World Bowl XLIII (43) ~ Everything Thread

[Kohnhead]

Kohnhead overcomes slow start to rout Buffalostan

Eric Deitrich's defense pitched a masterpiece allowing nine points and picking Ryan Frazer off four times

Traveling to Pirate Stadium in Buffalostan, Kohnhead was ready for their first game of the World Bowl. Expectations were high for The Brains against a team only four ranks behind us and the top team in pot 4. While most of the talk of the offseason has been on the Kohnhead offense led by Byron Joseph of course, Eric Dietrich reminded everyone why he was once known as a defensive mastermind for Richardson.

The first drive of the game could not have gone any worse for Kohnhead, as on our second play Byron Joseph threw a pass to a double covered Marco Polisson that wound up in the hands of Buffalostan's starting free safety Tom Ehrlich giving the Janissaries great field position for their opening drive and they quickly picked up a first down. Fortunately the defense came to play with Rayyan Spears forcing Ryan Frazer into a throwaway on third down. Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez made a chip shot field goal to give Buffalostan the lead 3-0.

The second drive of the day for Kohnhead went much better than the first with a heavy dose of Herman Whitworth on the ground alongside some Joseph runs and passes sprinkled in. Kohnhead drove all the way to the Buffalostan three before a Joseph incompletion and then a rush of -3 yards forced us into kicking a field goal to tie the game up at three.

Buffalostan would get a second field goal to take a 6-3 lead as the first half progressed and the offense sputtered on the follow-up drive to give Buffalostan the ball back. Buffalostan had the ball at midfield and looked to take a convincing lead early but Percy Whitehead had other ideas. The aging corner knows his job is in question but still plays with the confidence of the best corner in the world. Here Whitehead made a great play on a ball that just didn't have the power it required to make it all the way to the sideline to where the intended receiver waited and Whitehead got the pick.

Maybe this inspired the offense, gave it a little jolt of sorts as just three plays later Joseph threw a beautiful 43 yard touchdown pass to Billy James. Kohnhead had the lead for the first time (10-6) and wouldn't look back although it certainly wasn't perfect from there. Our defense picked off Frazer once again when he threw an absolute duck to backup Sid Carlson. A big Jospeh run brought us to the Buffalostan 12 and three plays later, Whitworth punched it in from four yards out to make it 17-6 Kohnhead which it would remain as we headed into the locker room for halftime with Frazer's last second hail mary being intercepted by Holman (nowhere near the endzone he wasn't even close).

Buffalostan are a very solid team and they were by no means out of it down by 11 and were receiving to start the second half. The defense had played extremely well up to that point but the pass rush had struggled all game in particular Levi Espinosa being shut down by Brandon Starbuck. Kohnhead would manage their first and only sack on this drive but its effects were negated when the person responsible (Yater) stupidly received a taunting call, not because the call was bad but because she was an idiot for forcing the refs to throw a well deserved flag. This penalty from Yater allowed Buffalostan to keep the drive going and eventually kick a 44 yard field goal making it a one possession game.

Kohnhead's offense needed to respond but unfortunately we failed to do so giving Buffalostan and quarterback Ryan Frazer a golden chance. A throw to Chris Molina with no receivers even close to him that led to a pick six for us took away said golden chance and put the game away. While Frazer would manage to throw no more interceptions he never really got close to putting up more points with the defense continuing to play well despite an injury to Lyla Barrera.

Kohnhead would spend much of the fourth quarter running the ball to milk the clock out but did find the endzone once on a screen pass to Georgette Butler that went for 21 yards and reservations for six to make it 31-9. Soon afterwards the game concluded with that score of 31-9 as Kohnhead advanced to 1-0 in their World Bowl XLIII campaign.

The next game will see Kohnhead travel to take on newcomers Caliland in what should be a pretty easy win for the Brains. Caliland fell victim to a 43-6 mauling at the hands of 10th ranked Delaclava this week looking just completely outmatched in their first World Bowl game. It should give Byron Joseph another game to settle in before our all important clash with the 3rd ranked Grid Corps out of Drawkland.


Injury Report
C Jonathon Jodan - Questionable - Pectoral
MLB Lyla Barrera - Out - Knee
S Sophia Molloy - Out - Concussion

[Ranoria]

Ranoria Beats United Akaikes 34-13, Dominates T.O.P. in Second Half


Vice Jackson III finished the half with 9 carries for 57 yards before being pulled in Ranoria's blowout week 1 win

Ranoria came into this one and did what was expected, piling on points in the first half before riding their running backs in the second to get this thing over with. The Krauts offense got three drives in the first half, and scored a touchdown on each attempt, two John Garrett touchdown passes and a run from Vice Jackson III. With a late, 69 yard punt return touchdown from Javier Gilmore, this thing was in the books before the teams headed into the locker rooms at intermission.

In the second half John Garrett, Angelo Gordon, Ross Monarch, Johnny Farmer, and Vice Jackson III were all pulled in favor of their backups despite the temptation to run up the score. With all being veteran stars, it was a good decision, and Jeremiah Quill and crew handled themselves well, helping add a field goal to the final tally and largely playing ball control until time ran out in a 34-13 cruise to victory. With a trip to HUElavia next week, it was a solid game to knock any rust off and get ready for what should be a good one to tune into.

Player Stats:

QB John Garrett: 12/14, 161 yards, 2 TD
QB Jeremiah Quill: 3/5, 19 yards, 5 carries, 21 yards
HB Vice Jackson III: 9 carries, 57 yards, TD
HB Emilio Annaise: 11 carries, 60 yards, 1 reception, 6 yards
HB Melvin Strong: 7 carries, 33 yards
WR Khalil Hauptmann: 3 reception, 49 yards, TD
WR Jeremiah Fletcher: 3 reception, 40 yards, TD
WR Calvin Hale: 1 reception, 11 yards
WR Javier Gilmore: 1 punt return TD (69)
TE Johnny Farmer: 4 receptions, 51 yards
TE Vasily Schmidt: 2 receptions, 13 yards

ILB Ross Monarch: 5 tackles
OLB Sean Morgan-Horne: 7 tackles
DE Angelo Gordon: 3 tackles, TFL
DE Zach Skinner: 4 tackles, sack
DT Spencer Crutchfield: 2 tackles, sack
DT Gudbrand Taurus: 2 tackles, sack, TFL
CB Darnell Sleight: 4 tackles, 2 PBU
CB Cameron Barbarosa: 5 tackles, INT
FS Kenny Leinden: 6 tackles
SS Judas Wolfson: 7 tackles, INT, TFL

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Note: The following takes place after the 2027 RFL championship game, which would be the second to most recent. The previous RP taking place during the 2027 campaign can be found here.

Historic Performance by Rhine Carries Dynamos To First Ever Championship

John Garrett looks on after taking a third down sack in overtime against the Dynamos

In one of the most highly anticipated championship matchups in history, the Dietrich Dynamos put their wealth of talent on display in the first ever championship game to go to overtime.

Down 19-12 going into the final period, Ranorian legend John Garrett had the Dynamos on the ropes, making the most of his juggernaut Hogs squad and avoiding turnovers. But there's only so much he could do to help his defense keep a guy like Diamond Rhine contained.

The fourth quarter would be electric for Rhine and company, who had not scored a touchdown in the first three periods against a Hogs defense that played their best football of the season. Down 19-12, Deondre Rhine finally showed off that cannon he has for an arm, and with his back against the wall late on 4th and 12, hit Alessandra Mio on a rope for a 41 yard gain to close the distance. A few snaps later, Johnny Farmer would outjump a pair of defenders to snag the ball out of the air and tie things up.

With only seconds remaining, John Garrett was took the field and did exactly what he could. Quick verticals, deep outs and comebacks - he made sure to get his guys out of bounds and was just able to get his squad in range for a long field goal... only for kicker Tony Hertenmeister to go wide left. With two teams this evenly matched, this star studded, there just wasn't enough time in regulation to determine a victor - and there wasn't room for a kicker to make that big of an error.

This alone would've made this one of the most exciting championship matches of all time, but no one was calling it quits yet as John Garrett's Hogs would get the ball at the start of overtime.

The three time RFL MVP quarterback started the drive in lethal fashion, going 4/4 for 43 yards after a poor kick return started his squad back at the nineteen. This was classic Farmboy, pulling up clutch at the last moment to find a way to win, and it looked like he was about to go win his second consecutive RFL championship.

And then it happened. After a handoff went for no gain and a completion for four yards, John Garrett dropped back on third and 6. Sean Morgan-Horne, World Bowl linebacker, came on a jailbreak blitz to get to him through the line. Garrett tried to scramble at first, but it only cost him more yardage as the sack went for a nine yard loss to force fourth and fifteen. Morgan-Horne roared, punching the ground as his excitement boiled over, and the Hogs were forced to kick a field goal.

Yeah well, the reigning MVP was on the other side of the turf, and he knew this was his time. It may not have been his best performance statistically, but Rhine was far from ready to let this opportunity slip by.

John Garrett didn't even watch, head covered by a towel, as Diamond Rhine took picked his defense apart and drove 75 yards in just three passes. It was almost poetic as Alessandra Mio came wide open on a post route from thirty yards out and caught the pass in stride right in the middle of Indianapolis's coverage.

The Dynamos had taken a gamble, mortgaging their future to obtain Deondre Rhine and Alessandra Mio in the draft three years ago now - but for god's sake it had paid off. Moments later, Rhine could see embracing his husband in a rare show of honest emotion, while Alessandra was joined by her younger sister Victoria.

John Garrett? He sat and watched this all take place from the bench on the sidelines, needing a few minutes to process the heartbreaker. And once Dynamo tight end Johnny Farmer had overcome the initial wave of emotion of his first RFL championship, he found his long time best friend and offered a hand.

The quarterback - alone on the bench, looked up.

"You okay?"

Garrett's lips went thin for a second, and he sighed, "Yeah. I'll be alright. You know these ones sting." He nodded towards Farmer's wife, Sylvia, "Go celebrate man, I'm happy for you."

Farmer offered only a salute after that, and joined Mio and Rhine on the podium with the championship trophy. Not so long ago, he'd won his first professional - and international - title in World Bowl 42. And now, he was a champion in Ranoria, too. Good for him. But it was gonna take awhile for the Hogs' passer to find much solace in that silver lining.

[Chromatika]

Shocking Retirement: Sara McAllister Calls it Quits after NSCF Season, Will Miss World Bowl
Kicker cites health concerns as major reason

By: Jordan Lawless, Chief Sports Correspondent

FELSWYR, MOUNTAIN DISTRICT - Gridiron fans in Chromatika and around the world woke to a shocking bit of news the day after Felswyr State's defeat at the hands of Kohnhead City University that cemented the fact that the Firehawks will not participate in a bowl game as Sara McAllister, two time Special Teams Player of the Year, announced that she will be retiring immediately in a small press conference at the Firehawks' Roost.

"Effective immediately, I will be retiring from gridiron football," stated McAllister in a prepared statement, "It's best to know when to quit when you're ahead, and with my doctors telling me to avoid stressful situations as best as I can, it's time to let it go."

McAllister continued by thanking the Felswyr State staff and the Chromatika World Bowl staff, saying that "It has been an esteemed honor to represent both Felswyr State University and the nation of Chromatika. To play alongside players like Sarai Gwenderyn, Nellie Katt, Park Mi-Hyeon, and the like. I understand this decision may not be the easiest to take in, but it's something that I've decided after much deliberation. To all the fans, I'm sorry. To all my teammates, I'm sorry for not being able to continue with you. I hope you can respect my decision."

