World Bowl XLIII (43) ~ Everything Thread

by **TJUN-ia** » Tue Jan 11, 2022 12:20 pm

After 30 unanswered points saw us knock off Banija in Istria, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia had entered uncharted territory that even our previous perception of that term not dared even touch. With one game to go, the Jaguars were 9-0 and looking set for a Top 2 seeding - a notion unfathomable to even the most diehard of fans in this country. This position became more and more plausible as the weeks and wins went on and now, Gus McKerrin and Jake Griffin were 1 more game away from the greatest achievement of this team in history, more commonly known as..."that word". Many here were so afraid of jinxing that the word itself, the reward for all this effort if we won, was all but shunned from the Gridiron Fans' lexicon until further notice. Even journalists interviewing both McKerrin and Griffin didn't say that word, saying things like "One game from history" and "do the thing". Both men expressed absolute pride for the run they had been on so far, but both also said the exact same thing as a counterpoint to that, a counterpoint that everyone knew blindfolded: "The job isn't done. We still have Saint Kanye."

Our 26-13 victory over the Surge in Kardashia was certainly a shock to the hosts and everyone knew that both Jeff Delphine and R.J. Linetti would be absolutely gunning for any momentum they could get on route to the playoffs - even if that meant stopping history in its tracks. Couple that with the fact this game was at the Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington's hotbed for sporting chaos, and you've got all the ingredients for THE most important game in the history of the GFA-TJUN-ia and it isn't even close. The theme for this evening would be "NSSCRA Night", the sport both nations love with a passion and are passionate about, in order for the fans to also throw everything they got into this contest. Also fitting the theme was the attendance of both Jaguar Racing (including Lam Chow-Cheung and Gongming Gao, two guys whose current status is unknown at the moment) and Glorious Free Republic Motorsports in TJUN-ian Blue and Orange - a result of the "Bet War" going to 1-1 after Week 5.

So kickoff was very much as electric as a TJUN 600 can be and from there, the battle would begin. Both defences can into this one with a point to prove and the battle between Mohammad Al-Khalifa and Kevin Macintyre would certainly define the contest to come. The 1st Quarter would be decided by the opening drives, with Chi On-Ma hitting a FG before Linetti found Patrick Moore not that long later to make the game 7-3 Surge after the PAT from James Rasputin. The 2nd would see tighter play but a TJUN lead, as Griffin found Jack Davidson for the 25-yard score he just about held onto. but Chi's missed PAT meant that the Jags would enter the tunnel up 9-7, with the game certainly on a knife-edge.

Our friends in GFR switched into Yeezie Purple and Lime for the 2nd half in order to try and push their Surge on and that certainly contributed to another defensive quarter of football, only broken by a Chi FG that saw the game enter its final act with the Jags up 12-7. Many thought the game was over when Vinny Mac terrorised the Surge once more with a 48-yard score, but the drama is always found in the places you expect it to be. The job wasn't over yet. Chi missed his PAT but was hit by Mason Schwartz and so the resulting penalty meant we wouldn't miss his chance and the Jags would be up 19-7. But the Surge wouldn't be over and out just yet and a smart run by Linetti and PAT by Rasputin meant this was a 1-possession game with 4 minutes to play. Griffin struggled to do much, but his defence came clutch in the end - with some big plays and pressures from guys such as Andrew Dallapaz and Graham Polison causing fatal issues for the Surge in the end. The game ended on an incomplete pass, the clock striking zero just before the ball hit the ground and the field-storm that would follow was arguably better than any Kick 6 or Punt 6 would ever do. This bares remembering for all time: TJUN-ia entered this World Bowl #13, stuck in a group with two Top 5 teams and was looking to just ride it out and try and compete for the top spot if that was even possible. But now? These #13 Jaguars had gone 2-0 over Banija, 2-0 over Saint Kanye and 2-0 over everyone else in the group. Not only was this team heading to the playoffs, not only was this team the group winners and heading into the Quarterfinals in Delaclava automatically, but this team..was something more. It was a word many in this stadium and across TJUN-ia could finally say without regret.
Undefeated. TJUN-ia had completed an undefeated group stage, 10-0 in the books, and no one in this Universe numbered 3 can take that away from any of us...it is forever set in stone, the greatest Group Stage in our history and maybe even of all time across all of TJUN-ian sport. This certainly wasn't a fluke...and it felt good to celebrate as such.

TJUN-ia will enter Delaclava as the #2 seeds, our highest ever seeding in WB history, and that number will certainly be a weight upon our shoulders. The RO12 saw upsets galore, with Banija (in OT) and Abanhfleft and even Ko-oren failing to advance and after some movement due to the anti-rematch clause, our Quarterfinal will end up being the most fitting of them all. At Pediomachis in Athens, our gladiators shall face the Grid Corp of #12 Drawkland - the very same Drawkland that knocked us out 2 years ago and the last team to beat us in this competition. They may be the lowest seeds at 5-5 in their group, but Quentin Averfel's side knocked off #6 Abanhfleft by 25 and will most certainly be taken seriously. The first test of our status comes against the last ones to beat us, the last team to outperform us in a huge way. How this game goes will most certainly tell a lot of tales...and may tell how far we have come as a Gridiron nation. Jaguars, to arms! 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 W 51-29 (1st)
--------------------------Break--------------------------
MD5: @Saint Kanye (5) - Pencurve Electronics Field, Kardashia W 26-13 (1st/5-0/+89PD)
MD6: vs United States of Great America (UR) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 27-3 (1st)
--------------------------Break--------------------------
MD7: @New Gesem (31) W 29-3 (1st)
MD8: vs Caleonia (UR) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 24-7 (1st)
MD9: @Banija (4) - Istria Olympic Stadium, Istria, Moravica W 30-16 (1st)
MD10: vs Saint Kanye (5) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 19-14 (1st/10-0/+175/#2)
------------------------Playoffs (all games in Delaclava)---------------------------------
QF: vs Drawkland (3/#12/5-5 in Group A) - Pediomachis, Athens

by **Chromatika** » Tue Jan 11, 2022 9:49 pm

## All Groups                         Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD  PF/G  PA/G   PD/G  OFF  DEF   PD
A1 Delaclava                           10   10   0   340  148 +192  34.0  14.8   19.2   01   04   01 
C1 TJUN-ia                             10   10   0   276  101 +175  27.6  10.1   17.5   05   02   03
D1 Chromatika                          10    9   1   208   87 +121  20.8   8.7   12.1   08   01   05 
B1 Ranoria                             10    8   2   307  122 +185  30.7  12.2   18.5   04   03   02 
C2 Saint Kanye                         11    8   3   363  212 +151  33.0  19.3   13.7   02   06   04
A2 Buffalostan                         11    7   4   350  236 +114  31.8  21.5   10.3   03   07   07
D2 South Newlandia                     11    7   4   296  183 +115  26.9  16.6   10.3   07   05   06
A3 Drawkland                           11    6   5   297  247  +50  27.0  22.5   04.5   06   08   08

Quarterfinals Matchups

(1) Delaclava (10-0) vs. (8) South Newlandia (7-4)
Offense: Delaclava - 34.0 pp/g (1st); South Newlandia - 26.9 pp/g (7th)
Defense: Delaclava - 14.8 pa/g (4th); South Newlandia - 16.6 pa/g (5th)

Matchup Analysis: Delaclava are, the hosts, are one of two teams to go through the entire group stage undefeated, having taken care of Buffalostan and Drawkland on all occasions. The Phoenixes have the best Point Differential among all surviving teams at 19.2 per game, almost up to three touchdowns. Having the best offense means that they will score in bunches, though they face an interesting test in the Elephants. South Newlandia was the only team to defeat the Iron Legion in the Group Stage, and made it to the World Bowl Playoffs for the first time in their history. They defeated Banija in 2OT in the first round, and look like a team of destiny. South Newlandia will be looking to send the hosts home, and they have a chance to make some real history.

Prediction: Delaclava didn't get the #1 seed for no reason. South Newlandia has done well for themselves, but their run ends here.

(4) Ranoria (8-2) vs. (5) Saint Kanye (8-3)
Offense: Ranoria - 30.7 pp/g (4th); Saint Kanye - 33.0 pp/g (2nd)
Defense: Ranoria - 12.2 pa/g (3rd); Saint Kanye - 19.3 pa/g (6th)

Matchup Analysis: There's some history here between these two teams - the Krauts and the Surge have played each other in the past. Ranoria are the defending champions, but there are some question marks on the squad. The Surge have a more potent offense, but the Krauts have been yielding more than seven points less than the Surge in average. Though Saint kanye has a slight edge on offense - 2.3 pp/g - Ranoria's defense isn't one to make fun of, and the veteran leadership of having won a title previously is something that you can't ignore. Saint Kanye will be looking for revenge, but this is a tall order.

Prediction: Ranoria takes care of a bitter rival and looks ahead to a matchup against the hosts. This is probably the best match to watch among the quarterfinals.

(2) TJUN-ia (10-0) vs. (12) Drawkland (6-5)
Offense: TJUN-ia - 27.6 pp/g (5th); Drawkland - 27.0 pp/g (6th)
Defense: TJUN-ia - 10.1 pa/g (2nd); Drawkland - 22.5 pa/g (8th)

Matchup Analysis: These Jaguars have some bite. Namely, defensive bite, where they sport the second best defense in the tournament (would've been first if it wasn't for Chromatika's two shutouts, but more on that later.) Drawkland have been the shakiest team in these playoffs, but they just defeated Abanhfleft by 25 points, and they're only very slightly behind TJUN-ia in terms of offensive firepower. Will that momentum be enough?

Prediction: TJUN-ia is a rising power, and their putting away of Drawkland will declare to the world that they are ready to contend for the title.

(3) Chromatika (9-1) vs. (7) Buffalostan (7-4)
Offense: Chromatika - 20.8 pp/g (8th); Buffalostan - 31.8 pp/g (3rd)
Defense: Chromatika - 8.7 pa/g (1st); Buffalostan - 21.5 pa/g (7th)

Matchup Analysis: Ah, the Iron Legion. Despite having Sarai Gwenderyn and Alessandra Mio, the Iron Legion have deployed a more balanced attack, using their running game to control time of possession. It's helped that they have the best defense of the tournament so far, fresh off of eight straight quarters of not yielding a single point. Buffalostan, on the other hand, has a high-flying offense that can score from almost anywhere on the field, and they're coming off of hanging thirty points against the Ko-oren Dragonflies, another team that has historically had very strong defenses. Common knowledge would say that Chromatika are the favorites, but Buffalostan is one game away from declaring to the world that they are here to stay.

Prediction: Iron Legion defense rules, baby! Gwenderyn and company do just enough.

Jill Kieran, Backup Anomalies Shut Out Allammunnic States

With only four starters on either side of the ball - ILB Jere Rinaldi, RB Kimberly Fowler, C Mikel Kingston, and FS Niles Mikaela-Jones - the Iron Legion put together their second straight shutout in a row, with Jill Kieran finding Kathryn Nance for a score and Fowler getting the other; Michelle Breille scored a field goal and both extra points for the final margin.

"It was a chance for everyone to get some rest," stated Naia Curentino, Offensive Coordinator, "I'm happy with the amount of intensity that everyone played with today and we will be ready come the playoffs."

For Jill Kieran, it was a rare chance to start, and she enjoyed every second.

"I loved the opportunity. I hope that isn't the last time," she stated.

Chromatika make it to the World Bowl playoffs on a high - and hope that this time, they'll be able to win the title.

by **Saint Kanye** » Wed Jan 12, 2022 1:09 am

MountainEsc Stadium, Santa Lourdes, Delaclava. Thirty seconds remain in the World Bowl XLIII Round of Twelve match between the St. Kanye Surge and the Sarzonia Stars. The former have the lead, 23-17, but the latter have the ball and the chance to either force overtime or win outright. First and ten on the St. Kanye 25. Stars quarterback Cameron Stallworth hands the ball over to running back Tyrelle Clinton. Clinton had been a big help in keeping the Stars in this game against their higher-ranked opponents, having gone for two touchdown runs of 41 and 54 yards in the first half. He would advance the ball six yards before being brought down; Sarzonia would burn the first of their two remaining timeouts in order to stop the clock. Second and four on the St. Kanye 19. This time Stallworth would run the ball himself, moving the chains in the process. Timeout, then it's first and ten again on the St. Kanye 12. Handoff to Clinton, who would find a gap between the Kanyean defenders, squeeze through it....

WHAM!

Justin Varley, the Surge's middle linebacker and defensive captain, also saw the gap, getting to it quickly and laying a brutal hit on Clinton. Several weeks ago, Varley had hammered an opposing running back (Banija's Kuenda Sello) hard enough to force a fumble, and the same thing would happen here with Clinton coughing up the ball. Players from both teams scrambled to try to pick it up, but ultimately, it would end up in the hands of Surge safety Gary Bradman. Tucking the ball as closely to his body as he can, Bradman ran, his teammates following closely behind to try and protect him from the Stars who were also in hot pursuit. He crossed the twenty, then the thirty-yard line. The forty. Midfield. The Sarzonia forty, the thirty, and so on. Seeing no Sarzonians within tackling distance of him, Bradman jogged backwards to the end zone, then dove in for the fumble return touchdown. Then came the extra point, which was good, and then seconds later, the final whistle. Final score: Surge 30, Stars 17.

"That was incredible," said St. Kanye head mentor Jeff Delphine. "We played well, but we gotta give credit to the Stars also. They killed us with their ground attack, like they said they would, but it proved to be what would end up killing them too. But they'll be back someday, I know they will. They said they aren't looking for revenge for the Arena Bowl semifinals, but they probably will for the World Bowl wildcards."

1Q SRZ Clinton 41 run (Vargas kick) SRZ 7-0
St. Kanye won the toss, but Sarzonia, aside from their ground attack, stepped up defense-wise and forced them into a three and out. They would then get on the scoreboard first, Clinton breaking through a wall of purple on the way to a huge touchdown run.

1Q STK field goal Rasputin 26 SRZ 7-3
Then, it was the Surge's turn again, and their drive would stall again. However, instead of punting, they would find themselves having advanced far enough for star kicker James Rasputin to sink his chip shot.

1Q STK Dobler 69 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) STK 10-7
After clamping down on the Stars themselves, the Surge now had the chance to lead, which they would succeed on, Bruce Dobler with the nice reception and run which saw him hurdle a downed Will Donnelly on the way to the end zone.

1Q SRZ field goal Vargas 34 Tie 10-10
Three points from Matt Vargas tied things up at ten apiece after a quarter of action.

2Q STK field goal Rasputin 42 STK 13-10
A huge takedown on Noah Sherman and a sack on R.J. Linetti saw the Yeezies losing yardage on their drive; they would once again settle for three.

2Q SRZ Clinton 54 run (Vargas kick) SRZ 17-13
Another huge run for Clinton as the Sarzonians kept moving the chains on the ground. They would enter halftime with the narrow lead after successfully stopping their opponents from scoring to end the half.

3Q STK Linetti 17 run (Rasputin kick) STK 20-17
Like they did in the Arena Bowl, the Stars went for an onside kick during the second half. But the Surge would not be suckered, recovering the kick and eventually ending their drive with a rushing TD from Linetti.

4Q STK field goal Rasputin 31 STK 23-17
The Sarzonian D kept the game close as they forced the Kanyeans to kick the field goal for the third time all contest.

4Q STK Bradman 86 fumble return (Rasputin kick) STK 30-17
The score didn't change for much of the quarter, as both sides simply exchanged punts. And then the last thirty seconds happened. "If Clinton had not fumbled on that run and eventually scored, I'm sure the Stars would have gone for two and gone to him. Maybe Stallworth, but the point is, they're probably gonna run it in," said Coach Delphine. "Thank goodness our defense were alert and made the big play when it mattered."

After beating the underdogs of Sarzonia, St. Kanye become the underdogs themselves as they advance to the quarterfinals against their old foes, the juggernauts in red, the defending champion and world #1 squad Ranoria Krauts. "Despite us knowing just how tough the Krauts are, and having experienced it ourselves in last season's title match, that doesn't mean we're gonna give up and go home now," spoke Coach Delphine. Asked about his thoughts of the Chromatik media predicting what would essentially be a repeat of the World Bowl XLII finals result, he said, "Well, that's silly. Predictions are silly, because no one knows what the future holds. Anything can happen - that's always been the Yeezie way of thinking. Every team, big or small, has a chance of winning, for as long as they put in the effort." Sullivan Stadium in Quinniville, Delaclava will be the venue for this match.

Elsewhere.....

