after a big hit

Yeah, well, something tells us he doesn't like Deondre Rhine much, because he came down like a bat out of hell and folded the quarterback in half just as he got the ball out for a quick checkdown. If Rhine was any smaller, we're pretty sure he'd be out of the game by now. Hell, he probably should have been anyway, after his helmet came flying off and he was slow to get up. All in all, the drive would end in a field goal, and their opponents would get the ball back, tossing another touchdown by the time the second quarter came around.

"Rhine, c'mere!" Dale said as the Skyhawk special teams marched on to make their extra point, "From the looks of things, they've basically acknowledged that you're going to get yours. They're bringing aggressive blitzes hoping to get their hits in regardless. This game is going to be a test of your toughness, nothing else."

Rhine nodded, strapping his helmet back on, "Yeah, I figured that much. Let's go get it."

Dale's prediction was correct. By the time the half ended, it became clear that Cold Hill was utilizing quick-developing vertical routes to take advantage of a hungry defense, and the score looked a lot better at 17-14, but Rhine had been sacked five times by that point, and had thrown an interception when a blitzing linebacker got to him at just the right time.

---

"How you holding up, boss man?" Vince Vermillion asked Deondre Rhine, courtesy of microphones lodged in the players' pads.

Rhine growled at the tackle in response, "A lot better if you could keep me clean!" He pushed the big man away from him, Vermillion hitting the wall from the surprising strength in the quarterback's arm. "You look like you're playing against Saguenay's front or something! It's a bunch of scrawny ass tall dudes! Do your job!"

"Hey! The hell do you think you're doing!? You're not any bigger yourself!" Vermillion rushed Rhine, and the cocky passer reached out, grabbed the top of his pads, and yanked, sending him straight to the ground.

"Get back in line, runt." Rhine tossed an finger behind him as he stepped over the tackle, the entire team standing silent.

Vermillion spread his arms to Chris Dale, who stood dumbfounded, and gulped with clenched fists. "I-I'll handle it."

"Like you've handled his ass every other time?" Vermillion got back to his feet, "The kid's out of line! Why the hell is he on the field!?"

Rhine turned back around now, glowering at first but letting a smirk play at his lips soon after, "Because we like to win games. You think we're going anywhere with that?" He jammed a thumb towards Austin Golden, his backup. The second stringer's eyes narrowed, but Chris Dale yelled at the top of his lungs, "Hey! Enough! We're a team, you numbskulls, and I expect you to kiss and make up later, but for now, we're only up three against maybe the best schools this side of Loyola-Istria! Get your heads in the game!"

"Speak for yourself," Rhine muttered as the referee signaled that the teams had five minutes to march back out there.

---

The second half started out competitive as well, even if Deondre Rhine came out swinging. Vince Vermillion, as solid a tackle as he's been for the Buffalo, almost appeared to be letting his men through the line, and was benched after the first drive. His performance didn't matter there, as his quarterback stiff armed a Skyhawk defensive end in the pocket and tossed a deep touchdown while he did it. The crowd roared its approval at the feature of a highlight reel worthy play.

The Skyhawks answered quickly on a three play, 71 yard drive however, when quarterback Nick Parks looked off deep man Agnor Viridian, leaving his wideout, Gil Perez, one on one on Emil Johnson, who simply never had a chance.

By the end of the third quarter, the margin was the exact same at 31-28, but Sadeg State, as incredible as they are, suffered the same fallacy that damned the trio of Ifeatu Chineze, Vice Jackson III, and Kuenda Sello a season ago: they couldn't keep up with Deondre Rhine.

Already with two touchdown passes, and one rushing, the quarterback had gotten hot in the third quarter, and he wasn't slowing down. Brannon Hillis, who had notched a rushing score in the first half, was involved heavily on the next drive, reeling in three checkdown style passes and picking up two first downs on those touches to keep the chains moving. It would set up a Darian Millin touchdown catch from seven yards out, the smaller receiver quite literally going under the reach of a pair of Drawkian defenders. He had to slide to the ground for the ball thrown at his feet to avoid what was impressively tight coverage.

But it wasn't done yet. Sadeg State, at this margin, had an offense that was more than capable of bouncing back. And for a moment, it looked like they'd at least keep pace. In a long, extended drive that featured a lot of quick passing, it's likely the revered Skyhawks were hoping to catch freshman Agnor Viridian unawares on a deep ball once again. No such luck.

This time, with a slightly off pass, the budding star tracked it perfectly in the air and hauled it in like a punt return. He ducked under a tackler who had too much momentum to change course immedietely and reversed across the field. The effort was all for naught, with only a few yards, but the Buffalo crowd had its moment once again to declare victory. They were loud, impressively so, but perhaps no so much as the broadcast-drowning din we experienced in the match between Richardson and Northern Moravica.

That would effectively seal it as the Buffalo adopted a similar quick-hitting passing attack to drive down the field, even handing it off to Brannon Hillis thrice, to milk the clock. Eventually, Rhine would loft a game-sealing touchdown, this one to Dorian Browne-Clarke, and his fourth passing of the day. There was celebration among the Cold Hill fanbase when Sadeg State's prolific offense failed to score before time expired, but the team itself seemed cold, no pun intended, as if something else had bothered them.

---

---

"Rhine." Vince Vermillion, the 6'6" stalwart of a left tackle for the Buffalo, stood eye to eye with their most valuable player. "You got anything you want to say?" Rhine looked up, and would have breathed a sigh of relief if he hadn't been so tense. The quarterback avoided eye contact, and Vermillion snarled. "Hey! Look at me." Rhine did just that, and the massive human being nodded, "Better. Look, we both said some things we probably shouldn't."

Rhine nodded, biting his lip before answering, "Look man, I'm sorry. You're a great player, that was a dick move. I was frustrated, I was hurting, and I just went through a breakup."

Vince nodded, accepting the apology, "Good enough for me. We all get a little short tempered when we're on the field, right?" He extended a hand that Rhine eagerly took.

"Yeah, we do. Thanks man." Deondre sighed in relief, "I thought you were gonna kick my ass there for a second."

"Of course. But I might let some of Raynor's guys get through before I totally forgive you, he winked, "They've got some heavy hitters over there."

"Real funny, Vince." Rhine rolled his eyes and stood up as his tackle helped him to do, something they'd done countless times on the field. He glanced down at his phone, and only read the name of the sender, Magnus, before he slid the device in his pocket. Hadn't answered him for awhile now, and he wasn't going to start now.

[Chromatika]

The Flame of the Firehawk
Part 15: Sharpening Up

Team                          1Q  2Q  3Q  4Q   |  Tot
Felswyr State University       3   0   3   7   |   13
Université du Saguenay         0   0   0   0   |    0

1Q
04:11 FSU FG - Sara McAllister 52 yard Field Goal

2Q
None

3Q
11:13 FSU FG - Sara McAllister 45 yard Field Goal

4Q
05:11 FSU TD - Marrick Kaio 3 yard pass from Sarai Gwenderyn (Sara McAllister Kick)

Reborn from Ashes, Felswyr, Mountain District, Chromatika

In an ugly, defensive affair in 23 degree weather, the Felswyr State Firehawks shut out the Fighting Irish, 13-0, in front of a sold-out crowd at Reborn from Ashes.

Both Sarai Gwenderyn and Sandor Welch were harassed all day by each team's defensive lines as Hamed Wassem and Lara Jun had three sacks apiece in a game that featured twelve total sacks. Due to this, and the bitter cold, the game seemed sluggish at times.

The difference was one Sara McAllister for the Firehawks. The kicker, who is still perfect on the season, hit a 52 yarder to start the scoring after Alessandra Mio caught a 5 yard pass and turned it into a 22 yard gain to grant the Firehawks their first foray into Fighting Irish territory. She added another long field goal - this time of 45 yards - in the third quarter.

Thing were still tight in the fourth quarter. Though Welch had been stymied all game - he finished the day 15 of 27 for 221 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception - there was a reason that they were in the Playoffs, and it was still a one-score game.