Then, McAllister left the stage and didn't take any questions.

Vera James, the Special Teams Coordinator at Felswyr State, had this to say: "Sara has been in direct communication with me since her injury and we've been talking about this for a while now. She's listened to three different experts - two of the best neurologists in Chromatika and an esteemed neurologist in Ranoria - and they all told her that she has a chance to aggravate her condition the longer she plays. It's the right thing for her to do going forward."

Nellie Katt, the Firehawks' punter and one of McAllister's closest friends, added: "Not everyone gets to decide when they'll stop playing. I think we should all give Sara the space that she needs and the respect that she's earned. Was she one of the best to ever kick a football in Chromatik history? Yes. However, she's doing the best for herself."

The hole left by McAllister's absence in the upcoming World Bowl will be replaced by James Dior, who's done very well for himself as a part of the Staramara Tech University Lava. Dior, who's accurate but doesn't have the best of range, will be aided by Michelle Brielle, the backup kicker for Felswyr State.

"It's a huge void to fill," admitted Niles Crescent, the Iron Legion's Special Teams Coordinator, "But we'll do our best, and we wish McAllister the best going forward."

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Sarai Gwenderyn Torches StrayaRoos Defense as Iron Legion Start Strong
You missed the Gwenderyn-Mio connection, just admit it

STRAYAROOS - Recently removed from the worst collegiate season of her career, Sarai Gwenderyn had a bone to pick in the World Bowl opener against StrayaRoos.

The two-time NSCF Most Outstanding Player of the Year showed her class by accounting for all five of the Iron Legion's touchdowns, Alessandra Mio caught 8 balls for 194 yards and three of those scores, and Chromatika rolled over StrayaRoos 38-6 to open World Bowl 43 action.

Mio's touchdowns - 41 yards, 38 yards, and 54 yards - were the first thrown by Gwenderyn to her favorite target since her last World Bowl, though according to the two friends, they train together in the offseason.

"Yeah, we meet up in Felswyr and train all the time," admitted Mio, "I mean, when you can have an arm like Sarai throw you passes? You take that all day, every day."

The two other scores went to her other favorite target, NIles Gwivern. Gwivern, whose absence was felt in FSU's lost season, caught 8 passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns, with five of his catches converting third downs.

World Bowl debutant kicker James Dior made all five extra points and a 37 yard field goal as the Iron Legion completed their first game without Sara McAllister.

Next, they'll face a stiff test in South Newlandia, who shocked the gridiron world by defeating Ko-oren in their home opener.

With their best player playing at such a high level early, Chromatika looks ready for the challenge.

[Delaclava]

Now that we're all warmed up and everyone's had a game, let's do this! There's no time to play less than your best in this tournament. Players, coaches, and fans alike, get up and move your feet!

(Also, Russian banger #2 - and I know all the words!)

Day 2 cutoff!

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Group A
Caliland 24–13 Kohnhead
Drawkland 37–42 Buffalostan
Delaclava 32–17 Pius Desurongcrandis

# Group A                            Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Delaclava                            2    2   0    75   23  +52
2 Caliland                             2    1   1    30   56  −26
3 Kohnhead                             2    1   1    44   33  +11
4 Buffalostan                          2    1   1    51   68  −17
5 Drawkland                            2    1   1    69   58  +11
6 Pius Desurongcrandis                 2    0   2    33   64  −31

Group B
The Cordian Isles 28–17 United Adaikes
HUElavia 3–30 Ranoria
Sarzonia 33–20 Abanhfleft

# Group B                            Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Ranoria                              2    2   0    64   16  +48
2 Sarzonia                             2    2   0    86   40  +46
3 Abanhfleft                           2    1   1    52   42  +10
4 The Cordian Isles                    2    1   1    48   70  −22
5 United Adaikes                       2    0   2    30   62  −32
6 HUElavia                             2    0   2    12   62  −50

Group C
TJUN-ia 27–9 New Gesem
Banija 38–27 Saint Kanye
United States of Great America 26–14 Caleonia

# Group C                            Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 TJUN-ia                              2    2   0    43    9  +34
2 Banija                               2    2   0    55   34  +21
3 Saint Kanye                          2    1   1    80   64  +16
4 United States of Great America       2    1   1    26   30   −4
5 Caleonia                             2    0   2    21   43  −22
6 New Gesem                            2    0   2    35   80  −45

Group D
Lisander 10–17 Ko-oren
Chromatika 17–13 South Newlandia
Allamunnic States 37–32 StrayaRoos

# Group D                            Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Chromatika                           2    2   0    55   19  +36
2 Allamunnic States                    2    2   0    58   52   +6
3 South Newlandia                      2    1   1    40   34   +6
4 Ko-oren                              2    1   1    34   37   −3
5 Lisander                             2    0   2    30   38   −8
6 StrayaRoos                           2    0   2    38   75  −37

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Football

The dankest memes from Week 2
Battle of the Phoenixes goes as expected, and title favorites are already fucking up

What a week it was in the World Bowl! The Delaclava Phoenixes scored a big win over the Pius Desurongcrandis "Fake Phoenixes" (we think the Ducklings is a better name), while the other suitors in Group A managed to spoil their playoff hopes without even playing Delaclava - with Kohnhead losing in Caliland 24-13 and Drawkland failing to defend their turf and falling 42-37 against the Buffalostan Janissaries, who literally have a quarterback from a century ago. Banija reaffirmed their superiority over the surprise finalists Saint Kanye 38-27, Ranoria and Chromatika held strong, and the dumpster fire of a Ko-oren defense surrendered double-digit points for the third straight game. (Conversely, they broke their two game losing streak. Congrats!) There's so much to say about it all. But...

...well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. How about a picture with words in it? That's worth, like, a thousand and ten. So here we go!

Everyone watching Pius Desurongcrandis play football:



Ducklings fans realizing the truth about Sam "Finna Lose" Finnegan:



Elsewhere in Group A:



37 points, or the aftermath of getting broken by Taurus Wright:

Pius Desurongcrandis       7 - 0 - 3 - 7 -- 17
Delaclava                 10 - 9 - 6 - 7 -- 32

1st Quarter
DEL - Taurus Wright 32 yard pass to Charlie Coffin (Kieran Conley kick), 9:45.
DEL - Kieran Conley 47 yard FG, 5:21.
PDR - Sam Finnegan 21 yard pass to Anthony Black (Jack Porwhich kick), 2:03.
2nd Quarter
DEL - Conley 35 yard FG, 11:20.
DEL - Wright 58 yard run (run failed), 4:57.
3rd Quarter
DEL - Conley 41 yard FG, 11:39.
PDR - Jack Porwhich 37 yard FG, 6:34.
DEL - Conley 27 yard FG, 1:09.
4th Quarter
DEL - Wright 2 yard run (Conley kick), 8:23.
PDR - Finnegan 6 yard pass to Tom Cornelius (Porwhich kick), 2:14.

[Ranoria]

The Stars Are Out In Ranoria City: 2-0 Ranoria, Sarzonia Prepare For Showdown In The Superdome


ILB Ross Monarch all smiles in the fourth quarter of a 30-3 victory over 20th ranked HUElavia

What Could've Been: Sara McAllister's Retirement

The longtime-Felswyr State Firehawks kicker announced her
retirement from gridiron in a small press conference following
the team's week 13 loss to Kohnhead City. The heartbreaking
move was predicted by only the most pessimistic of pundits,
but the Felswyr State legend went to several highly respected
neurologists to gather opinions before mulling over her
decision.

McAllister - who is otherwise in perfectly good health - suffered
a stroke during NSCF 23 that threw a wrench in her career
plans and limited her at times during the following seasons.
While many coaches in the RFL will mourn the chance to get a
kicker who transcends anything any Ranorian kicker has ever
aspired to be, we here at RSSN are just hoping she'll live a long,
healthy, and fulfilling life, and respect the strength she's displayed
by walking away from the spotlight. In a sport like gridiron, health
is a huge factor. Sacrifices are made by everyone who chooses to
step on the field, especially past the highschool level. But one's
life is not a price worth paying, no matter how many fans across
the world will long to know what could've been.

There's a wide disparity between #1 and #20, as the Krauts were more than willing to demonstrate against a team that finished World Bowl 42 with a 3-5 record. Granted - in a conference with mighty Ko-oren dishing out shut outs left and right, that's really not so bad. Accordingly though, Ranoria got back on the plane winners of a 30-3 contest, a successful business trip by any means.

John Garrett finished with 322 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, but his biggest accomplishment was certainly not turning the ball over. Farmboy stayed true to his reputation, making it look easy on the way to game where he looked to be in total control. A good deal of that success in the air came through his favorite target, Johnny Farmer, who ended the day with nearly a hundred yards and a touchdown.

HUElavia passer Rodrigo Gomez, meanwhile, fumbled twice resulting in one turnover. He took his first sack - coming at the hands of big Zach Skinner - the first time he dropped back to pass, and from then on never seemed to get his feet back under him behind an offensive line that continuously looked overwhelmed by a stable of talented players in the front seven.

After a relaxing couple wins to open things up, the Krauts are scheduled to host Sarzonia in week 3 in the first game of a series that will define Group B. The Stars are 2-0, and currently have the top scoring offense in the World Bowl, having put up a whopping 86 points in their opening two matches. After finishing 4-4 last cycle that saw them sent home in a first-round shutout loss to the Dragonflies, they've clearly made it a point of emphasis to step it up on the offensive side.

After quarterback Sam Rosen was unceremoniously released from the squad, Cameron Stallworth has stepped into a seemless transition, piling up 243 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the opener and hanging 33 points on Abanhfleft's Armored Revolutionaries. The early impression is that he's a bigger, faster player than Rosen, but more importantly there's not a lot of film on him, and he's allowed his coaching staff to really open up their playbook to the deep ball with a cannon of an arm. Without much film on him or the Stars' deep passing concepts that they weren't able to use with Rosen, putting together a gameplan to stop their attack is going to be a challenge for Raul Nieler's coaching staff.

One could expect the upstart passer to have a field day against Richardson's embattled secondary, provided he can stay upright. As long as he avoids the only real teeth of the back end in Judas Wolfson, he will have the opportunity to put up excellent production, along with dual threat Ty'Relle Clinton coming out of the backfield. Of course, Ranoria's not fielding anything but the best on their side.

If not for guys like Dustin Beck and Taurus Wright, one could put John Garrett as the gold standard of quarterbacks and be at ease even among contrarians. The captain of this ship is more than capable of dissecting a defense at every level in a variety of ways. "Farmboy" may not have the alluring speed of those other two, but his awareness and touch are second to none. Against Sarzonia, it's likely he'll have to be at his best in a game that will likely end up being a shootout.

Lining up behind him? Vice Jackson III - a three time RFL rushing leader in the prime of his career. Coming in at just shy of two-forty, Vice is more than capable of catching balls out of the backfield, and if he goes down, it doesn't get any easier. Emilio Annaise is an elusive fan-favorite for Ranorian Football League enthusiasts everywhere, with moxie and swagger galore. Annaise is a perfect blend of speed and quickness, and a true do-it-all player.

So there's your four highlighted players in this one. Stars (in more ways than one) in Ty'Relle Clinton and Cam Stallworth against our very own Vice Jackson III and John Garrett in a must-see clash of top offenses and undefeated squads.