- The Drawkland Grid Corp make short work of the Abanhfleft Armored Revolutionaries, 31-6, and will be playing the the TJUN-ia Jaguars in the quarters.
- The Buffalostan Janissaries outlast the Ko-oren Dragonflies 30-23 on a five-yard rush from quarterback Tom Ehrlich, and will face the Chromatika Iron Legion next.
- The South Newlandia Elephants needed extra time to upset the Banija Serpent Eagles, 24-17, and will advance against the host Delaclava Phoenixes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 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  | W 36-16 | 2-1    | 3rd   |
| 4  | @Caleonia          | UR   | White/White   | W 27-0  | 3-1    | 3rd   |
|    | BREAK              |      |               |         |        |       |
| 5  | TJUN-ia            | 13   | White/Purple  | L 13-26 | 3-2    | 3rd   |
| 6  | @New Gesem         | 31   | White/White   | W 48-14 | 4-2    | 3rd   |
| 7  | Banija             | 4    | Purple/Purple | W 52-30 | 5-2    | 2nd   |
|    | BREAK              |      |               |         |        |       |
| 8  | @USGA              | UR   | White/Purple  | W 43-23 | 6-2    | 2nd   |
| 9  | Caleonia           | UR   | Purple/Black  | W 20-3  | 7-2    | 2nd   |
| 10 | @TJUN-ia           | 13   | Purple/Purple | L 14-19 | 7-3    | 2nd   |
|    | BREAK              |      |               |         |        |       |
| WC | Sarzonia           | 14   | Purple/Black  | W 30-17 | 1-0    | QF    |
| QF | Ranoria            | 1    | White/White   |         |        |       |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

by **Sarzonia** » Wed Jan 12, 2022 7:41 am

The end of the World Bowl qualifying campaign didn't come as a surprise, all things considered.

Saint Kanye were favoured as the No. 5 seeds going against the 11th seeded Sarzonian national gridball team. A Sarzonia team that were the only team among the Round of 12 sides that had a negative point differential and one that was on its second defensive coordinator as Tyler Paige was now calling the signals on the defence was facing the best of the runners up in the World Bowl and predictably lost 30-17.

And yet, this was one of those matches that was closer than the score suggested. True to his word, Sarzonia manager Gavin Davis fed Ty'Relle Clinton the rock. He rumbled for two long touchdown runs against the Surge defence in the first half and was getting the ball on first down on the Saint Kanye 12-yard line. However, he committed a costly fumble and it turned what had been a 23-17 Surge lead into the final margin of 30-17.

After Clinton emerged from the medical tent with a negative result after being tested for a concussion, he was disconsolate as he watched the Yeezies celebrating on the MountainEsc Stadium field in Santa Lourdes. The Stars were close to pulling off the upset. They needed another first down and Clinton was sure he was going to hit the hole and get his team into the end zone as time was winding down. He saw quarterback Cameron Stallworth come up to him and put his right arm around his back.

"We win or lose as a team," Stallworth said. "We're not in this position if not for you."

Following the match, Davis said, "I now know what Chad [Embry, the indoor gridball Stars manager] must have felt after [Sarzonia's 36-32 defeat to Saint Kanye in the Arena Bowl VI semifinals]. This was a tough result for us." Following the match, Davis would not answer questions about the open defensive coordinator spot, merely saying he was looking at all options for the role. He also wouldn't comment about the prospects of hiring an offensive coordinator, saying he's "spoken to" Woodstock City College manager James Arthur about the position. Off the record, however, as he sat down in a Zoom call with his wife, Davis finally told the truth about the two roles.

"Tyler's got the job," Davis told his wife Linda as their son Travis was playing in the background. "None of the other candidates have the experience with the team or with the defence he wants to run." Joyce Latimer would also get the job as defensive line coach on a full-time basis based on her performance in the interim.

"What about offensive coordinator?" Linda asked. "Are you sure you want to give up playcalling?"

"Yeah," Davis said. "I spent way too much time working on gameplanning and less time on trying to set up the kind of culture I want for this team."

"And what about Arthur?" Linda asked.

"I've talked to a few guys, but I think based on our conversation already, he's it," Gavin Davis said. "I'm not sure if he wants to devote all his energy to the job or if he wants to still coach at Woodstock City College, but if he wants the job with us, he's got it."

"Do you think he'd be able to do both roles?"

"That depends if Hoskins stays as defensive coordinator," Davis said. "I think if JGU doesn't up their offer to him he stays and Arthur double-dips here and there. If he goes, then I think Woodstock's looking for a new coach and a new defensive coordinator."

After the call disconnected, Davis was mindlessly scrolling on his mobile when he saw an item that caused him to grimace.

"Climbers fire offensive coordinator Dave Meyers."

That might make convincing him to join us a little more difficult, he thought.

by **Banija** » Wed Jan 12, 2022 8:45 am

@BanijaSerpentEagles Thank you to our fans who came out to watch us in Delaclava! While the first round result was disappointing, with all of you behind us, we'll be back at World Bowl XLIV, stronger than ever. #FlyEaglesFly

@IfeatuChineze This loss hurts. What a ride. We'll learn our lessons, and we'll be here in three years, hungrier than ever. #GoBanijaGo

@AllBanijaSportsMagazine Double Overtime loss to South Newlandia means that this is the first time in four World Bowls where Thomas Hall did not win at least one knockout stage game and did not reach at least the Quarterfinals. In his post-game presser, he congratulated the Elephants on a deserved victory, and vowed to "turn over every stone" in his effort to get the Serpent Eagles back to the top.

@AllBanijaSportsMagazine Thomas Hall described the entire campaign as a "disappointing one." After getting off toa a promising 5-1 start, they immediately lost three in a row, including blowout home losses to both New Gesem and TJUN-ia. TJUN-ia in particular was painful, as the Serpent Eagles jumped out to an early 16-0 lead and then the Jaguars responded by going on a 30-0 run to finish the game. Most observers saw the double OT loss to South Newlandia as "fitting". Unfortunately for this team, they'll have far more golf time this Summer than they could've ever wanted.

by **Delaclava** » Wed Jan 12, 2022 11:30 am

To the tune of "Pink Elephants on Parade":

Look out! Look out!
Feisty elephants on parade
Here they come!
Hippety hoppety
They're here and there
Feisty elephants ev'rywhere
Look out! Look out!
They're upsetting all the faves
They’re on a rave
Clippety cloppety
How well they’ve played
Feisty elephants on parade
What'll we do? What'll we do?
How will we make it through?
Well, the Phoenix flames are bright
Our boys will put up quite a fight
We can’t be beat with Taurus Wright
We’re far too much for them
We’ll easily shut down Stein and Klein
They’re certainly no Deondre Rhine
They’ll fold with everything on the line
Our boys will make them take flight
What a sight!
Chase 'em away!
Chase 'em away!
They’ve been played, now will fade
No more elephants on parade!
Timid elephants!
Timid elephants!

Drawkland          8 - 0 -  2 - 0 -- 10
Delaclava         15 - 7 - 14 - 0 -- 36

1st Quarter
DRK - Dustin Beck 24 yard pass to Jackie Morris (Jack Hoy run), 10:45.
DEL - Taurus Wright 15 yard pass to Justin Vandaele (Kevin Alés run), 7:29.
DEL - Noah Simmons 6 yard run (Kieran Conley kick), 2:33.
2nd Quarter
DEL - Taurus Wright 9 yard pass to Christian Gooden (Conley kick), 11:48.
3rd Quarter
DEL - Taurus Wright 29 yard pass to Andre Michel (Conley kick), 13:22.
DRK - Noah Simmons tackled by Travis Holt for 2 yard loss, safety, 8:50.
DEL - Thomas Newton 78 yard interception return (Conley kick), 7:43.
4th Quarter - No Scoring

by **Ranoria** » Wed Jan 12, 2022 4:34 pm

Run It Back! Krauts Slated Take On Vengeful Surge, Cement Their World Bowl 42 Triumph

Two years ago, Angelo Gordon was vocal about his distaste for Surge QB R.J. Linetti, who's been outstanding this season while Gordon has taken a step back from his dominant prime

A first round matchup widely forecast to lack suspense wound up lacking suspense lacked suspense. Unless you count the halftime show in a city known for its musical productions. The halftime show was jaw-dropping.

Moving on, St. Kanye came in as a heavy favorite over a Sarzonia team that's still finding their footing in this tournament and in reaching their fourth consecutive playoff berth, Saint Kanye is displaying an incredible air attack, with the 2nd best offense in the tournament led by R.J. Linetti. So while its 30-17 win Sunday over decided underdog Sarzonia played out predictably, the All-World caliber quarterback's offense was spectacular (as was arguably the best kicker in the world, Rasputin).

Props to the Stars for the campaign they've had - they seem just on the cusp of doing something great, but for now Ranoria has a bigger problem on its hands, and that problem is the Surge.

"41-24 Thrashing of St. Kanye Leaves No Room For Doubters." That was the headline when Ranoria blasted their way to their its first World Title at the professional level in any sport. It was a convincing win, a legendary performance. And unfortunately, legendary performances only come so often. The Surge have an opportunity here to exact some measure of revenge and make viewers wonder - was it all a fluke? Of course, the title will still be ours, but no one on this team wants to leave the shadow of a doubt that Ranoria is the better team on that day.

"Broke them once," grunted Angelo Gordon, who refused to leave his workout for a press conference and was in between sets, "Break them again."

Gordon's the guy giving all the billboard materials, it seems. The man's had an embattled few seasons. After suffering a season-ending neck injury early in the 2027 season, his production plummeted in 2028, and he's been a role-player at best in World Bowl 43 after racking up video-game esque sack production in the World Bowl 42 playoffs. The pass rusher, who anointed himself as "a quarterback's worst nightmare" after the championship win in response to R.J. Linetti stating, as many do, that fears were made to be conquered, hasn't lived up to his own brazen expectations, and it's shown. The hot-headed star has been frustrated in meetings and on the sidelines as he seems to regress week by week.

Fortunately, his production was replaced by the return of Darnell Sleight - who did not play in World Bowl 42 due to a torn ACL - and new signee Judas Wolfson at strong safety, a former RFL and NSCF defensive player of the year.

Hopefully, these two can make up for some of the dominance Gordon displayed that helped lift us over the Surge last time these two heavyweight teams took center stage.

Of course, Ranoria enter this matchup as the favorites, but the entire squad seems excited to get another chance to take on a quality opponent.

"That kicker of theirs," said Barry Chlorid, who's been a first team all-pro in the Ranorian Football League every year since he turned pro, "Rasputin, I think he might be the best kicker in the world. That McAllister at Felswyr State may have had a case, but either way, I just love watching that guy. Always an opportunity to witness history when his team's on the field. You never know - maybe someday they're gonna need a game-winning sixty yarder."

"We slowed them down once," said veteran linebacker and captain Ross Monarch, "And blowout win or not we couldn't stop Linetti and his crew. Doing it again is going to be a challenge, but it's one that you relish as a competitor."

"Don't let the numbers get in the way, their defense is tough," admitted John Garrett, "I told my the team before the game and I'll tell you now, that performance was a result of all the work we put in. Offseason, domestic competition, and during that campaign. We found things that we knew would work through some intense film study and ultimately they didn't look as good as they were. They'll be ready this time."

Well said. It wouldn't be contrarian to say the St. Kanye offense did their jobs, putting up 24 against a tough Kraut defense despite the lopsided result. Expect a motivated team in every aspect. The Surge aren't going to roll over for anyone, especially not with this kind of opportunity at hand, and they know as well as anyone that they can play with anyone who has the audacity to line up across from them.

So game on - let's see what the newest edition of this budding rivalry has in store for us.

by **Drawkland** » Wed Jan 12, 2022 5:27 pm

CORPSGUY725'S BLOG

World Bowl XLIII Review
Watching This Team Brings Me Great Pain

So, here I am again, covering what is perhaps the worst team in World Bowl history.

I was celebrating the holidays with my family (yes, I do speak to other living people sometimes) as this Bowl progressed, hence why I wasn't covering this group stage. I'm eternally grateful for this actually, because this might be the worst group stage in Grid Corps history. No, I'm not joking. When was the last time you saw Drawkland go .500 in a World Bowl group stage? I can't think of a single time off the top of my head. Even in our bad runs, we'd turn in the bare minimum winning record and a forgettable playoff run. The only time I recall us with a losing record was the first World Bowl we participated in, and obviously you can't count that.

Anyway, given this historically embarrassing Corps, I was hoping we'd get eliminated in the groups or lose in the first round so I wouldn't be tempted to cover this crapsack team. Sadly, we actually won a playoff game, and I'm back at home, so instead I have to find a way to put into words how much I hate rooting for this team.

Also, if you needed more of a reason to hate this World Bowl, our 5-5 group record is absolutely going to tank our ranking unless we somehow pull off a championship run. Don't worry, we won't be winning the title, so just come to terms with the fact we'll probably be a Pot 2 team next Bowl.

Group Stage Review - Kill Me

This group stage was the most embarrassing football I've seen in my life from a team that's supposed to be filled with the "best players" in a nation. I've been saying this for like five Bowls now, but Quentin Averfel needs to be given the axe. This group stage should be the final straw that breaks the camel's back. DISC hasn't said anything yet about Averfel's job yet. In my opinion, if he doesn't pull a championship run out of his fat ass these playoffs, he needs to be gone. If DISC doesn't follow through with this then they must be intentionally wanting the Grid Corps to turn into a laughing stock like the rest of our national teams right now.

You might be saying, "But wait corpsguy725, isn't calling Coach Averfel a fatass kinda fatphobic of you?" It actually isn't, because I'm also a fatass who hasn't exercised in well over a decade (coincidentally also the last time the Grid Corps won a World Bowl). Therefore, I am absolved of all guilt.

You might also be saying, "Hey wait corpsguy725, isn't the Grid Corps basically using an entirely new team, save for a few key veteran starters?" Well, that was true last World Bowl. Besides Dustin Beck, Jack Hoy, and Leo Cross, the team was entirely new, consisting of rookie and sophomore standouts from the GLD, and even a few college players who've made their mark in the NSCF. That team went 7-1 and made a strong quarterfinal run, only to be knocked off by runners-up Saint Kanye. Therefore, the exact same team only going 5-5 and limping into the quarters is actually a step down. Plus, all these players are older and stronger. Taking steps back is illogical and a clear indicator of shitty coaching.

I'm not even going to go through each game, because that would mean I'd have to watch them all again. I don't want to do that. I really don't want to do that. For this group stage, it's better to simply recap the end results.

Let me remind you that Drawkland was ranked #3 and by far the highest ranked team in the group which contained #10 Delaclava, #15 Kohnhead, and #19 Buffalostan. Now, of these three actual contending teams, the Grid Corps went 2-4. Both wins were against Kohnhead, which happened to be really crucial as they also went 5-5. If we lost either of those games to Kohnhead we wouldn't have even made the playoffs. We couldn't knock off Delaclava (who look like worldbeaters right now anyway) or Buffalostan, even at home. We even went 3-1 against the two unranked teams in our group. That's right, we couldn't beat Caliland, a team of no-name players. At least it wasn't at home, but still.

Now don't get me wrong, I would prefer that the Corps had run the table and finished in this group with a respectable 9-1 or 8-2 record, as one would expect. I would've loved to split or sweep Delaclava. I would've loved to not give an unranked team the best upset win in their first (and probably only) World Bowl appearance. However ... going 5-5 and sneaking into the playoffs with the worst seed actually became our biggest advantage.

You might be saying, "Okay wait corpsguy725, how could you of all people possibly enjoy the fact that we barely made it into the playoffs and got a dogshit seeding to boot?" That one is easy. It's because we got to play Abanhfleft.

Matchup Preview - Abanhfleft

You might be saying, "Hey corpsguy725, this bit is already getting old." Fair enough, I'll can it. I assume you do want to know how playing Abanhfleft, who went 7-3, split a series with Ranoria (shutting them out in their home win), and earned the #6 seed in the playoffs, could possibly be a good thing.

It's simple, really. Drawkland owns Abanhfleft. Many consider Abanhfleft to be our first true rivals in the World Bowl. They're arguably the first team to really become rivals of any of our national teams, though the bad blood was pretty much exclusively limited to the scope of the World Bowl. Also, they never once beat us in a meaningful game. It wasn't much of a rivalry, but every time the Drawkians and the Fleftics battle, it's sure to be a hotly contested matchup.

I believe I read an article sometime that detailed the early sagas of this one-sided rivalry. The first game was the final of World Bowl XXX, where young upstarts in Drawkland won in blowout fashion, 37-7. Their next meeting was the third place match of World Bowl XXXII, where both squads were scorned for not being in the championship. Again the Corps game up big, winning 40-22. They'd meet once again in the quarterfinals of World Bowl XXXV, where Drawkland would win on a thrilling fake field goal as time expired to win 31-27.

It wasn't until the next cycle, World Bowl XXXVI's group stage, that Abanhfleft would finally beat Drawkland. Unfortunately for the Fleftic faithful, it was a mere 13-3 win in front of a home crowd. Drawkland had already beaten Abanhfleft 30-10 in the first leg, and went on to lose in the championship while Abanhfleft had to settle for fourth place. We haven't met since, though we could've met in the World Bowl XL quarterfinals if not for the fact that we were both promptly eliminated in the Round of 16.

