NSCF 25 - Everything Thread

[Buffalostan]

Week 6

      1   2   3   4   F
CHU   7  17   0   7  31
UOM   7   7   3   6  23
BOX                                                                      CHU  UOM
  1 Jake Murphy 1 yard run (Sara Sofía Céspedes kick)                     0    7
    Aurel Strathos 5 yard run (Jang Bo-Ah kick)                           7    7
  2 Nikolas Isaksen 29 yard pass from Aurel Strathos (Jang Bo-Ah kick)   14    7
    Jang Bo-Ah 26 yard field goal                                        17    7
    Tashard Hughes 3 yard run (Sara Sofía Céspedes kick)                 17   14
    Nikolas Isaksen 50 yard pass from Aurel Strathos (Jang Bo-Ah kick)   24   14   
  3 Sara Sofía Céspedes 32 yard field goal                               24   17
  4 Nikolas Isaksen 92 yard pass from Aurel Strathos (Jang Bo-Ah kick)   31   17
    Da'wan Glenn 2 yard pass from Jake Murphy (kick failed)              31   23

[Schima Bas]

”Bet on Us”: Royal Bears make up for disappointing start with shutout second half

Game Report

(13:26 - 1st) Godfrey Keon 41 yd FG GOOD. Université du Saguenay 3 - 0
(7:35 - 1st) Gary Bearly run for 6 yds for a touchdown. Crown’s College 7 - 3
(1:20 - 1st) Peter Galland pass to Alphonse Appell intercepted by Oswald Tak for 46 yds for a touchdown. Université du Saguenay 10 - 7
(12:43 - 2nd) Javon Huntington pass to Seon-Dong Park for 12 yds for a touchdown. PAT attempt missed by Godfrey Keon. Université du Saguenay 16 - 7
(2:01 - 2nd) Godfrey Keon 37 yd FG GOOD. Université du Saguenay 19 - 7
(0:36 - 2nd) Peter Galland QB run for 13 yds for a touchdown. Université du Saguenay 19 - 14

HALFTIME

(12:41 - 3rd) Peter Galland pass to Alphonse Appell for 37 yds for a touchdown. Crown's College 21 - 19
(8:53 - 3rd) Peter Galland pass to Alphonse Appell for 13 yds for a touchdown. Crown’s College 28 - 19
(2:51 - 3rd) Barry Solace run for 2 yds for a touchdown. Crown’s College 35 - 19
(7:12 - 4th) Barry Solace run for 5 yds for a touchdown. Crown’s College 42 - 19

Woodlands Conference                      Pld   W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Crown's College                          6    5   1   114   66  +48
2 Brattleboro Technical Institute          6    4   2   144  107  +37
3 New Lakeland University                  6    4   2   142   94  +48
4 Université St. Croix                     6    2   4   118  104  +14
5 Université du Saguenay                   6    2   4    93  134  −41
6 Rotenburg Island University              6    1   5    54  160 −106

Schedule

Week 1: @ Université du Saguenay Fighting Irish W: 16-7
Week 2: vs. Brattleboro Technical Institute Brats L: 7-3
Week 3: @ Université St. Croix Bleu et Blanc W: 6-3
Week 4: vs. Rotenburg Island University Bums W: 13-0
Week 5: @ New Lakeland University Tycoons W: 34-30
Week 6: vs. Université du Saguenay Fighting Irish W: 42-19
Week 7: @ Brattleboro Technical Institute Brats
Week 8: vs. Université St. Croix Bleu et Blanc
Week 9: @ Rotenburg Island University Bums
Week 10: vs. New Lakeland University Tycoons

Non-Conference
Week 11: vs. Ceneisis Naval Academy (4-2 in Zephyr)
Week 12: @ Woodstock City College (4-2 in Sequoia)
Week 13: vs. Salamantic Universities (4-2 in Celestia)

---

The Royal Bears continued their good form with a come-from-behind victory fueled by an explosive game from quarterback Peter Galland, who found three touchdowns through the air, throwing for 343 yards, as well as one on the ground in a well-disciplined effort following his pick-six in the first quarter.

Sophomore wide receiver Alphonse Appell showed immense talent, showcasing his talent in front of the 40,000 fans in attendance, many of whom traveled from Quebec and Shingoryeo, boosting the stadium’s atmosphere. At times in the first half, the away fans were louder than the home fans, but by the middle of the third quarter New Grant Field was rocking in support for the Royal Bears.

Following the game, players of the two Woodlands Conference teams shook hands and made connections. One Crown’s College player, Freshman safety Yomori Jasper, who saw some minutes in the end of the game, picking up two tackles, was shining in happiness after meeting Oswald Tak.

“He’s been someone I’ve really looked up to. It’s really lucky that I could even see him. Back in high school I used to watch him play all the time, he was at St. Croix then.”

Jasper looked behind him.

“Is coach around?” Jasper laughed. “I actually loved watching the Fighting Irish. My parents are actually from Québec and Shingoryeo. They're alumni. I have a bunch of merch and stuff. Don’t tell anyone, haha! I’m really glad we can play against them. Hope mom and dad aren’t too sad we beat them today. They haven’t had a good start but they can turn it around. Prayers for O'Mara man,” said Jasper, referencing the injured Fighting Irish quarterback Donovan O’Mara, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the Woodlands Conference season.

The Royal Bears defense stepped up with a massive performance in the second half. Senior cornerback Bradley Sanderson, who had two interceptions in the game said that defensive coach Adam Honest has been emphasizing how strong defensive play can motivate the offense.

“Coach H. was telling us in practice that we have to have a competition with the offense,” Sanderson said. “We have to bring that momentum. He always says ‘We have to get the train started.’ He says that over and over again. Well, we got the train started today, and the offense blasted the doors off the station.”

The Royal Bears will look to ride that train of momentum for the rest of the season, as the Woodlands Conference newcomers find themselves first. A shaky start to the season, with only 42 points from their first four weeks, raises doubts about how long the team can continue to upset conference mainstays. The last two games have shown promise, as the offense finds a rhythm with the play-action pass, scoring 76 points with a rejuvenated offensive scheme. The defense gave up a lot of points in its close victory away versus New Lakeland University, but the fact that the Royal Bears will face the Tycoons at home has many believing that the team can win again in a game that might prove vital in the standings battle.

For now the team looks ahead to a crucial matchup next week at Brattleboro Technical Institute, a team that gave Crown’s College its only loss this season, in a defensive 7-3 game that saw the Royal Bears grinded down.

Head coach Will Rutgers was asked about his team’s odds to win the conference, which would upset the established order of the Woodlands Conference, which hasn’t been won by a team other than Université du Saguenay or New Lakeland University since NSCF 19, which saw Xannerian Polytechnical Institute finish top in a Woodlands Conference without many of its big names.

“We want to prove we belong here. Just because we've only started in this conference doesn’t mean that we’re not going to have high expectations. We came to this conference to play against exceptional competition. This was a big step up for our players, and they’ve responded tremendously. We have a lot to work on, but this group of guys has the motivation to keep getting better," the six year head coach of the Royal Bears said. "Right now we’re focused on winning the next game. We’re hungry. This team can go as far as it wants to, but this conference is very competitive. We’re not dropping our guard just because we happen to be first.”

Wide receiver Alphonse Appell, upon finding the endzone after catching a rocketing pass from Galland in the third quarter for a 36 yard touchdown, celebrated with his teammates by shouting into the nearest camera.

“Bet on us! Bet on us,” Appell said. “I’m here to disrupt the game, man! Roar Royal Bears, roar!”

[Chromatika]

Flame Bowl, Part 2 to Decide Conference Lead as Felswyr State and Staramara Tech Clash at Staramara

A triad of favorable results - Felswyr State airing it out against Royal Armitage, Staramara Tech running the ball down Hoofstra's defense, and Cavsar upsetting Sadeg State - means that when Felswyr State visits Johnston Memorial Stadium in Staramara, the share of the Conference's lead will be on the line. Sadeg State will still be in the lead if they handle business against Hoofstra as they have defeated both Felswyr State and Staramara Tech, but the second battle between the Firehawks and the Lava look to prove to be a way closer matchup.

The Lava (4-2) have really come online after the season opening loss to Hoofstra and the overtime loss to Sadeg State, though their biggest win of the season remains the contest at Firehawks' Roost where Jere Rinaldi returned a Sarai Gwenderyn fumble all the way for the deciding score late in the game. They've even taken down Hoofstra on the road, with Gabriele Ziegler continuing her solid freshman campaign by catching two more touchdown passes from Sheila Pantoja while Lana Rhodes continues to provide the muscle with two more touchdown runs up the middle. The Lava are actually tied with the Firehawks to be the second best defense in the conference, only six points behind the Pride; it's not as good as some of the other defenses out there, but for a debutant, they're doing very well.

The Firehawks (4-2) have recovered from losing to their newest rival and their oldest rival in the Lava and the Skyhawks. Beating Cavsar 83-9 really put things in perspective, which they followed up with wins over Hoofstra and Royal Armitage. 45 Points scored against Royal Armitage on the road was pretty great for Gwenderyn, who accounted for all six touchdowns - three on the ground and three through the air. Nyata Antonucci took a screen pass for three yards, Xanderick Spendlove caught a touchdown pass on a trick play where the ball was snapped to Spendlove, who threw it to Gwenderyn, who threw it back to Spendlove - and Otto Mitchell, the Drawkian deep threat, came through on another bomb down the left sideline. On the ground, Gwenderyn added three scores on fifteen carries, adding 143 yards on the ground.

Why will the Firehawks win? Well, the Lava won't be surprising them this time around. Felswyr State now has six games of tape, and knows that the Lava play a brutal, physical, time-of-possession style where they control the line of scrimmage and try to keep Gwenderyn off the field. Jere Rinaldi will be the key player in plays where Gwenderyn runs, while the cornerback duo of Eldora Arellano and Mastaya Vorpen will be tested again as they try to contain Otto Mitchell and Stan Devlin. Felswyr State also has the best player on the field - Sarai Gwenderyn - who has yet to be swept by a team in her storied career. The offensive line is also playing a lot better as Mikel Kingston has been drilling them to be better protection for Gwenderyn.

Why will the Lava win? Well, the Firehawks' front seven has been struggling against the run. Their corners and safeties are playing well against the pass, but most of the points scored against Felswyr State has been through the ground. Pantoja can run, Rhodes is great up the middle, and Ziegler can even add yards around the corner. Nicole Manstrom and Rolan Monroe have been great in coverage and rushing from the edge but not so good in run support.

So, who will take the second win? Will the Lava be able to be the first team to sweep the Firehawks in one season? Or will Felswyr State recover to win on the road at Johnston Memorial Stadium? Money is on the Firehawks, who have a knack of getting things together in the second half of the season.

Tune in to the second leg of the Flame Bowl!

[Ranoria]

OOC: This article takes place prior to NSCF 25 on a Sunday, after the week 11 matchups of Ranoria's domestic college football

Leveling the Playing Field: Richardson, Cold Hill Will No Longer Participate in Domestic College Football

After the committee's decision, Richardson University had head coach Richard Steinheil hold a press conference to announce the team's decision to stick with NSCF play over domestic competition. As one extra slap in the face, they broke out the "Big 8" podium for their NSCF conference in place of the Northeastern Conference podium that is generally used during domestic play

After years of debate, a lot of animosity, bitterness, and some fanbases who are salty at not having championship programs, Ranorian College Football is making a massive change - the Cold Hill University Buffalo and the Richardson University Governors will no longer participate in the domestic college football season. Some say it's about time, that recruiting opportunities afforded by the NSCF were too drastic a gap to bridge. Others say that the big wigs are punishing the success of programs like Richardson and Cold Hill, and still others point to the toll such frequent playing takes on student athletes both physically and academically. In a more immediate consequence, while Cold Hill and Richardson will be allowed to complete their regular season games, they will not be permitted to participate in the domestic post season.

That was a big one when this came to a vote, and while it doesn't seem that the staff of the Governors or Buffalo are too happy about the decision, it will be better for balance in Ranorian football overall. The domestics will likely be seeing a trio of traditional powerhouses in The University of Dietrich, Ranoria State University, and Vricksinburg State University will likely be the three schools at the top of the pecking order most seasons, but there isn't such a large gap between their talent and those directly below that others cannot knock them out of the final four entirely. Richardson and Cold Hill?

The two combined for a record of 29-1 - including Cold Hill's loss to Richardson in the last domestic championship either school will be taking part in - and had an average margin of victory of 19.7 in games besides that one. And that kind of dominance has been reflected in the past. Below we give a list of Ranorian championship participants since Richardson's first season in the NSCF.

Ranorian National Championship Matchup by the following edition of the NSCF
*indicates non-NSCF participant
Bold indicates winner

NSCF 16: Richardson vs *Ranoria State
NSCF 17: Richardson vs Cold Hill
NSCF 18: Richardson vs Cold Hill
NSCF 19: *Vricksinburg State vs Cold Hill
NSCF 20: *University of Dietrich vs *Ranoria State
NSCF 21: Richardson vs Cold Hill
NSCF 22: Richardson vs *Vricksinburg State
NSCF 23: Richardson vs Cold Hill
NSCF 24: Richardson vs Cold Hill

In only one of the last ten seasons has neither of the two schools participated in the championship game, and six of the ten have featured both programs, including four of the last five. Only one school - Ranoria State - has managed to win a national championship since Richardson made Ranoria's first foray onto the international stage. Even traditional rivalries - like Dietrich for Richardson - have become afterthoughts against these juggernaut programs.

And like we said, injuries and academic struggles as a result of playing so much football at such a high level.

Some of you remember Governors running back Vice Jackson III, who now plays for the national team's Krauts. He's a prime example of an athlete who overcame a massive workload that some say simply isn't acceptable for a student athlete. In three years of school, he totaled 1,321 touches and 8172 yards. When can a student athlete find time for classes under that kind of workload, while playing six seasons in just three years? (And we're not even including the World Bowl he participated in before even being drafted! What kind of toll is that taking on athletes, many of whom will never get to participate in a professional practice, much less earn a game check? How many of these guys will be suffering through chronic pain for the rest of their lives because not only were they playing an already brutal sport, but they never had time to heal? And don't even try to pretend that isn't the case, we all know that every one of these players accrues at least a half dozen minor injuries by the time the end of the season comes around.