Player Stats:

QB John Garrett: 37/45, 483 yards, 5 TD, 1 carry, 5 yards
QB Jeremiah Quill: 3/5, 19 yards, 5 carries, 21 yards
HB Vice Jackson III: 33 carries, 171 yards, TD, 3 receptions, 28 yards
HB Emilio Annaise: 18 carries, 92 yards, 2 receptions, 22 yards
HB Melvin Strong: 9 carries, 42 yards
WR Khalil Hauptmann: 8 reception, 126 yards, TD
WR Jeremiah Fletcher: 7 reception, 103 yards, TD
WR Calvin Hale: 3 receptions, 31 yards
WR Javier Gilmore: 1 punt return TD (69)
TE Johnny Farmer: 12 receptions, 148 yards
TE Vasily Schmidt: 3 receptions, 33 yards

ILB Ross Monarch: 17 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack 1 FF/1 FR
OLB Sean Morgan-Horne: 13 tackles
DE Angelo Gordon: 6 tackles, TFL, sack
DE Zach Skinner: 7 tackles, 2 sacks
DT Spencer Crutchfield: 4 tackles, sack
DT Gudbrand Taurus: 3 tackles, sack, TFL
CB Darnell Sleight: 9 tackles, 2 PBU
CB Cameron Barbarosa: 11 tackles, INT
FS Kenny Leinden: 12 tackles
SS Judas Wolfson: 15 tackles, INT, TFL

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The following takes place during the Ranoria's 2028 season conference championship "semfinal" game. RP's detailing the 2027 season can be found hereand here.


Conference Championship Game
Constance Gridiron Park - Home of the Indianapolis Hogs
Indianapolis, Ranoria

"Not over yet! Get your heads up, we're not done!" John Garrett paced his sideline, yelling in the ears of his guys and clapping, down now 14-31 to Byron Joseph's Highport Hawks. He grabbed the shoulder pads of rookie wideout Jeremiah Fletcher, "Look at me! I need your head up! You've worked your whole life for this!" He pulled the young man up and pointed at the clock, "And you're going to give up when we've got damn near a whole quarter left of ball! You want to be a pro football player, then show me!" He smacked the young man on the helmet and and watched as their punt returner called for a fair catch, fingers twitching.

The first play, Garrett was forced out, scrambling for nine yards before being knocked into the Highport Hawks sideline. He rolled to his feet and looked down into Byron Joseph's eyes. The quarterback of the Hawks and Brains looked up, just a bit surprised, but Garrett's expression was flat and cold. "You played a great game kid. Now, step back and watch the show."

Farmboy tossed the ball to the official and rolled his shoulder a bit. Time to get to work.

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Radio Play By Play

Late in the fourth now, Garrett drops back from the twenty two in the middle of the field. Slides up in the pocket to avoid the rush, scanning, fires the ball back right corner of the end zone! Caught! It's Caught! Jeremiah Fletcher got his feet down for the touchdown! And the Hogs have drawn this thing within one score, 38-31, on the back of a furious fourth quarter comeback from John! Farmboy! Garrett!"

"That's right William! Garrett's been astounding, going 10/12 in this fourth quarter for a whopping 141 yards and two touchdown passes! He's the best quarterback in the world and he's showing it here! Fortunately for Highport, Byron Joseph doesn't seem to have slowed down much, running in his fourth total touchdown on the night last time he had the ball. And with just four minutes left, if his offense scores again, this game will be over."

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Mind you, John Garrett was getting all the attention right now. He clasped hands with Fletcher and brought him in, "Not done yet! We've gotta finish this thing up!"

In a league that's traditionally tough on quarterbacks, Byron Joseph has pushed himself out of his comfort zone to become one of the best passers in the league, and has been drawing comparisons to late former National-Team starter Derek McNair

He turned to watch his defense, bouncing on his heels, ready to get out there again. But with every play, the superstar's skin grew a little more pale. Byron Joseph wasn't letting this one slip away, not so easily, and his coaching staff had put it in his hands. The dual threat either carried the ball for a nice gain or hit his receivers on quick, high percentage passes to milk away the clock. Frankly, it was surgical - Joseph was one of just three RFL passer to be in an active streak of multiple 4,000 yard seasons, and he was easily the best dual threat quarterback in the league right now. With the game on the line like it was, he was dialed in. This one wasn't slipping away, not when it was in his hands.

Eventually, the Hogs started burning timeouts to save some time, to give themselves a chance, and on third and five just outside of field goal range, they burnt their last.

Everyone knew what was coming, and the box was loaded. Even a yard or two and this would be within range for the best kicker in Ranoria, Barry Chlorid. Regardless, They'd only have thirty seconds to work with, and things weren't looking pretty. Joseph took the direct snap and charged forward behind his line, shot the gap and stretched the ball out. The officials made a big scene of the spot, eventually settling on a fourth and inches as a gasping defense celebrated.

That is, until Chlorid stepped up. He lined up the kick as the snap count went down with the clock, ball was snapped, and the 53 yard field goal was right down the middle. If only he could do that so consistently in the World Bowl.

John Garrett immedietely fell to his knees, and Byron Joseph was the most excited man on the other sideline, tossing his head back in an almost primal, uninhibited scream of joy. Game, set match.

Garrett did try, taking four straight shots deep downfield, but each attempt fell harmless to the turf and gave his opponents the ball yet again. Byron Joseph kneeled and tossed the ball into the Indianapolis crowd's stands, his whole team swarming around their leader and quarterback, who had now secured the franchise's first ever championship berth, a franchise that had no intention of being a footnote, a runner up on this season. They were coming for it all.

[Abanhfleft]

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

WORLD BOWL XLIII: GROUP STAGE MATCHDAY ONE

Abanhfleft    3 10 10  9  32
HUElavia      3  3  3  0  9

No matter how much I want to see the Armored Revolutionaries win a game in the World Bowl, every time it happens, I’m still somewhat pleasantly surprised because, if you know your sports history, Abanhfleft usually don’t win games. Well, no. That’s a bit of a lie. Abanhfleft does win a lot, but usually it’s only in the group stages of tournaments. Once Abanhfleft gets through to the business end of any given tournament, more times than not we end up choking. It’s unfortunate but it’s sadly a true fact of life. There have been times, of course, when this trend has been bucked, but those times are not only few but also far between. Abanhfleft are just not an overly successful nation in terms of sport, no matter how obsessed with the bloody activities this country is. And then there are the times where the team just falls off of a cliff and doesn’t even bother trying to get back. That looks to be the case in most other sports, but if the evidence of the performance against HUElavia in the current World Bowl is to be taken into account, then maybe this particular World Bowl campaign won’t fall into that particular trap.

I know that I have often stated that I would love nothing more than to see the Armored Revolutionaries beat HUElavia, and on this occasion I have been granted my wish. But I have to say, this victory does feel kind of weird somehow. I don’t know how or why. I can’t explain it. But there’s just something about this whole game that feels... off. I don’t know why, nor can I explain it. It just is, and you’ll all have to take my word for it. But if I had to hazard a guess, maybe it has to do with the fact that HUElavia performed so limpidly against us. They usually put up a much stronger and bigger fight than this against us so to see them barely even put in the effort is just a strange sight to see. This is not the HUElavia we’re used to seeing, and it’s not the HUElavia we’re used to being tormented. It almost feels like it’s a different HUElavia team altogether, one that hasn’t yet received the memo on how fun it would be to screw around with the hearts and minds of Fleftic fans once again. Projecting much? Maybe. But it’s my opinion, and those are my words, and I stand by all of them.

The game itself wasn’t pretty by any means. Everyone’s still a bit rusty and once again coming to grips with the national team’s playbook instead of the playbooks of their respective FNLAF (Fleftic National League of American Football) teams. So many flags were flying that you would be forgiven for thinking that there was a World Assembly parade going on in the middle of the World Bowl! And it showed in the performance of both teams as well, at least as far as the first quarter is concerned. Both teams were able to score only one field goal each, and Roland Bass almost came close to missing his FG as well. But once the second quarter rolled around, the Armored Revolutionaries finally got their shit together and they put together a well-executed drive ending with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Wes Soderlund to Luther Dunleavy.

Two more field goals followed before Abanhfleft were able to punch through into the end zone once again, this time with Ronnie Turgeon doing the aforementioned punching through. But then, and this is actually the most unbelievable part of this whole tale, Roland Bass actually missed a conversion! He missed a conversion! Now don’t you think that that’s just a little bit too surprising? I mean, sure, we know that Roland can miss the occasional field goal, but certainly never a conversion! But on this day, he did. The drive was bog-standard, a 9-yard pass from Soderlund to Archambeault, but for some reason Roland Bass couldn’t cap it off with the one-point conversion. It didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, which was a good thing for Roland, because I have no doubt that he would have been slammed by the media (both mainstream and social) had that missed conversion been a game-deciding thing. But thankfully for all of us, it’s not, so the only injury that Roland has sustained in this game is to his pride.

But it’s not going to get any easier for the Armored Revolutionaries in the World Bowl. Right after HUElavia we have Sarzonia. Who would have thought that there would come a time when Abanhfleft would consider such a well-established nation such as Sarzonia to be a worthy rival in sporting competition? It all started off in lacrosse, of course, but for some reason the “rivalry” now seems to have spilled over into other sports, one of them being gridiron. However, it would probably be fair to say that this “rivalry,” if it should actually exist, is more one-sided, in that only one side really feels that it’s a rivalry and the other one doesn’t. Or is that more like Abanhfleft’s relationship with either Nephara or Valanora? I don’t even know anymore. I’ve become too distracted. Once again I will reiterate my desire to see us overcome the Sarzonians, but once again I also reiterate my statement that it now wouldn’t surprise me too much if we lost to them. That’s just the way life works sometimes. Jarred Pigram, Jarred Pigram, Jarred Pigram...

[United Adaikes]

The Federal Republic of the United Adaikes
National Gridiron Football Team

Coaching Staff:

Position			Name			Sex	Age	Remarks		Team
Head Coach			Anita Stanton		F	37			Silverleaf University
Offensive Coordinator		Pris Allison		F	44	QB Coach	Silverleaf University
Defensive Coordinator		Kourtney Crisp		F	42	DL Coach	River Valley University
Assoc Defensive Coordinator	Moira Hunnicutt		F	57			University of Evergreen
Special Teams Coordinator	Aleah Savage		F	38	TE Coach	Panorama University
RB Coach			Fletcher Spurling	M	43			Silverleaf University
CB Coach			Daley Goddard		M	42			Squiston Jets*
OL Coach			Huxley Palmer		M	31			Silverleaf University
WR Coach			Garnet Bronson		F	39			Spring Hill University
OLB Coach			Conrado Woods		M	35			Silverleaf University
ILB Coach			Lucia Haward		F	42			Steskia Raiders*
Strength and Conditioning	Leonard Drake		M	39			Golden Oak University