This game shouldn't have even happened. By seeding, we should've faced a much more fearsome Saint Kanye, while Abanhfleft took on Sarzonia. However, we were switched with Sarzonia to avoid what would be a group stage rematch between the Armed Revolutionaries and the Stars. As soon as the playoff seedings were announced, every Grid Corps fan including myself popped a chub. Finally, we'd get to beat the piss out of Abanhfleft. Just like old times. This would be even more significant, as this would be the first time the new-look Grid Corps would take on the Revolutionaries.

Game Review - Abanhfleft

Quentin Averfel may be a past-his-prime coach who is unfit to lead the Grid Corps anymore, but goddamn does he know how to beat the Fleftics. In a Round of 12 where every higher seed proved victorious, this game was the only exception. It was also the biggest blowout.

This might sound like bullshit to you, which it does to me. When I reluctantly turned on the TV, expecting to see the long-awaited vindication of Abanhfleft fans, I was instead treated to a performance so solid I thought I was watching the Corps from last World Bowl's group stage. All game, the growing Drawkland defense kept Abanhfleft out of the end zone. The only points the Revolutionaries scored came from their scripted drives at the start of each half, both of which resulted in field goals. Meanwhile, the Grid Corps got out to a shaky start, putting up a touchdown (Jack Hoy run) and a failed two-pointer in the first quarter but otherwise only adding a field goal before halftime.

The game was won and lost in the trenches. The hungry Drawkian defensive front was feasting on a Fleftic O-line that didn't look comfortable all game. The run game was stifled, and the deep passing game wasn't working out. As the Drawkian points piled up in the second half, the softer defense preventing the deep shot and run defense continuing to flex forced Wes Soderlund to take what he could get in the short passing game. What he could get was simply not enough to move the offense down the field, and the blowout continued.

Coming out of the first drive of the half where Abanhfleft hit their field goal to make the score 6-9, the Grid Corps had an excellently staged drive which resulted in 8 points. A play-action shot from Dustin Beck to Preston Sawyer went for 34 yards and a touchdown, and Jack Hoy would score on the read option for the two-pointer. Suddenly, the close game was elevated to a two-score lead for the Corps at 6-17.

On the ensuing drive, Soderlund made an ill-advised throw downfield, which was picked off by young phenom defensive player Prokopios Vortigern Roijakkers, who everybody in their right mind just calls Proko. The Cold Hill safety hit the ground running off the pick, and returned the ball to the Abanhfleft yard line before being shoved out of bounds. Averfel, wanting to deal to the hot hand, called a tricky play where Proko lined up at fullback. Dustin Beck took the snap in play action, and tossed the ball to Proko, who had broke out of the backfield and slanted across the middle of the field, beating his man and breaking into the end zone. Another missed two-pointer made the score 6-23.

The game continued on, with the Corps still moving down the field, but the Fleftic defense did not die so quietly. It was a shame, really, that the defense did such an admirable job only for the offense to not hold up their end of the deal. Late in the fourth quarter, Dustin Beck would run in a touchdown on a broken passing play in the red zone, and the successful two-point pass to Navis would bring us to the final score of 6-31. Neither team could put together anything in the final minutes, and Beck would take the last snap in victory formation.

Once again, Drawkland crushed the dreams of an Abanhfleft team who perhaps weren't looking for revenge ... just a win.

Quarterfinal Preview - TJUN-ia

Okay, time to go back to reality. Remember, Quentin Averfel is a horrible coach whose seat is so hot that his nuts have probably already melted off. The Corps is unprepared to face teams of actual playoff caliber, and we shouldn't even technically be in the playoffs to begin with.

Now that your brain is back in the right headspace, let's briefly discuss this upcoming quarterfinal game with TJUN-ia. Recently, the quarterfinal seems to be the final resting place of the Grid Corps, if we even get that far. Besides those World Bowls with the weird double elimination formats, the last time we got past the quarterfinals was the World Bowl XXXVI final loss to Pridnestrovia (where we faced Abanhfleft in the group stage). Seeing the Grid Corps playing meaningful playoff football is something that some children don't even recognize. We're rapidly approaching the Has-Been event horizon. If you ask me, we're actually already in it, and the time dilation caused by the forces of gravity is making it seem like we aren't there yet.

So, this game against TJUN-ia. The Jaguars have been the definition of underrated for the past few World Bowls. Sure, they've never gotten a podium finish in a World Bowl, but they've been threatening a deep run for awhile. Their group stages have been respectable, their playoff resume messy but they're no easy win. Even their NSCF representative, Trent State, made it to the championship last edition. This isn't even mentioning TJUN-ia's success in other sports, proving an impressive athletic pedigree to a relatively new nation in the sporting circles.

If we're just going based on narratives, we should definitely be losing this game. We're the worst playoff seed, fresh off our worst group stage in worthwhile memory, and the only reason we weren't unceremoniously dumped out of the playoffs on day one was the fact that the "Drawkland destroys Abanhfleft" narrative might be the most airtight in World Bowl history. TJUN-ia may not have a deep World Bowl run to their names yet, but they're due. This would be the perfect stage for it as well, as they're fresh off their best group stage and facing a former (emphasis on former) titan of the sport. What better way to christen your deep run than by beating a big name team that isn't actually that hard to beat right now?

You might be saying "Wait a minute corpsguy725, you never actually explained why this team sucks so much, besides 'bad coaching.' Also, I thought you were done with this bit?" Sorry not sorry, I'm milking this gag until I'm tired of it. As for the question about the Corps being garbage, allow me to briefly elaborate.

While the Grid Corps roster is actually filled with a fearsome and skilled list of players, they aren't performing at a level that we know they can achieve. You hear all the time about teams playing above or below their skill level, thanks to good or bad coaching, especially in the college spheres. Sometimes a team with a subpar roster becomes worldbeaters, because their coach is a tactical genius who can put together a scheme that plays to all their player's strengths and minimizes their weaknesses. Sometimes a team with top recruiting classes every year never wins anything important, because their coach is a complete buffoon who calls plays, seemingly at random, and barely gives their players a chance to show their prowess at the game.

Quentin Averfel, I've found, is the latter. Even in our winningest World Bowl seasons, a lot of our success came from our players simply outplaying their opponents, not from good coaching or scheming. Sometimes all you need is the physical advantage. The problem is, once the physical advantage wanes, or the playcalling becomes so bad that it actively undermines the ability of the players to win games. The physical advantage is still there, as we saw last World Bowl's group stage, but Averfel's playcalling has become so horrible that now it's difficult to win games. Stupid dropback passes on downs where the defense is obviously blitzing, runs on third down when everything would have to go flawlessly to get a first down, embarrassing attempts to convert on fourth down when it's not necessary, and cringe-inducing two point conversion calls. Listen, I'm not going to say that the "go for 2 like every time" and "go for it on 4th down like every time" philosophies are broken, but maybe sometimes we should just be taking the points we know we can score. We have the best kicker in Drawkland wasting away on the bench. That's humiliating.

Don't get me started on the defensive scheming either. This isn't technically Averfel's fault, it's the fault of the defensive coordinator, Mathis Southers. However, he is part of Averfel's staff and has been for as long as he's been in charge of the Corps. It's simply an Old Boys Club at this point, where everybody in the office drinks the same kool-aid and nobody thinks they're the problem. In reality, they're all The Problem. Mark my words, the Grid Corps will not win anything of merit until Sam Willis and DISC clean house and start anew. There are dozens of genius coaching minds in the pros and college, and that isn't even considering the possibility of looking overseas. They could breathe life into this ailing national team and return Drawkland to where it belongs atop the World Bowl podium. Instead, we're stuck Coach Questionable Aversion (To Scoring Points), and his tribe of yes-men coordinators.

In conclusion, congratulations to TJUN-ia on being given a semifinal berth on a silver platter. I would say they got the most paper-thin draw of all time, but somehow teams like Buffalostan made the quarterfinals. And, holy shit, Delaclava gets to play South Newlandia in the quarters? They even switched the matchup "to avoid a group stage rematch with Drawkland." Now I'm mad for an entirely different reason. This might be the most stinky example of home cooking I've seen in my life, and I actually travelled to Free Republics for World Bowl XXXVIII. God, I know Delaclava are a historic squad that could reasonably win a World Bowl sometime soon, but seriously, they've resorted to hosting the damn thing and paving the road to the final for their home team in gold.

Alright, I better pinch this one off before I get even more pissed off, or else I'll be sitting on this proverbial toilet for another hour. At least when we lose to TJUN-ia tonight it'll be a merciful ending, rather than that drawn-out shitshow playoff run that was World Bowl XLI. Enjoy the death blow to our rank, as I certainly will. Thank God I decided to not travel this year, or else I'd have spent a fortune in travel costs flying across the entire country of Delaclava like eight times.

In conclusion, fuck Delaclava, and fuck Quentin Averfel. corpsguy725 out.

by **Delaclava** » Wed Jan 12, 2022 6:05 pm

If you're here, you're three wins away from achieving what you set out to do. But it won't be easy... everyone else here deserves their spot and would be a fine champion. How will you handle the pressure? How can you hang on to a dream?

Quarterfinals cutoff!

QF1: (1) Delaclava 20–17 (8) South Newlandia
(scorinated by Quebec and Shingoryeo)
@ Eagles Stadium (75,000), Manchester

QF2: (4) Ranoria 33–19 (5) Saint Kanye
@ Sullivan Stadium (70,000), Quinniville

QF3: (2) TJUN-ia 9–23 (12) Drawkland
@ Pediomachis (60,000), Athens

QF4: (3) Chromatika 28–26 (7) Buffalostan
@ Lake Boston Field (70,000), Orton City

Semifinals

SF1: Delaclava vs. Ranoria
@ Royster Field (110,000), Catherina

SF2: Drawkland vs. Chromatika
@ Eagles Stadium (75,000), Manchester

by **Ranoria** » Thu Jan 13, 2022 3:17 am

2029 Ranorian Football League Draft Recap: Ranoria City Falcons Do Exactly What Everyone Thought They Would, Highport Hawks Clearly All-In For 2029

Why provide instant grades on the selections of prospects who have yet to take an professional snap? Well, you're reading this, aren't you? So we profit off of it! So watch as Vick Hamilton gives you his top 10 draft classes this season. Do note: There are 34 teams in the Ranorian Football League, but only 33 participate in the draft. The 34th is the Lorcondan National Team, which competes with players amassed from their entire nation. This was seen as an issue almost half a century ago until everyone realized they're terrible. If you'd like to see the full list of selections, click here.

1: Ranoria City Falcons

What an offseason for the Falcons! After going a combined 4-1-27 in the past two seasons, the Falcons have been, for lack of a better word, embarrassing in the biggest market in the nation. So a deep-pocketed ownership made some big moves. First up, fire the coach and make an offer than former Loyola-Istria offensive coordinator Dennis Zervos can't refuse. Ten years, ten million per year. Check.

Second, lure in free agent wideout Alessandra Mio with those deep pockets and a promise to make the only decision that made any sense anyway with the number one overall pick. Four years, fifteen million per year. Again, deep pockets and a discount to boot. Check.

Third, make the obvious pick. She's right there, the most complete quarterback prospect we've ever seen. More mobile, more durable, and with a bigger arm than John Garrett. None of that brazen arrogance and wild, mischievous demeanor of Deondre Rhine. Sarai Gwenderyn is coming to Ranoria City to join the Silver's QB Thorn Davis as the captain of an explosive offense in the nation's biggest city.

Fourth, make a couple surprisingly easy picks to grab more playmakers. Somehow, William Carey was waiting there, a low hanging fruit after the first round had passed. Zervos sat and waited for his man, the #2 wideout for the Kohnhead Brains at the World Bowl level, and it was a no brainer. Jefferson Reeves is a solid selection as well, at guard, but it's the 4th and 5th round picks where Zervos really shone. Nellie Katt, Felswyr State's punter, was the first player off the board in the fourth round, and of the final four rounds of the draft we'd say no one offers their team a bigger upgrade at their position. Katt is slated to be an all-pro as a rookie and, frankly, only slid this far because RFL teams undervalue punters and kickers due to our nation's lack of talent in the area. Finally, Corrin Silva. Most know Silva as the running mate to Candice Ferrett at Cold Hill. A clear power complement to the main show in the Chromatik speed rusher, he tore an ACL early this season after being penciled in as a late first rounder. He may not be available this season, but next year, when this team will likely be contending for a championship? You bet they'll have their pass rusher.

2: Highport Hawks

Rolan Casey is a high upside pick, no doubt. A small school prospect out of the University of Rouyoutte, he's got 344 career tackles. Pretty sweet. Connor Corrin, solid safety out of Richardson. We couldn't care less, because the Hawks traded their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick this season as well as their 2030 round 1 and 2 picks to the New Quebec Fighting Quebecois to move up to the #8 overall pick to grab perhaps the 2nd best player in this draft: Herman Whitworth. Some may say this was a move to keep their star quarterback, Byron Joseph happy, I call crap. Joseph and Whitworth may have been teammates at Kohnhead City University, but Whitworth - if he can stay healthy - may as well go ahead and get fitted for a hall of fame jacket. For a Hawks squad that made the semifinal in 2027 and lost by 1 point to defending the champion Dietrich Dynamos in the championship in 2028, this could be the piece that puts them over the edge. Oh, and signing free agent NT tight end Vasily Schmidt can't hurt, either.

This team knows where they are, and they've sold out to go and win it all. You want a team to watch, this is the one on offense.

3: Fermete Maurauders

When you have your pick, you don't need to move up. Sitting at number four, the Maurauders knew that quarterbacks were going with the top two picks, and they knew that the Rouyoutte Colts - despite needing help on defense, already have a national team starter at linebacker in Johnson Ellis. So they waited, they listen to any offers, and their pick was in within ten seconds of the one prior. Talk about a vote of confidence for Park Mi-Hyeon. And sincerely, welcome to Fermete, the city of heroes. Throw in a hard hitting Joey Fortson who can come down to rush off the edge on third down and they should have a playmaking duo at the second level for years to come. And Tony Maulet? The kid probably won't amount to much, but he's got an arm.

4: Richardson Fenrirs

It was a bit easier for the Fenrirs to move up than the runner-up Hawks to get their man. They knew Park Mi-Hyeon was off the table - reports that their neighbor just 30 miles to the north, the Fermete Marauders, was locked in on the star had been out for weeks. But why not get the next best thing? For a historically great franchise that's been embattled since head coach Thomas Hall left to go lead Banija's Serpent Eagles - failing to make the playoffs since - jumping from #20 to #5 to nab Jere Rinaldi instantly gives them a tone setter and a leader in the locker room. Keep an eye on Carl Hiescher as well. While listed as a fullback, he racked up 1,331 career rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He's a true weapon, and a hard-nosed, defensive Fenrirs team might just decide to make him a punishing lead back.

5: Ranoria City Silver

The Silver struggled last season as star quarterback Thorn Davis battled through multiple knee injuries that limited him to 12 games and hampered his mobility and mechanics when he did. It may end up being a boon, however, as they were able to nab Saguenay alum Django Reeves. Reeves is an edge rusher, but he's capable of dropping back when necessary, and he'll add some teeth to a Silver defense that's lacked it in recent years despite a championship appearance as early as 2025. Second rounder Felix Hamilton may not contribute much on offense, but as as return specialist with true 4.3 speed, he can make opponents pay at the worst moments. Eric Modin meanwhile is a former top 10 recruit who struggled due to injuries at Ranoria State. If he can stay healthy, he'll keep Thorn Davis upright and, more importantly, healthy.

6: North Ashialand Dreadnaughts

The Dreadnaughts have finished as the 2nd seed in their conference in each of the last two seasons and gone 3-2 in the playoffs. They know as well as anyone that QB Bo Callahan, Ranoria's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, is aging fast. With 57,139, he leads the career category there by more than ten thousand and his 410 passing touchdowns have eclipsed Terry Grayson's mark of 384 by 26. And this team has been one step behind Deondre Rhine's dynamos in the past two seasons. Hopkins was the big move, as the Dreadnaughts traded the #64 and #97 overall picks to jump up to #42 and snag their 6'2" playmaker.

With Mikel Kingston and Donella Ruffin slated to be major upgrades on the offensive line and Richard Hopkins offering a big weapon on the outside, they're hoping to secure one more title to throw in the all-timer's trophy case...which already has 3 rings, mind you.

7: Dietrich Dynamos

The rich just keep getting richer. The defending champions - 2 seasons in a row - may have gotten the steal of the first round, taking Paul Matthieu with the last pick of the first round at #33 overall. For a team that normally forces opponents to keep up with an electric offense, taking a stalwart corner from one of the best defensive programs in college football is a huge signing. Jarvis Mills? While no one can replace Alessandra Mio, Mills may be able to fill a similar role as a big, physical target on the outside with a nice double move to make up for good-not-great-speed. And Diego Rodriguez? That kid can sling it all over the yard. If something ever happens to Rhine, he'll be more than capable of keeping things chugging along.