When Felswyr State got the ball with 9:21 left, Gwenderyn had just finished going over details at the sideline with Naia Curentino.

FSU ran a 4-wide, 1 tight end set for the entire series, and peppered in quick, short passes toward the Fighting Irish center that yielded in 7 and 8 yard gains. When the Fighting Irish brought the blitz, a quick bubble screen to Carson Mettre yielded 23 yards. In three minutes, the Firehawks were within the Fighting Irish 15.

Then, the Firehawks slowed down. Gwenderyn took a handoff straight up the gut twice in a row to reach third down and 2 from the Fighting Irish 5. Then, Curentino made one of the gutsiest moves of her career.

Mikel Kingston snapped the ball. Gwenderyn handed it off to Jottle, something that the Firehawks do once in a while for their end-arounds. However, this time, Jottle pitched it back to seldom used Mi-Yeon Kim. Kim, who has surprisingly soft hands, lofted the ball to the flat, where a wide-open Gwenderyn caught the ball before stepping out of bounds after picking up the first down. Dagger.

Two plays later, Gwenderyn found the only senior on the wide receiving core, Marrick Kaio, for his first touchdown of the year as he reached above his head for the ball. Though Irish corner Tremblay also went up for the ball, Kaio was just a bit taller. Ballgame.

To shut out an opponent in the playoffs is insane, but the Firehawks will have their hands full when the Mighty Eagles of Kohnhead City come to town for a rematch, this time in Felswyr. When the two teams faced each other two games ago, the Mighy Eagles dropped 27 on FSU - the most of any team this year - and it wasn't till the third quarter when the Firehawks' defense was able to put the game away by forcing some turnovers that they returned for the final margin. The 50 points scored by FSU is also the highest of the season.

Kohnhead City will reportedly still not have the services of Herman Whitworth; however, Byron Joseph has proven to be a capable enough thrower of the football. FSU will have to make sure that they don't get burned by the Mighty Eagles's speed. On the offensive side of the ball, it will be another test for the offensive line, as Sarai Gwenderyn will need time to set up her receivers and hit them in stride. Barring that, the sandlot creative ability of Gwenderyn will be needed.

Whomever wins the match will head off to the title game as the best new team this NSCF season. Both Felswyr State and Kohnhead City started the year as unknowns; who will face either of Cold Hill University or Raynor University, two of the more established schools in the competition, in the championship match?

The forecast for the match is 18 degrees and clear. It should be a good day and a good game of football.

[Kohnhead]

Mighty Eagles go 3-0 against Richardson set sights on rematch against FSU


The team celebrates after the 10-6 win at Chicken King Stadium

We all know how difficult going 3-0 against an opponent is, beating them on the road and at home in Conference play is hard enough especially if they are a playoff team. However the most difficult part is putting the cherry on top by beating them in the playoffs or in a bowl game to go 3-0 against them on the season. Well the Kohnhead City University Mighty Eagles have just gone 3-0 against powerhouse Ranorian school Richardson University defeating the Governors 10-6 at Chicken King Stadium.

The first time we met Richardson ever in team history was in week 5 on a Saturday afternoon in Kohnhead City. In one of the massive surprises of the season we recorded a statement win over Richardson beating them 17-6 behind the efforts of star running back Herman Whitworth and most importantly the defense who limited superstar Kuenda Sello to just 72 yards on the ground while averaging 3 yards a carry.

The second time we met them it was a Saturday Night duel at Dietrich Stadium in the final match of conference play we would win 17-13 to sweep them and claim second in the Big Eight. Herman Whitworth was unavailable in this one however we still managed the win with a more running back by committe approach with Brandon Potter and Jack Neville.

This time we met again at Chicken King Stadium for the NSCF 22 quarterfinals as the 4th seeded Mighty Eagles took on the 12th seeded Governors who were coming off of an upset win against 5th seeded Banjian side Northern Moravica University. We had a bye during the first round of the playoffs and were well rested and well prepared. Obviously both teams had lots of film on each other and had real game experience with the two matches prior so lots of preparation was done in order to give each side the edge.

We had limited Kuenda Sello both times prior and in what ended up being his probable last game in a Richardson Uniform we contained him in this one to 97 yards rushing on 26 attempts and five receptions for 19 yards through the air. Our defensive gameplan was simple, stop Sello and hope Murray doesn't beat us through the air (he didn't). Now even when you stack the box on almost every play someone like Kuenda Sello will still burst through at points he's just that good.

Richardson's air attack is built off of play action due to stacked boxes, and run commitance. However in order for that to succeed the quarterback needs to hit the deep balls and neither Angelo Rosin or Beacon Murray has done that all season. Murray who played in this game (he was benched before being brought back earlier this season) went 0-7 on passes that traveled over 20 yards and threw two interceptions on those plays the latter of which proved to be the game sealing one. Murray heaved it up in the direction of Baraka Hali with 1:33 left on the clock at their own 22 but it was underthrown and Anne Boyer picked it off to seal the 10-6 victory.

Now of the 16 total points, 9 of them came off of first half field goals and it was 6-3 Richardson heading into the locker room. However on the first play of the second half Byron Joseph took a deep shot. A Joseph deep shot is a rare occurence for two reasons, one because our offense isn't built on that and deep routes are uncommon as well as Joseph's tendency to scramble too early, and secondly he is awful at them. He's clearly been trying to improve and it showed hurling a pass that traveled 44 yards to Jodi Lawrence who picked it up in stride running across the middle of the field and outran Carter Coleman to the corner of the end zone after turning upfield.

The crowd roared their approval at the only touchdown and points of the second half as it proved to be the winning score that sent us to the semifinals where we would face a familiar opponent.


Semifinals Preview

The game is previewed in Chromatika

Who would have thought that a newcomer school to NSCF would be able to come out of the Ranorian Big Eight, go 3-0 against Richardson, earn a first round bye, and make it to the NSCF semifinals? Absolutely no one so what's even more shocking is that there is a second new team that earned a first round bye, in fact they were the number one seed who are going to the semis. Ah it's Felswyr State University the same team that beat us 50-27 despite being a completely defensive team that technically has allowed the most points to us even though we lost by 23.

FSU are coming off of a 13-0 blanking of Université du Saguenay in Quebec and are ready for this game. There's a reason they're a 13-1 side who went 10-0 and conference play and are the number one team by OSPI. FSU are scary good with their no running back offense which is very different from our offense, hopefully now that playing against their type of offense once we are able to come up with a defensive plan to stop it.

In addition the ground game needs to get going early and often. We went to it early on the last time we played them which was at home but couldn't establish it leading to Byron Joseph breaking all of his personal records for attempts, yards, and turnovers. That's the reason we lost by so much as we just can't be a one dimensional passing offense. A massive blow to this and one of the reason's for last time's rushing meltdown was the absense of star freshman Herman Whitworth. He hasn't practiced all week and while there was hope he could return this week he has been officially ruled out of this one although he will return for our next game (hopefully the Championship but it could be the third place game).

While these two rookie teams do battle at Reborn From Ashes in Chromatika two much more experienced schools in our Big Eight rival and second seeded Cold Hill University taking on Zephyr Conference winners Raynor University. For us the sweep of Richardson, followed by a revenge win against FSU, and undoing the winless against Cold Hill thing to win the championship would be storybook and all can hope for this. However let's not get too far ahead of ourselves and try and get the revenge win against Felswyr State University on the road.

[Valanora]

A Show Of Force

Let us be clear, confidence is not something that anyone should ever be ashamed of, for being filled with the confidence that you are able to do what you set your mind to is what spurns on the best of us to reach our potential and continue to progress through whatever life might throw our way. Confidence in of itself is actually a very good thing to have, as it means you have that self belief that you are capable of whatever obstacles might be in your path, a belief that separates the great from the meek. When it comes to athletes, you want them to be full of confidence, you want them believing that they could be going against the very best teams or players in the entire world and that if they give it their all, that they might find a way to pull out a result or can at the very least put in a good account of themselves that they will have a reason to be proud of their efforts at the end of the day. What you have to look out for and what needs to be avoided is arrogance, for arrogance is the darker side of confidence and enables all that good to very easily be turned sour and undo all the efforts you have put in beforehand.