*Domestic Team

Offense: Starters in bold

Nr	Name			Position	Sex	Last Played In
1	Michele Vasquez		Wide receiver	F	Silverleaf University
2	Austin Garner		Quarterback	M	Silverleaf University
3	Stephani Lynn		Wide receiver	F	Silverleaf University
4	Irvine Royle		Running back	M	Silverleaf University
5	Tracy Noel		Wide receiver	M	Silverleaf University
6	Roland Hamm		Quarterback	M	Golden Oak University
7	Dakota Benton		Quarterback	M	Golden Oak University
8	Shaye Feliciano		Running back	M	Panorama University
9	Andre Oliver		Running back	M	Greenlands University
10	Elvis John		Wide receiver	M	Panorama University
11	Barrett Sweet		Wide receiver	M	Bridlo Falcons*
12	Kimberley Rosario	Wide receiver	F	Golden Oak University
13	Forrest Easom		Wide receiver	M	Golden Oak University
14	Luciano Christopherson	Wide receiver	M	Golden Oak University
15	Zenia Whittemore	Wide receiver	F	Telscog Hawks*
16	Isaiah Rigby		Place Kicker	M	Silverleaf University
17	Drummond Outerridge	Wide receiver	M	River Valley University
18	Perpetua Vipond		Wide receiver	F	University of Ravenwood
19	Joisse Horne		Tight end	F	Silverleaf University
20	Flora Elder		Place Kicker	F	Greenlands University
21	Loreto Hudson		Running back	M	Silverleaf University
22	Gladys Garey		Punter		F	River Valley University
23	Adriana Beasley		Tight end	F	River Valley University
24	Constant Rana		Tight end	M	River Valley University
25	Raegan Herriot		Tight end	F	River Valley University
26	Placid Stacks		Tight end	M	Nememslow Lions*
27	Catharine Rounds	Long snapper	F	River Valley University
28	Pascual Power		Punter		M	Telscog Hawks*
50	Jenelle Leach		Long snapper	M	Silverleaf University
51	Bruce Walsh		Offensive line	M	Silverleaf University
52	Mar Kersey		Offensive line	F	Greenlands University
53	Ileana Gibson		Offensive line	F	Endshe Panthers*
60	Jinny Nielson		Offensive line	F	Golden Oak University
61	Carran Rivas		Offensive line	M	University of Ravenwood
62	Lanford Bellamy		Offensive line	M	Golden Oak University
63	Arthur Wootton		Offensive line	M	University of Ravenwood
64	Camron Nieves		Offensive line	M	Panorama University
65	Americo Thornton	Offensive line	M	Panorama University
70	Sabrina Matthews	Offensive line	F	Golden Oak University
71	Paz Deadman		Offensive line	F	Golden Oak University
72	Michayla Rose		Offensive line	F	River Valley University
73	Coral Post		Offensive line	F	Golden Oak University
74	Esme Derrickson		Offensive line	M	University of Ravenwood
75	Lydia Boothman		Offensive line	F	Golden Oak University

*Domestic Team

Defense: Starters in bold

Nr	Name			Position	Sex	Last Played In
1	Wilkie Ray		Safety		M	Silverleaf University
2	Feliciano Milburn	Safety		M	River Valley University
3	Kemp Flores		Safety		M	River Valley University
4	Juan Francisco Mortimer	Linebacker	M	Silverleaf University
5	Kike Blanco		Cornerback	M	Silverleaf University
6	Rhett Norris		Cornerback	M	Golden Oak University
7	Nieves Masterson	Linebacker	F	Panorama University
8	Gabriella Scrivener	Linebacker	F	Silverleaf University
9	Balduino Shelby		Linebacker	M	River Valley University
10	Arden Dickson		Linebacker	M	Panorama University
11	Danielle Midgley	Defensive line	F	Spring Hill University
12	Marco Leach		Defensive line	M	River Valley University
13	Scot Goddard		Defensive line	M	River Valley University
14	Zechariah Mora		Defensive line	M	Golden Oak University
15	Cameron Bloodworth	Defensive line	M	Panorama University
16	Katriona Barnes		Defensive line	F	River Valley University
17	Winston Parkinson	Defensive line	M	University of Evergreen
18	Bonnie Coburn		Defensive line	F	Silverleaf University
19	Cearra Nowell		Linebacker	F	Endshe Panthers*
20	Salome Chancellor	Linebacker	F	Greenlands University
21	Korey Eliot		Linebacker	M	River Valley University
22	Eartha Cantu		Linebacker	F	Spring Hill University
23	Sydney Jarvis		Linebacker	F	Panorama University
24	Lorenzo Traylor		Linebacker	M	Panorama University
25	Walton Dabney		Linebacker	M	University of Evergreen
26	Treasure Brand		Linebacker	F	Silyatown Saints*
27	Maura Hayes		Linebacker	F	Golden Oak University
28	Dustin Leonard		Safety		M	Panorama University
29	Adan Sharman		Safety		M	Panorama University
30	Presley Scrivens	Cornerback	F	Panorama University
31	Anthony Harlan		Cornerback	M	River Valley University
32	Alannis Ibbot		Safety		F	River Valley University
33	Gabino Donalds		Safety		M	River Valley University
34	Dolores Simms		Cornerback	F	Panorama University
35	Jasmyn Sniders		Cornerback	F	River Valley University
44	Anaya Castilla		Defensive line	F	Silverleaf University
47	Esmee Haight		Defensive line	F	Silverleaf University

*Domestic Team

RP Permissions

Choose my scorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: N
RP injuries to my players: TG me first
Godmod Injuries to my players: N
Suspend my players: TG me first
Godmod suspension events: N
Godmod other events: TG me first

Style Mod: -2.9

-----------------

After losing two straight games in their first World Bowl, the mixed comments of pundits for the national gridiron football team of the United Adaikes are not that quite surprising. Some do not like Stanton putting collegiate players for the national team. The others supporting this move had raised that the domestic league system in the country is still not prominent and that they are looking at Stanton's roster as preparation for the future. Some shared that it's not only for the national team but also for the domestic set-up, with the national players playing for a domestic team seen as rising stars in their team.

[Sarzonia]

Kyle Hanley was feeling the pressure after the Sarzonian national gridball team allowed 20 points to an unranked Cordian side that was playing their first-ever international gridball match at Joe Gibbs Stadium in Woodstock.

He heard all the talk about the team allowing running back Garrett Barrett an effective day on the ground and in catching passes out of the backfield. For a Sarzonia team that was still smarting from being blown out by Bongo Johnson and Banija during the group stage in the previous World Bowl edition, that was completely unacceptable.

Hanley's mood was much better after Sarzonia defeated Abanhfleft 33-20 at Joe Gibbs Stadium in front of a sold out crowd of 75,900 at Joe Gibbs Stadium. Yes, his Stars defence also conceded 20 points to the Fleftics, but as he was quick to point out, allowing 20 points to the sixth ranked team in the multiverse is a completely different animal than allowing 20 points to an unranked opponent.

"There were a few plays I thought we could have improved upon, but I like how we attacked them overall," Hanley said of the Fleftic offence. Sarzonia held the Revolutionaries to just 189 yards of total offence. Hanley's decision to employ eight-man fronts and run blitzes to slow down Fleftic running back Ronnie Turgeon was effective, and the Stars held Turgeon to 29 yards on 13 carries. Turgeon also committed a costly fumble with the Fleftics driving in Sarzonia territory midway through the third quarter and trying to cut into Sarzonia's 23-6 lead. Eight plays later, Ty'Relle Clinton punched it in from a yard out to make it a four-possession game.

Revolutionaries quarterback Wes Soderlund completed 14-of-31 passes for 160 yards, two garbage time touchdowns and three interceptions. Despite Sarzonia not getting any sacks of Soderlund, they pressured him constantly, registering five hurries and eight hits just after he threw the ball. The pressure forced him to make poor throws as he was not able to set his back foot and follow through on those pass attempts. He completed one screen pass to Turgeon for four yards out of a total of 14 harried attempts. Hanley said he wasn't concerned with the lack of a quarterback sack.

"We were getting great pressure up front," he said. "We didn't have to blitz the quarterback to generate pressure on him. It's not like he could sit back there and pick us apart."

It felt that way for new Sarzonian starting quarterback Cameron Stallworth, who completed 18-of-23 passes for 256 yards and two scores. He also ran the ball six times for 53 yards, most of those on design plays.

"I wanted him to be able to give the [Fleftic] defence something else to think about," Davis said of the decision to incorporate Stallworth's legs into the offence. "We also included a few dashes and design rollouts, and it makes a difference when you see different looks from the opposing team's quarterbacks."

Davis said the next match, against No. 1 ranked defending champions Ranoria, will be his team's biggest test since the previous World Bowl.

"We're playing them at their place. The Krauts are an outstanding team. They're the champs. They're the team we have to beat if we want to be able to get to Delaclava and accomplish anything once we get there." When asked about the team's game plan against Krauts quarterback John Garrett, who threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns against HUElavia, Davis deferred to Hanley.

"Kyle's the one who has to come up with a way to stop Garrett," he said. "I'm trying to come up with a way to move the ball against the likes of [Ranorian nose tackle Spencer] Crutchfield and [defensive tackle Gudbrand ] Taurus. They're going to be a tough team no matter what side of the ball they're on."

When Hanley was asked about his plans against Garrett, running back Vice Jackson and receivers Khalil Hauptmann, Jeremiah Fletcher and Calvin Hale, he just smiled and said, "that's for me to know and for you to see when we play them at the Superdome."

After the press conference, Hanley gathered his defensive coaches.

"We know those guys are going to be tough," he said. "I hope Gav realises we've got some heft on the right side of our offensive line. That's hopefully going to help because [Stars centre Rodney] Tucker gives up over 30 pounds to Crutchfield."

"I'm hoping our ends can get a push from the outside," defensive line coach Tyler Paige said. "We've got weight advantage inside on them, but we give up some weight on the outside."

"How about if we use a 5-2 defence?" linebackers coach Jerome London offered. "I know we'd lose [middle linebacker Howard] Dent and make [free safety Cliff] Longoria call signals, but using a fifth defensive lineman could at least nullify some of their advantage and slow down their running game."

"Who do you think will play nose tackle? We're not set up for a 3-4, never mind a five defensive lineman setup," Hanley asked.

"We've got Al Cohen," Paige said. "He can play defensive tackle. Slide him in to play nose or have [defensive tackle Pete] Downey play nose."

"We've still got a problem on the ends, and losing Dent as a signal caller is still a lot to ask for us," Trenton said.

"Well, what if we only use one linebacker in sort of a 55 defence?" defensive secondary coach Kevin Leonard suggested. "We keep Dent and his defensive signal calling and we still can cover their three receivers. If we have to sub out another linebacker for pass coverage when [Krauts tight end Johnny] Farmer goes out in the pattern, we can do that."

It was a lot to think about, and a lot of work would be left in the various position rooms and on the practice pitch, but facing the likes of Ranoria was always going to require extra effort.

SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
AFT: FG Roland Bass 37 11:18, AFT 3-0
SRZ: FG Matt Vargas 49 7:23, 3-3
SRZ: Matt Largent 44 pass from Cameron Stallworth (Vargas kick) 2:19, SRZ 10-3

Second Quarter
AFT: FG Bass 27 13:22, SRZ 10-6
SRZ: Ty'Relle Clinton 32 run (Vargas kick) 8:42 SRZ 17-6
SRZ: Steve Swain 29 pass from Stallworth (kick failed) 5:01 SRZ 23-6

Third Quarter
SRZ: Clinton 1 run (Vargas kick) 4:43 SRZ 30-6
AFT: Palmer Morel 39 pass from Wes Soderlund (Robby Caplan pass from Soderlund) 2:31, SRZ 30-14

Fourth Quarter
AFT: Eldon Warne 11 pass from Wes Soderlund (pass failed), 10:18, SRZ 30-20
SRZ: FG Vargas 58 3:22, SRZ 33-20

[TJUN-ia]

After a tight win against debutants USGA on the road kicked off our World Bowl return, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia prepared to finally come home. For Gus McKerrin and his team, getting that 16-0 shutout over the United States of Great America was certainly a start (albeit a slow one), but the real business of this campaign would start back at home, back at The Field of Dreams in The Gardens of New Washington - and the fans would certainly be ready for this one. Tonight was declared NSCF NIght, a celebration of both the Trent State Feathercaps and the Green City Royal Eagles after their regular-season success. The gang from both Notts and Green City were in attendance and both Earth Trophy rivals became fellow fans of the Jags as we took on a foe fitting of the theme: #31 New Gesem, home of that UA team TSU beat to claim the MIneral Conference title.