8: Mariana Tigers

The Tigers aren't a team anyone expects to make waves, they're middle of the pack, always have been...but this draft changes things. Apollo Esther was the obvious choice - they needed a running back and this guy is everything you could ask for, a prototypical RFL back who'll get you plenty of everything. Tim Agasiva will likely start at some point as as a rookie. He's big, athletic, and a tough blocker. But the intriguing picks here are QB Jake Dobbs and the defensive linemen. Dobbs is a playmaker, he doesn't like to check the ball down and as such may be more of a risk taker than many teams are willing to bet on. He was penciled in as a fifth rounder, so this is either a reach, or they know what they're doing. Regardless - Roosevelt is a 345 pound monster at defensive tackle, and while Aviante Daniel hasn't produced much in college, he ran a 4.5 flat at the combine at 251 pounds. If they hit on all four of the guys I've expanded on here, expect a quick turnaround.

9: Rouyoutte Colts

As with the Marauders, when you know you'll get your man, you sit and wait. With Gwenderyn and Strathos coming off the board at number 1 and 2, they had their pick of any other position, and they took Albatross "Albie" Vergol. A class act monster, Vergol went to school abroad at the University of the Commonwealth of Baker Park, and racked up every award he could ask for. He got to see and experience life in a beautiful country, a life-long goal of his knocked out early. He was two-time UAC First Team All-Star at Defensive End and left as the reigning Defensive Lineman of the Year. He graduated in just three years while racking up those gridiron accolades, aquiring a First Class Bachelors Degree in Pre-Medicine, and has stated he intends to pursue medical school. Kid's being referred to by Rouyoutte fans as the "Class Act Monster," and that's an apt description for the 6'6", 275 pound beast of a man. Hopefully, second round DT Deshone Hamm - all 325 pounds of him - can help keep double teams off the young star.

Along with him are stud running back Wes Farnick, who racked up 3,004 rushing yards in 2 years starting, one year as a backup at Matthensville Polytechnic, electric kick returner Lorenz Engelhart, and big Ben Harris. At 6'8" and 290 pounds, Harris will come in as an edge rusher, and who knows, maybe he'll end up being the longtime running mate for Vergol. Despite his long limbs, Harris threw up a mighty 41 reps of 225 pounds at the combine. The Colts have gone big or gone home on the defensive line, we'll see if it pays off.

10: Port Kruger Phalanx

We want to make it clear that part of this grade is because, well, they didn't get Gwenderyn. 13-0 or not, Strathos hasn't shown much in the playoffs, and Gwenderyn has appeared in 2 World Bowl semifinals and 2 NSCF championships. However, the kid's got a cannon for an arm, threw for over 4,000 yards against NSCF competition this season, and hadn't lost a domestic game in the last two seasons, winning championships in both. With dynamic wideouts Robert Jackson and Tashaun Rypien bringing speed and size to this offense respectively, he's set up for success, especially with Emilio Annaise in the backfield. One of the premier backs in the league and the backup on the national team, he's run for more than 4,200 yards and 25 touchdowns in the past three seasons and racked up 107 catches for just over 1,000 yards and 9 touchdowns in that span. He's going to make play action a viable threat, and he's a perfect backfield outlet. Strathos is set up for success in all the best ways, even if the defense could use some work.

Once he was picked, he was visibly upset, stating, "Picking that slacker ahead of me was the biggest mistake the Falcons have made in franchise history, and that's saying something." Does he have what it takes in a surprisingly stacked offense to make true on those words?

Other Notable Selections:

Mason Warford, QB, to the Berlin Snow Bears in the 1st round
Leon Elliot, DB, to the Apollotown Sabers in the 1st round
Agnor Viridian, FS, to the Pittsburgh Ironmen in the 1st round
Ying Taggart, SS, to the Nashville Sabercats in the 2nd round
Sheila Pantoja, QB, to the Memphis Steamers in the 3rd round

by **TJUN-ia** » Thu Jan 13, 2022 5:28 am

History is there for those to repeat it.

We went 10-0...but even then, we couldn't beat Drawkland...the bottom seeds in this playoffs, a team who practically gave up beforehand.

No matter what we do, we cannot overcome Margaret herself...the temptress of our dreams and the devil of our nightmares.

What are we doing wrong? Why is it that we do pretty well in Aussie Rules and Motorsports and the NSTT, but when it comes to a team sport...nothing good comes our way?

We used to pull off the upsets and now, we are the ones being upset all the time...a vicious cycle that may never die down.

Everyone knows what going to happen: we'll finish 3rd or just outside the WC, utterly fall on our face in the Cup of Harmony and just move into the next cycle with the same mindset as the first - a dark horse, but nothing more than that.

As for this team, they don't deserve any blame for what happened here. Going 10-0 in the first place was an achievement in itself, no need to dwell on 23-3 like it's the end of the world, right?

But the clocks are starting to tick...one day, these players will be gone and we need to be ready for that eventuality no matter what.

Will WBXLIV be the Last Ride for some of these players...that remains to be seen, of course.

But one thing is for certain:

We tasted gold for the first time after that Group Stage...and we want more.

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 W 51-29 (1st)
--------------------------Break--------------------------
MD5: @Saint Kanye (5) - Pencurve Electronics Field, Kardashia W 26-13 (1st/5-0/+89PD)
MD6: vs United States of Great America (UR) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 27-3 (1st)
--------------------------Break--------------------------
MD7: @New Gesem (31) W 29-3 (1st)
MD8: vs Caleonia (UR) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 24-7 (1st)
MD9: @Banija (4) - Istria Olympic Stadium, Istria, Moravica W 30-16 (1st)
MD10: vs Saint Kanye (5) - The Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 19-14 (1st/10-0/+175/#2)
------------------------Playoffs (all games in Delaclava)---------------------------------
QF: vs Drawkland (3/#12/5-5 in Group A) - Pediomachis, Athens L 9-23

by **South Newlandia** » Thu Jan 13, 2022 5:46 am

by **Ranoria** » Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:18 pm

@Gridiron_Krauts And we've done it again! Ranoria knocks off Surge for second season in a row, set for another semifinal against an explosive Delaclava squad. Grab the popcorn! #WorldBowl43 #Semifinals

@RSSN_Official These Krauts look unstoppable. Of their 5 knockout stage wins in the last two World Bowls, only one team has kept it within a touchdown. Speak of the devil though, because they're playing Delaclava again. #RunItBack #GrudgeMatch

@Vick_Hamilton_Reporter Tough loss for the Surge but RJ Linetti is earning himself fans across the world. He meant what he said before the World Bowl 42 final, he's not afraid of anyone, and he put Angelo Gordon in the dirt on a scramble early. Great QB, only a matter of time before he brings one home. #GoKrauts #Surge

Krauts Locked In For Second Consecutive World Bowl 42 Playoff Rematch & Semifinal Clash With Resurgent Phoenixes. Is it Groundhog Day?
Because if it is, we know how this story ends

Taurus Wright's revenge tour has been smooth sailing so far as the Phoenixes Sit at 11-0 Overall, but Ranoria's taken the wind from their sails before

The Surge came out and, just like last time, fought the good fight. But at the moment, there appears to be a gap between these two teams. Not an insurmountable one, but it's there. Because after Ranoria opened the World Bowl 42 championship with a 75 yard touchdown run by Vice Jackson III, they went with the same will-imposing strategy here. It would take 7 carries for him this time, but once again, the monster runner plowed through one of the better defenses in football on a 75 yard touchdown drive. Saint Kanye's offense managed to keep them in it for awhile, with touchdown drives on each of their first two tries. The first was highlighted by RJ Linetti scrambling out of the pocket and stiff arming through Angelo Gordon for a 7 yard gain. It wasn't much, but with such a physical play coming against the alpha dog of Ranorian football and a man who'd taken a vendetta against Linetti in the past, it got their team fired up.

However...it just wasn't quite enough. The Surge went for two after that second drive, down 14-13, to try and take the lead with momentum at their back, and a Zach Skinner sack there put a damper on things. Late in the fourth, they got close just enough to get their kicker, Rasputin in range, and he delivered with a field goal 55 and another from 58 yards out, but John Garrett put this thing on ice soon after with a deep touchdown strike to his favorite target, Johnny Farmer.

But it's not the only rematch Ranoria will get from their historic run last season. This time, it's the Phoenixes that want another crack at it.

First Ranoria locked horns with last year's runner up, and then they're pitted against Delaclava? Tough luck. In World Bowl 42 Ranoria won all 4 of its knockout stage matches. Three of those games were blowouts, 30-14, 33-7, and 42-24. One squad though was up for the challenge. Props to the Allamunnic States, Serpent Eagles, and the Surge for their performances in that tournament, but the Krauts handled them en route to a playoff berth. But Delaclava? No, that one was a nail-biter, with Taurus Wright helping his team take a 10-0 lead early and 16-10 later, but eventually his offensive line was simply overwhelmed by a Krauts front 7 laden with future hall of famers, allowing Garrett to bring his team back for the 23-16 lead.

Many claimed - both before and after that game, that it may as well have been the championship with how heavy of a favorite the winner would be.

So what's changed this time?

Ranoria may be charging in with the third best defense in the World Bowl, but Taurus Wright's engine has produced the second most points of anyone. They averaged 34 per game in the group stage and hung 20 on a tough South Newlandia team that's given everyone they play all they wanted and more. No defense is going to hold them to 16.

However, they still might be able to slow them down. In the previous edition of this heavyweight clash, Cameron Barbarosa had stepped in as Ranoria's top corner for an injured Darnell Sleight, and he got cooked all game before reeling in a game-winning interception. This year, Sleight's back and he's everything one can ask for at corner. Looking his way is asking for trouble, allowing Barbarosa to play his ballhawking style against #2 receivers. And with Judas Wolfson back there at strong safety, Ranoria has a guy with the kind of playmaking ability that Angelo Gordon lost when he injured his neck.

Long story short? This defense is better than ever, and they'll need to be to keep Wright from making them his scout team as he aims to go down as the man who shattered his country's 27 edition long championship drought.

"You guys gotta stop calling it a revenge tour," said John Garrett after finishing the team's light run-through practice Friday, "I've kept my eye on him since last World Bowl, and he's stayed off the social media, I don't see him making any headlines off the field. I don't think he has revenge on his mind, he's fighting bigger demons than that and doing one hell of a good job of it."

Strong words from John Garrett, who generally avoids the cameras despite being reportedly vocal leader in the locker room. But the star quarterback couldn't help but grin, "But man, I'm excited to go and compete with that guy again."

by **Drawkland** » Thu Jan 13, 2022 8:39 pm

CORPSGUY725'S BLOG

World Bowl XLIII Semifinal Preview
I Should Keep My Stupid Mouth Shut

I am being punished. There is no other explanation for what the Corps is doing right now. This was by far the worst group stage performance from a team ever donning the Grid Corps uniform, considering the expectations. They shouldn't have even made the playoffs to begin with, and now they've rattled off two wins to make the semifinals again. A season that should've been dead in the water suddenly becomes one that might be remembered by future generations ... and that's completely embarrassing.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to see the Grid Corps not being horrible. In my opinion though, this is the worst possible scenario. Remember World Bowl XLI, how I was saying the worst possible scenario would be Drawkland making it deep into the playoffs only to get beaten by an actually legitimate team? Instead of losing out early and being a footnote in the tournament, we're now going to be making a deep run only for our flaws to be exposed on the grandest stage. And you know what happened? Exactly that. The Corps won ugly all through the playoffs, and then got beaten into submission by a Ko-oren team that just had to hold serve to win ... exactly as I predicted.

I will give some amount of credit to the current Corps. The playoff wins so far have been much more impressive than the ones from that ill-fated XLI runs. The ineptitude shown by that team was rooted in the old age of the players and simply being too tired to achieve the older gameplan of "bail out bad scheming by being physically better than the opponent." The team from this cycle has a different problem. They're young, hungry, and their flashes of talent are enough to roll over most teams in their path ... when they aren't getting unintentionally sabotaged by the horrible playcalling of the coaching staff.

I don't know what's gotten into this current Corps. Maybe they finally recaptured that chemistry they had from the group stage last World Bowl. Maybe they were just slumping this group stage and are finally playing to their potential. Perhaps the team leadership has found a way to motivate the players to do better. I'll tell you one thing, though. It's definitely not the coaching of Quentin Averfel and his staff. If it weren't for their smoothbrained schemes and piss-poor plays, we'd probably be blowing out our opponents even more convincingly.

This brings me to the problem with this run. Sure, it looks good. It almost makes up for the bad group stage, yet I am so desperately afraid that it will trick DISC into giving Averfel yet another shot at leading the Corps. This group stage should've been enough to show him the door, and now with a solid playoff run incoming, many people who don't actually watch the games closely will think he's still the same old "genius coach" of cycles past. I can only hope that the higher-ups at DISC are smart enough to realize what's actually going on in front of their faces.

I'll get back to this later. For now, let's talk TJUN-ia.

Quarterfinal Review - TJUN-ia

In my last post, I summed up my feelings about TJUN-ia's squad. I don't want to rescind everything that I said, but perhaps I was being too hasty in predicting the contention window for the Jags. They were a very solid team, going undefeated in the group stage, and I thought that it was a sign of things to come. After all, they swept Banija AND Saint Kanye. They ran the table in one of the toughest groups in the tournament, out of Pot 3. Excuse me for thinking that this team was capable of beating a "#3" ranked team that went .500 in a group where they were the top seed. This isn't even mentioning the fact that TJUN-ia would be hungry to face us, since we knocked them out of the playoffs last World Bowl and kept them from greater glory.

For what it's worth though, I'll say that the Jags didn't look their best in this game. They just seemed to be the unlucky team on the field that night. A lot of key plays were stymied by untimely penalties or unfortunate drops, while the same didn't really happen to Drawkland. I am NOT trying to insinuate that we got bailed out by the refs, but I will say that this game should've ended much closer than it did. Up until the final few minutes, it was a one score game that TJUN-ia could've won. This is also not trying to insinuate that the Corps was playing badly. They were definitely playing better than they were against the mid-ranked teams in their group during the group stage, like Buffalostan and Kohnhead.

The defense was playing like they were against Abanhfleft. They were winning in the trenches and being just disruptive enough to keep the rather pedestrian offense afloat. It bears striking resemblance to our World Bowl XLI run where the defense was overworked but still performing, and the offense was unusually bad. Drawkland's reputation was built as a team that was scary on offense and had just enough of a defense to ensure the offense could win the games. Recently, though, it's been flip-flopped, and that's why the Corps has been much more inconsistent. It's difficult to perform consistently when your team identity is in jeopardy.

As for the game itself, the Corps lost the toss and ended up receiving the ball to start the game. Quentin Averfel may be a terrible coach, but I'll give him credit where it's due. The man knows how to put together great scripted drives to start a half. The Corps offense benefitted from this, and managed to get into a rhythm against the Jaguar defense. Maybe it was nerves going into what was undoubtedly their biggest game of the tournament, maybe the first round bye cooled their momentum, but whatever it was, Drawkland took advantage. Through a varied attack of runs from Jack Hoy, Matt Adams, and Dustin Beck, plus some excellently timed play action, the Corps moved the ball down the field with seeming ease. The Jaguar defense still came to play though, and when the Corps got down into the red zone they forced a 3rd and Goal from the 5 yard line. Beck took the snap and executed a beautiful RPO play which resulted in a quick pass to Adams running a route to the outside and burrowing to the goalline for six. To keep the pressure on early, the Corps went for two, and a well-designed end around play to Donovan Hugo made the score 0-8 early.

However, TJUN-ia had a solid drive of their own to start the game. The opening drive from Drawkland took a decent chunk of time off the clock, and TJUN-ia looked to do the same. Vinny Mac had success on the ground early, rattling off six straight carries for three first downs and getting the Jags across midfield. A couple passes from Jake Griffin, and suddenly TJUN-ia was knocking on the door of the red zone. They'd cash in a few plays later, with Mac punching it in from three yards out to score six. However, with the Corps up two, Gus McKerrin decided it would be best for the Jags to try and answer and tie the game at eight. Their two point play failed, with the Corps defense coming up big, and the score was stuck at 6-8.

From then on, though, the Drawkland defense was doing most of the heavy lifting. The next three Corps possessions would end in two punts and a failed fourth down conversion at midfield. Meanwhile, TJUN-ia had multiple drives pass midfield, but a multitude of sacks on third down, holding penalties on passes that would've gone for six, a missed field goal, and questionable defensive play by Zeke Kyro Cruz that could've been called for pass interference but wasn't, resulted in no points being scored for the Jags. When the Corps punted with less than two minutes left in the half, we figured the Jags would take a couple easy run plays and go into the locker room for halftime. Instead, they ran the ball twice with Mac, and then executed a crazy play action pass from Griffin to Chris Davidson and caught the defense off guard. Davidson would get caught from behind before he could score, but they were suddenly in field goal range. A few more quick runs from Mac to get closer, and Chi On-Ma would kick the lead-taking field goal as time expired in the half.