Arrogance is what cost Squidroidia Armed Forces Academy Squidbreak, or Squidbreak for short and how we shall refer to them for the remainder of the article, any real chance of coming into the capital and walking away with a victory over the Rockets. Their own media was rife with it in the leadup to the game as Squidbreak sought to get ready for their trip to the capital and their playoff match against Raynor University, completely full of themselves and the statistical comparison between Squidbreak and Raynor. Their media went as so far as to allude that they will come into the capital and dominate the Rockets, as Raynor apparently had a "porous" defense that was going to easily be exploited by their dominating offense that was supposed to be among the very best in all of NSCF. That arrogance and an over reliance upon statistics was going to quickly blow up in their faces, as the media and Squidbreak themselves overlooked several key factors to the supposed domination that was to be expected, namely the amount of actual talent on the field and a hunger and desire to win. Those are the sort of qualities that are immeasurable and showed up in spades as the Rockets took flight against their arrogant opposition.

It started with the opening possessions, with the Rockets winning the coin toss and electing to defer, kicking off to the visitors. It was a quick three and out though, with the secondary showing that they were wanting to make a statement against Squidbreak for calling them a weak unit, with two deflections and a sack in the opening drive. A solid return from Chinweuba Jelan from the ensuing punt and the Rockets started at midfield with excellent field position. Aleksander Aas took it to the forty-five with a deft counter that was followed by an insane trick play that got the audience on their feet, with Aas taking a pitch only then to pitch it to Jelan on a supposed reverse before the receiver planted his feet and threw it deep where Kasper Aksnes was all alone in the endzone to make the grab and put the Rockets up early. Another three and out by the visitors and it was starting to seem like they were in trouble, even with the punt being down inside the ten yard line. Aas had a seven yard run, then Thu caught a quick slant to take the Rockets to the twenty-five, before Jalen caught a quick out route and was able to make the secondary miss before taking it the distance to double the Rockets lead with just eight minutes gone in the first quarter.

Squidbreak finally was able to get a few first downs strung together and move the ball a little bit, but their drive stall out at midfield and they were forced to punt again as the quarters rolled over. Fortunately for the visitors, the Rockets were not able to make it three scores from their first three drives, as their own drive stalled after a pair of first downs. For Squidbreak, it seemed like the game was finally starting to settle down after the great start that the Rockets got, though they were not able to make good on the good field position with another three and out and Axel Løchen very nearly picking off what was an intended screen but had to settle for the deflection. As they punted to Jelan, he took the ball in stride at the twelve yardline and started upfield, making one defender miss with a shifty left juke into a squad of blockers that parted the field like a sea as he took off, stiff arming the punter and sprinting into the endzone, jumping all the way up the wall to sit atop it, making a mock photograph celebration with the fans in the first and second row of the stadium before going back to celebrate with his teammates.

Down three scores as halftime loomed, Squidbreak knew they had to score or else this was going to quickly get away from them. Finally they started hitting their own stride in a two minute drill, as the secondary was caught out giving too much cushion in trying to prevent the deep ball but were getting carved up with slants, curls, and out routes until the visitors punched their way into the endzone with ten seconds left in the half. The Rockets were content to kneel the ball and take their lead into the half, knowing they were receiving to start the second half. After being burned by Jelan on the punt, the visitors wisely kicked it out the back of the endzone to start the second half and the Rockets started on the twenty-five. It seemed like they were about to pull out the same play that they had earlier in the game with Aas pitching to Jelan on a reverse, but instead of stopping for a pass, this time the receiver kept running upfield, directing Aksnes to put a lead block on a coming safety, and Jelan putting on his afterburners to leave the rest of the defense in the dust and to give the Rockets back their three score lead and his fourth touchdown of the game. Amazingly, he had scored in all four ways he could, with a rushing, receiving, throwing, and return touchdown, making a case for the NSCF MVP race.

Squidbreak was trying everything at this point to try and get some momentum, even trying a trick play of their own with a receiver pass to the quarterback, but it was easily snuffed out by Lucas Johnsen, as the defensive end had been on a contain assignment on the quarterback. The defense had not taken lightly to being called out by their opponents and were doing everything within their power to put the record straight, they were not a weak unit regardless of whatever stats might have been put out. The next drive for the Rockets was slower paced and more methodical, with Aas featuring more heavily getting eight runs in between the short passes from Håkon Schau to the receiving corps, as the Rockets enforced their will on the labored Squidbreak defense. Aas capped the drive off with a counter from the six yard line, following fullback Noah Nilsen into the endzone, as the Rockets used a rare I-formation to give their star running back an extra blocker that he made good use off. Up thirty-five to seven as the third quarter came to close, head coach Andy Magnusson felt he had sent enough of a message and mass subbed in the second units for both offense and defense. Squidbreak did not find it much easier, but were able to put up a garbage time touchdown and field goal while keeping the Rockets from scoring again, as the game came to a close as thirty-five to seventeen in favor of the capital side.

A rivalry will now be renewed in the semifinals, as the Rockets will be taking on the old Big Eight rivals of Cold Hill University from Ranoria, a matchup that the Buffalo will no doubt be looking forward to as they get to play hosts. Cold Hill makes it to the final four of the tournament as they took down Sadeg State from Drawkland in a very emphatic fashion in Ranoria, the same Sadeg that had made it look quite easy to get past the Raiders in the play-in round. It is going to be a difficult game for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which will be the intense cold of Ranoria compared to the more temperate nature of the mainland of the Empire, something that might slow down the quick passing attack that the Rockets like to use to get momentum going. During their time in the Big 8 together, these matches were intense, and the Rockets and Raiders were among the few who cold pull the double on the Ranorian schools, such is the usual amount of talent that the Ranoria schools usually have. The defense that was rose to the occasion after Squidbreak called them out in the week leading up to that encounter has a big test ahead of them, with Cold Hill have put forty-five on Sadeg. A battle of blue bloods of the NSCF and old rivals in one semifinal, while in the other a fresh pair of schools in Felswyr and Kohnhead City will take on each other for the right to head to Baker Park and the NSCF Championship game.

[NSCF]

NSCF 22 PLAYOFFS - Semifinals

Oof.

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Felswyr State University Firehawks (CMT) 19–3 Kohnhead City University Mighty Eagles (KND)

Cold Hill University Buffalo (RAN) 30–27 Raynor University Rockets (VAL)

[Banija]

@OldHerzegovinaHS Did you see our proud alum Chinweuba Jelan for Raynor in that quarterfinal! Passing, rushing, receiving, and return touchdown. These Herzegovina Boys can do it all! #OldHerzegovinaForLife

@AllBanijaSportsMagazine This year's NSCF title game matchup is the biggest in a long time. Top two seeds, both 14-1. We haven't seen a NSCF champion with only one loss since St. Michael in NSCF 12, when they went 14-1 and won the title. Are Cold Hill and FSU vying for the title of greatest of all time? #RoadToBelleHaven

@AllBanijaSportsMagazine But a champion with at least 15 wins and only one loss? The only time we've seen that was NSCF 8- courtesy of the University of Alzburg-Dyka, a former NSCF powerhouse, when they went 15-1 and won the championship. #RoadToBelleHaven

@AllBanijaSportsMagazine This means just three times in 21 seasons has the NSCF had a one loss champion. NSCF 1(10-1 Utica), NSCF 8(15-1 Alzburg-Dyka), and NSCF 12(14-1 St.Michael). And now, regardless of winner, we'll have a fourth one loss champion, and just the second with 15 wins. Who will it be? FSU or Cold Hill?#RoadToBelleHaven

[Chromatika]

The Flame of the Firehawk
Part 16: Near the Top

Team                          1Q  2Q  3Q  4Q   |  Tot
Felswyr State University       3   7   3   3   |   19
Kohnhead City University       0   0   3   0   |    3

1Q
13:22 FSU FG - Sara McAllister 31 yard Field Goal

2Q
05:29 FSU TD - Sarai Gwenderyn 44 yard run (Sara McAllister Kick)

3Q
08:51 FSU FG - Sara McAllister 39 yard Field Goal
04:11 KCU FG - Seth Potter 41 yard Field Goal

4Q
14:29 FSU FG - Sara McAllister 45 yard Field Goal

Reborn from Ashes, Felswyr, Mountain District, Chromatika

The first time the Mighty Eagles and the Firehawks played each other, seventy-seven points were scored, and it took until the second half for the Firehawks to get some distance against the team from Kohnhead City. Cara Setri, Jill Lia, and the defense were sure to make sure that that would never happen again.