Compared with the USGA game, this game here in The Gardens would certainly see a lot more points from both sides - a good sign some great football was played here in the Amerika Peninsula tonight. The first half was certainly fun, with both Jake Griffin and Joshua Gonzales getting opportunities to shine in this contest. The hosts managed 2 TDs in the first half an hour, with Griffin rushing for the first and finding Hubert Valois for the second, with Chi On-Ma finally getting unleashed and going 2/2 on his attempts. Gonzales managed a TD of his own, finding Nathaniel Pittman for the score, but Emmanuel Padilla had an interesting first half - going 0/1 on the PAT, but hitting a 39-yard FG to make it 14-9 at the half. The second half, however, wasn't even close as the TJUN-ian D-Line decimated poor Gonzales and his offensive capability went cold. That allowed plenty of time for Griffin to score twice more in this contest, with both Jack and Chris Davidson getting a TD on the board - with Chi hitting 1, missing 1 on PATs. Allister Ghoulson would take over with 7 minutes to go in the 4th and while no more points came his way, they weren't required in the end. Our first home game ended 27-9, a great result in front of the faithful that will certainly help our overall cause.

After the other games in this group, only Banija join us at 2-0 after their 38-27 victory over Saint Kanye. Our matchups with both the Serpent Eagles and the Surge will be critical in determining who falls where in this group before we worry about our first "Doubleheader of Death", we still have 1 more game to play - on the road at the 0-2 debutants from Caleonia. USGA beat these guys 26-14 so hopefully, we can pull out another win for the big picture. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group C)
MD1: @United States of Great America (UR) W 16-0 (2nd)
MD2: vs New Gesem (31) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 27-9 (1st)
MD3: @Caleonia (UR)
MD4: vs Banija (4) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
--------------------------Break--------------------------
MD5: @Saint Kanye (5) - Pencurve Electronics Field, Kardashia
MD6: vs United States of Great America (UR) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD7: @New Gesem (31)
--------------------------Break--------------------------
MD8: vs Caleonia (UR) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD9: @Banija (4) - Istria Olympic Stadium, Istria, Moravica
MD10: vs Saint Kanye (5) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington

[HUElavia]

HUElavia National (Gridiron) Football Team

Style: +2
Uniforms
Endzones
Touchdown Song

Quarterbacks-
#9: Maurício Pinto Machado
#10: Timta Vilca Chaupin
#18: Alex Gribelin

Running Backs-
#28: Leonardo Guimarães Chagas
#30: Chidi Uche
#35: Tonghyon No

Full Backs:
#31: Bruno Hurtado
#38: Alexi Demidov

Wide Receivers:
#11: Dylan de la Cruz
#12: Diogo Correia Marques
#80: Najeeb al-Zaman
#84: Udo Obasie
#88: Qiwa Ccora Huanca

Tight Ends:
#81: Tamiasisa Huamancuri Maygua
#82: Benício Zanetti de Almeida
#89: Mazzi Maduabuchim

Centers:
#60: Nino Gotti
#65: Edmundo Saavedra

Guards:
#62: Murilo Delchiaro Ferreira
#63: Gustavo Di Mare
#71: Cláudio Silva Alvarez
#72: Zebenjo Okparra

Tackles:
#68: Satoru Okubo
#69: Frederico Silveira Teixeira
#70: Erik Krivkov
#75: Sansone Borra

Nose Tackles:
#90: Chidie Ogbonnia
#93: Armel LeBeau
#95: Vadim Kanadov

Defensive Ends:
#78: Raymond Blanchard
#79: Théo Obama
#98: Milton Salgado Monteiro
#99: Urpikusi Quichca Ninahuamán

Linebackers:
#52: Justin Barnier
#53: Kokka Mallqui Aucapuma
#54: Ogbonnia Chukwuma
#55: Carmine Rivelli
#57: Ricardo Menezes Leite
#58: Jamuike Ifeatu

Cornerbacks:
#20: Maximiliano Fernandino
#21: Hirofumi Oogami
#24: Orjea Akuchi
#25: Nawf el-Abad

Free Safeties:
#22: Gerardo Tasis
#41: Stefano Arrabal

Strong Safeties:
#23: Mateo Tasis
#42: Thiago Andino

Kicker:
#1: Lutz Schulz

Punter:
#6: Ye-Jun Ha

Coaching Staff

Head Coach-
Raphael Schneiderman (35 Years Old)

Offensive Coordinator-
Maxi Bergen (38 Years Old)

Defensive Coordinator-
Chidike Chyke (42 Years Old)

Special Teams Coordinator-
Toli Gil (31 Years Old)

Starting Lineup:

Offense- #10 Vilca Chaupin, #30 Uche, #38 Demidov, #80 al-Zaman, #84 Obasie, #89 Maduabuchim, #60 Gotti, #63 Di Mare, #72 Okparra, #69 Silveira Teixeira, #70 Krivkov

Defense- #90 Ogbonnia, #93 LeBeau, #79 Obama, #99 Quichca Ninahuamán, #53 Mallqui Aucapuma, #54 Chukwuma, #55 Rivelli, #20 Fernandino,
#21 Oogami, #22 Tasis, #23 Tasis,

Special Teams- #1 Schulz (Kicker), #6 Ha (Punter), #11 de la Cruz (Kick and Punt Returner)

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes.
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but nothing serious
Godmod Injuries to my players: No
Suspend my players: No
Godmod suspension events: No
Godmod other events: Yes.

[South Newlandia]

[StrayaRoos]

Q1
00:00 We will lose so turn it on to the Lacrosse which we will provide live updates
15:34 TD For the Taipans! they make it 6-20
Q2
10:13 another TD For the Taipans now it's 13-27
20:00 On the Halftime Whistle it becomes 20-27
Q3
20:00 What an Amazing Quarter the Taipans now Lead 32-27 with 1 Quarter Left
Q4
19:37:TD For Allamunnic States That Ends the Taipans Hopes! 36-32
End Game Allamunnic States 37-32 StrayaRoos

[Chromatika]

Mio Squared: Alessandra Mio, Victoria Mio Lead Iron Legion Past Elephants
Fourth Quarter Rally Helps Chromatika Stay Perfect

HENZA CENTER, D'REA, CAPITAL DISTRICT - There are names that have become royalty in Chromatik sports. In football, there's the Andisoris, the Kellys, the Aarts. In baseball, there's the Ayonaras and Mayamotos - Alisen's nephew, Josiah, is coming through the high school ranks. In gridiron football, though?

The name that everyone knows is Sarai Gwenderyn, but the royal family of Chromatik gridiron might as well be Mio. Alessandra Mio is the gest receiver on the squad, with the chemistry that's apparent between her and Gwenderyn and the ability to catch almost any ball thrown her way. Her younger sister, Victoria, is a shutdown corner that plays for the Cold Hill University Buffalo, a ball hawk that takes care of the side of the field.

The two Mios were all over the field in the game against South Newlandia. Chromatika actually was behind going into the fourth quarter, with South Newlandia controlling the line of scrimmage and the time of possession. Then, Gwenderyn hit the elder Mio on a stop-and-go for the longest play of the game, a 57 yard strike, that gave the Iron Legion the lead; then, after South Newlandia got to the Iron Legion 49, Victoria Mio intercepted the next pass to preserve the victory.

A narrow win, but one that keeps Chromatika perfect in the group - ahead of a very important match against Ko-oren, who are trying to get back to form after some questionable early play. The Dragonfiles have one of the best defenses in the multiverse, so it'll be a true test of Gwenderyn and her crew.

For them to win, the Mios will have to play well. Thankfully, they're some of the best.

[Banija]

Ice Chineze 'goes off' for four touchdowns as Banijans down the Surge on home soil, 38-27

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- "It's a top five matchup. That's all the motivation we need." You may remember this quote. It was what Ifeatu Chineze told reporters shortly after Banija's week 1 game, in preparation for this massive week 2 home tilt against St. Kanye. It was expected to be a thrilling matchup for Banija's home opener, and indeed, it was. Both teams, of course, were 1-0 going into the game, which helped. But most importantly- both teams have legitimate title ambitions. St. Kanye literally just went to the World Bowl Final, so they know that they can do it. The Serpent Eagles hired Thomas Hall to do just that, and he went to the title game too, in World Bowl XL- although that has been followed up with back to back quarterfinal eliminations. Both teams have large ambitions, and a game like this can play a large part in that. It will be a three-way race for first place in this group between these Banija, St. Kanye, and TJUN-ia, all top 15 teams. These games between the teams are especially huge, because they can help determine the placement among the top 3 seeds. And even more importantly- they will play a huge factor in determining which one of these 3 will get a first round bye. Which is an opportunity to get acclimated to Delaclava, and indeed, get healthy.

The Surge came in, trying to pick up right where they left off at World Bowl XLII, after their title run. They had won last week at home by an impressive 53-26, showing that they had the offensive prowress to match with anybody. "They've got one of the elite offenses of this tournament." Thomas Hall said. "You can't stop them down entirely. However, we are going to do what we can to slow them down, and put ourselves in opportunities to make big plays and change this game." But when you're at home, with this massive crowd behind you, nearly 92,000 screaming fans in the Banijan capitol, that is made slightly easier. Much was made last week out of the Banijan playbook on offense being vanilla, to ensure that St. Kanye did not see new concepts for this game. And that was exactly what happened. While last week was about ground and pound, win and get out healthy, this week the Serpent Eagles fully opened the playbook.

It went right from the first quarter. We got the football to start the game, and we were immediately flying down the field. It was from the very first play from scrimmage where the creativity started. A reverse to Chinweuba Jelan got 15 yards for the Serpent Eagles on the ground, right off the bat, and it went on from there. Chineze throwing darts. The Banijan offensive line buying the quarterback time, while Lamin Kah and Jelan simply worked the Yeezie cornerbacks. A 7 yard fade route to Lamin Kah over Mason Schwartz in the corner of the end zone gave the Serpent Eagles an early 7-0 lead, and it was a strong start for the Serpent Eagles. From that point forward in the first half, however, it would be the Surge who would 'surge' forward. There's a reason that R.J. Linetti is one of the most feared quarterbacks in the entire competition. He really put his talent on display in the first half.

The Surge had five drives in the first half. They scored two touchdowns, and kicked a field goal on a third. On a fourth, they had an opportunity to really break things open for a 60 yard touchdown- when Patrick Moore had Makang Secka beat going long. Unfortunately for the visiting fans, Isaiah Bryce had gone, untouched, to the quarterback. A slightly delayed blitz opened the path, and he blitzed through it to get to LInetti. Because of the pressure and the absolute shot he took directly head on from Bryce, he could not step into the throw, and had to heave the ball off of his back foot. Therefore, he could not get enough power behind the ball, and Makang Secka instead made an interception at the Banijan 10 yard line- a sure touchdown turned into an arm punt. While the Surge defense really turned things on after the opening drive, Chineze was able to open things up on the final drive of the half, with things sparked by a 30 yard gain on a post route to Belonwu Akuchi. That drive led to a 33 yard field goal by Komani Achaje on the final play of the half. The Surge, despite being the better team for a large part of the half, were only up by 7 points- a score of 17-10.