My body is shot. I mean every day when I get up, my wife sees it, I'm limping around for a few minutes while everything wakes up. Knee jiggles around, ankles hurt. I pay a lot of money for treatment on this kind of thing, and it just doesn't matter. I don't regret playing as much as I have, and there's more left to be done, but I won't deny there's a very real toll on my body.

-Vice Jackson III in a recent interview for RSSN

And perhaps worse, both squads have suffered academically since joining the NSCF. Richardson generally boasts excellent classroom success, with thirty straight seasons of the team having a 3.5+ collective GPA, but since joining the NSCF that number has steadily declined, and it finally broke last season at with a 3.48 cumulative.

Cold Hill's Buffalo aren't quite as classroom oriented - historically coming in closer to a 3.2 team GPA, but even they've suffered with some athletes struggling just to stay eligible as the team comes in at a 2.81 after last season. And through anonymous surveys, we have confirmed that 15% more players from the two programs use university counseling services, potentially due to the increased strain on their schedule and the ever-present demand to perform.

Is it a plus? Perhaps. But with such a hammerfall dropped midseason - both programs are currently 3-0 - this is a massive shake to the foundation of this college football season, and neither athletic department can be excited about the loss of revenue this will cause. The athletes and coaching staffs, however, may grow to thank the stars for the rest they'll be getting, rest that may, overall, extend the careers of those who make it professionally. Of course, coaching staffs are far from happy with the move.

An absolute joke. Fearful men who fear competition have decided that victory and success are to be scorned, and that their fear is a virtue. I wouldn't be surprised if every student athlete playing for a team who advocated for this move has lost faith in their coaching staff. Our athletes are being deprived of a championship opportunity that they have earned.

Our success will continue, however. The NSCF is a higher level of play and overall more profitable for our university. Besides, unlike our alleged domestic rivals in U of Dietrich and Vricksinburg State, who we've won twelve straight against combined, Loyola actually gives us a game. Sometimes.

-Richardson University head coach Richard Steinheil made derogatory comments about the move at a press conference prior to a week 12 matchup with Vricksinburg University, which would ultimately result in a 31-6 victory for the Governors

[Valanora]

Panic, it is a natural reaction to events where one has had high emotional investment into those events and have had an unexpected or undesirable outcome be produced. Panic was rife within the ranks of the Raynor University ranks as well as the fans of the team after their start to the season where they lost both games, even if they had to have the unfortunate circumstance of having to play both of those games on the road to start the season. The Rockets had never lost both of their opening games and it looked to send their season into a complete tailspin, seemingly undoing all the work that they had done in the previous two seasons to get to the point where they were and had believed to be in an excellent position to attempt a run at the NSCF title. Even in their first season, the Rockets had managed to at least win one of their first two games, to look to have some fight in them and be up to the challenge that the NSCF was going to provide them, which was seemingly completely absent from the team in those first two weeks in the season.

However the thing about panic, is that the flames of it can be calmed and brought to a smolder and then entire extinguished if you deprive it of the oxygen it needs to flourish. Getting a victory, even if it was not the sort of victory that the fans nor the team would have liked, was enough to at least top the bleeding and deprive the rampant panic from completely derailing the season. The hole for the Rockets was deep, especially with some unexpected challenges in the conference thanks to the way that Ceneisis and Thereisnogodistan had been playing, but there was still seven games in the conference left to play and the team usually had dropped a game or two through the conference season even when they had won their conference titles. Destiny was still in their hands and the roster was loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, they merely needed to calm themselves down and take to the games to play their way. If they did that, the results would come and they could work their way back into contention for the title, little by little, with each game being a building block for the next.

Two more wins to finish out the first half of the season and the Rockets were primed for a second half that was going to be as much as a revenge tour as it was just continuing to ride their momentum and building off the success of the past weeks. The Raiders were coming to the capital for the second edition of the Battle for the Royal Saber for the season and if the capital university was going to retain it for a third straight year, they were going to need to put on quite the show to try and overcome the six point deficit that they had accrued in that opening season loss in Mar Sara. Given the absolutely barn burner that the game became and the way that the Rockets simply could not be stopped on the offensive side of the ball, it is safe to assume that the team was sufficiently fired up and looking to keep on building that momentum for the second half of the season. Over half a hundred points dropped on the Raiders in a flashy fifty-one to thirty-five victory over their national rival and the Rockets had brought the trophy back to the capital for a third straight season.

The victory also put them into a tie for first place at the top of the conference as last season's conference darlings in the University of Mancodas from Poafmersia went into the lions den and walked away from Therisnogodistan with a completely unexpected victory, while Ceneisis blanked the MRISTR school in another game to bring the three schools into a three way tie at the top. Those flames of panic are sufficiently squashed in the capital and suddenly the dream of another conference title as well as the chance for a deep playoff run is suddenly quite alive once more, with the Rockets completely in control of their own fate. With the offense seemingly having found their footing after a first half of inconsistency, it spells quite a bit of danger for the rest of the conference, as the Rockets are fine with giving up a lot of points as they believe they can beat anyone in a track meet of a game, as the game against the Raiders showed. Mar Sara is reeling though and panic might be starting to creep in there but they get a home game against Ceneisis next, a game where if they can make their home a fortress again will put them right back in the conference title hunt. Revenge will be heavy on the Raiders minds after a heavy defeat against the Fleftic school in the first half and knowing that a loss here really would end any hopes they have for the conference crown.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Warriors face Feathercaps in 3rd Straight Road Tilt
by Teresa Bramlege
Daily News Football Writer

The University of the Commonwealth football team will conclude their three game road swing when they travel to TJUN-ia to take on NSCF 24 Runner-up Trent State in a battle of 5-1 squads , with the winner having the inside track to the Mineral Conference title.

The Feathercaps have not lost since their 34-31 defeat to UC in week 2, as their #2 ranked scoring offense has swept aside the rest of the MinCo schools; the 34 points allowed at Gleason Field also represents nearly half of their season total on the other side of the ball, where they rank #1 in the NSCF in fewest points allowed at 10.6ppg.

In contrast, the Warriors have seemed less than invincible over the same period with close victories over Green City (3 pts), Byses (4) and Steven Vaalburger College (11) bookending the 30-0 home loss to Alexandroupolis, the worst shutout defeat of UC since 2008. The loss of starting quarterback Marcus Crews for the season early in the losing effort has slowed down the potent Warrior attack, leaving Head Coach
Ryan Benton and Offensive Coordinator Isiah Townsend having to re-think their approach to the gameplan.

Benton spoke about the challenge that UC will face at Sherwood Field. "They will certainly be up for us coming to town, as I'm sure they sense blood in the water. We're telling the guys that we will need to be engaged for 60 minutes if we don't want to get beat up in public again. Scott Newell (former UC Coach) told me that going on the road in NSCF is a dangerous prospect in a way that playing away here isn't. We go to the same places, we know what it's going to be like. In this tournament, you don't ever know what's in store until you get there. Although, I do have to add we've been to Trent State before, so we aren't going in blind, but how much more intense is the atmosphere going to be than last time?"

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Morning Glory - Your Simple Nationwide Morning Newspaper

Legendary Saguenay football coach Baek Sang-Joon announces retirement after 16 years, at age 58

SOUTH BEND, Saguenay -Legendary coach Baek Sang-Joon, age 58, will retire immediately after 16 years leading the Saguenay Fighting Irish, and is planning to inform the Fighting Irish players and coaching staff on the full team meeting tomorrow.

Baek retires from Saguenay with a 216-35 record, 7 New Year's Six bowl victories, and 3 Tiger Bowl titles in 2038, 2041 and 2050. He retires from Saguenay as the winningest coach in school history. Baek, four-time national coach of the year, will remain as the member of the university's Board of Governors and Athletics and Recreation Board of Management and Operations.

'I would like to thank the Universite du Saguenay for 22 years of service I have been able to offer as the linebackers coach, defensive coordinator and eventually the head football coach,' Baek said in the university's press release this morning. 'After many months of deliberation, including my recent weeks in the NationStates College Football (NSCF) tournament, I have decided to step down as the coach of the most historic program in this country and to offer the program an opportunity for their next phase of life.'

Offensive coordinator and longtime offensive line coach Mario Chun-Kim, 42, has been named as the interim head coach for the program. A national and international coaching search is expected to take place over the next month or two, with university open to candidates from abroad.

'It was a tough decision to make, but I do think that it's perfect timing to hand over the reins to a capable coach who will continue the tradition of winning at South Bend. Our program is no doubt in a tremendous shape, with their stable of all-Quebecois and excellent coaches, and it is still possible for a run to be made during the NSCF spring season. Our facilities are one of the best in the multiverse, following the recent renovations to our De Bergerac Athletic Complex, and we have a top 3 recruiting class that could be further bolstered with international recruiting window,' wrote Baek in the same release. 'With myself heading into the sunset, it is just the most opportune time possible for the Saguenay Fighting Irish to transition into the new era.'

Added Chun-Kim: 'I am delighted to lead this program as the interim head coach of the football program at the Universite du Saguenay. I have coached on the offensive side of the ball under coach Baek for many years, and I would like to thank him for his service to the Quebecois and international college football. He is one of the greatest coaches out there, at any level, and I am happy to continue coaching at the most historic program in the country. Go Irish!'

While the timing of the announcement comes as a major surprise to many, Baek's retirement has been planned out in years up to now, with Baek having contemplated retirements in a series of rumours over last three years. He has most recently purchased a home in Reneegrad, a medium-sized city in Quebec City metropolitan area, to be closer to his daughter and her family.

With Baek's retirement, Northwestern's Iago-Luc Montgomery is now the longest-tenured active coach at a QIS program. Montgomery will be entering his 29th season as the head coach of the Attawapiskat school at the start of August.

A linebacker at Northwestern (2014-17), Baek had a six year QFL career with his hometown Attawapiskat Broncos, where he was part of the 2019 Imperial Bowl team. Following retirement, Baek served as a linebacker coach at the University of Prince Raoul Islands in 2025. After three years, he coached the Pater Dei CHS for two years, before being picked up by Aaron Chang to serve as the linebacker coach and recruiting assistant.

Baek made a name for himself as a linebacker coach and recruiter at South Bend, with over 6 all-Quebecois linebackers and Hector Kweon trophy first runner-up Vontaze Ahn to his credit. He was instrumental in the Saguenay program's 2030 and 2033 Tiger Bowl championship teams, and served as the program's defensive coordinator for two seasons before being named the head coach ahead of 2036 season.

Inheriting a top 10 program that had won five times in the 21st century leading up to his appointment, he followed up with high expectations placed on him with 6 consecutive 10-win seasons after his appointment, including 2038 and 2041 Tiger Bowl titles. In both runs, the Fighting Irish completed went undefeated with 14-0 record by beating St. Croix Bleu et Blanc and Keewatinook Huskies.

As the head coach of the Saguenay program, which prides itself as one of the only two in the country to remain independent, Baek has won won 10 or more games in 14 of his 16 seasons with the Fighting Irish, and earned New Year's Six bowl invitations in 14 years.

Since the first two national titles, Saguenay returned to the Tiger Bowl play-offs (tied in with two of six NY6 bowls every year) five times, and have only won once in 2050. In the finals, Fighting Irish fell short to Queen's College in 2045, Northwestern in 2047, and St. Croix in 2049, before winning over Keewatinook in 2050.

During his tenure with the Fighting Irish, Saguenay finished in the top 20 rankings in all 16 years, with 13 years inside the top 10 of the poll. He also led the Fighting Irish to the Apple Bowl (2037, 2038, 2040, 2044, 2049), Camelia Bowl (2045, 2050), Commonwealth Forces Bowl (2046), Heartland Bowl (2047), and Moogoonghwa Bowl (2041), and is nicknamed 'The Apple Picker' due to his 5-2 record at the Apple Bowl, played just two hours away from South Bend.

Baek Sang-Joon's QIS Coaching Record: Saguenay Fighting Irish
2036 #9 10-3 - CAMELIA BOWL L
2037 #6 11-2 - APPLE BOWL W
2038 #1 14-0 - APPLE BOWL W / TIGER BOWL W
2039 #2 12-1 - HEARTLAND BOWL L
2040 #3 11-2 - APPLE BOWL W
2041 #1 14-0 - MOOGOONGHWA BOWL W / TIGER BOWL W
2042#8 10-3 - COMMONWEALTH FORCES L
2043 #16 9-4 - NON-NY6 BOWL W
2044 #8 11-2 - APPLE BOWL W
2045 #3 13-1 - CAMELIA BOWL W / TIGER BOWL L
2046 #6 10-3 - COMMONWEALTH FORCES BOWL W
2047 #2 12-2 - HEARTLAND BOWL W / TIGER BOWL L
2048 #4 12-1 - APPLE BOWL L
2049 #3 12-2 - APPLE BOWL W / TIGER BOWL L
2050 #1 13-1 - CAMELIA BOWL W / TIGER BOWL W
2051#17 8-5 - NON-NY6 BOWL W
2052#7 10-3 - APPLE BOWL L
Overall Record: 216-35 - Bowl Record: 15-8

[Ranoria]

Keep The Dream Alive! Nikolas Isaksen (Literally) Wins it One-Handed As Cold Hill Remains One of Two Undefeated Teams in NSCF 25

Nikolas Isaksen was electric against Methopotamia, clearing the century mark twice over in a career performance

What. A. Game.

No one should be surprised that the Stick Insects came to play, Buffalostan has a strong reputation when it comes to gridiron between hosting a World Bowl and now sending two teams to the NSCF in as many seasons. They established the run in the early going, and imposed their will on 1st and goal rather than give the Buffalo a chance at a goal line stand, Jake Murphy taking the ball in from a yard out.