Coming out of the half, the score was 9-8, and TJUN-ia would get the ball to start. Their opening possession would go nowhere, however. They had a chance to go up by a touchdown, but couldn't cash in. The next drive from Drawkland could've been enough to change momentum fully. Similar to the first drive of the game, the Corps offense looked strong with the rushing attack. They got into the red zone with a good chance to score, but the momentum was instantly evaporated as Beck threw an interception in the end zone to Graham Polison.

TJUN-ia would get another drive to increase their lead, but once again they came up short and were forced to punt. The Drawkland defensive line was making life hell for Jake Griffin, and Vinny Mac was getting fewer and fewer yards per carry. The offensive effectiveness for the Jags was waning, and now the Corps defense was starting to gain confidence. On the ensuing drive, the Corps offense had their own problems, but a flukey catch-and-run by Quinn Conrad would turn a 3rd and long on the Drawkian side of midfield into a visit to the TJUN-ian red zone. The Corps would not waste this opportunity, and Beck found Jackie Morris on a well-timed curl route for six. This time though, the two-pointer would not work out, and the score remained at a pedestrian 9-14. Still though, Drawkland was now in the lead, and it was TJUN-ia who now had the pressure on.

This pressure, along with the pressure coming from Drawkland's front seven, was a lot to bear for Griffin and the Jaguar offense, and once again they couldn't move the ball across the field. Once again they got into the outer reaches of field goal range, only for Griffin to be sacked on third down and ruin their chances of coming away with points. By now it was starting to get late in the fourth quarter, and their chances of getting the ball back with enough time to retake the lead was slimming.

This next drive by Drawkland would be huge. With only a five point lead, a time-consuming touchdown drive would all but assure victory, while a field goal or less would keep TJUN-ia's hope alive. Unfortunately, the offense couldn't be clutch enough, and three straight incompletions (all stupid playcalls by Averfel) in the outer reaches of field goal range would ensure that we could only come away with three. Thankfully David Merit was faithful, and his successful try made the score 9-17.

With five minutes left in the game and an eight point deficit to overcome, TJUN-ia's amazing World Bowl run came down to the result of this offensive drive. Score a touchdown and two-pointer, and they could hold on for overtime and win there. Come up short, and the season is all but over. Despite the best efforts of the Drawkland defense, Griffin and the Jags played their hearts out, scraping tooth and nail down the field. Not only did they get past midfield, but well-placed passes and excellent time management brought the Jags to 1st and Goal from the seven yard line with just over a minute left in the game. Four plays to save your season, and just enough time on the clock that the playbook was wide open. Two seasons hang in the balance.

Instead of getting a dramatic goalline stand for the ages, though, we were treated to something entirely different. On first down, after a play action fake to Mac, Griffin quickly fired the ball to Hubert Valois outside the numbers. There was a miscommunication, though ... either Valois had run the wrong route or Griffin misplaced the ball. No matter the reason, the pass was behind Valois' back, and Kyro Cruz read it perfectly. Kyro Cruz intercepted the ball and had a head full of steam with no Jags anywhere near him. Cruz would cruise along the sideline and into the end zone for the pick six. The two-pointer failed, but the Drawkian crowd in Athens barely noticed. The score was 9-23 now, and there was barely any time on the clock left.

Try as they might, the frustrated Jags got a few plays to get the ball past midfield, but there was simply too little time left on the clock. Time expired on an incomplete pass by Griffin, and the Grid Corps sideline rushed onto the field to congratulate each other. Somehow, some way, Drawkland had made it to the semifinals once again, and once again they'd crushed the dreams of TJUN-ia. I wouldn't worry about them though ... they'll be back.

Semifinal Preview - Chromatika

So that game against TJUN-ia ended with sunshine and rainbows, but I hope to God the Corps hasn't forgotten how many glaring weaknesses the team still has. I hate to sound eerily similar to last round after the Abanhfleft game, but you have to remember that this team doesn't have what it takes to make it to the promised land again. Yes, both our wins against Abanhfleft and TJUN-ia showed our defense balling out and our offense putting together some solid drives. However, a more complete team, the likes of which made the semifinals of this World Bowl, will easily be able to plan around our strengths and take advantage of our holes.

I would say that this semifinal slate is one of the most stacked I've seen in recent memory, but that wouldn't exactly be true. I feel like most tournaments have one or two surprise teams that crack into the final four, teams that probably don't have a shot at the championship unless they get exceptionally lucky or hot. These past few World Bowls, though, including this one, have featured heavyweight bouts in both semifinal games, where every team could reasonably be champion. The most "outside" pick in this semifinal is Chromatika, who came into this Bowl ranked #12 (one above TJUN-ia). Even them, the Iron Legion has had a meteoric rise in the gridiron world, thanks in no small part to the success of Sarai Gwenderyn and the Felswyr State Firehawks in the NSCF.

This Chromatika team, the "weakest" in the semifinal, is who we'll be playing. They're no easy win, though. They cruised to a 9-1 record in a group that contained Ko-oren and upstart South Newlandia, and dispatched that Buffalostan team that even we couldn't beat in two tries. Now, that was a pretty close game at 28-26, but a win's a win. They're the 3 seed in this playoff for a reason. This will surely be a game to remember, right? After all, this is basically the grown-up version of the budding Horizon Conference rivalry that fans across the NSCF pay close attention to.

The chances of the Grid Corps actually beating Chromatika are quite slim, however. The Iron Legion was built on its defense, a stout unit that fights in the trenches and shuts down the long air attack. The intermediate passing game is how to beat them, and that's one of the weakest parts of the Corps offense. The offense was originally built as a possesion-based, defense first unit, the type of offense you see out of Ko-oren every season. Since the arrival of college phenom Sarai Gwenderyn though, they now boast a little more pop and big play potential as well. The Drawkian front seven is quite fearsome in the trenches, but our young secondary is probably our weakest point. If Gwenderyn can bypass the pressure and get the ball to her playmakers, it could be curtains for the Corps.

Once again, this game is going to come entirely down to the trenches. Whoever is winning on the line of scrimmage is probably going to get the necessary leverage to win the game. When Cavsar and Sadeg State managed to beat Gwenderyn and her Firehawks, it was because their front seven made life a living hell for their offense. Gwenderyn may be an athletic gem and a great decision-maker, but even the best QBs will crumble when placed under enough pressure. As for our offense, if the O-line can get enough push to create space for Hoy and Adams, and time for Beck, we'll get the plays needed to move the ball down the field. Provided, of course, that Averfel's play calling isn't so abysmal that the defense shuts us down easily.

This game is going to mean a lot for the fans of both nations. Those who love college football, especially the hot new rivalries in the Horizon Conference, are going to have a keen interest in this game. Not only is it a spiritual matchup between the college powerhouses, but there are plenty of Sadeg State/Cavsar/Felswyr State/Staramara Tech players, past and present, on both rosters. Couple this heat with the fact that the game will be held in one of the most football-crazy cities in Delaclava? The atmosphere should be hot. The already huge pressure of a World Bowl semifinal game is doubled. Which team will fold under the pressure, and which will create diamonds?

Don't worry, I already have your answer. Drawkland's piss-poor planning will be our doom. The Corps will crumble in a spectacular fashion not seen since the Equestrian States in WBC 41. Chromatika has been hot all season and filled with a team hungry to prove their worth at the World Bowl level. Meanwhile, the Corps has been sloppy and barely grinding out a campaign that we should've been cruising through. This is where we'll finally meet our maker, and we won't even get to have a third place game for consolation. Too bad, too, because I would've taken great pride in watching us beat the everloving piss out of Delaclava in the bronze bowl and making their fans eat shit after all the trash they talked in the group stage.

Just kidding, we'd lose that game too. Let's just take our L now so we don't have a repeat of World Bowl XLI, eh boys? Hopefully we get beaten badly enough that DISC remembers that they need to fire Quentin Averfel into the sun, and also fire him from his job as head coach of the Corps. At this point I'm convinced that I would be a better choice to coach this damn team.

On that note, I think I've covered just about everything I wanted to cover. Be advised that I'm planning on flying out to Delaclava if we make it to the championship game, because apparently I'm a masochist or something. Just another reason that I hope Chromatika blows us out, because I don't want to have to leave my basement again.

Please end my suffering, and also fuck Quentin Averfel. corpsguy725 out

by **Delaclava** » Fri Jan 14, 2022 11:09 am

It all came down to this.

Taurus Wright had been spending the last year getting his mind right for this moment - even if he didn't fully realize the extent of it originally. The Phoenixes were playing in a home World Bowl, they were a favorite to win it all after an undefeated group, and now that was totally irrelevant if they couldn't score on this drive and win right here.

Taurus had barely felt the nerves at the start of the game, smoothly executing two scoring drives in the first quarter to give Delaclava a 14-0 lead. He was sure glad to have his friend Robbie Hahn back on the team. The poor guy had been drugged while stepping out for a cup of coffee back in Coleport and picked up a suspension for his trouble. Now he was back, and the tight end showed in five minutes that he had not lost a step in his own personal turmoil. Then another Catherina Crusher, John Ogdon, had sacked Robert Klein, who for once appeared out of his depth in this, his first quarterfinal in enemy territory, and forced a fumble that gave the offense a short field to work with. No problem at all, with Wright continuing to run it himself and get the ball to Hahn before punching in the second touchdown with the fullback Ryan Finney.

The Elephants just wouldn't go away, though. Why would they? They were young, hungry upstarts, they'd beaten Ko-oren, they'd beaten Banija. Sound familiar? They weren't majestic like the Phoenixes, but they sure were feisty. They might not have the skill that Taurus Wright and Andre Michel brought to the table, but they were solid, with a strong defense, and they were out to ruin dreams in search of their own, just like the Delaclava team had done. That strong defense locked it down in the second quarter, preventing Wright from entering the end zone for a third time early. After Kieran Conley inconceivably (alright, it was actually pretty conceivable) missed the 36 yard field goal, psyched out by his own crowd, it was a stalemate for a while, the strength of Antony Archer and Josh Rush matching that of Prince Rose and Luke Kennedy.

Then, the Phoenixes couldn't get going and the Elephants good, and all too quickly it was tied 14-14, and the underdogs had the hosts on the ropes far earlier than it would've liked. It should've been the Krauts or the Grid Corps giving them this much trouble. Goodness knows the Serpent Eagles wouldn't have done anything to them if they'd made it here, and the Phoenixes had already made the Corps their bitch twice, so how was this happening now?

These were the thoughts running through the minds of a fan, but Taurus Wright continued to breathe deeply, watch intently as the action on the field unfolded. The Elephants had the ball near the red zone, but it appeared they were stalling here, the mostly-Crushers front line holding firm. Most likely, Abdul Corbett would trot out to make this field goal, and Delaclava would have one chance to send this to overtime.

Luke Mussett slapped down a lazy pass intended for Olaf Ramsey, cursing that he couldn't get both hands around the ball. Corbett got the job done and it was 17-14 to the guests. As the kickoff teams took the field, Wright closed his eyes, with the thoughts he was hoping he'd have in this moment:

...

Nothing.

Not the past failure or the future regret. Not the pressure or the pain.

The next two minutes would be only about the actions, not the consequences.

Wright opened his eyes once he heard the crunch and the whistle that told him that Odon Ramanatsoa had been brought down. The backup corner had brought it out to the 29 yard line. Kieran Conley was automatic - usually - within 45 yards, so the 28 yard line was the ideal target, so just about 43 yards.

First down. They still wanted to start this drive with a run, and they had two timeouts to work with. Wright took the snap, stepped back and tossed to Noah Simmons, who looked for room on the outside right. Alan Stubbs wouldn't give it to him. The two went down together, Simmons lunging forward to pick up two yards.

Second down. Wright motioned everyone back to the line, trying to hold onto those timeouts. He lined up in shotgun, took the ball. No defender in the world could hang with Robbie Hahn when he changed direction the way he could, and the tight end went downfield about eight yards, quickly curled and the ball was there. Hahn took the hit from Pascal Melendez just around where the fans at home saw the yellow line. The linesman wasn't so kind, clearly spotting the ball about a yard behind the markers. Boos rang out as the offensive line rushed forward again. Wright lined up directly behind Alex McFadden, barking out commands, then calling "Hut" and taking the ball through the gap that had magically opened between McFadden and Eric Vesey. First down at the 41. 62 seconds to play, and Wright called a timeout.

Back in the huddle, Wright was in charge. They were thinking multiple plays at a time, controlling the pace as the Elephants hung on for dear life. The first play was going to be a run. Kevin Alés, hoping desperately that this wouldn't be his last game in a Phoenixes uniform, was in motion, on the end of the chain from Wright to David Conley, gunning to the right for seven yards, showing that he had plenty in his legs to go. The second play would hopefully leave the Elephants over-correcting against the run and leaving Andre Michel in lone coverage against Jayden-James Norton. Wright looked up and saw Michel jabbing left and moving down the sideline two yards ahead of Norton. Wright fired and the ball arced perfectly into the arms of Michel, Taylor Suarez hurrying back to bring Michel down at the 30 yard line.

Taurus and the rest of the offense sprinted up the field to meet Michel and collect themselves for the spike. They got the ball down, second and 10 at the 30 yard line, 26 seconds left. Wright looked over to the sideline and saw Kieran Conley warming up, knocking balls into the practice net, and the first concrete thought entered his mind, a vestige of that young cockiness:

Nah, we're ending this shit now.

Two plays drawn up. The first was a run, back to Simmons, but the Elephants were determined to win this game also. Matthias Petersen broke through the line and swallowed up Simmons for a loss of three. On the sideline, coach Frank Newman shouted a one-syllable, four-letter word before signaling that he was going to take a timeout now. He waited until about...ten seconds, then stopped it. The team came over to get their last splashes of water and their marching orders.

"We need something short, just a few yards," Newman shouted over the roar of the crowd. "Get it outside on a slant, get it out of bounds, don't do anything stupid. Got it!"

They broke. Taurus found himself right next to #10. He grabbed him by the shoulder and shouted through his helmet. "43's totally lost here. She can't hang with you. If you see it, take it." Justin Vandaele nodded.

Wright lined up in shotgun for his last play of regulation. One last deep breath. "Hut!" He looked right towards Michel, but he wanted Vandaele. Justin was hoping to go downfield, and even though Carolyn Bray was just looking to contain, he knew how he'd get there. He curled in after just a few strides. Bray was several yards away. Wright lasered it into Vandaele's arms.

Vandaele was at the 27 yard line. Kieran Conley could make that 44 yarder if he just stepped out of bounds. But he went straight for Bray. She was just hoping to wrap him up in-bounds, but wasn't expecting the challenge, and fell forward as Vandaele faked left, his stabbing left foot landing very near the sideline but with a crucial few blades of green grass in between, slid his hips away and took off behind the sideline. There was nothing but the end zone. As the clock struck zero, Vandaele sped past the goal line and kept going, jumping up to celebrate with the front-row fans.

They were shocked but deliriously thrilled. The Elephants were stunned; Bray was crushed, hanging her head, still sitting where she'd let Vandaele get away. Newman threw his headset in the air, jumping up and down and hugging his son, the quarterback coach Danny. The Phoenixes players sprinted down to join Vandaele in the back of the end zone.

Taurus Wright dropped to his knees where he'd thrown the pass, allowing himself to feel the weight of the moment for the first time. He crossed his chest and held his arms out to the sky. Robbie Hahn pulled him up, and the teammates embraced before running over to join the rest of their team.

Against Ranoria, it would all need to be better, but for today, it was good enough.

South Newlandia      0 - 0 - 14 - 3 -- 17
Delaclava           14 - 0 -  0 - 6 -- 20

1st Quarter
DEL - Taurus Wright 9 yard pass to Robbie Hahn (Kieran Conley kick), 9:35.
DEL - Ryan Finney 3 yard run (Conley kick), 1:12.
2nd Quarter - No Scoring
3rd Quarter
SNL - Giovanni Read 42 yard run (Abdul Corbett kick), 6:25.
SNL - Robert Stein 15 yard pass to Dhruv Valentine (Corbett kick), :36.
4th Quarter
SNL - Abdul Corbett 37 yard FG, 1:39.
DEL - Taurus Wright 33 yard pass to Justin Vandaele, :00.

by **Delaclava** » Fri Jan 14, 2022 12:05 pm

The United Republic of Delaclava presents...
World Bowl XXXXIII

Battle of the Bands and Championship Exhibition

First of all, we would like to congratulate the Chromatika, Delaclava, Drawkland, and Ranoria teams for reaching the semifinals of the 43rd World Bowl! That in itself is a massive accomplishment, and we know all four squads will be motivated to push even further.

Music is an essential, even sacred, aspect of Delaclav culture, and in our gridiron world, that is obvious with the prevalence of marching and stadium bands in the Delaclav game. With that in mind, although athletic bands are always welcome at any international gridiron fixture in Delaclava, we would like to formally invite bands representing the visiting national teams of Chromatika, Drawkland, and Ranoria to join the prestigious 450-member Firestorm, the official marching and athletic band of the Delaclava national sports teams, in the pre-game festivities and the games themselves. This will include, but is not limited to, a dedicated pre-game show for each team and a Battle of the Bands in the lead-up to each semifinal and the final.