But in the third quarter, the Serpent Eagles offense would start to open up. "You know, people talk about John Garrett, RJ Linetti, Taurus Wright, etc... But we think that we have a Quarterback that is at the top of the game as well, in Ice Chineze." Thomas Hall said. "We wanted to let him unleash it- and use the pass to set up the run." And the motive was successful. In the second half, they were using more ways to get receivers open and allow Ice Chineze to distribute the ball across the field, and allow Banija's defense to find holes in the opposing zone. Matt Dawson was an absolute terror in the first half- a sack, but he had a ridiculous five recorded QB pressures in the half, wreaking all sorts of havoc. It was all about finding time. You can't silence him completely- but he had only one QB pressure in the second half, as using Rada Menasse to help double team him consistently worked, while Banija's receivers were trusted to get open, even against double coverage.

The third quarter flipped the script of the game completely. Chineze threw a pair of touchdown passes in the third quarter, one a 23 yarder to Chinweuba Jelan, and the second a 6 yard touchdown pass to Lafi Senghore- the Loyola-Istria World Bowl rookie wideout. But the script of the game was that the Serpent Eagles offense was struggling, and could not block. Not anymore- Banija was finally giving Chineze time, and he was moving the football, finding his deep and talented wide receiving corps all over the field. He had to be deadly accurate, as St. Kanye's cornerbacks did not give Banija's receivers that much room, but he was good enough this game to fit the ball into tight windows, repeatedly. RJ Linetti had a 63 yard touchdown run of his own, having a great spin move to get past Makang Secka on the edge, and then simply outrunning everybody to the end zone. That meant that the game, which leaned towards the Surge at the half, was a tossup in the fourth quarter, with both teams tied at 24 points a piece.

The fourth quarter, tie game at home. Winning time, right? The Banijans would go to the big play. And when you've got a guy like Chinweuba Jelan on your roster, he's all about the big play, right? But you can't just do it whenever. The Surge know that too, and they've got eyes on Jelan. So the Banijans looked to do it on a play where they held the advantage. When a halfback draw on first down yielded a second and 2 for the Serpent Egales, at their own 44 yard line, Thomas Hall knew that it was time. They handed the ball off, and it looked as if Sello was going to hit a hole up the middle and get a first down- but suddenly, Sello pitched the ball back to Ice Chineze. A flea flicker. Jelan was streaking down the sideline. Oliver Law, the strong safety, had bit completely on the run, while the cornerback had eyes in the backfield and hesitated. Jelan was wide open down the sideline, and it was an all too easy pitch and catch. 56 yards later, the Banijans led for the first time since the first quarter, by a score of 31-24.

The teams would each exchange a punt after that. St. Kanye went three and out to punt. And then, the Banijans got a trio of first downs- but pressure on a 3rd down throw for Chineze from Matt Dawson forced Chineze to step up right into nose tackle Robby Edison for the sack. Dawson's disruptive play coming through once again. The ensuing punt put the Surge down at their own 2 yard line, with 9 minutes left in regulation. The Banijans were rallying the crowd to get loud, and it may have been probably the loudest moment of any crowd, anywhere this week. But RJ Linetti was not worried. The first play from scrimmage, St. Kanye's coaches showed trust in their quarterback, and in the face of a blitz, he stood tall and threw a 15 yard post route, up the middle of the field. Perfect accuracy, Hussein Jeffers was wide open, and brought down for a first down.

St. Kanye would proceed to march the football down the field. They got all the way down to the Banijan 3 yard line, for a first and goal. With the score at 31-24, of course, it was a chance to tie the football game. But of course, the Serpent Eagles would pick that moment to stand tall. There would be a false start on first down, because of the noise levels from the Busukuma crowd. On first down, Linetti was stopped for no gain on a designed run. On second down, a handoff to Noah Sherman netted 6 yards, to get to the two yard line. On third down, the payoff play, the Serpent Eagles took a huge risk, putting Makang Secka in the nickel spot and bringing him on a corner blitz. But it worked- Linetti did not see him coming, he took down the Surge quarterback for a 7 yard loss, and the Surge were forced to kick a field goal. 31-27.

The Banijans would then have a chance to ice the game. Of course, with them, they would be putting the ball on the ground. The Serpent Eagles ended up, on that ensuing possesion, facing a 4th and 1 from the Banija 48 yard line. Two minutes left, the Surge holding all 3 timeouts, and Banija up by 4. Thomas Hall explained his thought process at the moment after the game. "We play to win the game. We don't play to not lose, or whatever- we play to do what is best to win the football game. We're going to stay aggressive, we're going to stay confident. This team, we believe in ourselves. We believe in our ability to finally scale the mountain in this sport. And if we want to do that, we have to take risks. We've got to make plays in the biggest moments. And in that moment, especially since St. Kanye had all their timeouts, I thought we were better served by going for it on fourth down."

Of course, the risk was that they could've given up the ball on the plus side of the field for St. Kanye if the Surge defense could hold. And in the crucial moment, the Banijans went for creativity. Crowd the line of scrimmage, with 8 men on the line and two in the backfield. A jumbo set. Tight end Oscar Baboto lined up in the fullback spot. Everybody in the stadium thought that they would try to power it up the middle. But that was not the intention. As everybody dove at the middle, Chineze faked the ball to Baboto, and pitched the ball to Sello on the outside. Absolutely nobody was home on the outside for the Surge. And from that point- he was gone. Sello flew down the sideline, and nobody is ever going to catch this man from behind. 52 yards later, Sello was in the end zone, and he had just called game. Obviously, Linetti would be desperately heaving the ball on his ensuing drive, and an interception by Ozioma Mazzi would seal the deal for the Banijans.

"Hell of a win by our boys!" Thomas Hall said. "St. Kanye is a big boy- and if you want to be a big team, you've got to beat the big team- and that is what St. Kanye are. This has been circled on our calendar, for that reason. We want to prove- to ourselves, to our doubters, to our fans- that we have the capability of competing at the highest levels, and our game today showed that we can do that. The crowd here in Busukuma- absolutely fantastic. Linetti couldn't hear a damn thing, and they gave us so much momentum to push forward through this game. What a game, what a team. This win is going to feel good. But ultimately, it is one game out of many. We're going to celebrate tonight, and then tomorrow, we'll start watching film and getting ready for our trip to New Gesem."

Banija v. St. Kanye Game Summary- Turnovers and Scores

Game played at the Stadium of the Restoration in Busukuma, National Capitol Region, Banija. Attendance: 92,101(record for NT gridiron).

First Quarter
10:07 BNJ TD- BNJ QB Ifeatu Chineze throws 7 yard TD pass to WR Lamin Kah. PAT is good(7-0 BNJ)
05:01 STK TD- STK RB Noah Sherman 12 yard TD run. PAT is good(7-7)
00:33 STK FG- STK K James Rasputin 52 yard FG(10-7 STK)

Second Quarter
09:44 STK TD- STK QB RJ Linetti throws 37 yard TD Pass to WR Bruce Dobler. PAT is good(17-7 STK)
06:44 STK INT- STK QB RJ Linetti pass is INTERCEPTED by Banijan CB Makang Secka, who is tackled at the Banijan 10 yard line.
00:00 BNJ- BNJ K Komani Achaje hits 33 yard field goal as time expires in half. (17-10 STK)

St. Kanye leads 17-10 at halftime

Third Quarter
08:07 BNJ TD- BNJ QB Ifeatu Chineze throws 23 yard TD pass to WR Chinweuba Jelan. PAT is good(17-17)
05:41 STK TD- STK QB RJ Linetti runs 63 yards for a touchdown. PAT is good(24-17 STK)
01:07 BNJ TD- BNJ QB Ifeatu Chineze throws 6 yard TD pass to WR Lafi Senghore. PAT is good(24-24)

Fourth Quarter
13:41 BNJ TD- BNJ QB Ifeatu Chineze throws 56 yard TD pass to WR Chinweuba Jelan. PAT is good(31-24 BNJ)
05:02 STK FG- STK K James Rasputin 26 yard FG(31-27 BNJ)
01:58 BNJ TD- BNJ HB Kuenda Sello runs 52 yards for a touchdown. PAT is good(38-27 BNJ)
00:48 STK INT- STK QB RJ Linetti pass is INTERCEPTED by FS Ozioma Mazzi at the Banijan 27 yard line.

Banija Serpent Eagles WIN 38-27.

Offensive Statistical Leaders
Banija
Passing
BNJ- QB Ifeatu Chineze. 29/37, 346 yards, 4 touchdowns.

Rushing
BNJ- RB Kuenda Sello. 22 carries, 141 yards, 1 touchdown.
BNJ- RB Christopher Isto. 1 carry, 4 yards.
BNJ- QB Ifeatu Chineze. 1 carry, 1 yard.
BNJ- WR Chinweuba Jelan. 3 carries, 28 yards.

Receiving
BNJ- WR Chinweuba Jelan. 9 catches, 125 yards, 2 touchdowns.
BNJ- WR Lamin Kah. 11 catches, 112 yards, 1 touchdown.
BNJ- WR Ikem Orjea. 2 catches, 20 yards,
BNJ- WR Lafi Senghore. 2 catches, 15 yards, 1 touchdown.
BNJ- WR Berechiah Ramogi. 2 catches, 25 yards.
BNJ- RB Kuenda Sello. 1 catch, 12 yards.
BNJ- TE Belonwu Akuchi. 2 catches, 37 yards.

[Buffalostan]

MD2

      1   2   3   4   F
BUF  14   7   7  14  42
DRK  10   9   6  12  37
BOX                                                                                               BUF  DRK
  1 Abram Nevis 22 yard pass from Dustin Beck (Jack Hoy pass from Dustin Beck)                      0    8
    Vadim Vyacheslavovich 3 yard pass from Tom Ehrlich (Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez kick)                7    8
    Safety, Noah Langerud tackled in end zone by Daniel Ericson                                     7   10
    Noah Langerud 22 yard pass from Tom Ehrlich (Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez kick)                      14   10
  2 Devajee Hardy 26 yard pass from Tom Ehrlich (Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez kick)                      21   10
    Jackie Morris 13 yard pass from Dustin Beck (run failed)                                       21   16
    David Merit 47 yard field goal                                                                 21   19
  3 Ozzy Otten 105 yard kickoff return (run failed)                                                21   25
    Devajee Hardy 5 yard pass from Tom Ehrlich (Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez kick)                       28   25
    Jack Hoy 14 yard rush (pass failed)                                                            28   31
  4 Zebulon Badgerfarmer 21 yard pass from Tom Ehrlich (Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez kick)               35   31
    Preston Sawyer 52 yard pass from Dustin Beck (run failed)                                      35   37
    Nathan Kennedy 34 yard pass from Tom Ehrlich (Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez kick)                     42   37

Offensive Player of the Game: 400 yards passing and 6 touchdowns... why did the Janissaries not start Ehrlich under center in the first game!? Well, because he hadn't played quarterback in a couple of years, or, owing to being sucked into a temporal tornado, a couple of centuries. In fact his first touchdown of this game -- to backup receiver Vadim Vyacheslavovich -- came around 250 years after his last -- in the final of NSCF season 2. Oh well. At least he proved his arm worked. His legs, surprisingly for a quarterback mainly known as a runner in college, were much less of a factor, but he still peeled off a highlight relay 21 yard scramble on the game-winning drive.

Defensive Player of the Game: With just the one interception (by Ehrlich, amusingly) and one sack (by Juggernaut Jacobs, much less amusingly for Dustin Beck's face) there weren't the gaudy stats; instead, it was the workmanlike Manoël Arsenault who put in the work, racking up 12 tackles as he covered the middle of the field. Last game he was used on offense but didn't have much impact; linebacker seems a better fit for his uncomplicated understanding of the game.