For a Cold Hill squad that's leaned heavily on its defense this season, it quickly became clear that Aurel Strathos and crew were going to have to step up and put up a performance that would be more reminiscent of the Deondre Rhine days. After gaining just sixteen yards on their first drive however, Strathos was looking shaken. The teams exchanged a punt more each, with Aurel taking a third down sack to end his second drive, and things were looking grim as the Stick insects drove their way, four or five yards at a time, towards a 14-0 first quarter lead. The Buffalo had no answer to tough rushing attack...until Blake Hamilton faked a handoff on play action and took a deep shot, hoping to get an open receiver after running down Cold Hill's throat for so long. To his credit, he did have an open man, but by the time the ball arrived, the window had closed. Victoria Mio cut in front of Joe Willis to secure an interception in the end zone, and all of a sudden, the rowdy crowd of Szymankowszczyzna Stadium had the energy sapped from them.

Now with momentum on their side, Aurel Strathos took the snap and looked as if he had re-oriented himself, stepping up in the pocket to avoid the rush and lofting a ball high for big Nikolas Isaksen from the twenty five yard line. The Vanorian stud was clean with his mechanics, only glancing back to the ball once and leaving his hands down to maintain his speed. At the last second, he shot them out and secured the catch. Jirani Simon never had a chance at the ball, but after a bit of a rundown was able to drag the jump ball specialist down at the five yard line.

Consequently, Aurel Strathos had just enough speed to roll out of the pocket and waltz into the end zone untouched for his first career touchdown - and a run that's tied for the longest tote of his career. It was a nice start, and after the defense forced a punt around midfield, the Buffalo only added onto their totals, with Nikolas Isaksen reeling in a 29 yard touchdown and Jang Bo-Ah nailing a 26 yard field goal to give the Buffalo 17 unanswered points. By this point, it should be noted that Nikolas Isaksen was on pace for something historic, with his first two catches going for 99 yards and a score, and already with a total of four for 123.

Now mind you, the Stick Insects were determined to get right back in this game, and they played the next drive like it. Knowing that they'd be wise to wear down the clock and run in a score just before halftime, they did just that, taking advantage of a softer Buffalo interior rather than try the hand of their back seven once again, and ran the clock down to 45 seconds before Tashard Hughes managed a three yard score.

With just two timeouts, the Buffalo quickly got into the hurry up and managed to go from the 25 to the fifty in three quick strikes, burning both clock stoppages in the process and still managing to get the clock down to ten seconds.

The Buffalo huddled around the sideline, and Aurel Strathos appeared to snicker before throwing his maroon helmet back on and shooting head coach Chris Dale a wink. Some teams may have taken a knee, get out of the half with a lead, but not this team. Not the team that refuses to pull their starters in blowouts, not the most aggressive offense in the NSCF.

Everyone in the stadium knew what was about to happen, and they played like it, coming out with just two down lineman, one linebacker, and eight defensive backs to stop the coming hail mary.

Strathos dropped deep and his line formed a perfect pocket, the two down linemen simply playing QB spy to ensure Cold Hill's golden boy didn't try to roll out. He took one step up, planted his foot, and whipped his hips around to launch the ball downfield.

There should be some appreciation for his placement, too. This wasn't just a "Screw it, Isaksen down there somewhere" ball that was thrown up for grabs, he knew where he wanted this thing and he put it there on an absolute moonball. And with Isaksen's strong hands, a roaring stadium went absolutely silent when the big wideout fell back into the end zone.

For those of you keeping track, that was now five receptions for 173 yards and two scores in the first half for Nikolas Isaksen, on his way to a downright historic performance. Aurel Strathos charged down the field to tackle his favorite target after the play to take a 24-14 halftime lead.

Chris Dale's face says it all: "Just how I drew it up."

The Stick Insects made sure to call in adjustments in the second half, throwing bracket coverage on Isaksen through the rest of the game to limit him to one more reception for nine yards and hamstringing the Cold Hill offense throughout the third and most of the fourth while chipping in a field goal of their own to bring this thing back within one score.

In the fourth quarter, Cold Hill finally seemed to find its spark again, with Agnor Viridian taking his second pick of the season - to get his squad the ball at midfield. Only, after driving down into the red zone, Aurel Strathos tried to force the ball to Nikolas Isaksen, who never even had a chance at the bullet throw.

Methopotamia drove down now, weaning down the clock, and got down to the eighteen yard line. They'd run the ball four straight plays here. Candice Ferrett got things started, flashing a quick arm over on first down to force a tackle for loss. Proko, slotting in at inside linebacker in this situation, limited the next two carries to seven yards, and that made it 4th and 2. From there, the Sticks made a push, to the point that the play was originally called a first down before getting called back on a controversial review.

Now, most teams will play it safe and run the ball from inside their own ten yard line, but you have to realize that this is not most teams. Expecting a run, this was the only time the Stick Insects would crowd the box in the second half, and they paid dearly for it.

Nikolas Isaksen isn't the fastest receiver, but he mauled the poor cornerback who tried to press him, and brought in pass thrown behind him with one hand. Safety Reshard Fletcher came down after he reeled in a catch to bring him down, but a quick back juke and the safety simply rolled off him. After that, it was nothing but openfield. The home crowd lamented, helpless as Isaksen sprinted through the goal line on a massive 92 yard touchdown to nearly put this one on ice.

Seven receptions. A program record 274 receiving yards, three scores now. Bracket coverage or no, Isaksen was having the game of his life, and he didn't appear ready to slow down yet.

To Methopotamia's credit, they drove down and scored once more before forcing a three and out by the Buffalo despite a seven yard snag by Isaksen on third down. But with no time remaining and an 8 point deficit, they had to be aggressive in their approach. And unfortunately, with a secondary this talented, that's rarely an option.

The pass was beautiful, but Victoria Mio, once again, was the targetted corner. It's a perfect balance between herself and the more technically sound Tabor. Tabor plays more conservatively, but can erase damn near any receiver who's unfortunate enough to line up across from him. That forces quarterbacks to after Mio, who is a ball-hawk through and through. And at 6'8", there just wasn't enough margin of error for her not to snag her fifth interception already on the season.

Governors Cruise Through Panem University in 43-13 Win, Kearse Stars With Three Passes Batted Down, Sack, Safety

Of course the offense was on fire: Astrid Verona tossed 2 touchdowns and 179 yards on just 13 passes, and let the running backs handle the rest. Elliot Roach and Julio Fitzpatrick carried the day after the passing attack got them to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. Props to Astrid Verona, who's looked sharp in her last two outings, but Roach is still the star of the show, running in two touchdowns of his own while Fitzpatrick would carry in the team's fifth score of the day late in the fourth.

So two field goals and five touchdowns, do the math in your head. The Governors recorded their first safety of the year courtesy of Gideon Kearse, who, as usual, dominated. The Phoenix's quarterback never even saw him coming from the blind side, and after the hit he took, we're impressed he even managed to hang onto the ball. With Kearse also knocking down three passes and notching 8 tackles total, we're sure Panem's passer is happy as can be to not have to deal with generational talent at edge rusher again this season at least as he continues his dominant sophomore campaign.

With the win, the Governors move to 4-2, with a chance to knock off the undefeated Buffalo a week from now.

[Thereisnogodistan]

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independent sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

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Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

Gabbing on Gridiron
with Dara Keane

NSCF 25: THEREISNOGODISTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE MATCHDAY SIX

Thereisnogodistan    7  6  3  3  19
Univ. of Mancodas    3  3  7 10  23

This season has been a hell of a confusing one, not just for fans of Thereisnogodistan Community College, but for fans of all the programs in the Zephyr Conference of NSCF as well. Even the newcomers like the University of Mancodas and the Maximus Rochester Institute don’t know what to feel about this season as a whole. The resurgence of both NGD and Ceneisis Naval Academy has thrown the entire conference in a spin since it’s now no longer the exclusive domain of either Mar Sara Tech or Raynor University. I mean, technically speaking, there are now four colleges fighting for the conference title this season. It’s just chaos and confusion all around. And if NGD are really aiming to win their first ever Zephyr Conference title this season, they could do a lot better than give up a game against Mancodas, that’s for sure!

Nobody ever said that the road to redemption was going to be easy, least of all Francois-Michel Nkong’o. He knows that Thereisnogodistan will be very bloody lucky if they manage to pull off the conference victory this season given how lowly his program had been performing before. Even then, he probably expected the game against Mancodas to be a little bit of a cake walk, I’m not gonna lie. After all, this was the same side that NGD had managed to beat away from home before. And now the Atheists had the advantage of playing in their home turf. This was surely going to be an easy victory, right? Right?

All that would turn out to be actual wishful thinking, but at the start of the game it didn’t really look like Mancodas had any answer for Thereisnogodistan. The Atheists got hold of the ball first and scored a touchdown after eight minutes thanks to Marquis de Francine. Mancodas could only respond with a field goal, at which time NGD got the ball once again, but the length of the drive they took in their second possession meant that it would take them until the second quarter to land their second touchdown. This time it was Christopher Chong who caught the 8-yard pass from Wiley Atwater, but yet again, Axel Goddard got hit with the inaccuracy issues from the right hash so instead of 14-3, the score was only 13-3 in favor of Thereisnogodistan. It doesn’t seem like much, but trust me, things will blow up in the home side’s faces soon enough.

Mancodas could only muster up a field goal in the second quarter, but once halftime was over, it seemed as if their coach had said something to them that seemed to fire up the visitors, and soon Mancodas were playing Thereisnogodistan for fools. Since Mancodas took the ball to start the third quarter, they made short work of the Atheists’ defense, and once again it was a blown coverage on the part of Oren Weinberger that allowed Mancodas to score their first touchdown of the game. This time though, it was NGD who were unable to respond in kind, especially after Wiley Atwater got sacked on 3rd and goal with just one yard left to go, and they were the ones who had to settle for a field goal. The two teams then exchanged field goals going into the fourth quarter, but things were still a little bit all right since Thereisnogodistan still held a slim lead, 19-16. Still within one score but so far, NGD’s defense was holding firm so nobody was panicking just yet. After yet another drive for the home side stalled on the Mancodas 40, Frankie Nkong’o brought out the field goal unit to put a bigger gap between themselves and Mancodas. Axel Goddard may have been inaccurate from the right hash for conversions sometimes, but when it came to long field goals, his strength and accuracy seemed to overrule whatever problems he had with kicking from the right hash. Unfortunately for Thereisnogodistan though, this would turn out to be the one moment where the curse of the right hash would come out on top against Goddard’s golden foot, and the pigskin flew right past the front of the goalposts without hitting anything but air. The subsequent turnover to Mancodas on the line of scrimmage would lead to another touchdown for the visitors, and Wiley Atwater and company didn’t have a lot of time left to fix things, and so ultimately, they couldn’t.

But despite this setback, Thereisnogodistan are still leading the Zephyr Conference, but the problem now is that two other teams are tied to them with the same record. Yes, both Raynor University and Ceneisis Naval Academy are hot on the heels of the Atheists, meaning that the fight for the conference title just got spicy once again. And now of course Thereisnogodistan will have to go to Raynor in week 7. Their conference title campaign is sure to get a boost if they win there, but just as equally likely is a loss that could potentially break their whole charge and resurgence. But then again, that’s the price that must be paid in order to achieve greatness. Like I said, the road to redemption is not going to be easy at all, and I’m here to document that rocky road journey every step of the way. Karl Fenenko, Karl Fenenko, Karl Fenenko…

[United Adaikes]

RB Irvine Royle rushed for 109 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown run with 3:34 remaining, to give Silverleaf a 22-7 win over the Ooopss National, keeping a perfect record in the Sequoia Conference of the silver edition of the NationStates College Football.

The Goblins had four sacks and harassed the Ooopss National quarterback the entire game, but the Raptors kept the score close until late in the fourth.

Their quarterback had an interception on in his first pass. FS Wilkie Ray picked off the pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to put Silverleaf ahead 7-0 in the first quarter.

The Goblins led 10-0 at the half.

With 10 minutes remaining in the game, the Ooopss National punter threw a 25-yard pass to a wide receiver on a fake punt to convert a 4th-and-13. Four plays later, their quarterback scored on a 6-yard run up the middle to cut Silverleaf's lead to 13-7.

The momentum, however, would swing right back to Silverleaf on Ooopss National's next possession when the Ooopss National quarterback got sacked in the end zone by LB Juan Francisco Mortimer for a safety.

Royle's TD run put the game away.

The Raptors have lost their second straight game on the road. They will have another away game in Alto College before returning home to host the Universidade de Soria. The Goblins will visit Utah University in their next game before returning home to host the Alto College.

Qtr Time  Tm Scoring Summary					ON SU
1st 13:58 SU FS Wilkie Ray 35 yard interception return		 0  7
	     (PK Isaiah Rigby kick good)

2nd  1:03 SU PK Rigby 33 yard field goal			 0 10

4th 11:25 SU PK Rigby 32 yard field goal			 0 13
     7:14 ON QB 6 yard run (PK kick good)			 7 13
     3:28 SU Safety (LB Juan Francisco Mortimer sacked ON QB)	 7 15
     3:17 SU RB Irvine Royle 32 yard run (PK Rigby kick good)	 7 22

[South Newlandia]

Top Four recruits out of South Newlandia this year

Out of the roughly 200 high schools in South Newlandia, six of them are focusing on gridiron recruitment. The four top recruits of this draft class are graduating from these as well.

4) SS Rex Bottlenick – Elephant Valley Southwest High School (Elephant Valley)
Southwest is considered the biggest and most successful gridiron High Schools of South Newlandia [in this place, I should note that “Best South Newlandian” is not an impressive thing when it comes to gridiron]. Bottlenick is 6’1’’, and while he could use bulking up a little bit more, Bottlenick has pretty solid play vision and is able to help corners out before they even know they’ll need it. He’s better at breaking up a catch than catching the ball himself, and he’s a fairly safe tackler. Academically, Rex is less interested, with average grades in high school. He’s looking to go into business, ideally.