Kohnhead City's first four drives ended in three-and-outs, and Byron Joseph was hit a total of fourteen times as Felswyr State dominated Kohnhead City 19-3 to catapult the team to the Championship Game, where one of the mainstays of the scene - Cold Hill University Buffalo - awaits. It was a tense, defensive affair, as Sarai Gwenderyn was also held in check through the air (15 of 27 for only 148 yards as Alessandra Mio was taken out of the occasion as a deep threat). However, Gwenderyn was very affective on the ground, adding 129 yards on eight carries including the game's only touchdown, a QB keeper in which Gwenderyn got past two linebackers and beat the incoming corner to the sideline.

Felswyr State has completed fifteen games and only conceded 126 points, conceding an average of 8.4 points per game. They've also scored 28 points a game in average. We will dig deeper into the Cold Hill University matchup later, but how did Felswyr State beat the Mighty Eagles twice?

The pressure that was provided by the Chromatik front six (Jill Lia, Lara Jun, Parry Mioto, Cara Setri, Amber Li, and Mi-Hyeon Park) along with the occasional blitzes from Candice Jones and Vi Nia-Kaid kept the Mighty Eagles in check. Nikolai Dimitrov, Paul Mattieu, and Usmer Gialla made sure that Joseph had no place to go with the ball. It was a masterful affair.

One match to go.

---

Felswyr State University vs. Cold Hill University: A Breakdown

When Cold Hill Has the Ball

Deondre "Diamond" Rhine is one of the best players in the NSCF ranks, no questions asked. He had 41 touchdowns and 14 interceptions through thirteen games before the playoffs, and the Buffalo have taken down Sadeg State 45-28 and Raynor University 30-27 in the playoffs. Adam Rickiott, Darian Millin, and Rai Swift, alongside Dorian Brown-Clarke are his favorite targets. In a way, they're as much of an air aid as the Firehawks.

The good news is that the speed of the Firehawk defense can attempt to handle the wide receivers. Nikolai Dimitrov can go one-on-one with Adam Rickiott, Paul Mattieu be on Darian Millin, and Usmer Gialla can be wherever he needs to be to support. Cara Setri has proven to be as good of a cover linebacker as she is a pass rusher, and Amber Li has returned two fumbles for touchdowns. This will be a definite strength vs. strength matchup, as Cold Hill is one of the best offensive attacks and Felswyr State has proven to be the best defensive squad.

Player to Watch: Deondre Rhine. He's had a heck of a year, and though he doesn't have as many rushing touchdowns as Sarai Gwenderyn, he's still the forerunner for Player of the Year. In order for Felswyr State to win, they'll have to pressure Rhine and make him rush through his progressions; if they don't, he'll tear the defense apart, as he's way more experienced than Byron Joseph or any other Quarterback that the team has faced this year.

On the FSU side, Mi-Hyeon Park will be the player to watch. The Middle Linebacker is the communicator and the captain of the defense, and will likely be the spy on Rhine or any running backs or tight ends that might be sneaking in the backfield. She'll have to make sure everyone is on the same page and make some plays herself.

Wild Card: John Judge. If Cold Hill University can get a running game going to go alongside Rhine, that would set up the play-action pass and add yet another dimension. It will be important to bottle up Judge and limit his involvement.

For the FSU defense, if Jill Lia can get consistent pressure on Rhine, it'll make life easier for the rest of the defense. The Defensive End will have to contend with a pretty decent line, but she's had a decent year. Can she be the one to make the difference?

When Felswyr State Has the Ball

Sarai Gwenderyn is the offense. The Felswyr State Quarterback has thrown for 18 touchdowns and rushed for 12, with 10 of those touchdowns being caught by Alessandra Mio. Away from Gwenderyn, only Carson Mettre has scored a rushing TD as Special Teams has contributed 2 touchdowns and 5 touchdowns were scored by the defense. Other than Gwenderyn, the best weapon for the Firehawks is Sara McAllister, who has gone a perfect 31 of 31 in Field Goals and 38 of 38 in Extra Points. If there needs to be a big-time kick, she can make it.

The Buffalo employ a heavy blitz package, consistently sending five past the line of scrimmage. The cornerbacks actually blitz, too.

Player to Watch: Alessandra Mio is the home run threat of the FSU offense, and she'll be counted on to make one or two long catches. FSU needs Mio to work in order to get to an early lead, which may be needed against a team like Cold Hill.

One of the big names for Cold Hill is Emil Johnson, one of those corners that will be across the line quickly and often.

Wild Card: Carson Mettre is an interesting name because he provides most of the end-around runs that make up the designed run plays that aren't meant for Sarai Gwenderyn.

Gwenderyn will have to keep an eye on safety Agnor Viridian, who will be the spy as well as the swiss army knife.

Special Teams

There may be some bias here, but between McAllister's kicking prowess and Katt's punting abilites, FSU might have the edge here.

[Ranoria]

All-World: Belle Haven Awaits!
Three Years, Three Championship Trips for Rhine

The 14-1 Buffalo have appeared unstoppable so far. Let's hope that continues 26 hours from now

Thank god for homefield advantage, because Raynor came to play. Generally, one can assume a three point swing in favor of the home team, and Cold Hill needed just that to topple an old Big 8 rival. In a 30-27 thriller of a semifinal matchup, we got everything we could have asked for from two incredible, championship-caliber football teams. Unfortunately, only one of the two blue-blood programs could win the day. Only one ticket to Belle Haven, and it came through The Tundra.

Filled to the brim, well, almost, with 84 of 85 thousand seats filled despite the bitter cold, the Buffalo crowd roared its approval throughout the contest, with a strong Buffalo first half ending 20-7, three Deondre Rhine touchdown passes and a missed extra point, while the Rockets' only score came when wideout Chinweuba Jelan beat a vertical bracket, simply sprinting past corner Katil Jackman before faking out freshman safety Agnor Viridian. With five yards of seperation between himself and the nearest defender, no one ever had a chance to catch the athletic freak before he trotted into the end zone in what looked like a futile effort.

That said, getting the ball first in the second half, Aleksander Aas set out to prove that Jelan wasn't the only star on this offense. His first two touches, carries, went as many before had: smashing into an unrelenting Cold Hill interior that was chock-full of big men. The third took advantage of a pass-rush first defensive line however on a screen. As the entire front seven flooded upfield, passer Håkon Schau was more than adept enough to hit a wide open target.

With room to run and blockers in front of him, Aas let just one defender get near him throughout the 71 yard scamper, hurdling Viridian when the freshman came in for a tackle and letting his linemen plow the way forward for him as long as he could. He would end up slashing through a gap in the wall they provided him to evade a linebacker and end up in the end zone, just a spark, but enough to show that this game wasn't over yet...especially when Deondre Rhine committed his first turnover of the game on the next drive.

That interception would become a Raynor field goal, and suddenly those in attendance became uneasy. 20-17 isn't quite as comfortable as the first half tally had indicated, and murmurs were certainly circling about the fact that Raynor had twice swept Cold Hill in the past. A Brannon Hillis-heavy drive ensued, the elusive back taking four carries for modest yardage on a drive that would stop the bleeding with a field goal. But it was all Rockets from there.