Special Teams Player of the Game: Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez nailed all 6 of her PATs, which may not seem like much, but proved the difference as the Base Corps insisted on 2 point attempts, most of which failed.

[Delaclava]

Day 3 cutoff! Cutoff song

---

Group A
Pius Desurongcrandis 40–10 Caliland
Buffalostan 10–13 Delaclava
Kohnhead 19–27 Drawkland

# Group A                            Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Delaclava                            3    3   0    88   33  +55
2 Drawkland                            3    2   1    96   77  +19
3 Pius Desurongcrandis                 3    1   2    73   74   −1
4 Caliland                             3    1   2    40   96  −56
5 Kohnhead                             3    1   2    63   60   +3
6 Buffalostan                          3    1   2    61   81  −20

Group B
Abanhfleft 29–0 The Cordian Isles
Ranoria 55–24 Sarzonia
United Adaikes 13–37 HUElavia

# Group B                            Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Ranoria                              3    3   0   119   40  +79
2 Sarzonia                             3    2   1   110   95  +15
3 Abanhfleft                           3    2   1    81   42  +39
4 HUElavia                             3    1   2    49   75  −26
5 The Cordian Isles                    3    1   2    48   99  −51
6 United Adaikes                       3    0   3    43   99  −56

Group C
Caleonia 7–27 TJUN-ia
Saint Kanye 36–16 United States of Great America
New Gesem 9–16 Banija

# Group C                            Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 TJUN-ia                              3    3   0    70   16  +54
2 Banija                               3    3   0    71   43  +28
3 Saint Kanye                          3    2   1   116   80  +36
4 United States of Great America       3    1   2    42   66  −24
5 Caleonia                             3    0   3    28   70  −42
6 New Gesem                            3    0   3    44   96  −52

Group D
StrayaRoos 22–14 Lisander
South Newlandia 17–13 Allamunnic States
Ko-oren 7–9 Chromatika

# Group D                            Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Chromatika                           3    3   0    64   26  +38
2 South Newlandia                      3    2   1    57   47  +10
3 Allamunnic States                    3    2   1    71   69   +2
4 Ko-oren                              3    1   2    41   46   −5
5 StrayaRoos                           3    1   2    60   89  −29
6 Lisander                             3    0   3    44   60  −16

[StrayaRoos]

STR  13 6 0 3 22
LIS  0  0 7 7 14

WE WON VS Lisander

[Saint Kanye]

The big home victory in the World Bowl XLIII opener against the New Gesem Pilgrims gave the St. Kanye Surge a much needed boost to their morale, though not their ego, heading into their highly anticipated Week 2 matchup against the Banija Serpent Eagles. "Great game, that was [against the Pilgrims], total team effort," spoke Surge running back Noah Sherman, who rushed for two touchdowns in the 53-26 win. "We all played our part, and we played it well. Props to our opponents too, though - put up quite a fight at the start, but thankfully we survived. Now it's on to Banija, and if we hope to beat a team of their caliber, we're gonna have to step it up even more."

St. Kanye went out full force against Banija at the Stadium of the Restoration in the latter's capital city of Busukuma. Sherman, quarterback R.J. Linetti and the rest of the Surge had their eyes and minds set on nothing else but victory. But so did the Serpent Eagles, trying their hardest to give the home fans a show and the result they wanted to see, and when the proverbial dust had settled, it was the boys in green running away with the 38-27 dub, 2-0 record, and the early lead in Group C.

---

1Q BNJ Kah 7 pass from Chineze (Achaje kick) BNJ 7-0
Banijan quarterback Ifeatu Chineze threw four TDs on the way to their win, the first one being a short pass in the red zone to one half of his team's elite receiving duo Lamin Kah.

1Q STK Sherman 12 run (Rasputin kick) Tie 7-7
A defensive pass interference penalty on Banijan cornerback Ensa Faye gave the Yeezies a lot of yardage on what should have been fourth down. The visiting team then equalized on a twelve-yard Sherman run up the middle.

1Q STK field goal Rasputin 52 STK 10-7
The home team were forced into a three and out on their succeeding drive, and after a nice punt return by Greg Malloy, the Surge would start their drive at their 41-yard line. However, the stingy Serpent Eagle defense had them going nowhere, even backwards, but thankfully, James Rasputin is there to at least put three points on the board.

2Q STK Dobler 37 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) STK 17-7
On third and 12 at their own 42, Linetti dropped back, having gone with four receivers. Finding all four of those guys covered, he decided to tuck the ball away and run with it, only to get hammered by Isaiah Bryce a little past midfield. Fumble! But no, it was overturned, Surge head coach Jeff Delphine successfully challenging the call. A few plays later, St. Kanye's very own "BD12" - Bruce Dobler - would earn his first points of the tournament, making the catch despite being blanketed with double coverage.

2Q BNJ field goal Achaje 33 STK 17-10
With Achaje sinking a field goal as time expired, the Banijans head to the lockers having reduced the deficit to just a touchdown.

3Q BNJ Jelan 23 pass from Chineze (Achaje kick) Tie 17-17
Of course, the Banijans would refuse to go quietly into the night and take the L, and at home at that. They played St. Kanye even at the start of the second half, beginning with Chineze's second TD pass of the day, this one to their other star wideout Chinweuba Jelan, to tie things up at 17 apiece.

3Q STK Linetti 63 run (Rasputin kick) STK 24-17
In an article published before this game, All Banija Sports Magazine named Linetti one of the finest shotcallers of the tourney, mentioning him in the same breath as Delaclava's Taurus Wright and the "Farmboy" himself, Ranoria's John Garrett. So of course many, home and visiting fans alike, expected him to go off at some point in this game, and no wonder the stadium was roaring when he sprinted sixty-three yards to the end zone, ball in hand and a trail of defenders in his wake.

3Q BNJ Senghore 6 pass from Chineze (Achaje kick) Tie 24-24
While Linetti showed the crowd what his legs can do, Chineze went with his tried and tested weapon: his arm. A short TD pass to Lafi Senghore meant number three for him, leveling the score once again as the teams enter the final frame.

4Q BNJ Jelan 56 pass from Chineze (Achaje kick) BNJ 31-24
The Serpent Eagles retook the lead, which they haven't gotten since drawing first blood at the start of the game, and in incredible fashion at that. Chineze handed the pigskin to running back Kuenda Sello, and Surge safety Oliver Law dutifully rushed over to try and stop the run. But it was no run. Sello flicked the ball back to Chineze, who then threw it to Jelan, who encountered little resistance from the bamboozled Kanyean defense as he visited the end zone for the second time.

4Q STK field goal Rasputin 26 BNJ 31-27
The Surge's succeeding drive was an incredible one, making it all the way to the red zone. Would they go for the tie, or take a chance at the lead? Unfortunately, the answer was neither, with the home team D once again turning up the intensity and causing the Yeezies to go backwards and settle for the short FG.

4Q BNJ Sello 52 run (Achaje kick) BNJ 38-27
A sideline sprint from Sello sealed the deal for the Serpent Eagles (wow, that's a lot of S's) just inside the two-minute mark. Once again, the St. Kanye defense would get hoodwinked, swarming the middle only for Chineze to pitch the ball to his running back on the outside. Linetti, now in desperation mode, tried as many deep passes as he can to no avail, only to get picked off for the second time that day.

---

"We had them in the first half, not gonna lie," said Linetti after the game. "Then it's just.... we kinda let them catch up. We could have been just trying to protect our lead, but Banija had us trading blows with them, and eventually falling. They're truly an incredible group of guys and deserve their #4 ranking. However, when it's their turn to visit us, we'll give them a great game, greater than this one hopefully, with us pulling off the upset." Added Surge linebacker and defensive captain Justin Varley, "Chineze and the coaching staff showed that they're not just tough, they're also smart, they had us biting on their fakes. We've gotta wise up to their old tricks and not let that happen during our next meeting." The rest of the Kanyeans shared this high opinion of their opponents, shaking their hands and congratulating them on the win. Even the fans were delighted, it seemed. "I'm not even that mad we lost. I got my money's worth - this was pure excitement from start to finish," said a purple and lime-clad mother who had her two kids with her. "Take notes, Ko-oren. Three-nil doesn't put asses in seats."

St. Kanye, having topped their group after the opener, fell to third out of six with a 1-1 slate, with their tormentors remaining in second. It would be the TJUN-ia Jaguars (2-0) who would usurp the number one spot, mauling the Pilgrims 27-9 on the strength of Jake Griffin's three passing and one rushing TD. The United States of Great America, the only squad to fail to score in their opener, also barged into the win column, taking down Caleonia 26-14 in a battle of unranked sides. The Surge return home to Pencurve Electronics Field in Kardashia to take on the USGA, while the Serpent Eagles go on the road to play the Pilgrims.

Elsewhere....

- In Group A, the 19th-ranked Buffalostan Janissaries (1-1) upset the third-ranked Drawkland Grid Corps (also 1-1) in a close contest, with the former surviving 42-37.
- In Group B (the Yeezie press' "Group of Death"), the Ranoria Krauts (2-0) strengthen their bid to go back to back, crushing HUElavia 30-3 and bringing them down to 0-2.
- In Group D, the Ko-oren Dragonflies (1-1) concede double digit points for the second time in this World Bowl, but still manage to hold off Lisander (0-2) by a score of 17-10.

---

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| MD | Opponent           | Rank | Uniform       | Score   | Record | Place |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 1  | New Gesem          | 31   | Purple/Purple | W 53-26 | 1-0    | 1st   |
| 2  | @Banija            | 4    | White/Purple  | L 27-38 | 1-1    | 3rd   |
| 3  | USGA               | UR   | Purple/Black  |         |        |       |
| 4  | @Caleonia          | UR   | White/White   |         |        |       |
|    | BREAK              |      |               |         |        |       |
| 5  | TJUN-ia            | 13   | White/Purple  |         |        |       |
| 6  | @New Gesem         | 31   | White/White   |         |        |       |
| 7  | Banija             | 4    | Purple/Purple |         |        |       |
|    | BREAK              |      |               |         |        |       |
| 8  | @USGA              | UR   | White/Purple  |         |        |       |
| 9  | Caleonia           | UR   | Purple/Black  |         |        |       |
| 10 | @TJUN-ia           | 13   | Purple/Purple |         |        |       |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Abanhfleft]

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.

---

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

Gabbing on Gridiron
with Dara Keane

WORLD BOWL XLIII: GROUP STAGE MATCHDAY THREE

Abanhfleft           6  3 14  6  29
The Cordian Isles    0  0  0  0  0

All right, lads, what is the best cure to forget all about that loss to Sarzonia? A victory against the next team in our schedule, the Cordian Isles, that’s what. Sure, right now the Cordian Isles are unranked and don’t pose much of a threat against us, but why wait until they’re finally strong and wise enough to actually put up a fight against us? Why not just strike them hard while they’re still getting used to things? A lot of other teams do that when they’re facing new and unranked sides, but Abanhfleft does have a troubling propensity of letting the newcomers get one up over them more times than not. I would really love it if we changed that around a little bit, but maybe it actually takes more effort than it’s actually worth. I don’t know. I’m just a fan who wants the team I support to win every single freaking game.