Additionally, we have decided to host a Championship Exhibition of Bands at Branten Bowl, which is directly adjacent to the championship venue of Royster Field, at the Delaclava National Athletic Complex in Catherina, the nation's capital. High school, collegiate, and competitive bands are invited to join the bands of Cheatham High, Catherina University, Tria Flumina, among many other Delaclav bands. The exhibition will be open to the public and viewed there and around the nation - on national television - by football and music fans alike, and the participating bands will be invited to watch the World Bowl championship at Royster Field that evening.

We hope you will accept this invitation and join us in Catherina and Manchester!

Sincerely,

Terrell Frost
President, Delaclava Gridiron Association

Megeddy
Minister of Culture

(OOC: None of the above is intended to be any sort of obligation, either ICly or in your RP; consider it a prompt you can use or ignore.)

by **Drawkland** » Fri Jan 14, 2022 1:32 pm

"Sir, have you heard the news?" an intern busted into the office.

Winston Shearer, the Director of Pageantry for the Drawkian International Sporting Council (DISC), sat up in his chair.

"What is it?"

"News fresh from the World Bowl officials at Delaclava. They're going to host a Battle of the Bands for the semifinals and championship, and there's going to be an exhibition at their national athletic complex the day of the championship. It's an open invitation for groups of any level."

"My God ..." Shearer stood up from his chair, leaning against his desk and slowly raising his head. "It's finally time. I knew one of these years it would happen. Alert the whole department! Tell them it's time for 'Operation Shortlist.' There's no time to lose, man! Get out and spread the word!"

The frightened intern scampered back into the hallway, and Shearer pulled open his drawers. He extracted a clean file folder filled with various documents, slapped it on his desk, and got to work immediately, filling out information with reckless abandon. The sound of frantic office workers running through the halls, shuffling papers, and maniacally typing at keyboards filled the hallway outside.

In less than an hour, all the emails and paperwork had been sent out, and Shearer sent the digital packet of documents directly to Delaclava. Attached was a simple note from Shearer himself.

From the desk of Winston Shearer

To whom it concerns at Delaclava,

We accept the challenge. Our Pep Corps, which has already been present at the playoffs, will take all comers in the Battle of the Bands as well as the Championship Exhibition.

Joining them in the Championship Exhibition will be three elite adult groups renowned across Drawkland for their skill in the marching arts and ability to wow crowds.

- Drum Corps Drawkland's All Star Drum & Bugle Corps, assembled from the finest marching members of each drum & bugle corps competing at DCD finals last season.
- Sadeg State University's Marching Skyhawks, assembled from the student body of Sadeg State University, the pride of Drawkland and former NSCF champions.
- Cavsar University's Gladiator Marching Band, assembled from the least incompetent alcoholics they could find on campus that could play instruments.

We look forward to the events, and for Drawkland's eventual win of World Bowl XLIII!

On Corps,
Winston Shearer
Director of Pageantry
Drawkian International Sporting Council

Drawkland Pep Corps
The marching band contingent to all of Drawkland's national teams, operated by DISC itself. Wherever there is a Drawkian national team playing ball, the Pep Corps is in the stands cheering them on. Despite having "corps" in the name, this is a traditional marching band, containing both woodwinds and brass. However, given that the primary purpose of the Corps is to play in the stands of sports events, there is no front ensemble in this group. The membership of the Pep Corps itself numbers around 500 chartered members, mostly former players in the DCD or from alumni from college bands. The actual number sent to games fluctuates depending on the sport, game interest, and availability of seating sections. For the World Bowl, the "full" instrumentation of 300 members travels to every match when possible.
Fact File (for WB XLIII)

Drawkland Pep Corps
Headquarters: Metropolon, DRK
Level: Adult Amateur
Membership: 300
Drum Majors: 5

Flute: 24
Clarinet: 36
Saxophone: 30

Trumpet: 36
Mellophone: 24
Baritone: 20
Trombone: 20
Sousaphone: 24

Snare: 11
Tenor: 7
Bass: 7
Cymbal: 11

Flags: 20
Rifle: 10
Sabre: 10
Twirler: 5

Drum Corps Drawkland's All Star Drum & Bugle Corps
The equivalent to the "all-star team" of a sports league. Once the DCD (Drum Corps Drawkland) season concludes, fans, corps members, and circuit judges vote on the best performers from every corps to appear at the Grand Championship competition. The roster size and instrumentation is the same as the rules specify for all corps in the DCD circuit. After the season, the "DCD All Stars" learn a show, usually written by the music and drill staff for the winning corps from that season's Grand Championships. The show is performed several times, most notably at halftime of the Drawkland Bowl to a national audience. For this exhibition, the All Star Corps will be using the roster and playing the show performed at the most recent Drawkland Bowl.
Fact File (for WB XLIII)

DCD All Star Drum Corps
Headquarters: Lexehgo, DRK
Level: Professional
Membership: 200
Drum Majors: 3

Trumpet: 36
Mellophone: 24
Baritone: 36
Sousaphone: 24

Snare: 9
Tenor: 5
Bass: 7
Cymbal: 5
Front Ensemble: 19

Flags: 16
Rifle: 8
Sabre: 8

Sadeg State University Marching Skyhawks
Sadeg State University's marching band is one of the premier programs in northern Drawkland. The Marching Skyhawks are the best in the Iarocav Conference, which is already stacked with some of the best bands in the north. Filled with a mix of music and non-music majors, the directors demand high levels of performance in both drill accuracy and musical quality. This doesn't mean that the Marching Skyhawks can only be appreciated by the band connoisseur! Football fans throughout Drawkland can attest that the Marching Skyhawks are a damn good band.
Fact File (for WB XLIII)

SSU Marching Skyhawks
Headquarters: Sadeg, DRK
Level: Collegiate
Membership: 270
Drum Majors: 4

Flute: 14
Clarinet: 26
Saxophone: 24

Trumpet: 40
Mellophone: 20
Baritone: 20
Trombone: 18
Sousaphone: 20

Snare: 9
Tenor: 4
Bass: 6
Cymbal: 9

Flags: 25
Rifle: 15
Sabre: 15
Twirler: 1

Cavsar University Gladiator Marching Band
Cavsar University's Gladiator Marching Band is not typically renowned as one of the greater collegiate bands in Drawkland. The music school at Cavsar U is a mid-tier program mostly filled with regional musicians who didn't get into their school of choice. Their non-music school talent is decent, but nothing special. Somehow, though, the Gladiator Marching Band comes out on gameday and puts on a great show in great numbers. It may not feature the cleanest drill or the best ensemble balance, but damn can they blast it, and damn does the crowd love it. Say what you will about their musical abilities, but the Gladiator Marching Band is filled with fans more valuable than the most diehard of student sections.
Fact File (for WB XLIII)

Cavsar U Gladiator Marching Band
Headquarters: Cavsar, DRK
Level: Collegiate
Membership: 345
Drum Majors: 5

Flute: 20
Clarinet: 32
Saxophone: 28

Trumpet: 50
Mellophone: 32
Baritone: 24
Trombone: 24
Sousaphone: 24

Snare: 11
Tenor: 5
Bass: 8
Cymbal: 16

Flags: 32
Rifle: 12
Sabre: 12
Twirler: 10

by **Chromatika** » Fri Jan 14, 2022 3:24 pm

Team          1Q  2Q  3Q  4Q  |  Tot
Chromatika     7   7   7   7  |   28
Buffalostan    7   9   7   3  |   26

1Q
BUF - 08:28 Krurv 4 yard run (Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez Kick)
CMT - 03:17 Kimberly Fowler 12 yard run (James Dior Kick)

2Q
BUF - 11:27 Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez 39 yard Field Goal
BUF - 05:16 Nathan Kennedy 37 yard pass from Tom Ehrlich (PAT blocked)
CMT - 01:22 Sarai Gwenderyn 2 yard run (James Dior Kick)

3Q
BUF - 08:18 Noah Langerud 37 yard run (Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez Kick)
CMT - 00:28 Niles Gwivern 21 yard pass from Sarai Gwenderyn (James Dior Kick)

4Q
BUF - 10:26 Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez 37 yard Field Goal
CMT - 00:09 Alessandra Mio 19 yard pass from Sarai Gwenderyn (James Dior kick)

Moments: Important Moments from Chromatika - Buffalostan, Told from Different Perspectives

1. The Kickoff
3918 Cypress Lane
Felswyr, Mountain District, Chromatika

"Are you sure?" asked a twenty-three year old young man, sitting in the couch in the living room. Clean shaven with brown hair and a concerned look on his face, Michel Drumov had one hand on the TV remote and the other pointed at his fiancée, former Felswyr State Firehawk and Chromatika Iron Legion Kicker Sara McAllister. The Iron Legion's game against Buffalostan would start in three minutes, and it had been a huge discussion point in their relationship for the last week on whether or not they would watch this game.

Ever since the surprise retirement announcement, the couple had tried to determine just how much was too much when it came down to stressful situations that could potentially aggravate McAllister's condition. After many discussions with multiple neurological experts in the country, Sara had made the difficult decision to hang up her cleats; Michel wanted to make sure that just watching stressful situations would be okay. Basically, the answers that they'd received were inconclusive: each situation had the potential to affect Sara in a number of different ways, and it would be up to her on how much she'd let the situation take over how she was feeling.

"I told you," replied Sara, a bit of exasperation on her face, "If they reached the playoffs, I want to support them. It's a shame I'm not even in Delaclava to watch the game live, but it's the least I can do to at least watch it on the screen. I promise I won't let it get to me, and if you think that it's getting to me too much, you can turn me away, all right?" She motioned for him to turn on the TV.

Michel Drumov sighed. When his fiancée made up her mind, it was impossible to change it, and he of all people knew that. With a look of defeat, he turned on the TV and changed the channel to the game. Carlos Dryle and Benjamin Hilink were on the call at CSPN, and they'd just finished going over the starting lineups:

"And of course, there is James Dior, who's done a wonderful job filling in for the retired Sara McAllister, with no misses throughout this entire tournament. With the potential of this game being very close, Dior may be called in to make a clutch kick - can the freshman from Staramara Tech handle it?"

Michel looked at Sara pointedly, and she smiled ruefully. "They have no idea how good Chromatik kickers are, do they? Jang Bo-Ah, James Dior, Dwayne Marksman... We're cut from the same cloth. I may have been the first, but I definitely will not be the best."

Then, looking at the screen, where the camera had panned over to Sarai Gwenderyn, the star Quarterback for the Iron Legion, Sara McAllister looked longingly at the TV. She did miss the atmosphere, her teammates, her friends...

"Go get them, guys," she whispered so low that Michel could barely hear her. Then, the game began.

2. The Opening Drive
818 Harrington St Apt B
Tihon, Urrhed Island, Chromatika

"Come on, big bro! Go get them!" shouted Kevin Rinaldi at his TV as Jere Rinaldi brought down Krurv at the Iron Legion four yard line.

For what seemed like the hundredth time, Kevin swore at the fact that he was preparing for his final exams in high school, and couldn't join his parents in Manchester, Delaclava. They'd been given amazing seats by the Chromatik national team, and had promised to take lots of pictures, but he, the biggest fan of Jere Rinaldi, couldn't be present.

The game wasn't going so well. Buffalostan had taken the opening kickoff and was giving Chromatika a taste of their own medicine - physical, bruising football. Krurv was a monster, and Noah Langerud a dangerous running back; Buffalostan was on a fourteen-play, seventy-six yard drive, with four yards to go, having eaten up almost seven minutes of clock. Jere Rinaldi and his compatriot Park Mi-Hyeon were doing their best to stop the runs up the gut.

Sure enough, the next play also went to Krurv, the huge fullback of Buffalostan; though Jere got to him almost immediately, and Park piled on, Kruv carried both of them all the way to the end zone for the opening touchdown.

Kevin held his head in his hands, a bit surprised by the result. The biggest strength of the Chromatik squad had been their defense throughout the Group Stage; the fact that they'd conceded so easily was a bad portent for things to come.

"You can do it, Jere!" he yelled at his TV, not worried about his neighbors at all, "Play tighter!"

It was going to be a long night.

3. The Answer
The Jade Garden
2829 Central Henderson Circle
Chromia, Capital District, Chromatika

It was gameday for one of the three biggest sports in Chromatika, which meant that The Jade Garden was booming. As one of the premier sports bars in downtown Chromia, The Jade Garden was a popular spot when football, gridiron, or baseball was being played, and tonight was no different. Standing room early, everybody with a drink in their hand, all twenty-two screens in the bar tuned into the one game that mattered - Chromatika vs. Buffalostan.

After being smacked in the face in the opening drive, the Iron Legion were putting together a drive of their own, accentuated by two third down conversions where Sarai Gwenderyn did the work herself, racing to the edge to beat the defender and gain the yardage. It was now third-and-three from the Buffalostan 21 yard line, and the crowd in the bar were hanging on to every play.

"Third and three, and Chromatika lines up in a trips formation to the left. Gwenderyn under center. She takes the snap, drops back, and throws a dart to Niles Gwivern! The reliable Tight End has the catch, and he has some grass before him - OOH! What a hit by Benjamin Clubb! It's a miracle that Gwivern hung onto the ball at all! Gwivern is still on the ground, and the training staff is coming out to check up on him! Oh, there he is, getting to his feet - it looks like he just got the wind knocked out of him - Chromatika dodges a bullet there, and now has first-and-ten from the Buffalostan 18," stated Carlos Dryle, the Play-by-Play Commentator.

"That was a nasty hit," commented Jimmy Kim, one of the regulars, to the bartender, Frederick Frei, "They should eject Clubb from the game."

"Oh come on, Jimmy," stated Pietr Grons, Jimmy's close friend, "Mi-Hyeon and Rinaldi hit people way harder than that. It was clean, and Gwivern's all right. The less the refs get involved, the better."

On the screen, Gwenderyn's pass to Alessandra Mio was tipped at the line, falling incomplete.

"Hey Frederick," asked Jimmy, "Do you remember the crowd we had against Saint Kanye the last World Bowl? One of the best nights this bar had - except the result."

Frederick nodded before responding, "Hopefully we return back to the Semifinals and make it count this time. Did you hear? Ranoria beat the Surge, so we won't have to worry about them at least."

"Good on the Krauts," replied Pietr, "Wouldn't mind having a shot at the defending champs, though. If Sarai is going to be in the RFL, might as well get an idea of what the stars of the RFL can do."

"What's the latest on TV deals with the RFL anyway?" asked Jimmy to Frederick, who shrugged.

"I don't know. Makson was looking into it, but there isn't anything concrete yet. I'm sure they'll figure out something, Sarai has such a huge following in our country, they can't just not let us watch her career."

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud shout as Kimberly Fowler ran a simple counter play into the end zone, tying the game up at seven. The two friends and the bartender joined in on the cheering, enjoying the moment. It was another good night at The Jade Garden.

4. The Stop, Part 1
Death Templars Law Firm Regional Office - Ming
4710 Baselsky Tower
Ming, Mountain District, Chromatika

"Tell me again, Ms. Journoski, what is your connection to the game on screen?" came the voice of Martin Donos, one of Ashleigh Journoski's employees at the Regional Office in Ming.

Ashleigh Journoski, a thirty-two year old woman with bleach white hair and piercing green eyes, put her finger to her lips to quiet Martin as the TV showed Tom Ehrlich complete another pass to Nathan Kennedy that brought the Jannisaries into Chromatik territory.

"Did you not get the memo, Martin?" whispered Lars Marmot, a member of their team that had been with the firm a bit longer, "Her boyfriend is on the team, and she's mad that she can't be in Delaclava due to the corporate meetings. It's a sore subject, you better not bring it up!"

Ashleigh looked at Lars appreciatively before answering Martin.

"Yes, Martin. I'm in a relationship with Niles Mikaela-Jones, the starting Free Safety for the Iron Legion, wearing #25. Any other questions?"

Martin bowed his head, sufficiently embarrassed.

Ashleigh remembered her last meeting with Niles before he had left for Delaclava.

"This will likely be my last tournament with the National Team," he had promised, "I want to make it count. This is a team that has tremendous potential, and it's an honor to be a veteran in it."

She had wished him the best in both results in health, and watched him leave, downtrodden that she couldn't go to watch him.

"Come on, darling," she muttered under her breath, as Buffalostan faced a third-and-six on the Chromatik twenty-eight yard line.

"Ehrlich takes the snap, and he has time to survey the field. Short pass to Devajee Hardy, and the Tight End is rumbling toward the first down marker. Wait a minute! Niles Mikaela-Jones comes from nowhere and stands up Hardy! Hardy is brought down one yard short! The Iron Legion hold firm, and Buffalostan sends out Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez, who makes the 39 yard Field Goal to put the Jannisaries ahead 10-7, but they would be left wondering just what could've been if they'd gotten that one yard."

"Yes!" shouted Ashleigh, raising a fist. Her man had done his job, and the Iron Legion were still in it.