The Buffalo defense seemed completely hapless as Håkon Schau shredded whatever defense they had fielded on the next drive, his own progress only stopping when Viridian finally made a play, coming down hard to meet Aleksander Aas at the seven yard line. The defense may have stonewalled for another couple of snaps, but Aas shrugged off the hit by the time a bold fourth down call was in order and sprinted his way past the goal line to make it 24-23, taking the first lead of the game with an exclamation point of a play.

When the Buffalo, in the fourth quarter, failed to garner anything on the next series, their opponents would take advantage, notching another three pointer to get to 27-23 with just minutes left on the game clock. Rhine, who hadn't been his usual dominant self, took the field with one more chance to advance, to keep up his streak of NSCF championship game appearances. The massive quarterback would shrug off a sack on the first play, step up in the pocket, and let that cannon he has for an arm rip down the field towards a streaking Rai Swift. The speedy freshman hadn't earned himself a ton of separation, but Rhine knew damn well he didn't have time for checkdowns, and the youngster twisted just in time, reeling the ball into his chest and curling into a ball when he hit the ground, going total possession catch when a pair of defenders tried to tear it from his grasp.

That one pass had gotten them down almost into the red zone. This was a good example of Deondre Rhine's career as a whole. Interceptions? Sure. Maybe some up and down play? Yeah, probably. Enough raw yardage and highlights that nobody cares? Damn straight.

Some of you will recall a season ago, when Richardson came in with a triad consisting of Kuenda Sello, Vice Jackson III, and Ifeatu Chineze. In the quarterfinals, that trio, the domestic Ranorian champions, came into Cold Hill, and no matter what they did as a team, there was one factor they couldn't overcome. That factor was Diamond Rhine. This game was taking the appearance of being no different. Raynor had a wealth of talent on offense between Aleksander Aas at halfback, Håkon Schau at the helm, and Chinweuba Jelan out wide. But against Rhine, sometimes it's just never enough.

With just under a quarter of a minute on the clock, that quarterback would take one more snap and hit his tight end, Dorian Browne-Clark, at the five yard line. Another, and Darien Millen came up with a game-winning touchdown, much to the delight of the home crowd in a blisteringly cold stadium.

The star of this team celebrating his game-winning touchdown in what was the most exciting game of these playoffs

You'll remember that offense trio we mentioned, however? Yeah, well, they certainly weren't hanging it up for the year without a fight, not after the fantastic season they've had. Håkon Schau seemed determined to hit a deep ball, as he should, but repeatedly he made a smart decision, dumping it off to Aleksander Aas on two plays in a row and picking up nineteen yards against soft coverage as the back stopped the clock each time. But he knew they were running out of time, and finally took his shot. The two previous plays were probably the best that they could have asked for, at least getting them inside fifty yards.

Of course it was Chinweuba Jelan hauling it in thirty yards downfield, and of course he spun away from two defenders, just barely getting tackled by the last man who had a chance at him. That man was sophomore Cooper Hart, a sure tackler at strong safety who drove Jelan back just as he seemed to reach the goal line. The play was reviewed for a full three minutes plus some, as it looked like the offense's designated playmaker had pulled off a miracle, but replay showed that he hadn't quite broken the plane, and that would seal it.

Deondre Rhine, once the call was made, pumped his fist in the air as the crowd stormed the field after the tightest game of this NSCF postseason. Hell, it was the closest game of the season period for the Buffalo, whom had dropped just one against the Richardson Universtiy Governors. Fans would charge around him, a solitary figure who ultimately triumphed because his side was the last one to have the ball with any amount of time. But he had done it once again. Deondre Rhine was going to make his fourth championship appearance in three seasons, third in the NSCF. A winner just once, in NSCF 20 against Northern Moravica, and going home in defeat both last season against Richardson in the domestic season and against Loyola-Istria in the NSCF. This year, he's got his shot at redemption. Deondre Rhine will be taking on an instant juggernaut in Felswyr State.

Before we get into a breakdown of this historic run however, let's see how Deondre Rhine has fared in previous championship games.

His first one came in NSCF 20, a shutout triumph over Northern Moravica. At the time, Rhine had a 1,600 yard runner, the best in Cold Hill history, in Hue Ross to lean on. Not that he needed it, tossing 3,700 yards and 31 touchdowns that year. That was widely considered Rhine's most studious week in his career, and he showed it, opening up with a touchdown pass that he knew was open based on the Cougar's defense. But from there, it was all Hue Ross and the defense. The back would tally on 157 yards on the night, and Rhine threw just three times in the second half. A far departure from the team's usual approach, but with a freshman quarterback and a star back, well, who can blame them?

Then came the match against Richardson. His sophomore year, Deondre Rhine was unstoppable, ripping an obscene 560 yards and 5 touchdowns, against 3 picks, in the championship. That last interception would be a back breaker as Ifeatu Chineze played much more efficiently, passing for three fourth quarter touchdowns to lead his Governors back. Despite that, it was, of course, still an unbelievable performance by Rhine. When you're getting that kind of production at the quarterback position, you can't really complain about three picks. It was an incredible football game between two amazing teams that would each go 9-1 in conference play in the coming NSCF season. We won't sully it by criticizing either side.

So then came the NSCF XXI championship game. Rhine had come in as the centerpiece of the offense, racking 4,100 yards and 36 touchdowns that season. He'd come back from a 560 yard, 5/3 performance in the domestic championship to eviscerate Richardson's vaunted defense in the quarterfinal, piling on 52 points, 561 yards, and 6 touchdown passes without an interception. Then another 50 point explosion to push through the University of the Commonwealth of Baker Park's Warriors. Unfortunately, he was stopped by the best team in the world, Loyola-Istria's Blue Thunder. After starting slow, Rhine came roaring back in the second half, notching four total touchdown passes in an oh-so-close attempt at a comeback, losing 41-35 after being down 24-7 at halftime. Notably, that NSCF 21 Blue Thunder team might be one of the best NSCF teams ever. They would finish having beaten Richardson, who lost only to them and Cold Hill that year, in the Rebel's Cannon Bowl. They beat Cold Hill, who only lost to Loyola and Richardson. They went 4-1 against the Salamantic Universities Professors and Northern Moravica between conference play and the playoffs.

So, what can we say? Rhine's done pretty well, even in losing efforts, in championship performances. This also marks the second time a team has made three straight NSCF championship appearances. The other team? the University of Alzburg-Dyka, who went 2-1 in championship appearances between NSCF 6 and NSCF 8.

NSCF 6:
University of Alzburg-Dyka - 20
Freedom's Altar University - 0
NSCF 7:
University of Alzburg-Dyka - 0
University of Port Salem - 13
NSCF 8:
University of Alzburg-Dyka - 30
Netteingen Tech - 17

What a legendary run, eh? But what's really telling is that they also lost their second trip to the championship game. So Cold Hill took it's lump against Loyola-Istria! So what, they're incredible! It happens to the best of us (apparently). Now it's our turn to win again!

Of course, Felswyr State is staking their own history. They are the first squad since NSCF 2 to make the championship game in their first year. It's completely unprecedented, and back in NSCF 2, you have to realize that no one had really established themselves in this fledgling tournament. The Firehawks, meanwhile, have blazed a trail to match the Buffalo at 14-1, running through Sadeg State's storied squad in conference play, a fellow upstart newcomer in Kohnhead City in the semifinal, and another perennial championship contender in Saguenay in the quarterfinals. That one was an interesting matchup, with a tough Firehawk Defense against a vaunted Fighting Irish offensive line. Ultimately though, that nasty front five was unable to get anything going in a 13-0 slugfest.

So what's the plan? Well, Cold Hill's in trouble against a team that, including playoffs, is allowing a disgustingly stingy 8.4 points per game. Remember that vaunted, pass rush heavy Richardson unit with Clancy Gluber at linebacker and an incredibly deep defensive back room? They allowed 14.9 per game in their 15 contests, including the playoffs. And to be frank, Cold Hill split with them. Against a deep secondary, our sub par receivers are going to have to step up. Well, maybe most teams would say that. Not us.