3) OG Werner Kaltmann – Mark Friednan High School (Newport)
Kaltmann is a brick wall of a guard out of Mark Friednan High School. Kaltmann’s 6’5’’, and is approaching 300 pounds, still looking to pack on a bit more weight in college. He’s a very dependable guard and can be a leader off the field, and is academically gifted as well, with fantastic grades in High School. He’s looking to go into law after college.

2) CB Alani Sörens – West Point (Ratzupalfu)
Alani Sörens 5’11’’ corner is extremely fast, making up for her slightly smaller frame, and has very good hands as well. She’s good in coverage, and her blitzing abilities could still be developed. She’s attended West Point, and is considering joining her local Egrets, but would consider going elsewhere where she can also work towards her Biology degree. She’s had pretty good grades in High School.

1) WR Marcel Schlachter - Elephant Valley Southwest High School (Elephant Valley)
Schlachter is this years’ biggest prospect. He’s a big receiver, 6’3’’ and 226 pounds. Despite this, he has very good speed, and is able to beat even smaller corners of the line. He’s not the best deep threat, but he’s got extremely good hands, barely ever dropping any catches. He’s also shown skill in run- and pass-blocking, and could be turned into a Tight End down the line. Academically, Schlachter is average at best. Depending on where he end up, he’s interested in international relations.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

OOC: Banija's RP was counted into MD7 scorination.

MD7 Cutoff - Celestia, Mineral and Zephyr Conferences

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Celestia Conference
University of Loyola-Istria (BNJ) 47–14 Fair Haven State (BAR)
Northern Moravica University (BNJ) 21–0 Salamantic Universities (KOR)
Ratzupalfu University of Nature (SNL) 12–22 Elephant Valley University (SNL)

P Celestia Conference                    Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 University of Loyola-Istria (BNJ)        7    6   1   262  127 +135
2 Elephant Valley University (SNL)         7    5   2   128  137   −9
3 Northern Moravica University (BNJ)       7    4   3   148  139   +9
4 Salamantic Universities (KOR)            7    4   3   120  143  −23
5 Ratzupalfu University of Nature (SNL)    7    2   5   154  161   −7
6 Fair Haven State (BAR)                   7    0   7   121  226 −105

Mineral Conference
University of Alexandropolis (NGS) 27–0 Stevan Vaalburger College of Sports, Medicine & Leadership (ALS)
Green City University (TJU) 27–23 Byses (CRL)
Trent State University (TJU) 19–30 University of the Commonwealth of Baker Park (CBP)

P Mineral Conference                                                Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 University of the Commonwealth of Baker Park (CBP)                  7    6   1   197  142  +55
2 Trent State University (TJU)                                        7    5   2   248   94 +154
3 University of Alexandropolis (NGS)                                  7    5   2   174   86  +88
4 Green City University (TJU)                                         7    3   4   148  138  +10
5 Stevan Vaalburger College of Sports, Medicine & Leadership (ALS)    7    2   5    71  196 −125
6 Byses (CRL)                                                         7    0   7   107  289 −182

Zephyr Conference
Raynor University (VAL) 26–25 Thereisnogodistan Community College (NGD)
Mar Sara Tech (VAL) 36–6 Ceneisis Naval Academy (AFT)
Maximus Rochester Institute for Science and Technological Research (PFA) 7–13 University of Mancodas (PFA)

P Zephyr Conference                                                         Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Raynor University (VAL)                                                     7    5   2   218  192  +26
2 Thereisnogodistan Community College (NGD)                                   7    4   3   154  117  +37
3 Ceneisis Naval Academy (AFT)                                                7    4   3   176  119  +57
4 Mar Sara Tech (VAL)                                                         7    4   3   199  176  +23
5 University of Mancodas (PFA)                                                7    3   4   149  167  −18
6 Maximus Rochester Institute for Science and Technological Research (PFA)    7    1   6    74  199 −125

[Banija]

Monday of Week 6, five days before Loyola-Istria takes on Northern Moravica at home, Loyola coaches meeting

"God damn." Loyola's Head Coach Isa said. "We have to find a way to beat these fuckers. 7 of 8 is too damn many." That was a reference, of course, to how Northern Moravica had beaten Loyola-Istria 7 of the last 8 times the team had played. Northern Moravica had a firm grip over Loyola in the series. "We played them so close- so damn close, in the first game. Two yards away. G-d damn, I should've called a different play on the goal line for the 2PAT."

"You can't get those back." Said Bethlehem Nangobi, the team's defensive coordinator. "But we can go back and hit them in the mouth. I firmly believe that game was basically even, at worst. At best, we were the better team- but they simply made the plays to get the stops at the end of the game. Three plays from the 2, no yards, no points, ballgame. But we saw stuff that we liked. And we were a chink in their armor."

"That's most definitely true." Said the team's defensive coordinator, Rasheed Moyo. "But we know our boys are better than them. Obviously, don't get ahead of ourselves, stay focused, I know- but we've got the better squad. We're playing some hella good ball right now. Did you see the way we finished that game two weeks ago, away to Elephant Valley? Did you see how we finished that game? Our kids never lost their heads, our defense played lights out, and nobody ever lost faith. We proved we were as good as we thought we were against the Salamantics in week 3. Now we've gotta prove that we're the class of this conference again."

"We've just gotta figure out the plan to beat them." Said Alanso Isa. "No overtime, no last minute drives- I want everybody to see the Salamantics game as the day we announced as ourselves as the class of this conference, and then this week as the day that we confirm it. I want a no doubts victory. I want everybody to know that the fortress known as the Istria Lightning Yard is back."

"I've got an idea." Said Offensive Coordinator Bethlehem Nangobi. "You know who has had a great last few weeks of practice? Gerthard Koulibaly. The Siovanijan. We're obviously a pass first team- that's how we've always been. But we have some strong running concepts in our offense. And I think, if we can get out ahead of the game early, we can control the game on the ground." The other offensive coaches in the room looked at her, thinking. "A gameplan designed around the power spread game. We have tight ends who can block. We've got some animals in the RB room. Our linemen would love it."

"HELL FUCKING YEAH" Yelled the Offensive Line Coach, Jamba Shomari. "I apologize, for the outburst. But It's a good idea. We did a great job of handling their pass rush last time. We can take Northern's front 7." As people were looking unconvinced and started arguing, he stood up to make his point. "It's not like we're going to be teaching 15 new play concepts or whatever the week of a rivalry game. We've got enough variety in our power spread game- we just have to actually run these plays. How do we keep things fresh? We have two senior HBs playing their last career game against NMU. I'm sure Koulibaly, who has such a different running style than van Geel, can take some carries."

"Yeah, I know you want to send a message coach." Nangobi said to Alanso Isa. "What better message is there to send than for our offensive line to manhandle theirs at the line of scrimmage for 60 minutes? If we can physically dominate a team like Northern, with the high-flying passing attack we have... Then we would have to confirm ourselves as the favorites to win this damned conference."

Alanso Isa seemed to have made up his mind. "You're right." The Head Coach said. "Somebody ask Russell Farmer what he feels about blocking. Bethlehem, we're going to work on the play sheet. We are going to maul them so far down the Celestia Conference table, nobody will be able to find them ever again."

---

The Blue Thunder ground game shines as Loyola's offensive front 'mauls NMU into the ground' in route to massive 36-19 victory over Northern Moravica


The Loyola stripeout as the two fierce rivals meet in Istria

ISTRIA, MORAVICA- As the two fierce domestic rivals met at the Istria Lightning Yard, the Blue Thunder entered kickoff with a line as 5.5 points favorites over the two-time defending conference champions. But although Northern Moravica beat the Blue Thunder in Week 1 in dramatic fashion with a goal line stand, the two teams have been trending in opposite directions since then. The Blue Thunder have won all four of their games since then, winning four games by double digits- by 10, by 44, by 23, and by 11. They have been dominant in all phases, with an electric passing attack headed by Ebou Hairte, surrounded by a sturdy rushing attack as well as a stout defense. They have consistently put themselves in position to put games away late in the fourth quarter, and have consistently taken advantage of those.

Northern Moravica, on the other hand, have been shaky. They got absolutely rocked by the Salamantic Universities in Week 2, coming off of their rivalry win against Loyola-Istria to immediately give up the Felinology Trophy, with a 26-6 victory for the Ko-orenite grouping of schools. While getting dominated on the road is never good, that was one thing. And then, of course, the fire alarm. They lost to the RUoN in extremely tough conditions at the Jungledrom, losing on a field goal on the final play of the game to clinch the upset. The offense has been shaky- even in their 19-10 home win over Fair Haven State last week, they looked totally unconvincing. Four field goals, the only offensive touchdown coming from a drive that started at the Fair Haven State 11 yard line because the NMU special teams blocked a punt.

Although NMU was looking down, they have won at the Istria Lightning Yard for four consecutive seasons. They've won 7 of 8 in this rivalry. So NMU fans were still feeling the confidence, and came in hordes of red down to Istria to tailgate and have a good time. The smack talk was everywhere- even the Katikkiro himself, Kobe Azizi, and the Leader of the Opposition, Xolile Lubabalo, who are both NMU grads, spoke on the floor of the Lukiiko(Parliament) itself during question time about how, even amidst their political divisions, they will unite together for NMU. High schools across Moravica, and indeed, the country, had red v. blue days on Friday- and even high school and primary school students across the country showed their preferences.

But as Dwayne Markson's opening kickoff sailed through the uprights for a touchback, everybody knew- this game would be another battle. And it would be the Blue Thunder who would strike first. That opening drive saw play selection that was out of character for what you normally see with Loyola, but a harbinger of things to come. 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:54 off of the clock. But 10 runs for 67 yards, and just one passing play for 8 yards on the drive- and that was a play-action on a 3rd and 3. Running between the tackles out of the spread, especially the wide receivers run blocking excellently. And, of course, mixing the RBs. Koulibaly scored from 4 yards out on that drive to give the Blue Thunder an early 7-0 lead.

Northern Moravica would respond twice in the first quarter, driving down the field. But they could not quite finish drives, as Wagner-Young's offense stalled out inside the 30 both times. But they've got their Chromatik marksman in Dwayne Markson, and he hit a pair of field goals, one from 46 and another from 41, so that the score was only 7-6 in favor of the home side at the end of one quarter. On a drive in the second quarter, Loyola-Istria was continuing to focus on establishing the ground game. And they were doing so with success, as van Geel and Koulibaly were both getting down the field. On a 3rd and 1 from the NMU 24, however, a designed QB run by Hairte was blown up in the backfield for a 3 yard loss. And then Sainey Kabbah's ensuing FG attempt was wide right.

Which gave NMU the football, who immediately began driving down the field. You got Wagner-Young, you've got a chance, right? He led a drive down the field by airing it out. And the TD pass, which was a 25 yard strike to Yaya Badjie, was a thing of beauty. 6 minutes left in the quarter, NMU taking a 13-7 lead. But Loyola would come right back down the field- balanced with the run game and the pass game. Loyola started the ensuing drive with great field position, with a kickoff return to their own 45. So they continued to mix their run formations- some two tight ends, some pistol with Russell Farmer acting as a FB, and the three starting WRs having a hell of a game run blocking. Loyola simply mauled their way to the end zone, and with 3 and a half minutes left, Hairte threw a 21 yard touchdown to a diving Russell Farmer in the corner of the end zone. 14-13 to the Blue Thunder.

NMU tried to mount a response, but Wagner-Young threw an interception at the Loyola 30. The Blue Thunder tried to get back down the field, with three successive 10+ yard carries by three different players(Hairte, van Geel, Koulibaly), but Sainey Kabbah missed for the second time, this one from 49 on the final play of the half. The Blue Thunder went out with a 14-13 halftime lead. Loyola was moving the ball well, especially on the ground. And in the second half? They'd really start to open up holes. They continued to mix up their power spread formations. 3 and even 4 WR sets were running formations for Loyola, as their WRs dominated NMU's DBs at the point of attack. Russell Farmer being used as a lead blocker. Even occasionally bringing in an extra offensive tackle while still having 3 WR sets.

In the second half, Loyola's run game was nearly unstoppable. They didn't even need their passing game, really. Their defense forced a punt on the opening drive of the third quarter, and they marched down the field, slowly and methodically- 12 plays, 82 yards, all running plays. Eric van Geel scoring from 6 yards out, after 6 minutes, to make it a 20-13 game. Now, what happened after this, was analytics. Kick the PAT to make it an 8 point game, or go for 2 to try and make it a 2 possession game? Alanso Isa was going to be aggressive- he went for it. A designed rollout saw Hairte hit the second-string tight end, Odero Okomo, for the 2 point conversion. The gambit was successful- it was 22-13, for the Blue Thunder.

NMU picked up a pair of first downs, but the drive stalled after a third down sack by Abram Fairbanks. Another punt, another Loyola drive, more power spread offense. This drive was 9 plays, 77 yards. But look at this. 5 carries by Loyola's running backs netted 70 yards, as they found huge holes to run through. 1st and goal from the NMU 7. A 6 yard Koulibaly run. Then, a fade route to Rachel Emerson that's knocked down. Then, a QB sneak by Hairte that's stuffed by the defense. Fourth down. 3rd quarter winding down. Alanso Isa said it best after the game. "You never want to let a team like NMU get back into the game. Field goals won't cut it- we learned that in Herzegovina City. Goal to go from the 1? We had to go for it."

Jumbo package, under center, fourth and goal, up 22-13. Russell Farmer the lead blocker, as the tight end played as the up back. They faked a handoff to Russell Farmer, who flew over the top- empty-handed. They then pitched the ball outside to Koulibaly after the FB fake, who simply high-stepped untouched into the end zone. Another running score for Loyola. No 2 point conversion this time- they kicked it through the uprights to make it a 29-13 ballgame. The home crowd at this point, of course, was rocking. After this, of course, NMU mounted a drive of their own that went into the fourth quarter. And with 12 minutes left, Apollo Esther scored from 3 yards out to make it 29-19. Go for 2 to make it a one possession game, right?