5. The Bookend
Myana Harbor Senior Care Facility
925 Wave Rd
Myana, Myana Island, Chromatika

"Tell me again," stated the old man sitting in the wheelchair, "What is the score again?"

Nurse Katarina Russell, one of the nurses on staff at the Myana Harbor Senior Care Facility, looked at her charge with concern. Roland Mance was one of the eldest residents of the Myana Harbor Senior Care Facility, and he suffered from Alzheimer's disease. One of the things that he held onto with such tenacity was the fact that his grandson, Jack Mance, was an Offensive Tackle for the Iron Legion. That was why he was sitting in front of the TV with Katerina near him, one of the few to watch the game in this facility.

"It's 16-7," she responded for the tenth time in the last five minutes, "Chromatika is driving now, though, and if they are able to score before half, it will really play well for them."

"Oh, they'll score," said Roland Mance with confidence, "Jack will clear the way, I know my grandson will."

With a little more than two minutes left before halftime, Chromatika was at the Buffalostan 39. They needed to make this trip count. Thankfully for Roland, Katarina was a fan of gridiron, and knew how to watch the game.

"My eyes aren't what they used to be," complained Roland Mance, "Can you let me know what's going on?"

Katarina nodded, smiling. "Sarai Gwenderyn just completed a pass to Alessandra Mio for twelve yards," she replied.

"Come on, Jack, my Grandson," muttered Roland Mance, "Go make that block."

Four plays later, Chromatik running back Kimberly Fowler was stopped at the two yard line, and on first-and-goal, Jack Mance cleared the way for Sarai Gwenderyn to make her way to the end zone, giving Chromatika a much-needed score before halftime.

"That's my boy!" exclaimed Roland Mance when Katarina told him.

The old man smiled, and Katarina Russell was reminded why she had chosen the career that she had.

6. The Point of No Return
Eagle's Stadium
Manchester, Delaclava

At the Chromatik sideline, Candace Ferrett could see that this game was simply different. In games against South Newlandia and Ko-oren, Chromatika had played with a chip on their shoulder and a point to prove; now, she could see that the squad was feeling a bit overcome as Buffalostan ran play after play down their throats. It was the Third Quarter, and after their first drive had gone nowhere - Gwenderyn was sacked on third down - the Jannisaries were once again knocking on the door.

Tom Ehrlich was taking advantage of the fact that Chromatika was struggling to stop the run, finding short completions that kept the Iron Legion off guard.

Then, disaster struck.

Noah Langerud, the Jannisaries running back, took a delayed handoff after Ehrlich's pump fake froze the middle of the Iron Legion for a full second. With Jere Rinaldi and Park Mi-Hyeon tied up by the interior of the Jannisaries offensive line that had made their way up the field, Langerud ran almost untouched into the end zone, giving Buffalostan a 23-14 lead.

"Get your head in the game! Get your heart in the game! Get your soul in the game!" shouted Urga Jones, the Iron Legion Defensive Coordinator, "We haven't been this porous since the South Newlandia game, and we answered that game by pitching back-to-back shutouts. We need to turn this around. Where is your pride?"

Ferrett went to her teammates to try to lift their spirits. They had a few more bouts to fight, and they couldn't stop now.

The Stop, Part 2
Intensive Care Unit
Chromia General Hospital
1 Charity Avenue
Chromia, Capital District, Chromatika

Hooked up to no less than three different medical machines, one could think that Ophelia Setri was nothing more than a walking corpse. However, the patient in the Intensive Care Unit was an esteemed author, and as the mother of Cara Setri, Felswyr State Firehawk alumni and current Iron Legion superstar, Ophelia Setri had so much to live for.

"Are you doing okay, Ma'am?" asked one of her nurses, Julia Karnes, as she checked Setri's vitals.

"Yes, thank you. The pain isn't too bad today," responded the cancer patient, "Besides, the game's on, and they're doing their best to try to claw their way back. I can relate to that."

Julia smiled warmly, and Ophelia turned her attention back to the game.

"Third-and-three at the Chromatik twenty yard line, and Buffalostan really has a chance to take over the game here. Chromatika has regained a bit of composure after the reception by Gwivern, but if Buffalostan scores a touchdown here, they'll go back up two scores. What do you think they'll run, Banjamin?"

"Likely, they'll let Ehrlich make the decision. He's been playing well, and faked out The Iron Legion a few times. Chromatika will have to watch out for that."

"Yes. So, here we go. Can the Iron Legion's defense stand up? Ehrlich takes the snap, and screaming off the edge is Cara Setri! The Outside Linebacker was unchecked by the Buffalostan offensive line, and Ehrlich does well enough to just get rid of the ball by throwing it out of bounds! What a call by Defensive Coordinator Urga Jones, and Chromatika hold the Janniseries to a Field Goal try!"

Ophelia Setri motioned to a photo on her bedside table of her with her daughter.

"That's my girl, you know," she told Julia, "She just made that play. I'm so proud."

Jaessa Kimimoto-Chávez hit the ball through, no problem. Chromatika 21, Buffalostan 25. A Field Goal will no longer win the game for the Iron Legion.

8. The Drive
Eagle's Stadium
Manchester, Delaclava

Two minutes, fifteen seconds. No time outs. Eighty-three yards.

As Sarai Gwenderyn got into the huddle, she looked at her teammates. The Offensive Linemen that had tried their best to try to protect her from a fearsome pass rush. The Wide Receivers, led by her dear Alessandra, with determined looks on their faces. Kimberly Fowler looking as ready to go as ever.

"All right," she said, "Two-minute drill. Failure isn't an option. Defense has done their job by giving us this one last chance, and we're going to make it count. We are going to return to the Semifinals, and this time, we're going to win that game. You all ready?"

Nods and assent went through the huddle, and eleven determined players took to the field.

1st and 10, CMT 17, 02:15 - Trips left. Gwenderyn takes the snap out of shotgun, checks it down to Niles Gwivern in the right flat, Gwivern goes eight yards and takes the ball out of bounds.

2nd and 2, CMT 25, 02:01 - I-formation, Gwenderyn under center. Fake handoff to Fowler, Gwenderyn finds Alessandra Mio on a slant route. Mio takes the ball to the CMT 39 for a gain of fourteen.

1st and 10, CMT 39, 01:47 - Trips right. Gwenderyn takes the snap out of shotgun, but her pass to Fowler is batted down by Juggernaut Jacobs. Incomplete.

2nd and 10, CMT 39, 01:42 - Split backs with Fowler and Feeley behind Gwenderyn. Gwenderyn under center. Feeley catches the pass on a swing route, races to the sideline and picks up four yards.

3rd and 6, CMT 43, 01:31 - Five wide. Gwenderyn takes the snap out of shotgun. Gwenderyn finds Cameron Pills-Otts, the fifth option, on a flag route, tackled by Krurv with one yard to go.

4th and 1, CMT 49, 01:10 - I-formation, Gwenderyn under center. Fake handoff to Kimberly Fowler, and Gwenderyn races around the left end, leaving Kuruk Pitalesharo in the dust for eighteen yards before being forced out of bounds by Jennigs Horgan. Chromatika lives on to fight another down.

1st and 10, BUF 33, 00:48 - Trips left. Gwenderyn takes the snap out of shotgun. She shakes away from a would-be-sack, and is able to find Kern Sayan for a gain of twelve down the left sideline! What a strike!

1st and 10, BUF 21, 00:41 - I-formation, Gwenderyn under center. Pass is thrown in the direction of Niles Gwivern, incomplete. Nice coverage by Kuruv, who is still playing at a high level as he has all game long.

2nd and 10, BUF 21, 00:36 - Split backs with Fowler and Feeley behind Gwenderyn. Gwenderyn under center. She has to make Crosby Cunningsynthesizedcuredpigmeatreplacement miss, and is barely able to find Fowler in the flat for 2 yards before Fowler is tackled in bounds.

3rd and 8, BUF 19, 00:20 - Trips left. Gwenderyn takes the snap out of shotgun. Her throw down the left sideline for Alessandra Mio is tipped at the last second by Luke Reyes, but Alessandra catches it! After video review, it's ruled that her left foot hit out of bounds. Chromatika will have one more shot with nine seconds left. They can get a first down, but it would eat up a lot of time. What will they do?

Buffalostan takes a time out.

4th and 8, BUF 19, 00:15 - Five wide. The ball will be in Gwenderyn's hands for the potentially final play of the game. She takes the snap out of shotgun. Three steps back. Alessandra Mio runs a corner route to the back left corner, and Gwenderyn fires! It's close to the back of the end zone - did Mio catch it in bounds? Yes! Yes! She got the ball and both feet in before going out of bounds, and controlled the ball through out the process of the catch! Reyes couldn't have played that any better, but Gwenderyn threw it where Mio had a shot, and the Chromatik wide receiver makes it count! Chromatika scores!

As Sarai Gwenderyn raced toward Alessandra Mio to congratulate her teammate, similar scenes were happening all over Chromatika - in the McAllister/Drumov house in Felswyr, in the Rinaldi house in Tihon, in the Jade Garden in Chromia, in the Death Templars Law Firm Regional Office in Ming, in the Myana Harbor Senior Care Facility in Myana, in the Intensive Care Unit of Chromia General Hospital in Chromia, and at the Stadium in Manchester, Delaclava. Chromatika had survived a spirited challenge from Buffalostan, and was going to face Drawkland in the World Bowl Semifinals.

These moments showed just what that win meant to the team and to the country as a whole.

by **Delaclava** » Fri Jan 14, 2022 5:21 pm

Four teams becomes two tonight. Who can handle the pressure?

Semifinals cutoff!

Semifinals

SF1: Delaclava 10–37 Ranoria
(scorinated by Banija)
@ Royster Field (110,000), Catherina

SF2: Drawkland 54–16 Chromatika
@ Eagles Stadium (75,000), Manchester

World Bowl XLIII
Ranoria vs. Drawkland
@ Royster Field (110,000), Catherina

by **Delaclava** » Fri Jan 14, 2022 6:06 pm

Statement from the World Bowl XXXXIII Phoenixes

We don’t have any words and we know you don’t want to hear them.

We understand your anger, your frustration, your sadness. Everything you’re feeling – we get it.

This isn’t the ending we imagined, and certainly not the one we wanted. Thank you for being there the entire way.

Statement from Kevin Alés

Here I am, writing the words I knew I'd be writing soon but hoped I wouldn't be saying now:

I have played my last game of competitive football.

I am so fortunate for the career I have had, from the backyards and school fields of Denali in Verceola, to Velodri University, to the Quinniville Aces. When I started there, Delaclava was not even my country - it was Verceola - but it was a nation I grew to love, and was honored to represent. The two league championships with the Aces were the proudest moments of the career, surpassing any individual accolades. I've been blessed to play five World Bowls with the Phoenixes, three as a captain, and including two competitions at home. The three consecutive third-place finishes were bittersweet, but I recognize them for the incredible achievements they are.

I was fortunate to be at the top of my game for five or six years. I've come to realize that I am not at that level now. If I fought to hold on, perhaps I would still have two, three years left as a top player, if I'm lucky. I don't want to find out. I want to leave this game on my own terms and be proud of what I've accomplished.

Before this tournament, I made it clear that this would be my last World Bowl, my last tournament in the red and gold. But as we flew through this campaign, racked up home wins, and came home for the playoffs, I began to realize what I really wanted. And when we were down by 27 points as the seconds wore off the clock, and our fans refused to waver in their support, tears filled my eyes as I realized...

I want that game to be my last game ever. That game, you might ask? That devastating loss? Well, it's certainly not the ending i had hoped for. But few, if any, get to write a perfect ending, and the harder and longer we push for that ending, the further away it gets and the more frustrated we become. I have accomplished so much in my sporting career, and I believe giving it my all, with my countrymen, on our home stadium, is the best ending I can reasonably ask. And in that loss, I realized that I had given my career all I could. I will have no regrets in leaving the game now.

I would like to thank everyone who has come into my life for the better, and I have to especially thank:

My parents and my family, who raised me to be modest, hard-working, and thoughtful, and provided me with all the opportunities to succeed;

My early coaches, who introduced me to the game and ignited a passion to become my very best;

All my teammates, coaches, and fans in Quinniville, who made going to work every day an absolute pleasure, and provided with a new home where I would be blessed to spend the rest of my life;

My wife, Marieel, and my children, Peter and Vivienne, for all the sacrifices they have made - and I look forward to being home for you much more often now;

And finally, all of my teammates, coaches, and fans for the Delaclava Phoenixes, for showing me what it meant to be a part of something so much bigger than myself. This team will win a championship, I have no doubt about it, and while I won't be a part of that in helmet and pads, I will continue to give what i can towards that mission.

Thank you to everyone, take care, and I will see you soon.

~Kevin

by **Ranoria** » Sun Jan 16, 2022 10:19 am

@Gridiron_Krauts Ranoria blows out Delaclava to secure a championship berth against Drawkland. It'll be our second game in as many weeks at Royster field, we hope to see you there! #WorldBowl43 #Championship

@RSSN_Official Delaclava's undefeated season ends at Royster Field. World Bowl Championship is officially between an unlikely story in the Grid Corps and Juggernaut Ranoria. #WorldBowl43

@Vick_Hamilton_Reporter Johnny Farmer is a monster. Three touchdowns against Delaclava to help lift his team to a blowout win! #GoKrauts #Phoenixes

Carnage In Catherina!
Delaclava's Dream Season Ends In A Nightmare At Ranoria's Hands

All-World TE Johnny Farmer took center stage at the iconic Royster Field with his 3 TD showing

This should've been their year.

11-0. Star quarterback Taurus Wright was doing everything right (haha, pun) on and off the field. Robbie Hahn was back in the lineup. The playoffs were hosted in their home nation with adoring fans flocking to see their top-flight national team. Hell, Drawkland took care of the only other unbeaten squad, TJUN-ia, in an incredible upset after a 5-5 group stage, making their path all the easier. This team was objectively better than an already an already world-class iteration in World Bowl 42. Ironically, the Krauts mimicked that improvement.

8-2 group stage record or not, this team came into the tournament ranked number one in the world and entered the playoffs with a defense that had allowed a measly 122 over the course of ten games at 12.2 per clip. Conversely, the championship World Bowl 42 team allowed 111 in 8 games, good for nearly 14 per game.

So a defense that was came in and took one more step to become a dominant unit with the addition of Judas Wolfson and the return of Darnell Sleight in the secondary. And they would be tested with the best two offenses in the tournament in their playoff games. First R.J. Linetti's Surge with the top scoring unit in the World Bowl with 36.3 points per game, then Delaclava’s equally fearsome unit led by Taurus Wright averaging 34 per contest.

All our wrecking crew did was grind those attacks to a halt.

Saint Kanye's electrifying attack was held to under 20 just twice, both by a TJUN-ia squad that went undefeated through the group stage, and in contrast put up 40 or more points several times. Delaclava was limited to less than 22 points once, a 13 point victory, and displayed the ability to hang more than sixty if they were caught on a good day.

Against Ranoria, the Surge were held to under 20 points for the third time for their third worst output of the campaign at 19 points, and the Phoenixes got a stronger dose. A routinely explosive attack was restricted to just ten points, a season low and a tally that usually only merits a win if it's the Dragonflies being written about.

On their initial drive they netted -11 yards as Angelo Gordon and Zach Skinner produced consecutive sacks on second and third down to set the tempo for a final tally of 7. To Wright's credit, the young gunslinger stood tall in the pocket despite the bludgeoning. The face of the Catherina Crushers stood tall in the pocket multiple times when it was collapsing all around him, more than willing to trade a bruise for a first down. Ultimately the problem was that it wasn't picking up first downs.

Whether it was Judas Wolfson manning up Hahn throughout the majority of the contest or Darnell Sleight emulating wideout Andre Michel's every step, no one was coming open, and that made it inevitable that Wright was forced to force plenty of throws into nonexistent windows. Though these ordinarily
fell harmlessly to the ground, the first turnover came on his second drive via Cameron Barbarosa. The notoriously polarizing corner jumped a curl route with all the fervor expected of a pure ballhawk like himself. With the Krauts having taken a 3-0 lead with a field goal on their opening drive already, they got the ball just a few yards from midfield.

Thus, enter John Garrett. Farmboy hit two straight passes to pick up 21 yards and a pair of first downs, but his third strike was money. Johnny Farmer - the 6'5", 255 pound tight end - snagged the pass in stride down the seam. Tate Parker managed to close in on him, but he clocked in at a staggering ninety pounds lighter than the ball carrier, who commandingly stiff armed him into the turf. Parker skidded a bit, pellets bouncing from the turf around him, as Farmer ran in for a 31 yard touchdown to get Ranoria's first ever two score lead on Delaclava.

That said, this trial was still in its early stages, and and the patrons who'd filled this great stadium to capacity had seen enough in domestic play to know that it was far from over. Wright confirmed their suspicions by launching a rocket of a pass to Justin Vandaele, who smoked cover man Cameron Barbarosa. He looked to have daylight for a score, but suddenly all that forward momentum was gone and he was suddenly flying out of bounds. The ball came out too, but it landed outside the field of play before anything of consequence resulted.