No, we know who has to step up: Deondre Rhine. And he's done it before. Against sturdy Governor defenses, Rhine has brought thunder and embarrassed the opposition. He's going to have to have a legendary performance to keep up with his main opposition for Player of the Year in Sarai Gwenderyn. The Firehawks quarterback may have had just 30 touchdowns through the semifinal to Rhine's whopping 42 just in the regular season, but it's important to note that Cold Hill is an established championship contender with the talent at their backs to prove it and plenty of NSCF playoff experience. Felswyr State, meanwhile, while obviously being talented and tough as hell, they don't have that playoff experience. Hell, they aren't used to the traveling, a huge factor for newcomer teams. But it hasn't mattered, the team tripping up just once in a dominant campaign that's led them to Belle Haven.

As has been pointed out by Banijan media too, the winner of this game will be just the second 15 game winner in the history of the NSCF, as both teams come in at an imposing 14-1. And hey, we actually didn't pick up on this one until the All-Banija Sports Magazine pointed it out: That 15 win team? it was University of Alzburg-Dyka, in NSCF 8. You folks will remember that was their third trip in as many years to the NSCF championship, and that they won their first trip as well while losing their second. That's a lot of parallels. You know what we'd rather call it?

The stars aligning. The Buffalo share a ton of parallels with that storied NSCF 8 championship squad, and we've got the most dominant player Ranoria has to offer at the helm. For a Felswyr State team that has smashed through every hurdle in their way, it's time for "All-World" to give them their "Welcome to the NSCF" moment.

It all comes down to this! Belle Haven, Saturday Night! Be there or be...well, you'll probably be watching on television, won't you?

NSCF Awards: Who are our frontrunners?

Hey, everyone wants to know right? So let's get down to business.

Special Teams Player of the Year:

Well, it's a three man race for Special Teams Player of the Year. We've got two kickers, Flynn de Laurentis of Squidroidia and Wyat Gownvasser of XPI with true standout performances. For the former, he had two big games, with a nice quartet of field goals in the 4th quarter in week 8 and a triad of field goals with four nailed extra points a week later. That stretch makes him the number two man in the running, we'd say, for this award.

Kicker Wyat Gownvasser, however, made his own claim in week 9 with 6 field goals and 2 extra points, good for 20 total points on the day.

Our frontrunner? Carson Mettre, with two long punt returns for touchdowns. The Felswyr State product had a 71 and a 73 yard punt return this season, contributing heavily to the scoring of a defensive-minded Firehawks football team.

Defensive Player of the Year

Tough on here. We'd have put Malik Sherman, Richardson's spearhead on the defensive line, as the favorite through week 8. The monstrous edge defender had racked up 40 tackles, 9 TFL, 9.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles and recoveries through that stretch, thoroughly dominating anyone in his path. Alas, he suffered a catastrophic knee injury that may have ended his football career. So who's next?

Our frontrunner probably comes from the Salamantic Universities Professors. Dan De Boer finished a 13 game slate with a good 9 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and an absolutely ungodly 7 forced fumbles. That, kids, is called textbook disruption. De Boer was, obviously, a force for the Professors off the edge who had to be accounted for on every snap.

Another candidate? Defensive back Zion Irving of Kohnhead. This young man led an effort with three interceptions in weeks 3 and 4, with three interceptions by that latter date. He would have five picks for the Mighty Eagles by week 12, a central piece in their defense.

And third, we've got Felswyr State linebacker Mi-Hyeon Park. With a 14 tackle game under his belt and being one of the playmakers, and the captain, of a defense that allowed a historically stingy 8.4 points per game including the playoffs, we have to include him on here. Park is a more than capable tackler or blitzer as the signal caller of this defense, and can serve as a spy on more mobile quarterbacks as well.

Offensive Player of the Year/Most Outstanding Player:

It's no secret that the OPOY award will probably go to the runner up for MOP, so why not just combine the two? We've got four candidates for this spot.

Our least likely, but certainly eligible, man is Kuenda Sello. The Governors didn't score much this season, but when they did, it was Sello getting it done. The running back was responsible for 18 of the team's 28 touchdowns in the regular season, an impressive percentage for a running back. He'd finish with 319 attempts for 1,955 yards at 6.13 a pop. That would also include 15 rushing scores and a nice 45 receptions, 452 yards and 3 TD. The rushing yards and touchdowns are both Governor and Ranorian records for NSCF competition, and the receiving stats were all good for second on the team despite Sello being perceived as a power back.

Second, quarterback Amazu Chibuzo of the Blue Thunder. Leading one of the best offenses in the NSCF, again, Chibuzo would have 3,240 yards, through 12 games, and a nice 32 touchdowns, to just 9 interceptions by the end of the regular season despite a down year for what's almost indisputably the best program in the NSCF. The biggest mark against Chibuzo was losing in the Rebel's Cannon Bowl, but he would go on to dominate in the Karmin-Falce Auto Bowl in a stadium that's been friendly to Loyola-Istria. The passer racked up 28 points on a strong Baker park squad, with three touchdowns to just one interception in that one. Now, you can point to the record. That's fine. But before you do that, realize the season that this superstar junior had. He would finish just over 3,800 yards with a strong 35 to 10 TD-INT ratio. For reference, Ifeatu Chineze's dominant junior season saw him end with 3,400 yards and just 31 touchdown passes.

Now we get into the two favorites. First: Deondre Rhine.

Not much needs to be said here. He is the centerpiece of a ridiculously pass-centric offense and can basically do whatever the hell he wants when he's on. Rhine ended the year with some stupidly gaudy numbers. 4,446 yards on 425 attempts (10.46 yards per clip there), and 41 touchdowns, just shy of a 10% touchdown percentage. Now, he did turn the ball over plenty, with 14 interceptions in the regular season, but with that kind of production, can you really complain too much? Plus, he chipped in well with just over a few hundred rushing yards and another touchdown.

But we have one more candidate to present, one who's candidacy we think goes beyond raw statistics: Sarai Gwenderyn, quarterback of the Buffalo's championship opponent Felswyr State firehawks. Gwenderyn was unstoppable this year, with 18 passing and 12 rushing touchdowns. Yardage wise, she proved plenty of times that she could dominate on the ground or in the air. She opened up the season with a 371 pass yard, three touchdown performance, and didn't slow down. In week three, she would have two touchdown passes and led a comeback against the storied Sadeg State Skyhawks, running in a game winning touchdown late in the fourth. Week 4? 341 yards with pair of passing touchdowns with a solid 51 on the ground and another score.

Perhaps her best performance came in week 6. Gwenderyn was slowed up in the air, with just under a century and a half passing with a pick, so she went to the ground. And it worked. A whopping 205 rushing yards and four scores on the ground. Week 8, she went 5/5 on the first drive of play and added a pair of scores in the air. You get the drift: Domination all season, however she wanted. But like we said, this goes beyond outstanding performances.

The Firehawks had a dominant defense, but Gwenderyn was undoubtedly their superstar, the face of the program in its debut season in the NSCF. Despite Felswyr State not being used to the intense travel load of this sort of competition, she led them to a 14-1 record to this point, and is on the cusp of winning a championship for the debut squad, unheard of in this league. And that's why she's our frontrunner for Player of the Year over Deondre Rhine. The intangibles, the leadership, and her role on a team that's done some truly incredible things in their first year.

[NSCF]

NSCF 22 PLAYOFFS - The Championship Final

Yeah, I am that space fantasy.

---

#1Felswyr State University Firehawks (CMT) 13–20 #2Cold Hill University Buffalo (RAN)

Congratulations to the NSCF 22 champions, and to all the schools who competed with heart this year.