That's what they did. But Loyola was ready. Wagner-Young dropped back as Justin Peterson basically bowled straight through his blocker, to the QB. He had nowhere to run, as he threw up a hopeless ball that was easily knocked down by Loyola's defenders. Still, 29-19. They kick deep. Loyola, still committed to the run game, moves the ball well down the field themselves. But the drive stalls out at the NMU 32 yard line. But for the third time on the day, Sainey Kabbah, their kicker, misses again- this one from 49. 0/3 on field goals, a rough day for the veteran kicker. NMU still had life. They drove down the field themselves. But the game clincher came on a 3rd and 7 for NMU at the Loyola 36 yard line.

Abram Fairbanks blew by the tackle and got a path to the QB's blind side. Wagner-Young stepped up, feeling the pressure. But he could not step up quick enough- as he tried to tuck the ball in, a diving Fairbanks flew in and knocked the football out, as Justin Peterson jumped onto it at the Loyola 43. With just 6 minutes left, the crowd was really rocking. And Loyola only needed one more play to really send them into a frenzy. A simple counter play for Eric van Geel. But with Russell Farmer pulling across the line of scrimmage as lead blocker, he cleared a path through the hole, and then Lafi Senghore blew up the safety. That left NMU CB Mamadi Kaba as the only guy who could make the play down field. A spin move left Kaba flailing, as van Geel went 57 yards to the house to put a bow on the game, as it was the final score for a game that finished 36-19. Loyola did get one more interception late in the quarter to close it out, courtesy of Wilhelm Ouattara-Fischer.

A statement 36-19 win for the Blue Thunder. "Look- we are back." Alanso Isa said. "The Lighting Yard- did you see this atmosphere? I've never heard so much energy, so much noise, so much joy in my life. The best home field advantage in all of football!" The Head Coach was clearly enjoying himself. "But we saw something- we thought we could dominate the line of scrimmage. And we went out and did that. Everybody bought into the gameplan. Our WRs did a phenomenal job blocking. Russell Farmer, a key receiving tight end, deserves kudos- he loved the gameplan, and was crucial in our ability to move the ball on the ground."

The Blue Thunder have two senior RBs, who have now played their final game in this rivalry. The team's combined rushing stats were insane. 52 carries(by far a Loyola record in the NSCF) for 373 rushing yards(a Loyola team rushing record), and 4 TDs. Over 7 yards per carry as a team! They only had 14 pass attempts(a record low for Loyola's time in the NSCF), and took care of the football. Definitely showing something different to wild amounts of success. While it's a sort of gameplan that they may not run often, there may be more opportunities where they must do so- particularly, when they visit the Jungledrom in Week 10.

North v. South Showdown Game Summary- Turnovers and Scores

Official Attendance: 101,382

1st Quarter
09:00 ULI TD - RB Gotthard Koulibaly 4 yard TD run(PAT is good)
05:58 NMU FG - K Dwayne Markson hits 41 yard Field goal.
02:01 NMU FG - K Dwayne Markson hits 46 yard Field goal.

7-6 ULI at the end of Q1

2nd Quarter
09:04 ULI FG MISS - K Sainey Kabbah MISSES 44 yard field goal wide right.
05:59 NMU TD - QB Vallienté Wagner-Young 25 yard TD pass to WR Yaya Badjie (PAT is good)
03:32 ULI TD - QB Ebou Hairte 21 yard TD pass to TE Russell Farmer (PAT is good)
01:22 NMU INT - NMU QB Vallienté Wagner-Young is INTERCEPTED by Emmitt Krell at the ULI 30 yard line, where he is immediately tackled.
00:00 ULI FG MISS - K Sainey Kabbah MISSES 49 yard field goal, hitting the right upright.

14-13 ULI at halftime

3rd Quarter
08:57 ULI TD - RB Eric van Geel 6 yard TD run (2 point conversion pass is successful to Odero Okomo)
01:33 ULI TD - RB Gotthard Koulibaly 1 yard TD run(PAT is good)

29-13 ULI at the end of Q3

4th Quarter
13:00 NMU TD - HB Apollo Esther 3 yard TD run. (2 point conversion attempt is FAILED)
08:02 ULI FG MISS - K Sainey Kabbah MISSES 49 yard field goal wide right.
06:07 NMU FUM - EDGE Abram Fairbanks sacks and strips NMU QB Vallienté Wagner-Young, forcing a fumble. Fumble recovered by ULI DE Justin Peterson at the ULI 43 yard line.
05:59 ULI TD - RB Eric van Geel 57 yard TD run. (PAT is good).
01:58 NMU INT - NMU QB Vallienté Wagner-Young is INTERCEPTED by Wilhelm Ouattara-Fischer in the end zone for a touchback.

Loyola-Istria WINS 36-19.

Offensive Statistical Leaders
Loyola-Istria
Passing
ULI- QB Ebou Hairte. 10/14, 130 yards, 1 touchdown.

Rushing
ULI- RB Eric van Geel. 27 carries, 179 yards, 2 touchdowns.
ULI- RB Gotthard Koulibaly. 20 carries, 145 yards, 2 touchdowns.
ULI- QB Ebou Hairte. 4 carries, 34 yards.
ULI- RB Kajwang Gor. 1 carry, 15 yards.

Receiving
ULI- WR Lafi Senghore. 3 catches, 26 yards.
ULI- WR Baboucar Camara. 1 catches, 7 yards.
ULI- WR Rachel Emerson. 4 catches, 66 yards.
ULI- TE Russell Farmer. 1 catches, 21 yards, 1 touchdown.
ULI- WR Lama Jatta. 1 catch, 10 yards.

Northern Moravica
Passing
NMU- QB Vallienté Wagner-Young. 28/44, 275 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions.

Rushing
NMU- RB Apollo Esther. 9 carries, 53 yards, 1 touchdown.
NMU- RB Jebel Marenah. 2 carries, 34 yards.
NMU- QB Vallienté Wagner-Young. No carries. Sacked 4 times. 1 lost fumble.

Receiving
NMU - WR Yaya Badjie. 8 catches for 97 yards, 1 touchdown.
NMU - WR Jannik Nadine. 10 catches for 123 yards.
NMU - WR Thomas Drach. 5 catches for 27 yards
NMU - TE Zachary Lewis. 3 catches for 18 yards.
NMU - RB Apollo Esther. 1 catch for 6 yards.
NMU - RB Jebel Marenah. 1 catch for 4 yards.

[South Newlandia]

MD7 Cutoff - Big Eight and Sequoia conferences.

---

Big Eight Conference
Swisston City University (KHD) 27–14 Panem University (STR)
Kohnhead City University (KHD) 22–6 University of Methopotamia (BUF)
Cold Hill University (RAN) 27–0 Richardson University (RAN)

P Big Eight                              Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD
1 Cold Hill University (RAN)               7    7   0   212   95 +117
2 Swisston City University (KHD)           7    5   2   170  124  +46
3 Richardson University (RAN)              7    4   3   145  135  +10
4 Kohnhead City University (KHD)           7    4   3   181  129  +52
5 University of Methopotamia (BUF)         7    1   6   119  205  −86
6 Panem University (STR)                   7    0   7   100  239 −139

Sequoia Conference
Utah University (JHC) 13–37 Silverleaf University (UAD)
Universidade de Soria (LIS) 27–23 Woodstock City College (SRZ)
Alto College (RAT) 6–41 Ooopss National College (OPS)

P Sequoia                                Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD
1 Silverleaf University (UAD)              7    7   0   273   98 +175
2 Woodstock City College (SRZ)             7    4   3   202  174  +28
3 Ooopss National College (OPS)            7    3   4   190  200  −10
4 Utah University (JHC)                    7    3   4   136  210  −74
5 Alto College (RAT)                       7    2   5   124  164  −40
6 Universidade de Soria (LIS)              7    2   5   166  245  −79

[Buffalostan]

Week 7

      1   2   3   4   F
UOM   0   0   6   0   6
KCU   9   3   7   3  22
BOX                                                                          UOM  KCU
  1 Kalu Alazar 6 yard pass from Emilee Johansson (kick failed)                0    6
    Seth Potter 46 yard field goal                                             0    9
  2 Seth Potter 59 yard field goal                                             0   12
  3 Herman Whitworth 1 yard run (Seth Potter kick)                             0   19
    Joe Willis 13 yard pass from Jake Murphy (pass failed)                     6   19
  4 Seth Potter 33 yard field goal                                             6   22

The Stick Insects considered scoring just 7 points against KCU a major insult last time, and this time were determined to go out and ensure that scoring 7 points was a humiliation they would never again endure. Go Stick Insects!

[Banija]

Horizon & Woodlands
Matchday 7

All I want for Christmas is a win on this Matchday 7 cutoff!

Horizon Conference
Cavsar University (DRK) 48–7 Royal Armitage University (WZT)
Sadeg State University (DRK) 0–3 Hoofstra University (KRD)
Staramara Tech (CMT) 32–0 Felswyr State University (CMT)

Horizon Conference                  Pld   W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Staramara Tech                     7    5   2   188  106  +82
2 Hoofstra University                7    4   3   117  100  +17
3 Sadeg State University             7    4   3   153  154   −1
4 Felswyr State University           7    4   3   217  138  +79
5 Cavsar University                  7    3   4   150  206  −56
6 Royal Armitage University          7    1   6   108  229 −121

Woodlands Conference
Brattleboro Technical Institute (CDG) 9–9 Crown's College (SHM) (12–9 OT)
New Lakeland University (CDG) 23–0 Rotenburg Island University (BUM)
Université St. Croix (QUE) 17–20 Université du Saguenay (QUE)

Woodlands Conference                      Pld   W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Brattleboro Technical Institute          7    5   2   156  116  +40
2 Crown's College                          7    5   2   123   78  +45
3 New Lakeland University                  7    5   2   165   94  +71
4 Université du Saguenay                   7    3   4   113  151  −38
5 Université St. Croix                     7    2   5   135  124  +11
6 Rotenburg Island University              7    1   6    54  183 −129

[Ranoria]

Welcome to the Tundra: Cold Hill Completes Sweep of Richardson In Dominant Fashion As They March Towards A Number One Seed

In a vicious conference such as the Big 8, making it out unscathed is nigh-impossible. Richardson, Kohnhead City, and Cold Hill are all more than capable of contending for a championship each and every year. Granted, only one of them has actually won one, and they are, once again, separating themselves as the top dogs of the conference in a season where many pundits - even here in Ranoria - predicted Kohnhead City would finally break through with their first conference title.

Instead, Cold Hill's projected competition is 4-3, and only Swisston has a real shot to come back and win the Big 8 at 5-2. . . though we sincerely doubt that will happen. The Buffalo, with a defense much more suited to stop the pass than run, just shut out one of the most run-heavy teams in the NSCF.

And for Astrid Verona, things just continue to get worse. After having two of the best games of her career in the last two outings, this loss has her right back in the doghouse of the Richardson faithful. After years of being blessed by Derek McNair (you know, best Ranorian college football player ever?), John Garrett (the three time MVP and World Bowl champion), Ifeatu Chineze (current starter for Banija's Serpent Eagles) and finally a flash-in-the-pan in Ezekiel Bantoba, they're used to a high flying attack that can win games regardless of the defense before them.

Well let us just say this in Astrid's defense - we're not sure Garrett could have done much more than get hit and check the ball down against this secondary. The receiving corps at Richardson is talented, but young, and when you have Victoria Mio and Koman Tabor lined up against them, well, they aren't getting open. Richardson's top two receivers were held to a combined three targets, resulting in one catch for no gain and one interception. The rest of the unit isn't anything to write home about, and when the half-Drawkian monster was brought into the box to stop Elliot Roach, that was a death sentence for this crew.

Of course the offense had to do their part to force the Governors into a situation where they had to pass, no small feat against the teeth of this defense, and they had to do it early to keep Elliot Roach from wearing down their own crew. Fortunately, they have Aurel Strathos at quarterback, and Richardson's secondary is certainly the weak point of this defense. Against Nikolas Isaksen, who was coming off a program record 281 yard receiving game, true freshman Takeuchi Ichiko never had a chance, allowing three receptions and a touchdown on the first drive. The second? Sophomore Karl Fortis got moved over, and allowed just once catch...for forty one yards. The young duo of starting corners has been protected a good bit this season by a dominant pass rush from the front four, but Cold Hill features two senior tackles in Moses Busara and Bernier Simpson who, with a bit of help from tight end Tucker Colman and running back Alexander Østby, were able to hold up in pass protection and hold both of the star Governor pass rushers sackless for the first time this season.

Speaking of Østby, he had by far the best game of his career. While Cold Hill doesn't normally lay off the gas pedal with scoring, once they had a three score lead this early against Richardson, they decided to milk the clock. Not to keep Astrid off the field, but to keep the Governors from feeling comfortable enough to run the ball with Elliot Roach to wear down the Buffalo defense. Superb decision by the coaching staff, as the result was the most lopsided of any game these two teams have had against one another.

So where does this leave us?

Cold Hill is undefeated and Richardson, at 4-3, may be on their way to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Aurel Strathos is looking more and more like the 2nd ranked prospect we were promised years ago, now with 18 passing touchdowns to nine interceptions on the season. And defensively? Between a secondary that may be the best in the NSCF and Candace Ferrett's 6 sacks on the season up front, this is still one of the most formidable units the university has ever fielded, and their last big test of the conference slate will come two weeks from now when they visit Chicken King Stadium.

For Richardson, they'll have to bring down Kohnhead City in Dietrich Stadium next week if they want any chance at winning ten games this season. If things don't go their way on that front, they may just have to chalk this up as a second lost season, a .500 record at this point in the year would be almost impossible to come back from.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

See here for more/related information.

Morning Glory - Your Simple Nationwide Morning Newspaper

Opinion: I never regretted playing football, but we can always do better

June 2040 (OOC: just under 12 yrs ago)

QUEBEC CITY, CAPITALE-NATIONALE - It is indeed true that football isn't a sport for everybody.