But let’s just go ahead with this because the sooner we talk about the first game against the Cordian Isles then the quicker we’ll be able to forget about the first loss to Sarzonia. It wasn’t an easy start to the game against the Cordian Isles. The lads were still probably a bit heartbroken over being unable to do a lot of damage against the Sarzonians so they didn’t get those joints moving as quickly as we all know they could. The runs were not as explosive as we know they could be so the best that our Armored Revolutionaries could do in the first two quarters was three field goals. Three field goals! No wonder Sarzonia were able to hammer us so easily and we couldn’t do anything to remedy the situation come the fourth quarter. If the best that our team can do in the first half of a game is only three field goals then why are we even bothering to play gridiron anymore?

That being said, I would love to have been a fly in the wall during the halftime break just so I could have heard what sort of speech Marius Magnussen gave the lads to pump them up come the second half. Because I’m telling you, the team that went out of the locker room to play the Cordians in the second half was an entirely different team from the one that started it off. I mean, come on! After two quarters of nothing but field goals, the Armored Revolutionaries have finally begun scoring touchdowns! And it wasn’t the usual suspects whom you would suspect of scoring those TDs either. Robby Caplan, who was on the field while Palmer Morel was being treated for tweaking something in his foot, was the guy who started it all off with a 23-yard pass from Wes Soderlund, and then Soderlund himself put his own body on the line by attempting (and succeeding) to sneak the ball in after repeated pass attempts at a second touchdown didn’t work out that well for us. We would have a third touchdown in the fourth quarter to cap things off, Alonzo Stilwell punching through the Cordian defense for a 19-yard rushing touchdown, but once again Roland Bass managed to miss another conversion. I really hope that this doesn’t become a regular occurrence for the man because one of these days, one missed conversion is actually going to cost us. It might cost us soon, or it might cost us in a very big game down the line, but deep in the pit of my stomach I have a feeling that it will cost us right when we most urgently don’t need it to. It’s just been our lot in life. Just saying.

And of course we have to play Ranoria next. Ranoria, the defending World Bowl champions themselves. Now if there’s one thing I know that the Armored Revolutionaries must take into account, it’s the fact that they cannot start games slowly like they did against Sarzonia and the Cordian Isles. Ranoria didn’t become World Bowl champions because they started their games slowly (at least as far as I’m aware). They certainly wouldn’t give us the opportunity to get the ball moving in the second half like the Cordians did. I mean, look at what the Krauts did to Sarzonia! 55-24! I wouldn’t even want to think of potential scores that could happen if we are as slow out of the gates against Ranoria as we were against the Cordian Isles. Or it might very well be Roland Bass’s newfound fondness for missing at least one one-point conversion per game that could cost us victory over the defending World Bowl champs. In any case, Ranoria is most likely to be most definitely the hardest game of gridiron we’re about to play in recent memory. Keep your chins up, lads. There are many more games left to play still. Edmundo Ximenes, Edmundo Ximenes, Edmundo Ximenes...

1ST QUARTER
Roland Bass 39 yard field goal AFT 3-0 COR
Roland Bass 47 yard field goal AFT 6-0 COR

2ND QUARTER
Roland Bass 38 yard field goal AFT 9-0 COR

3RD QUARTER
Robby Caplan 23 yard pass from Wes Soderlund (Roland Bass kick) AFT 16-0 COR
Wes Soderlund 1 yard rush (Roland Bass kick) AFT 23-0 COR

4TH QUARTER
Alonzo Stilwell 19 yard rush (Roland Bass kick failed) AFT 29-0 COR

[TJUN-ia]

After a convincing win over New Gesem in The Gardens, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia were now leading the way in the group at 2-0. While starting 2-0 was certainly a great sign for Gus McKerrin and his side, he didn't want to take too much time off the ball as he looked to try and get as high of a seeding in the playoffs as possible. Everyone knew the matches against Banija and Saint Kanye would most likely decide our fate in this group, but that didn't mean the other 6 games were going to be easy and that was the mindset in play here on the road in Caleonia.

Caleonia entered this one 0-2 despite the nation of Reality TV hyping up all their games with jump cuts and a bit of cocaine, but at least the atmosphere was a bit like Spring Break for this contest today - pools and all. The hosts did manage to score a TD in this contest, so at least the crowd didn't return to the parties or whatever they do empty-handed. But other than that score, this game was all Jags and that is exactly what the doctor ordered among the sea of cocktails and crazy stuff. Jake Griffin was once again on point today and produced another 4 TD performance that certainly brings the Jags joy whenever he does his stuff. His first 2 TDs were drive-cappers, if you will, some brilliant drives from the TJUN-ian O-Line being brought to a close with rushing scores. The other 2 scores relied on that arm, with both Vinny Mac and Hubert Valois ending up as successful endzone targets. Chi On-Ma had another great day with 3/4 on PATs, and that's all she wrote.

3-0 and +54PD is certainly a good stat line to leave the first 3 games with, but one more game remained before the New Year Break and it was certainly going to be a big one no matter what. The Serpent Eagles of Banija require no introduction, Thomas Hall's side (led out by Ifeatu Chineze after a famous battle with Amazu Chibuzo) being ranked #4 for good reason. Banija is also 3-0 and the matchup between them and us in New Washington is expected to be very important to determine the fate of the group. You don't get to host #4 every day and so, our 2nd home game has been declared as "Blue-and-Orange Night" - where blue and orange is strictly the dress code and the atmosphere required to be fever-pitch. The Field of Dreams is expected to be rocking and nothing else will change that fact at all - the Serpent Eagles are coming. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group C)
MD1: @United States of Great America (UR) W 16-0 (2nd)
MD2: vs New Gesem (31) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 27-9 (1st)
MD3: @Caleonia (UR) W 27-7 (1st)
MD4: vs Banija (4) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
--------------------------Break--------------------------
MD5: @Saint Kanye (5) - Pencurve Electronics Field, Kardashia
MD6: vs United States of Great America (UR) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD7: @New Gesem (31)
--------------------------Break--------------------------
MD8: vs Caleonia (UR) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD9: @Banija (4) - Istria Olympic Stadium, Istria, Moravica
MD10: vs Saint Kanye (5) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington

[New Gesem]

New Gesem 3  3  0  3  9
Banija    3  3  3  7  16

The strongest performance yet by the Pilgrims in their Group of Death, but ultimately unable to contain the top-five offense of the Serpent Eagles or overcome the Banijan defense. With possibly the toughest schedule in the World Bowl through the first three games, the Pilgrims will hope to pick up the pace in the back stretch of the group stage if they are to make the playoffs of this World Bowl.

Fraternities of New Gesem, pt 3 "Fraternal Education"
While the fraternities’ chokehold over the Gesemite financial sector is nearly complete, education is an arena in which they have learned to compete and collaborate with other interests, namely civic governments and religious establishments. As a result, the number of “lodge schools”, that is schools funded by fraternal lodges and open only to children of lodge members, is relatively low compared to the number of schools run by churches or municipalities. Nevertheless, the fraternal lodges have an outsized influence over Gesemite education through other means.

The fraternal system is represented in microcosm on many college campuses in New Gesem, as the larger fraternal lodges have affiliated Greek-letter collegiate fraternities. These societies serve as incubators and pipelines for prospective members, allowing them to “fast track” their membership into the larger fraternity after graduating and turning twenty-one. So-called “affiliate fraternities” have also been accused of furthering their parent fraternities’ political goals on campus by targeting specific faculty members in evaluations, attending or boycotting certain events, or attempting to sway student opinion for or against certain measures.

The most important lever for the fraternal system at the universities of New Gesem, as with most of Gesemite society, is financial. While all Gesemite universities are nominally independent and have their own boards of trustees and endowments, most of those endowments are in practice held with fraternal banks. Because of the relative precarity of the fraternal banks in the absence of a true central bank, and because the universities hold a significant portion of the available investment capital in New Gesem, Gesemite fraternal orders and universities are more closely intertwined than it may appear. Although investment decisions are largely shielded from the whims of university boards of trustees, large-scale decisionmaking on the parts of the colleges has second- and third-order effects throughout the Gesemite financial sector.

Fraternal orders may also exert more direct influence over universities through lodge members serving as regents, faculty, or administrative staff within the universities themselves. With the exception of the various Catholic institutions in New Gesem, which are primarily staffed with Knights of Constantine, a gentleman’s agreement is in place in which lodges do not attempt to take over whole universities for fear of losing stake in other institutions should their competitors do the same. Nevertheless, certain universities are known to be have a stronger influence from certain lodges; the University of Thebes, for example, has several prominent regents and deans from the Sphinxes, a major fraternity based in Thebes.

[South Newlandia]

[Banija]

@BanijaSerpentEagles It's the Blue and Orange game in TJUN-ia! Who's showing out in Banijan colors? Tweet your reply and
show your colors with the #SerpentEagles hashtag! #BeatTheJags

@AllBanijaSportsMagazine The meeting of the 3-0 teams in TJUN-ia is an important one for the direction of this group. W Only the group winners get a first round bye, while the runner-up and third place have to battle out an extra round. A first round bye will be crucial for the eventual winner- it will be an opportunity to rest up and stay healthy. Thomas Hall said that he expects the environment at the Field of Dreams to be "absolutely insane", and the offense has been practicing with loudspeakers all week. He told us that "you can't ever simulate the kind of energy their fans will bring, but do your best to simulate the noise- and we did that. We'll be ready for them."

@GridironBanijaWeekly The Jaguars are a tough opponent for Banija. While they haven't played either of the group's top 5 teams yet, they rank in first place in the group for a reason at this point in time. Their defense ranks highly, not allowing double digit points in any of their first 3 games. Can Ifeatu Chineze find a way to open up their defense and light up the scoreboard? #FlyEaglesFly

[Sarzonia]

In the end, the Sarzonian national gridball team got an education in what it means to be a strong team.

Sarzonia traveled to the Karmin-Falce Superdome in Ranoria City and were on the wrong end of a 55-24 slaughter with quarterback Cameron Stallworth being the only bright spot. He completed 29-of-46 passes for 332 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 11 times for 64 yards and one score.

However, the Krauts made running back Ty'Relle Clinton a non-factor as he only ran nine times for 21 yards. He also fumbled on a first-and-goal carry from the one with 8:47 remaining in the third quarter with Sarzonia trailing 24-17. Krauts linebacker Sean Morgan-Horne returned it 88 yards to set up a short touchdown pass from John Garrett to tight end Johnny Farmer that Stars manager Gavin Davis called "a backbreaker."

"If we score right there, it's 24-all. That was a 14-point swing and you just can't do that against a team as great as Ranoria."

"I should have secured the ball better there," Clinton said as he stared at the floor in the away dressing room. "I saw an opening and I was trying to hit it to get that score."

The Krauts forced a four-and-out on the next series as Ranoria pushed the pile back on fourth and inches from the Stars 29-yard line as Stallworth tried to sneak the ball for the first down. Garrett hit wide receiver Khalil Hauptmann with a scoring strike on play action on the first play after the turnover on downs. From there, Davis called 16 consecutive passing plays, but the damage was long since done.

Sarzonia hopes to rebound at Joe Gibbs Stadium in Woodstock with a match against United Adaikes. Following the blowout loss to Ranoria, Davis reassured the media he intended to run the ball against United Adaikes.

"It's never a good thing when your starting quarterback leads your team in rushing," Davis said. "We were absolutely one-dimensional against Ranoria." Conversely, the Stars couldn't generate any pressure on Garrett as he threw six touchdown passes and threw for 347 yards on 21-for-26 passing. Defensive coordinator Kyle Hanley said the Stars didn't blitz frequently because "they picked up the blitz and it left their receivers one-on-one. Garrett is a good enough quarterback to take advantage of those situations."