[Banija]

@LanceKabuye Congrats to Cold Hill on their second title, and to Felswyr State on a fantastic debut season! Hell of a job by Coach Dale. Cold Hill has set the standard by going 42-6 over the last three seasons- and that's a bar we will strive to meet next season. #NorthIsRising

@AllBanijaSportsMagazine 15-1 Cold Hill University. What a run the last three seasons by Cold Hill. NSCF 20- 13-3, champs. NSCF 21- 14-2, runners-up. NSCF 22, 15-1 champs. They're indisputably the NSCF's top program right now. Can anyone catch them? #NSCF22 #CHvFSU

@KamuzyuAcademyArts Moses Busara is a NSCF champion! Look at our alumni. Whether in the arts, or on the gridiron, Kamuzyu grads thrive wherever they go. Enroll your teenager into our high school today! #KamuzyuArts #BuffaloStampedeForGlory

@Ozioma Mazzi My heart goes out to Felswyr State! But 12-1! #1 overall seed! What a season! I'm so psyched to join FSU next season. The NSCF is on notice- this ain't no one hit wonder. The Firehawks aren't going anywhere! #FelswyrNation

@AllBanijaSportsMagazine 15-1 Cold Hill Buffalo. Champs. In the discussions for best NSCF squad of all time? This is their 12th consecutive win- approaching a NSCF record on that front as well? #NSCF22 #CHvFSU

@LoyolaBusukuma Guess which Loyola campus played in the most gridiron playoff games this year? Hint- it's not Istria

*Final tweet was deleted after a few minutes, but not before it had been screenshotted countless times by angry Loyola-Istria fans*

[Ranoria]

Buffalo Defeat Firehawks,
Win Second NSCF Crown in Three Seasons

Deondre Rhine and Buffalo Coach Chris Dale have spearheaded an effort to bring this program to the pinnacle of college gridiron

There were whispers of Rhine being suspended or worse, booted from this team, whispers that seem to arise every season. Hell, he was suspended his freshman season just before the playoffs. But here he was, our hero in the flesh, Rhine got his act together just in time to lead this team once more. In one of the most iconic stadiums for the NSCF by this point, Belle Haven's very own BBP National Stadium, the Buffalo arrived in familiar territory. A season ago, they'd been hamstrung by a program they may well have now usurped for best in the NSCF, Loyola-Istria Blue Thunder. They'd been dropped 35-41, and that championship win is Loyola's claim to still being the best in the business. The two powerhouse programs didn't lock horns this year, so perhaps a definitive answer will have to wait until next season.

Anyway! What. A. Game.

Felswyr State's Firehawks were the top seed in the tournament, the last team to lose a game (with their first and one of only two losses coming in week 11), and came into this thing like a bat out of hell. With a defense that matched up well with our receiving group, the Buffalo were in trouble early. Despite a solid season for Darien Millen, he's no standout, and no one behind him on the depth chart is, either. The closest thing the Buffalo have to a playmaker among the tight ends and wideouts is Dorian Brown-Clarke, but the Firehawks weren't foolish enough to leave him out of their game plan, and the tight end was largely kept in check. On the other side of the ball, Sarai Gwenderyn didn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. The Buffalo had come in with a plan to slow down Alessandra Mio, who's sister would be coming to play in Cold Hill next season. Every snap, either Katil Jackman or Emil Johnson would be on her, and at least one safety playing overtop in a classic vertical bracket. This snap, Agnor Viridian happened to be that guy overtop.

We can only assume that this was part of the game plan. Viridian is a stud, but he's also young and inexperienced, and once he was the guy on the back end, the Firehawks took their first shot of the game. In a saavy move that also likely points to the coaching staff, Gwenderyn looked to the opposite side of the field, and Viridian took the bait. Katil Jackman, who thought he had help overtop, played aggressive and paid the price when Mio strode into the endzone with nobody within ten yards of her. And really, we can't be sure she wouldn't have done the same if it had been covered well, the pass was absolutely perfect.

Meanwhile, Rhine had struggled to move the ball, and Cold Hill would only score late when Brannon Hillis made a sharp cut from the fifteen yard line to sprint untouched into the end zone. After Rhine had thrown a red zone interception on the last drive, it was a welcome change of pace, but the fanbase was still biting their nails with a 10-7 halftime score in favor of the Firehawks. Their defense had been suffocating to this point, sacking Deondre Rhine twice and picking him off as many times. Receivers couldn't get open and a young Moses Busara was having trouble with a tough pass rush. And Cold Hill's stagnant unit on that end? They had yet to mark a pressure against Gwenderyn, and it showed, the explosive passer dicing up Cold Hill with 161 passing yards thus far.

As told by Deondre Rhine, this is how the conversation went between himself and offensive coordinator Daniel Booker at halftime.

"Diamond, do you want to win or pat your stats?"

"I'm here to win, Coach."

"Okay then. Remember that."

And so, we saw something we're not used to with Cold Hill: They ran the ball, and they did so heavily. Redshirt freshman Brannon Hillis became the focal point of the offense, be that taking it on power runs or quick screens and routes out of the backfield. He'd finish the game with 20 carries and 8 receptions with 133 yards from scrimmage. John Judge, who had struggled this season and lost his job to the dual threat back, came on strong as well, carrying the ball 6 times for 31 yards himself. The ground & pound gameplan certainly wasn't the expectation coming in, but by the fourth quarter it had evened the score, 13-13, with the teams notching three field goals between the two of them. Our Buffalo defense had stiffened up, with Brock Golden and Hughe Brown notching a pair of sacks while Agnor Viridian spied on Sarai Gwenderyn. His speed was enough to close the distance between himself and the quarterback before she got anything going on a scramble, not unlike what Marcell Salley did to Isaka Jawara in NSCF XX. Granted, Gwenderyn and Viridian aren't quite on the level of those two...yet.

The final piece of that puzzle came from inside linebacker Robert Lewan. The thumper did his part to blast into any designed run the Firehawks tried, and his heavy-hitting style certainly took its toll.

But come late in the fourth quarter, the score was still all tied up. Deondre Rhine had been held to a modest statline to this point, 18/28 for 231 yards and a pair of interceptions. Just not his night, not against this defense. A quarterback who had averaged more than ten yards per attempt in the regular season was being shut down, forced to hand the ball off for a team that wasn't used to playing that style of football. Actually, we have to give some kudos to our kicker for once. Freshman Harry Swift nailed 39 and 41 yard field goal, in that order, both being career longs for the youngster. The second one had just enough on it to limp its way through the goal posts.

So, five minutes left, Rhine's struggling, we should run the ball and try to get into field goal range for a kicker who's playing well, right? Probably. Except that Felswyr State's better than that. Of course they weren't going to make it easy. Jill Lia and Parry Mioto each played their parts, with the former notching second-down two tackles for a loss on the drive, both being followed up with passes that just barely picked up the first down. Mioto stuffed one on the very next drive, and it soon became apparent that running the ball just wasn't working. To be expected, really. The Buffalo aren't used to run blocking, even if the offensive line enjoys it, so of course they weren't going to be as effective on that front.

By the time that fiasco was over, Cold Hill would be left with a third down on the fifty yard line with just under four minutes left, having fought for every inch on what they'd hoped would be a game winning drive. But this defense seemed just as determined to get the ball back into the hands of their own star at quarterback with a chance to win the game.

On third down, Rhine faked a handoff to his back, Hillis, but there was a problem. Cara Setri, outside linebacker, never bit for a second on the fake, and hit Rhine before he'd even turned to pass. He somehow managed to keep hold of the ball, but it was becoming more and more clear that something big had to happen. Playing disciplined, running the ball, that's great, but it's also playing into the hands of the Firehawks. Proof? They didn't commit a single penalty in this contest. The Buffalo gave up six, three of them for holding, a pass interference, and of course a couple unsportsmanlike conduct calls. Also unlike our champs, there was no jawing, no talk. Say what you will, but the Firehawks are a team chock-full of well coached, disciplined, classy young men and women.