It is a tough sport that requires mental, physical and personal fortitude to overcome your fear of what comes ahead of you.

But it also gives back to you what you need to succeed in life. It teaches you teamwork, confidence and many other skills necessary for us in order to continue on in life.

I wasn't the person who football was designed for, but I let my life follow football and in turn it gave me back many things, to prepare for the life after it.

Football helped me to establish regularity. It helped me to focus. Every day, my focus was to block correctly, being aware of the surroundings and not to risk injuries on others. Through injuries and personal events, both joyful and tragic, I have fought and stayed focused with my life. My career and family grew as I became more mature and appreciative of what was out there.

Of course, all of us are aware of the health issues that playing sports, including football, can bring. We all know about the CTE or other conditions, potential risks to our health. These risks are real for many reasons we all know of, but life has to go on in spite of those. As with other players I keep a close eye on my own health, and fortunately, have been safe from my risk of brain injury. Still, I have had bouts with other illnesses, including diabetes and hearing, that I stay focused on controlling.

Of course, it is important for us to keep thinking about how to make our game safer. The game has gone the long way with that, whether it be through way stricter concussion and injury protocols than my time, improvements in helmet technologies and not to mention the body of research available that allows coaches to improve the players' techniques.

There is no doubt that we have come a long way with how we teach the game as well. We need to be better with organising practices and learn from other sports on how to tackle better and more safely. This needs to be done at a very early age, preferably from the middle school level, because you cannot deny the need to establish muscle memory from an early age. We also need to think about establishing proper career funds and other pathways for those whose careers have ended early due to injuries and incidents.

In the end, nobody can and should deny that playing football is a risk one has to take on their own. It has always been a risk. But we cannot just ignore the benefits it brings to many lives out there, especially the children and the youth. Let's focus on what's really important out there, and make it as safe as possible.

Robert Mah-Giguere played centre and guard for the Universite St. Croix from 1999 to 2003, and was inducted into the Quebecois College Football Hall of Fame in 2023. After his celebrated career with St. Croix and the Kingston Argonauts, where he was four-time All-star centre from 2004 to 2013 and won 2006 Imperial Bowl, Giguere went on to have a memorable career as a country singer-songwriter. The Ivancsik-Giguere Family Foundation provides health and recreation programs for underprivileged youth in the Greater Kingston Area, as well as an annual award, Robert Mah-Giguere Award, for the offensive lineman prospect of the year.

---

The Bleu et Blanc head coach of twelve years, Kweon Joon-Ho, checked the jumbotron at the Stade St. Croix as the sophomore quarterback, Jordan Huntingdon, took back to back knees on the victory formation, to finish the game with the very opposite outcome to the victory his team had won in South Bend 6 weeks ago. He looked at the 120,000 fans (mostly from the Bleu et Blanc faithful), who were all standing as they watched the jumbotron's live clock tick away to zero in gigantic figures.

The end of what would have been the true statement match for this program, coach Kweon thought to himself, as a slow wave of claps trilled the turf.

To him this was a huge disappointment, and it's not just because of the fact that this put the St. Croix program with a 2-5 mark. Sure, this surely eliminated the Bleu et Blanc from the playoffs of what's been a highly-competitive NSCF season on its 25th edition, and that wasn't a good thing. Things could have gone worse, like not making it to the Tiger Bowl finals that they did win on a 32-29 thriller over Latilutakówa National Mustangs, or losing half their recruiting class to decommitments which did happen to Yongma College when their young head coach bolted for bad, bad Southern Manitoba of all schools (WTF!).

Instead he inherited the St. Croix program that has taken some time to recover from slight funk but held potential at the time of takeover, and turned them into a three-time Tiger Bowl champions, equaling that of what Baek Sang-Joon had done under a longer time period than him! Not to mention a successful return into the NSCF competition that while he has yet to bring them to postseason glories of two decades past, he's more than held a respectable name abroad for.

Now, the problem was that he, while having just as impressive of credentials and record as the just-retired Baek, he may have costed himself a major opportunity for the Saguenay job, the one that he felt he originally had a chance in. To him, this was a matter of pride - not because he's already at that level of coach ready to coach the most historic program in this country (author's note: depends on how you'd view it - do you wanna coach a #1 Alabama program or a #1 Notre Dame program?), but he did come close to the position before.

First time I went across the Atlantian Oceania for a major gig, and then the second time it went to the guy who's no longer there, Kweon Joon-Heo thought about the last two occasions, reminding himself that this loss marked the third time he was going to lose it. The first time happened when he was a quarterback coach and recruiting coach to the high-powered Fighting Irish offences that won the Tiger Bowl twice (2028 and 2030) with Dexter Ahn and Simon Gacek.

With how high-profiled he was becoming at mid-20s, he could have just waited for promotions to occur naturally from a positional coach to offensive coordinator and then the head oach. Instead, he took the opportunity offered by the Northern Moravica University, then a consistently-underperforming powerhouse in Banija that needed an offensive coordinator. Unfortunately, even Kweon and his recruit Kim Chae-Heung, of all coaches couldn't turn around the Cougars' playoff struggles, and he was fired after four years and two seasons as the OC, with Kim winning the NSCF title only a season (2 years) after his firing.

Now, fifteen years after his departure from NMU, he's had a bit more to think about it all. Once back home, all the big schools came to call him on the phone, but he decided to return to Saguenay as the offensive coordinator. Fortunately for him, he had the luck of being around for the entire time another all-time quarterback, the west coast kid in Ian Lautner, had played for the Fighting Irish, and the two Tiger Bowls that he had won (2038 and 2041) he knew he had a huge part behind it. But he knew Baek Sang-Joon was not going anywhere at the time - not in middle of the six-year consecutive period where they won 10 or more victories - so he went to St. Croix, their worst rival, and didn't look back.


Way-Oh! Way-Oh!

The fans held their arms wide, took a deep breath, and shouted the onomatopoeia back at the players and the coaches, as they entered the turf. The fans were about to sing a song marking one last final remark to the future hall-of-famer, who they saw from the jumbotron screen waving at the crowd for one last time. 'Haley's Song', the most famous sports anthem to have come out in last fifty years, was a joyful disco track that was sung at matches of most Quebecois national teams, and some selected professional and college sides on top of it. Giguere's alma mater, Universite St. Croix, has used it for years with his permission, and they actually kicked off the now-popular practice to use this anthem.

'Camelia, the word I call you right now
As rosy as you Haley
You write get back somehow
I think you've got to see through
Before the fiddles die down
I think your fingertips are numb down
So be careful to stay awake'

He could now hear the sound roar across this state-of-art Stade St. Croix. Having been on both sides of the bench, it was always surreal for him to hear this song at the end of every St. Croix match, but this time it felt even more right to his bones, as it was the first time the song's been played at the Double-Blue-World since Giguere's passing just a week ago. Every year, Mr. Giguere would come down to perform this song at what's considered the most important St. Croix regular season match of the year at home, and usually this had meant either Montreal Metropolitain (their cross-divisional rivals scheduled to play on even-numbered, NSCF years) or Saguenay (another historic rival who they played on odd-numbered, non-NSCF years), so the player felt even more at the lyrics of the heart. Their English lyrics, written by Giguere for his wife Haley Ivancsik and daughters Noemie and Cecily at age 34, rang even more true to them.

You really can just see through it
Was it the faith he kneels with his pray?
The letters that start with an-H
Calling Camelia?

[Sarzonia]

Woodstock City College quarterback Cal Barkley knew what his job was. He'd talked over the sequence with offensive coordinator Dave Meyers. The two were conversing during Universidade de Soria's second timeout of the half as City College held a three-point lead. They'd just forced a turnover and got the ball at their own 2. They got a first down after Barkley hit wide receiver Dean Spencer for a 23-yard completion to get the Climbers out of the shadow of their own end zone. Spencer fell down to stay in bounds, drawing the timeout.

"Keep the ball on the ground. Get the first down. Kill the clock," Meyers said.

"Got it," Barkley said. He jogged back to the huddle.

"Counter left, hitch slant on three, ready? Break!"

That meant the right guard and tackle were supposed to pull to the left of the formation and block for running back Bill Crotty, who'd rushed for 96 yards on 19 carries to that point in the contest. Mike Zastudil was supposed to slow up the left defensive end and get help from tight end Chris Callaway to block. Centre Ken Askins was supposed to also keep an eye on the onrushing left end and also keep the nose guard occupied.

It was a lot for the players involved, but they'd done this many times before. It was a situation Barkley knew well. Force the Bats to burn their final timeout, pick up the first down, move the sticks, and then kneel down to preserve the team's second road victory of the season. He surveyed the formation and saw the left end eying him. He thought to himself the end was wise to the play and thought, I'd better audible.

"Chuck! Chuck! Iso slant right!" Barkley called out, forming fists with both hands and banging his right wrist against his left whilst looking at both receivers, Spencer and Buddy Holcomb, both of whom winked, serving as their acknowledgment that they understood the audible.

"No, no!" Meyers yelled out, seeing the audible and trying to call out to Barkley. Unfortunately for Meyer, the quarterback didn't hear him as he called out, "Hut HUT, Hut!" and Askins snapped the ball. Barkley took a three-step drop, looked at Holcomb, then saw the safety inch toward him as he was releasing the ball, too late to prevent the throw and look for Crotty on a checkdown. The safety got his hand on the ball to prevent Holcomb from getting his hands on it and deflected it in the air. Then he watched as the outside linebacker who'd drifted back to cover Crotty snagged the ball and then ran the other way for the late touchdown that would prove to be the final margin. It would give the Bats just their second victory of the season and it would drop the Climbers to 4-3 ahead of their home match against Utah University.

James Arthur scowled and folded his arms as the Bats linebacker crossed the goal line with the ball in his right hand extended in the air. Just twelve ticks remained on the clock and even a blocked extra point returned for two points would only mean the Climbers would be down one point. Instead, the extra point gave the Bats a 27-23 victory. Arthur scowled as he watched Barkley trudge toward the sidelines.

"What did you see out there, Cal?"

"Their right defensive end was ready for the play call," he said. "Then when I audibled, their free safety was too close to Buddy, but I didn't see it until the ball left my hand."

"They disguised their coverage," defensive coordinator Chris Hoskins said. "We can work on recognising that when we have a moment at practice."

"Hopefully, this'll be a learning experience for you," Arthur said.

"You bet."

SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
US: Running back 43 run (kicker kick), 11:32, US 7-0
WCC: Mike Zastudil 1 run (Matt Andersen kick), 7:34, 7-7

Second Quarter
WCC: FG Andersen 48, 6:47, WCC 10-7

Third Quarter
WCC: Bill Crotty 27 run (Andersen kick), 10:39, WCC 17-7
US: Possession receiver 29 pass from quarterback (kicker kick), 4:17, WCC 17-14
US: FG kicker 39, 1:48, 17-17

Fourth Quarter
US: FG kicker 43, 14:53, US 20-17
WCC: Dean Spencer 51 pass from Barkley (pass failed), 3:21, WCC 23-20
US: Linebacker 41 interception return (kicker kick), 0:12, US 27-23

[TJUN-ia]

Collegiate Gridiron is a sport of unpredictability. Form and data can tell you everything about a fixture but in the end, only on-field performances truly matter in the end. Both schools from TJUN-ia fully understand this fact and their records show that for a fact, to an extent, but this weekend, in particular, can show that no matter how much effort you put into a fixture in the NSCF, sometimes things don't go as planned.

For the Trent State Feathercaps, the main thing Johnny Bridgeford was trying to focus on was one small matter called revenge. In Week 2, TSU travelled to the Commonwealth of Baker Park to play the UCBP Warriors in a tight contest that was settled by a walk-off FG for the hosts. Now, the Warriors were coming to Sherwood Field for the rematch and considering the history of big matches at this stadium thus far, many expected this contest to go down to the wire. Unfortunately, it just wasn't to be as Ryan Benton had a game plan and executed it to perfection. It's not as if TSU didn't try in the contest, as Leon Gallas got 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 pass to Victor Que-et-Vous) and 2 2-Point Conversions while BF Xander Tiovannen went and got a FG too to make it 19 for the hosts. But Marcus Crews was a beast tonight as he managed 3 TDs while kicker Landon Korman went 2/3 on PATs but 1/1 on FG duty. It was a complete performance by the Warriors that put them in the Mineral driving seat with 3 games left on the conference slate. TSU doesn't mind settling for 2nd, it's better than 3rd after all, but work still needed to be done and they hoped travelling to Stevan Vaalburger College can get them back on track.

As for the Green City Royal Eagles, the road to a winning record was always going to be on Paul Abdullahi's mind and against a winless Byses Politicians side, that was certainly the main aim here...but it wasn't easy at all. Byses really did not want to leave this season without a win on their record and so, they came to The Palace @GCU to play gridiron come what may. Moses Igbinoghene ended up having to play a bit of a shootout with Byses in order to win on the day, but his 4 TDs on the game (2 throws to Gilbert Nyamutsamba and 1 rush each to Mercy and Stella Oshoala) and Glory Oparanozie's 3/4 on PATs turned out to just about being enough to get this side over the line. Byses only managed 3 TDs, 2/3 on PATs and a FG, so an unexpectedly-close contest results in the Royal Eagles now at 3-4. Up next is a game many will expect them to lose as they make the trip to the UCBP Warriors to try and at least be competitive in a situation not many teams come out of alive.

Lessons have to be learnt by both sides of we want the most success possible - and who knows where both will end up now...

---

TSU SCHEDULE (MINERAL Conference + 3 Non-Conf)
Week 1: vs Byses Politicians (CRL) W 51-3 (1-0)
Week 2: @UCBP (CBP) L 34-31 (1-1)
Week 3: vs Stevan Vaalburger College (ALS) W 63-0 (2-1)
Week 4: vs Green City (TJU) W 13-10 (3-1)
Week 5: @UAlexandropolis (NGS) W 23-7 (4-1/+127PD)
Week 6: @Byses Politicians (CRL) W 48-10 (5-1)
Week 7: vs UCBP (CBP) L 19-30 (5-2)
Week 8: @Stevan Vaalburger College (ALS)
Week 9: @Green City (TJU)
Week 10: vs UAlexandropolis (NGS)
---------------------Non-Conference---------------------
Week 11: vs Elephant Valley (SNL)
Week 12: @Mar Sara Tech (VAL)
Week 13: vs Swisston City (KND)

GCU SCHEDULE (MINERAL Conference + 3 Non-Conf)
Week 1: vs UAlexandropolis (NGS) L 13-17 (0-1)
Week 2: @Byses Politicians (CRL) W 33-24 (1-1)
Week 3: vs UCBP (CBP) L 23-26 (1-2)
Week 4: @Trent State (TJU) L 10-13 (1-3)
Week 5: vs Stevan Vaalburger College (ALS) W 12-0 (2-3/+11PD)
Week 6: @UAlexandropolis (NGS) L 30-35 (2-4)
Week 7: vs Byses Politicians (CRL) W 27-23 (3-4)
Week 8: @UCBP (CBP)
Week 9: vs Trent State (TJU)
Week 10: @Stevan Vaalburger College (ALS)
---------------------Non-Conference---------------------
Week 11: vs Silverleaf University (UAD)
Week 12: vs Cavsar U (DRK)
Week 13: @Hoofstra (KRD)

[New Gesem]

Alexandropolis 7  13  0  7  27
Vaalburger     0  0   0  0  0

A robust win in front of an electric Homecoming crowd, given extra significance by the fact that the two teams' week two matchup led to one of the Redbirds' two losses and one of Vaalburger's two wins. The Redbirds remain in third place in the Mineral Conference, but each of the three remaining conference matches on the schedule will have an outsized impact on the end-of-season standings. U of A plays both the first and second place teams, and wins in both those games would likely secure the conference title and a playoff spot in only the team's first season in NSCF.

Homecoming, pt 2

Jeremy’s phone rang one night at dinner. The sound of it surprised him; hardly anyone ever called, least of all in the evening, and he’d been deeply ensconced in conversation with Jenna, the smart, beautiful city girl he’d spent the past two months wooing. He looked at her, confused, as if she somehow had something to do with it.

“Should you get that?” she asked neutrally, bringing another bite of sushi to her red lips.

“Yeah,” said Jeremy distractedly, “One second.”

He stepped out of his kitchen into the hallway just as the ringing stopped. Irritable, he swiped through menus on his phone until he found the missed call: Dino, his little brother, currently playing offensive line at U of A. Dino, who’d worshipped him growing up. Dino, who’d insisted on walking onto U of A when he had scholarships lined up at three other schools because he wanted to be like his big brother.

“I heard you’re not coming to Homecoming.”

Dino had never been able to keep his feelings on the inside, and him answering the phone with no preamble was within the bounds of normalcy, although Jeremy could tell his little brother was pissed. The analytical part of his brain, the one he used when he thought about engines or blocking schemes, started to turn as he determined the most likely way Dino had found out. Probably from someone at the school, he reasoned, someone who wasn’t happy and was using Dino to get to him.

“Sammy told me,” Dino continued, cutting off Jeremy’s train of thought. At least that tracked; Sammy O’Neil had been a freshman when Jeremy was a senior and been a part of his entourage. He’d been excited to “take little Weaver under his wing” and use Dino as a way to keep in touch with his hero. Jeremy imagined the two of them crushing beers and trading stories about him, each trying to one-up the other.

“Sammy’s a bitch,” said Jeremy reflexively, more to fill the space than anything. He paused. “I’m sorry I can’t make it this time, little brother. It’s just so last minute, and I can’t get off work or anything. I’ll be there in the fall for the real Homecoming, I promise.”

“I thought your job was super chill?”

The hurt in Dino’s voice was palpable. Instinctively, Jeremy decided to cut the shit. “Are you guys really taking this seriously? Homecoming in spring? Playing against a team from some other dimension?”

“TJUN-Ia isn’t some other dimension, bro,” Dino protested. “It’s...honestly, I’m not sure what it is. But they play football there, and we’re playing them, and you’re not going to be there.”

The brothers carried on for a few minutes, Dino insisting on the importance of the game and Jeremy dismissing it, until Jenna emerged from the kitchen to see what was taking so long. “It’s my brother,” he said quietly, covering his phone’s mic. “He’s pissed I’m not coming to his Homecoming game.”

“Who are you talking to?” Dino demanded on the other end of the line. “Is there a girl there? Are you dating someone and didn’t tell me? What the fuck, bro? Who are you? I swear-”

Jeremy tuned him out as Jenna spoke. “Why aren’t you going?”

“It’s not a real Homecoming game,” Jeremy answered as his brother’s voice continued ranting tinnily. “And I’d rather hang out with you.”

“I’ll go with you,” she said quickly. “Homecoming with the legendary Jeremy Weaver? That’s every girl’s dream.” There was a little acid in her smile as she tipped her chin down to look up at him. She took a meaningful step closer, encircling his waist with her hands.

“Bro, I’ll call you back,” Jeremy said quickly into the microphone.

--

Spring Homecoming 2013 turned out to be different from Jeremy’s other forays back to his old stomping grounds, and not just on account of the different season or the foreign opponent. For one thing, he had Jenna with him, so crashing at the frat house wasn’t exactly an option. He expected hotels to be booked weeks, if not months, in advance, but Jenna did some advanced searching and got them a room that, while not fancy and nowhere near the stadium, was perfectly serviceable.

They left after work Friday evening, loading their bags in the back of Jeremy’s truck and setting out on the River Highway, the main artery that runs through New Gesem from Alexandria to Constantinople. It was a couple hours’ drive from Busiris to Alexandropolis, and they passed the time with Jeremy telling stories from college, each one bawdier than the last. For her part, Jenna was a good sport, laughing and blushing at the appointed times in each.

The streets of ‘polis were packed as they arrived into town, and Jeremy realized he’d always taken a long weekend on Homecoming, arriving well before the festivities. A part of him felt a pang that he’d missed all the Friday activities, but the regret was washed away with the relief that he hadn’t stayed away this weekend. It might have felt wrong in his apartment in Busiris, but now, driving down University Ave and seeing the revelry, there could be no doubt this was Homecoming.

“Where are we going?” asked Jenna suddenly, snapping him out of his reflection. “The hotel’s on the other side of town.”

“Stop we gotta make first,” Jeremy explained lamely. “Tradition.”

The Oryx Lodge in Constantinople was shabby even by Oryx standards, which is to say it was a dive by any other standards. Even so, Jeremy felt a wave of nostalgia as he passed through the door with Jenna on his arm, taking in the walls covered in memorabilia, the brothers huddle around high-tops and pool tables. Through the door past the bathroom was the set of stairs that led to the ritual room, as well as the lodge offices. That was where Jeremy had taken his vows and become a fully-fledged brother, the same weekend he’d graduated college. No one would be upstairs tonight, though; Homecoming was a strictly “downstairs” event, meaning no official business, and all were welcome.

Scattered throughout the bar, he saw the black-on-black letters of Omega Omnicron Omega, the O’s, the fraternity to which he’d once belonged, the Oryx’s collegiate affiliate. The current president of the O’s, Martha Russo, drinking at the bar with a couple of brothers and sisters. A man in his fifties, with crew-cut hair and an Oryxes sweatshirt paired with a Redbirds ballcap came out from behind the bar and made a beeline for Jeremy.

“Jeremy Weaver in the house!” he announced to no one in particular. “We didn’t know if you were coming, brother.”

“I didn’t know either,” Jeremy admitted. He gestured to Jenna. “You can thank her.”

“And thank her I shall,” said the older man, dipping his head in acknowledgement and extending a hand. “Pat Walsh, lodge president.” Jenna took his hand gingerly. “Once upon a time, I gave your boy there his rites and made him an Oryx.”

“Looks like a lot of people out tonight,” Jeremy reflected, changing the subject. “You drinking?”

“Not tonight,” Pat answered. “Too much going on. Too many eyes.”

“How do you mean?”

Pat gestured at a high-top table, and the three of them took a seat. Across the bar, a match of nine-ball had heated up, and Martha and her boys meandered over to join the crowd of spectators.

“The Knights and the Wapitis have already endorsed the spring season,” Pat explained soberly. “We’re under a lot of pressure to do the same, but so far we can’t get the votes to even refer it to national. Me and some of the other guys are going to the Newts’ tailgate OHOV, to see what happens.”

[South Newlandia]

“It’s 3rd and 2, and the Red Elephants have the ball near midfield with a 15-6 lead. We’re midway through the 3rd quarter, this could be a crucial play. Herron, hands of to Lawson, who tries to get through the middle, did he get it, Edison-Downs was making the tackle. Lawson has not gotten up yet? Herron and Pine are signalling, now along a bunch of players from both sides, looking for medical attention, as Lawson still seems to be in severe pain. The replay, here, Lawson barely gets the first down, here’s Edison-Downs, makes the tackle, and Lawson’s cleat is stuck in the ground, and I don’t think knees are supposed that, oh my, that does not look good at all. They’re bringing out the cart, Lawson will not be able to play on, and we can’t be confident that we’ll see the junior again at all this season. That did not look any good at all.”

[Banija]

Ruwani Motor Speedway launches "stunning" bid to bring the NSCF 25 Championship Game to the greater Aissa Region


Computerized concept released before the NSCF 24 Rebel's Cannon Bowl hosted at Ruwani Motor Speedway

RUWANI, HANGAZA REGION- The Ruwani Motor Speedway, of course, is known as Banija's pre-eminent racetrack. It is basically the only true motorsports race track in the country. Sitting just south of Aissa, the capitol of Banija's second largest region, on the country's eastern border with Geisenfried, it has hosted races during NSSCRA competition and AO racing competitions. But famously, event organizers in the greater Aissa region(known as the Aissa Metropolitan Event Force, or AMEF) have wanted to expand their reach. They have felt that Aissa has a lot to offer- but it is a city that fails to register on the map for many foreign sports fans since the city's most visible sports team, Aissa United, plays in the second tier of the Banijan soccer pyramid.

Last year, they worked with Loyola University and Richardson University to bring the Rebel's Cannon Bowl to the other side of the country for the first time, and to do so with both great fanfare and success. While unfortunately Richardson came out 20-7 winners after an absolutely dominant defensive performance, AMEF said that the event proves that Aissa can host top-tier global events. "Many people take one look at Aissa, see our population of around half a million people, and then simply write the city off. AIssa United lacks the visibility, yes. But we've always been able to host top tier events. Fans have flocked in for motorsports, and both Richardson and Loyola-Istria fans enjoyed the city tremendously." Said AMEF's Chairman in a press conference.

"We've hosted more than that though. We've hosted games at major tournaments- World Cup matches, AOCAF matches, World Bowl games, etc..." The AMEF Chairman continued. "And with the Ruwani Motor Speedway in the suburbs, we've got this spectacular facility. We hosted a special event here at this stadium lastyear, with the Rbele's Cannon Bowl. That event went off without a hitch, so much so that we're bringing college football back to the Motor Speedway. And why not? It is something that worked, it packs a hell of a lot of people(150,000 to be precise), and we're a metropolitan area that is capable of hosting a lot of fans at once. Northern Moravica and Woodstock City College will end their regular seasons out here, and it will be an absolute party."

"Which is why, of course, we are officially bidding to host the NSCF 25 Championship Game at the Ruwani Motor Speedway. This is a special edition of the NSCF- its 25th season, the silver edition of the multiverse's greatest college sports competition. It requires us to think bigger- why not hold it at a special venue, and surround it with a celebration of what the NSCF is all about? We'll be able to fit 150,000 fans in this racetrack to watch the biggest college football game of the season- it will be fantastic! We, of course, will invite NSCF evaluators to come to Ruwani for the NMU v. Woodstock City College game to check out the logistics for themselves."

If successful, this would mark the fifth time in NSCF history that the Championship game was hosted on Banijan soil, and it would be the third different Banija city to host the game, with Istria hosting NSCF 12 & 14 title games, while Busukuma hosted the NSCF 18 & 23 title games. In addition to what was mentioned, there were a few highlights that the AMEF pointed out throughout their press conference.

Bid Highlights
- Obviously, the Ruwani Motor Speedway is about 10 minutes south of Aissa itself, via public transportation. But with a robust public transportation system, there is sure to be easy access from the city out to the stadium itself.
- The AMEF would ensure that the NSCF 25 Championship participating teams, as well as NSCF officials and other VIPs, would get priority access to hotel space in Ruwani itself, while friends & family, as well as fans, would be expected to stay in Aissa.
- The AMEF, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the NSCF, would throw a number of events to celebrate and commerate the competition. These would include
i. An opportunity for the marching bands of both teams to parade(via different routes) through the city of Aissa the morning of the game.
ii. In the spirit of being a strong supporter of academics, Participant schools will be invited to bring their quiz bowl teams, and compete against Hangaza Tech(the city's largest university), and compete in a 3 way academic competition the night before the championship game.
iii. Each player will be gifted with a pair of deluxe sunglasses, as well as a wristwatch.
iv. For the two days prior to the Championship Game, the AMEF will invite a few players and coaches from previous NSCF Championship teams to participate in a 'rebuilding Farfadillis' fundraiser.
v. The AMEF will throw together The NSCF Exprience, as a way to get fans involved and engaged.

It is a bold bid. But- why not? It is an aggressive bid, and we will see if it goes through. The BCSG, when endorsing the bid, said that their Mugisha III Memorial Bowl is also still on the table, although officials recognized that 'winning the bid to host the big game will probably hurt the chances of the Mugisha III Memorial Bowl getting selected for this year's postseason'.

Will the Silver Edition's Championship Game come to Banija?