And that's why we needed Deondre Rhine. He goes against everything a program like that, or Richardson, Saguenay, you get the drill, stand for. He's brazen, possibly insane, certainly out of control, and arrogant to a fault more often than not. So when he dropped back for that final, fourth down pass, it was a battle of two completely different team philosophies. Now listen, Darien Millen might be playing the last game of his career, he's just not a great pro prospect, and we doubt he makes it through training camp. But he's Rhine's best target, and even double covered, that's who he went to from 54 yards out. The offensive line held up, with a big shoutout to Vince Vermillion and Moses Busara at the tackle positions, and the ball couldn't have been better. No, really, you couldn't have walked up to where it was thrown and placed it in better position. Millen caught it in stride at the two yard line, the FSU defender just a hair's breadth away from getting a hand on it, and his momentum carried him through the tackle and into the end zone.

In what was likely the highlight of Millen's career, he would secure the game-winner in Belle Haven

A good chunk of the crowd in the crown jewel of the Baker Park sports world erupted in applause. Of course the Ranorians present in the beautiful city let their voices be heard, and some of the native crowd lent their cheers as well. Who could blame them? In a defensive slugfest to this point, we'd only had a few big passing plays, and only one for Cold Hill. Two of those highlight reel plays, of course, had resulted in touchdowns.

So here it was. Sarai Gwenderyn, one of the two frontrunners for the MOP award, with a chance to secure the championship and show that she was better than Rhine, her primary opposition for that honor. She may not have the experience of this Buffalo team, but it didn't show, not at first. Two runs and three passes to start the drive and get down to the Cold Hill forty yard line. Things were quickly looking dicey, and they didn't get any better when she dialed up Allesandra Mio down the field. Once again, she beat Katil Jackman on the deep ball, but this time Viridian made up for his earlier mistake and secured the tackle...at the two yard line, with forty seconds to play.

Gwenderyn ran twice, managing a yard on each carry, but inching her way closer and closer to a tie ballgame. That did, however, force Felswyr to burn the last of their timeouts, and that meant they had to pass on third down. So they did. Fortunately, Brock Golden turned up the biggest play of his season, the six foot four edge rusher backing off his rush once he realized he wasn't getting anywhere. At that point, all he had to do was jump, use those freakishly long arms, and bat down a pass that would have likely been a game-winner to Mio, who's probably going to give our fanbase nightmares for years to come.

Fourth down would seal it, err, nearly. Gwenderyn took the snap and went through her progressions, but there was no one open. At some point, the alarms went off in her head, and rightfully so as defensive linemen Haze Herbert would eat the turf, having dived from her blindside to make the tackle just as she started to move. The edge was there, but could she make it? Not quite.

Hughe Brown, the only competent pass rusher for the team this year, was there. And he was bigger, stronger, and probably meaner. He folded the quarterback in half just before she reached the line of scrimmage for his second sack of the game, and got up with a roar as the defenders on the field with him swarmed around him. Gwenderyn, for her part, picked herself up, glanced up at the scoreboard, and never gave any outward sign of frustration.

But there was one complication. The Buffalo couldn't just kneel to end it, because with a safety still in play, a punt would have come next. So, practically at the one, the next snap still held a fair degree of suspense. Fortunately, Brannon Hillis had just enough juice to get it done. The interior of the Buffalo line was pushed back on the line of scrimmage in a last-gasp effort to turn things around. For a moment, it looked like they'd be successful. Brannon Hillis just didn't quite have the mass to push himself forward, but the Buffalo did have a sizeable quarterback. Rhine would reach around his back's waist and drive his own feet towards the line of scrimmage, managing to create just enough momentum for the ball to break the plane. The refs, after a minute or so consulting one another, would spot the ball just between the one and the goal line, and that would do it.

You didn't think a team as wild as this one would forego the sacred tradition of dunking their coach, did you?

A twelfth straight win for Cold Hill, something that hopefully they'll continue in the regular season, after such a dominant run in the NSCF. They're actually 42-6 over their last three NSCF seasons...perhaps it's time to consider ditching the domestic season altogether? And with Rhine at the helm, this football team isn't going away anytime soon, and the best quarterback in college football can only go up from here.

Speaking of, he and Sarai Gwenderyn would meet in the middle of the field after the game to shake hands and such. A brief congratulation from the latter, composed as ever, and Rhine congratulated her on an incredible season as well. From what our microphones picked up, Gwenderyn did what she could to pick Rhine's brain, and Diamond seemed more than content to share what he could while getting his own inquiries in as well. What else did we expect from two star quarterbacks?

And now, once again, the Buffalo have climbed the mountain that is the NSCF, and they've brought all of Cold Hill, and Ranoria, with them.

Oh, and we can't forget Deondre Rhine's tweet, taking a shot at his rival Governors immedietely following the contest.

@DiamondRhine Friendly reminder! Two NSCF Championships for us, none for Richardson!#BestInTheCountry#NSCF22Champs

[Chromatika]

The Flame of the Firehawk
Part 17: The Final Showdown

Team                          1Q  2Q  3Q  4Q   |  Tot
Felswyr State University       7   3   0   3   |   13
Cold Hill University           0   7   6   7   |   20

1Q
06:28 FSU TD - Alessandra Mio 71 yard pass from Sarai Gwenderyn (Sara McAllister Kick)

2Q
13:29 FSU FG - Sara McAllister 49 yard Field Goal
10:01 CHU TD - Brannon Hillis 15 yard run (Harry Swift Kick)

3Q
12:44 CHU FG - Harry Swift 41 yard Field Goal
06:37 CHU FG - Harry Swift 39 yard Field Goal

4Q
12:25 CHU TD - Darian Millen 52 yard pass from Deondre Rhine (Harry Swift Kick)
10:28 FSU FG - Sara McAllister 42 yard Field Goal

BBP National Stadium, Belle Haven, Baker Park

For a detailed recap of the game that is written supremely and without any bias at all (no really), please read the post from the Ranorian press.

We would like to point out three things to wrap up this season:

1. The Feslwyr State Defense Was Historic

Even with the 13-20 loss to the Buffalo, the Firehawks defense conceded only 146 points in 16 games, good for 9.125 points a game. In fact, Rhine's pass to Darian Millen was the longest pass play given up all season. The fact that this group - with so few upperclassmen - did so well bodes well for the team, and should be the backbone of the team for many more NSCFs to come.

2. The Mio Rivalry Is On

After the game, Alessandra Mio was approached first and foremost by a figure from the sidelines - her younger sister, Victoria Mio. It has been noted that the two are fierce rivals (though probably they still love each other - they are sisters, after all). Victoria will be a cornerback for the Buffalo next NSCF, and there is talk that Cold Hill and Felswyr State might do a home-and-home series for the Out of Conference Games in the future. It's good for the Iron Legion, and probably good for the Mio sisters as a whole.

3. The CCGC Should Be Fun

The Chromatik Collegiate Football Association, which not only manages football in the collegiate level but has a huge pull on other sports, has announced it will help with the formation of the CCGC, or Chromatik Collegiate Gridiron Conference. This competition, which will have six teams, will have a ten-game season that runs with the NSCF. Chromia Central College University, Eyrods Tech, Z'ai'ai Institute of Technology, University of Myana, Deprí Lanar University, and Deprí Sanar University will make up the conference. University of Myana will be interesting as they are rumored to be running a pistol formation offense, Deprí Lanar University is a run-first team, and Chromia Central are supposedly the most defensive of the lot - a carryover from the CCFA team, probably.

It's going to be fun. Collegiate gridiron is here to stay, and what a debut season.

Things are just getting started.

[NSCF]

OOC note: Also reposted in NSCF Discussion Thread.

For those who participated in NSCF 22, sorry for delays with the awards.

As we inch closer to the opening of NSCF 23, what better way to do so than to wrap up what was a smoothly-run cycle?

Please nominate your NSCF 22 Awards to NSCF (all participants from NSCF 22 cycle allowed, even those not returning).

Most Outstanding Player of the Year
Offensive Player of the Year
Defensive Player of the Year
Special Teams Player of the Year
Coach of the Year

Links to rosters can be found in the OP of the main thread. After a few days of accepting nominations (rough estimate being sometime this weekend), the NSCF Committee will vote on the winners. You may nominate your own players that you feel are worthy, or others that stood out to you from the season's RPs.