Northern Moravica News Ticker
- Northern Moravica avenged their Week 2 loss to the Salamantic Universities earlier in the season, by shutting out the Ko-orenite institution, 21-0, on their own field. It was a tough and tight defensive battle, but ultimately, Northern Moravica was able to overpower their Ko-orenite rivals to bring the Felinology Trophy back to Herzegovina City. Wagner-Young threw for 212 yards and a touchdown, while Apollo Esther had a touchdown run himself. The 350 yards of total offense they put together was solid, although Alicia Woodbrough dropped another snap on a field goal attempt on the last play of the first half(more on that in a moment).
- Northern Moravica's defense, after getting mauled on the ground by Loyola-Istria for 373 rushing yards, turned things around with a complete effort against the Professors. They only allowed 122 yards of total offense, and only 44 of those came on the ground. They forced a pair of turnovers, including a fumble and an interception that was returned for a touchdown by senior cornerback Boro Baldeh.
- At 4-3, and having lost the head-to-head tiebreaker with Loyola-Istria, it is near impossible for the Cougars to win the Celestia Conference now, but an at-large playoff berth is still well within reach. "All of our goals are still ahead of us." Lance Kabuye said after his team won a defensive showdown with the Salamantic Universities. "This win, a resume win, a signature win. We're playing for the Sally Trophy in Week 8- a big game, a road game." Something that separates NMU this season, is their sudden weak performances on the road. While they are 4-0 in Herzegovina City, they are a surprising 0-3 on the road, with road losses at the Istria Lightning Yard, the Jungledrom, and in Ko-oren. With road conference games remaining at both Elephant Valley and Fair Haven State, they will need to win some road games to pad that resume- starting with a tricky trip to a rival.

Loyola-Istria News Ticker
- The Blue Thunder dominated the proceedings on Homecoming, as they went back to their traditional high-flying passing attack against Fair Haven State. Ebou Hairte lit up the scoreboard for 317 yards and 4 scores, as the Fair Haven State secondary had no answers for the Blue Thunder's offense- an offense that they firmly believe is the best in the NSCF. After the game, the team held a private miniature ceremony to change their countdown clock. With both NMU games now completed, the clock will now change from the 'wreck Northern' clock to the 'beat Richardson' clock. Coach Isa said the move was to keep the team focused and looking forward.
- The Blue Thunder are winners of 6 games in a row, and have a lot of momentum riding into their monumental Week 8 visit to the Nishikoli Dome, to take on the Salamantic Universities. Loyola-Istria sit with a 6-1 record, and they hold the tiebreaker over 4-3 Northern Moravica. A win against the Salamantics in week 8 would make their week 9 home tilt with EVU for the Celestia Conference. But Loyola's coaches are saying to throw the team's blowout win in Week 3 out the window. "It was our first home game of the season, and everything kind of snowballed for them in that one." Head Coach Alanso Isa said. "Don't get me wrong, we played excellently- but nobody's going to put up 30 points, let alone 40, on a road trip to the Salamantic Universities. And they're pissed because of our last game. The crowd will be loud and hostile, and we will have to match the Professors intensity if we want to get this win. A win here could mean us putting a death grip on this conference title race- while a loss would blow the race for the Celestia wide open. And I'd rather not have that happen."
- WCC President Adama Sowe, who has a various of business and sporting interests, who also is an alumnus of Loyola-Istria, has announced, in conjunction with the school, the formation of a fund to bring students to the Karmin-Falce Superdome in Week 13. "It is, of course, an away game. But Loyola-Istria has our allocation of 1/3rd of the tickets, as the away team always does in this series." Loyola-Istria's Athletic Department said this in a press release. "It is tough for college students themselves to travel, but this is a unique opportunity to create strong fan energy in Ranoria City this year. Student season ticket holders can apply on the website, and the winners will be chosen via random lottery. The 5,000 will be able to buy themselves our first ever road student section seats in this rivalry, and Adama Sowe will help pay for the travel and hotel accommodations of these students in Ranoria City."

---

Kabaka- King
Isebantu- Crown Prince
Omugabe/Omugaba- Prince/Princess
Lukiiko- Parliament
Katikkiro- Prime Minister

To: President Grant Hafner of Sarzonia

Mr. President,

I write to you today, in the spirit of friendship. Of course, while our nations may seem very different from each other, culturally, we are nations that have a lot in common. We are both extremely committed to democracy and democratic values, and we are both proud members of Atlantian Oceania. Sarzonia and Banija stood together, alongside our AO brethren, and worked to help both stabilize and strengthen Atlantian Oceania in the face of foreign threats.

Thanks to our great mutual friends in Belle Haven, Your Foreign Minister met my son, Omugabe Ttembo, as the first high-level diplomatic meeting on record between our two countries. As you know, sports can beat a great unifier. And as I am sure you know, our country's largest public school, Northern Moravica University, will take on your country's leading public school, Woodstock City College, at the end of the NSCF 25 Season at the Ruwani Motor Speedway.

I will be attending the game in an official capacity, as the Kabaka. It will be quite an experience, and a spectacle. As a showcase to our nation's relationship, and the desire for a head of state to head of state relationship, I want to officially invite you, President Hafner, to Ruwani in Week 13 to join me to watch Northern Moravica take on Woodstock City College. What do you say?

From,

/s His Majesty Kabaka Mwanga

By the Grace of the Almighty God, the Kabaka of Banija, Head of the Royal House of Katende, direct successor of the original Shujaas of the historic Kasanke Tribe, direct successor of the great Maharajas of Banija, direct descendant of Kabaka Mugisha the Liberator, Leader of all Tribes in Banija, the unifying figure of the nation, and Defender of the Faith, His Majesty, Mwanga, long may he reign.

[Valanora]

Vahalla Falls was packed to the brim as the Rockets looked to try and breathe life into their conference championship aspirations, as they were hosting the current conference leaders of Thereisnogodistan in the Empire's capital. Over fifty thousand plus fans had turned out for the occasion, as there was a lot of publicity being put out by the local media to get the stadium completely filled up and give the home town university the biggest home advantage that they could muster in this match against the currently first and second placed teams. The pulse in the fans gave that they knew what a momentous occasion this was and how hard the Rockets had worked to get back into the race after their poor start to the season, the fans knew that even despite all that work their team still needed to keep winning against difficult opponents for the next four weeks if they were going to make it all worth it. A four game winning streak is impressive but if it just leads to a bowl appearance, it is just another footnote in history, while a winning streak that took the team from the bottom of the conference all the way to being its champion would be a story that would live on forever.

The visiting team won the toss and deferred and the Rockets were ready to roll in this high profile matchup. Knowing how dangerous that Oscar Apolo could be on the return game for the Rockets, the game started with a kick out of the back of the endzone for a touchback, not allowing the talented returner to give the home team good field position and get the crowd even more involved for the time being. Despite being a school known for their air assault and one of the best receiving corps in all of the NSCF, the Rockets opened up the game with three runs from Duke Beckett, as the back took the Rockets from the twenty to their own forty-eight in three carries. A play-action caught the opponents cheating up and Oscar Apolo only had to secure the catch and he was gone for an early score for the home side. However that score was matched five minutes later by the opposition and the Rockets knew that they had a battle on their hands, that this was far from the same Thereisnogistan Community College that they and the Raiders had rolled over the past two seasons.

A mishandled snap saw the next drive end in disaster just two plays into it, as Kualu Luani had to fall on the ball in the Rockets own endzone and give up the safety and the lead to the visitors, with the Rockets then having to give the ball back. The visitors were quick to capitalize on the shifting momentum and less than three minutes later they were once again in the endzone, extending the lead to nine with the extra point conversion, sixteen to seven at the end of the first quarter. The Rockets needed to shift the momentum back to their side and a long drive, mixing runs with Beckett and then short passes to Apolo, St. Pierre, and Sánchez as the Rockets methodically drove down the field, giving their defense a reprieve. However once inside the ten, the Rockets were stymied and had to settle for a field goal, narrowing the score to ten to sixteen. Three minutes left on the clock was plenty of time for the visitors though and they were able to run through the Rockets defense, but had to settle for a short field goal as the second half came to an end, reestablishing their nine point lead, ten to nineteen at the half.

The visitors got the ball to start the second half and in less than two minutes they were once again in the Rockets redzone, but the defense was able to stand tall and not allow them inside the ten, forcing another field goal which they converted, ten to twenty-two early into the third quarter. The ensueing kickoff however did not go out of the endzone and Apolo dazzled the home crowd with a magnificent return, taking it from three steps in his own endzone and all the way to the visitors twenty-two before being pushed out of bounds by the kicker. A five yard by Beck, a three yard run by Luani on a quarterback draw setup a fade to St. Pierre, who high pointed the catch and brought his toes inbound to give the Rockets another touchdown and some hope, seventeen to twenty-two. Once again the visitors got the ball and seemed to have very little problem moving the ball against the beleaguered Rockets defense, but despite how much they were bending, they were not breaking and kept the visitors from scoring a touchdown again, making them settle for another field goal. With just over two minutes left in the third, it was seventeen to twenty-five.

There would be no miscues on the special teams this time and like most of the kicks, it was blasted out the back of the endzone and no chance for a second helping of heroics from Apolo. Execution and taking what the defense was giving them was how the Rockets were going to have to move the ball, taking little chunks of yardage but seeing the time being slowly whittled away as the third quarter finished and they were into the fourth. It seemed as if the visitors were looking to make the clock their ally, keeping the Rockets in front of them and away from the sideline. Small yardage plays that kept the sticks moving by the clock as well, a drive that needed a touchdown at the end of it. However on a third and four from the visitors twelve yard line, St. Pierre had made another great catch that looked to set the Rockets up at the one, but replay showed that his time the wide receiver had not kept his toes inbounds and the Rockets instead took the gamble of securing the three points and relying on their defense to finally make a stop. Twenty to twenty-five, with six and a half minutes left.

A steady dose of runs came from the visitors, looking to chew the game away until they were on the Rockets thirty-seven yard line with a minute and fourteen seconds to go, with a fourth and two. Outside of a comfortable attempt at a field goal and knowing that a first down won them the game, the visitors went for it, with a run from Fredrick Shaffer, following his blockers through the middle. However despite being double teamed, Colin Morris pushed back the line and allowed Andrei Mikhail Probrazhensky to come through the gap and lay a heavy hit on Shaffer, stopping the back behind the line and forcing a turnover on downs. One minute and nine seconds were on the clock, no time outs, and on their own thirty-eight yard line with the inside track for the conference title on the line as the Rockets offense took the field. A seven yard pass to Iqbal was followed by a five yard screen by Beckett to get them to midfield with fifty-four seconds left. An eight yard grab by Apolo but kept inbounds, a three yard run by Beckett made the clock stop as they moved the chains which restarted again. A nine yard grab on a slant by St. Pierre that kept the clock ticking. Instead of spiking the ball, the junior transfer got his team to the line and snapped the ball with seven seconds left. Max Strömberg had been subbed on for Iqbal on the first down and the best freshman receiver ran a deep post route, high pointing a tight spiral from Luani and holding on to the ball despite a huge hit from the safety as he came down in the endzone as time expired. The best receiver who had come out of Valanora but had not been recruited had just made his first defining catch and one that might have helped the Rockets to history.

[Chromatika]

Lava Shut Out Firehawks, Hand Gwenderyn First Sweep in Her Career

Team  1Q  2Q  3Q  4Q    Tot
STU    8   7  10   7  |  32
FSU    0   0   0   0  |   0

1Q
04:33 STU TD - Gabriele Ziegler 3 yard pass from Sheila Pantoja (Lana Rhodes 2PT Run Good)

2Q
01:48 STU TD - Elfreda Borden 7 yard pass from Sheila Pantoja (James Dior Kick)

3Q
08:11 STU FG - James Dior 48 yard Field Goal
02:58 STU TD - Lana Rhodes 61 yard run (James Dior Kick)

4Q
07:22 STU TD - Masresha Meba 47 yard interception return (James Dior Kick)

JOHNSTON MEMORIAL STADIUM, STARAMARA, URRHED ISLAND - In three and a half years playing for the Firehawks, Sarai Gwenderyn had never lost two games in a row to the same team. Every time that she lost to Sadeg State or Hoofstra, she beat them on the return leg; the only team that she's actually never beaten is the Salamntic Universities of Ko-oren as the two have never played each other again since the first OOC game from freshman year.

Then, Staramara Tech defeated the Firehawks in their first ever meeting in Week 2. Everyone was expecting the Firehawks to be all over the Lava on the return match in Staramara, but...

Felswyr State turned the ball over four times (twice on special teams), the Lava running game possessed the ball for over 41 minutes, and Staramara Tech became the first school to ever sweep the Firehawks in a 32-0 shutout victory in front of a sold out home crowd at Staramara.

In the first drive of the game, Sarai Gwenderyn was tackled twice by Jere Rinaldi and then on third-and-four, the pass to the flat to Isabella Pont was sniffed out by Masresha Meba. This would be a proponent for what Gwenderyn would have to face the rest of the game, as she was rushed on 85% of all snaps, going 13 of 21 for 147 yards and an interception that iced the game.

Staramara Tech's first touchdown drive took almost eight minutes off the clock as the Lava converted five third downs, including a third-and-nine where Ziegler took a screen pass and stretched it out for a gain of fifteen. At the end of the drive, on third-and-goal, Zieger took another screen pass and carried it in behind a key block from Lashon Upshaw. Then, Laverna Getz went for two, and Rhodes pounded it in through the tackle of Park Mi-Hyeon.

With consistent pressure getting to Gwenderyn, the Lava were able to possess the ball for stretches at a time, getting touchdowns from Rhodes after the FSU defense had been softened up and a rare touchdown from a wide receiver when Elfreda Borden ran a stick route and found himself separated from any Firehawk defender.

With the victory, coupled with Hoofstra's handling of Sadeg State, Staramara Tech find themselves atop the Horizon Conference. Felswyr State, on the other hand, are tied with Sadeg State and Hoofstra, needing to hope that they won't be subjected to another season sweep at the hands of their age old rivals, the Skyhawks.

Has there actually been a change in the guard? It sure looks that way.