Judas Wolfson slowly backpedaled with his eyes still on Vandaele, who pushed himself to his feet slowly after the hit. But to get them into the red zone for the first time tonight? The beating was worth it.

Worth it until Angelo Gordon caught Robin Stadtler on a fake speed rush that he quickly cut inside, launching an arm up through Robin's inside armpit and lifting him just to toss him aside in a classic hump move. Wright hadn't even had the ball for a full two seconds before one of the best pass rushers in Ranorian history jumped on his back and clubbed the ball away. Ross Monarch was the first to react, diving through the line to recover it, and Gordon torqued Wright afterwards to get him on the ground.

Now Stadtler of course was already irked at the turnover, to say nothing of disgraced on national television. So before the officials even threw the flag, he was on Gordon. The pass rusher stumbled on initial contact, but quickly went to grab the lineman's facemask. As luck would have it, Darnell Sleight jumped in and grabbed Angelo's arm just as he was winding up for a punch, and the Phoenix offensive line, accordingly on edge, pulled their man back.

Penalties offset, first down Krauts. The score promptly climbed to 13-0 as the second quarter began to roll around.

We should comment that Taurus Wright seemed to sense that he needed to score, and quickly, if he was going to get the crowd enthusiastically invested in this game again. On the following drive, he crossed his tees, dotted his eyes, and got the ball out quickly to his playmakers, hitting big Robbie Hahn in the end zone to cut into what had been a damning lead. And with a largely Phoenix-leaning audience, they got into it. Royster field was rocking by the time Garrett and crew took the field, and on 3^rd and 1 the Phoenixes responded to the support, with Brian Bullard and Jesse Rhine both shooting into the backfield to tackle big Vice Jackson III for a loss and force a punt.

Suddenly, they had a chance to go take the lead in a game that seemed to have been slipping out of their hands not so long ago, and they took it. Noah Simmons picked up 13 yards on the first play of the drive, Wright took a hit, but found Andre Michel for a pickup of 22. His next pass to Andre Michel went wide. No bother.

Another handoff to Simmons, but this time Ross Monarch was there, wrapping him up after a yard gained, but Simmons fought to stay up. That turned out to be an critical miscue, because in came Judas Wolfson, putting his helmet straight through the ball and sending it out for what was already the team's third forced fumble of the day. Taurus Wright managed to recover it, but with a huge loss, he had to take a deep shot.

This time it was Gudbrand Taurus, former top high school recruit in Ranoria, who brought the passer down, slamming him into the dirt to force another punt. The home crowd was still riotous with their noise, but Ranoria ran three plays on a rotation on that drive on the first nine plays of that drive: Dive, slant, trap. Dive, slant, trap. You want to take the crowd out, lean on your big running back and milk the clock down. And it worked, running the clock down to just six seconds six yards from the end zone.

With prime field position and the crowd only able to be so loud for so long, John Garrett now faked the handoff an rolled out before finding his tight end in the flat for a painless Kraut touchdown to make it 20-7. With just one second now on the clock, a squib kick sent this one into halftime.

"We learned from World Bowl 42," said John Garrett. "We left those guys with minimum time in the first half, and that quarterback found a way to get a touchdown. Hell of a play, and we weren't gonna give him an opportunity to get the upper hand on us again."

A smart move by head coach Raul Nieler to keep Wright off the field at the end of the half, as he burned the Krauts for a 56 yard touchdown for a first-half walk-off touchdown in the World Bowl 42 semifinals. And the game-planning went farther than that. On the first drive of the second half, the Phoenixes knew it was do-or-die. Going down 27-7 against John Garrett in the second half wasn't something one could often come back from, particularly not against this defense.

Determination can only take one so far though - Farmboy dissected the secondary on that drive, as if he knew their coverage assignments better than they did. Khalil Hauptmann and Calvin Hale each picked up a big chunk of yardage, and Garrett scrambled on the next play to pick up another first down, flashing that so under-utilized athleticism of his. Just like that, he was in the red zone, and moments later he found his favorite target yet again on a corner route.

It almost wasn't fair. At 6'5", Farmer's tough to defend already. On a corner route with a perfect over-the-shoulder pass from Garrett, it may well have been impossible. He got his toes in bounds with trained precision and spiked the ball into the turf with a roar directed at the fans all around them, the rest of the offense rushing to celebrate with him seconds later. This game was over, everyone knew it, besides perhaps those in the stadium, who stayed, clinging by a thread to whatever hope was left in the air of what had been a magical season.

But that thread grew more and more strained by the minute as drive after unproductive drive slipped away. Punt by the Phoenixes after Wright took a hit as he was throwing the ball, and after the officiating crew took a solid five minutes to determine that it was indeed a forward pass and not a strip sack. The Krauts couldn't get much going, but Barry Chlorid put through a personal best of the tournament with a 55 yard field goal. On 4^th and 3, Ross Monarch tossed aside Aleks Osmanaj and brought Delaclava's passer down for yet another sack. Ranoria couldn't do anything with that drive as John Garrett was sacked this time by big John Ogdon to exact some measure of revenge for his team.

There were only minutes left in the fourth quarter by now, and Wright rolled out on a bootleg. With the defensive line tangled up a good ways away, he had time to wind up and finally take a deep shot. A fifty fifty ball, sure, but he had no choice but to try it. Ranoria had taken a 30-7 lead at this point. Alas, Cameron Barbarosa played it perfectly. The ball dropped into outstretched arms with no hassle as Barbarosa picked off Wright for the second time this game and third overall. He didn't get much of a return, but hell at this point, who needed to?

Ranoria went to run the clock out, coming out with a back to either side of Garrett in big Vice Jackson III and veteran Emilio Annaise. Both got carries on the drive, and Annaise a reception, as Ranoria switched up their running scheme and who was getting the ball.

And from the one yard line, with the small section of Ranorian fans in the stadium screaming "Jugular!" as loud as they could muster, VJIII was the one to drive the nail into the coffin.

And then, who would've guessed it? Taurus Wright, who'd been notably clutching his ribs on the sideline, wasn't giving up. Three minutes on the clock, but he didn't look overwhelmed, not yet. First snap, he went right back to the deep ball - there was no time for anything else, and this time he connected for a huge gain, with Justin Vandaele this time beating Barbarosa a gain and getting out of bounds before Wolfson could pounce.

The next play, accordingly was another deep shot. This one went to Andre Michel, who had been limited to one catch so far with Darnell Sleight on him. That trend continued, and Wright only had a second to cringe at the batted ball before he felt something slam into his gut, maybe something give in his ribs, and a very sharp pain before he hit the ground.

"Trying to make it look respectable?" Said Judas Wolfson, towering over the now-prone quarterback, "Man, I knew ya'll was ass, but I didn't know ya'll su-" Nevermind the penalty flag, it was Judas Wolfson's turn to get ragdolled. Good old Aleks Osmanaj. Of course, defensive tackle Gudbrand Taurus and end Angelo Gordon are always ready to fight, so they jumped in immedietely, only for the rest of the offensive line to get involved. Wolfson himself got up and hopped right back in the fray as play was stopped for a good two minutes of pushing, facemask-tugging, and enough profanity to make your redneck uncle blush!

Judas Wolfson was ejected from the game and hit with a fifteen yard penalty for roughing the passer while the Phoenixes were - rightfully - absconded of any judgement. The penalty was enough to put up a field goal, but a desperate attempt of an onside kick of course ended up in Ranoria's hands, and no amount of desperation could stop their monster of a running back from picking up a pair of first downs to seal this game.

Phoenix fans are hurting, certainly. It will seem to many that they are spinning their wheels, losing in the semifinals in back to back campaigns, and this one being a much more decisive result. But the story of Taurus Wright is far from written, and their faithful can hold their heads high for a team that has earned two straight semifinal berths. At this level, it's one hell of an accomplishment, even if the losses sting now.

But now, all eyes are set on the revenge game.

Next Up: Drawkland vs Ranoria at Royster Field

Ranoria blasted through two rematches of the World Bowl 42 playoffs in dominant fashion, having won 6 straight knockout stage games, 5 of those by two or more scores. Drawkland? The Grid Corps snuck into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth at 5-5, then turned it on in the playoffs. They dominated Abahnfleft 31-6 and somehow knocked off a previously unbeaten TJUN-ia squad that's borne the load of metric tons of misfortune in these past few World Bowls. That game was 23-9, again, dominant. But what they did to the Iron Legion, who came into the playoffs with a dominant defense and legitimate championship aspirations, was just insane. That 54-16 beatdown was one of the biggest blowouts of this tournament, much less the playoffs, and it appears Ranoria will have its hands full with the Grid Corps. No surprise there, given our history.

So on that note, let's go back to World Bowl 41, John Garrett's debut as the director of the national team's attack. Despite a persisting shoulder injury from the domestic season, Farmboy was able to blast through the group stage en route to the #2 seed and doom Squidroidia's season with a 31-20 win in the round of 16. Then came the Grid Corps.

Things didn't start out too badly, but that start lasted exactly one drive. John Garrett took a heavy third down sack, and with an already aggravated shoulder it was more than enough to tear it completely. It wasn't Quill's first postseason action, as he took over for Derek McNair after his tragic death during World Bowl 40, but we're hoping it was his last. The Krauts offense limped their way to just 6 points to force overtime, at which point the Grid Corps promptly scored a touchdown to conclude that bout.

"Shoulder feels good," laughed John Garrett during the pre-championship game media day, "Excellent medical care and all that, it'd take a freak accident for it to tear again, I've been told." Garrett only appeared for five minutes - just enough to avoid a fine from the team, he claimed, before heading back to study film on the grid corps.

If we want to secure a second straight title, a second win at Royster Field, and exorcise old demons, the time is now.

Royster Field, Catherina, Delaclava
After the game, as stars tight end Johnny Farmer and quarterback John Garrett head towards the visitors locker rooms...

"Excuse me, Mr. Farmer?" A young man holding a small, clear bottle approached the tight end, "You've been selected for random drug testing."

Farmer looked down at the kid, exasperated, then back at his teammate since middle school, John Garrett. "You mind taking my pads in for me?" He didn't give him much of an option, tossing him his shoulder pads - with a helmet inside and sweaty jersey overtop - before his quarterback could answer. "I'll see ya in a bit. I guess my arms have been popping a little bit more lately." Farmer watched his own arm and flexed, smirking at the sight, "Pretty cool."

by **Drawkland** » Sun Jan 16, 2022 1:59 pm

CORPSGUY725'S BLOG

World Bowl XLIII Championship Preview
What Are My Eyeballs Witnessing

I have the worst case of deja vu right now. The level of disbelief I am currently experiencing is entirely unmatched. Does anybody remember what happened in World Bowl XLI? I'll admit, that was an entirely different situation. The situation may seem similar: a pedestrian group stage which suggested that the Grid Corps weren't going to be winning a title. But then, against all odds, the Drawkians put together a shocking run, beating who they shouldn't be beating, and making a run to the final (which they lose anyway)!

There is a big difference between the run of World Bowl XLI and what we're witnessing in front of our faces right now. For one, the team is entirely different. An aging, past-their-prime Corps looking for one more glory, as opposed to a (mostly) new-look team looking for their first statement run and prove their worth as the Grid Corps. Secondly, the run in World Bowl XLI was four straight nail-biting affairs filled with tough defense and inept offense. This run we're seeing here? Sure, the wins are close for most of the game, and develop into big wins in the second half. But by and large, the team looks stronger. It's funny, considering how the group stage looked so much worse, and how the team looked so much more unprepared.

I don't know what to think anymore. This team has defied literally every expectation I had for them. It's funny, in the 30s I felt like the Corps always had the power to pull a championship run. It would just come down to a good playoff draw, or just getting extra hot at the right time. After the ill-fated run in World Bowl XXXIX, though, the winds seemed to change for Drawkland. The magic is no longer there, and despite the run to the final in XLI, we've never looked good. We haven't looked comfortable. Suddenly the script is flipped, though, and we look like an actual team again.

Let's talk about Chromatika.

Semifinal Lead-up

I'll admit it, we got pretty lucky with our first two games in this playoff bracket. Abanhfleft is by no means an easy team, but they were probably the best case scenario for us. Sure, maybe South Newlandia or Buffalostan are easier pickings and lower ranked. We already lost to Buffalostan twice, however, and didn't seem to have the answers against them. Plus South Newlandia seemed like the team of destiny, knocking off Ko-oren in the group stage and beating Banija in the first round. Abanhfleft seemed to be the only team we'd have a shot against, and we drew them and beat them convincingly just like old times.

Going against TJUN-ia next was not exactly an easy draw, but they were by far the easiest top seed available to face. Sure they went undefeated in the group stage, but they're still a young and unproven team on the big stage. This quarterfinal matched their longest World Bowl run. It was the best case scenario, and we managed to pull it out and beat them convincingly.

Once again, we'd get lucky in the draw for the next round. Instead of facing the juggernauts of Ranoria or the undefeated and home-field Delaclava, we'd be taking on Chromatika. This, by no means, was an easy draw. I assumed this would be where our fluke run would come to an end. Chromatika may be ranked about the same as TJUN-ia going into this Bowl, but they're severely underrated. Their schools have been eating in the NSCF, and the players that have won conference championships and NSCF titles are now becoming young professionals tearing up turf in the World Bowl. They had good momentum after a great group stage run and they handled the surging Buffalostan. Not to mention, any team with Sarai Gwenderyn is always going to contend.

Coming into the matchup on gameday, most people expected the game to be a tight affair, with Chromatika coming out on top by the end. Defenses were definitely expecting to dominate for most of the game, given the tough reputation of the Iron Legion defensive unit, and the great performance the Grid Corps defense has pulled out of their ass for these playoffs. To all our surprise, though, we didn't see a tight defensive affair in the first half. What we got instead was a barnburner which turned ugly after halftime.

Semifinal Review - Chromatika

Chromatika would get the ball first to start the game, and they got to a hot start. The Grid Corps looked unprepared, caught on their heels, and Sarai Gwenderyn made them pay. Usually the Iron Legion is content to run the ball, eat up clock, and dominate the time of possession. On this drive, though, their runners were moving the ball with ease. Kimberly Fowler and Amber Feeley were punching back and forth, and a couple keepers from Gwenderyn got the ball into field goal range easily. The Corps went with an all-out blitz on third and short, expecting a run, but instead they were treated to a Gwenderyn naked bootleg which she took inside the ten yard line. One play-action pass from Gwenderyn later, and Alessandra Mio was in the end zone with six.

Drawkland wasn't going to go quietly though. Their first drive was also one dominated on the ground, mostly courtesy of Jack Hoy but also featuring a couple solid runs by Matt Adams and a solid scramble from Dustin Beck for a first down. A couple quick passes by Beck kept the Iron Legion on their toes, but it was Hoy from five yards out that scored the touchdown. The Corps would go for two, a nice read option that had Beck getting into the end zone to make the score 8-7.

The next two drives developed similarly. The run game was cooking for both, with the clock draining quickly and the drives going deep into each team's opponent territory. Drawkland's defense seemed to be going with a "bend but don't break" mentality, letting Chromatika eat up yards underneath but tightening up in the red zone. It was working well, as Chromatika's second drive had to settle with a James Dior field goal. The Corps would return with a similarly solid drive, but the Iron Legion proved tough in the red zone, and a sack on Beck on third down forced a field goal attempt to retake the lead at 11-10.

Again the drives would go similarly, with a field goal from Chromatika and a field goal from Drawkland to make the score 14-13. The defenses weren't stopping the teams from moving the ball downfield, but they were keeping them out of the end zone, and keeping the game quite competitive. Chromatika's next drive would again end in a field goal, making the score 14-16. With only a few minutes left in the half, the Corps was hoping to retake the lead and leave no time on the clock. That way they'd go into the locker room ahead, and getting the ball in hand to start the next half.

This drive is where disaster would begin to strike for Chromatika. On the third play of the drive, Mi-Hyeon Park would fall awkwardly on a tackle of Hoy. Park stayed on the turf a little too long, forcing an injury timeout. Every Chromatik fan held their breath, but the news came back a few plays later. Park would have to leave the game with a broken arm. Suddenly, the defensive captain for the Iron Legion was gone, and the presence in the middle of the field erased. Drawkland would immediately capitalize, with a Jack Hoy run straight up the gut going for 20 yards. A few plays later, Beck would hit Quinn Conrad on a play-action pass for six. The two point conversion would fail, and Gwenderyn would kneel out the last few seconds of the half. The score was only 20-16, but the winds were seeming to change.

The Grid Corps would hit the ground running coming out of the half. Ozzy Otten, the college phenom from Cavsar, returned the opening kickoff to the 50 yard line, setting the Corps up nice to start the drive. A touchdown would make it a two score game and put the Iron Legion well behind, especially with momentum. The first play from scrimmage was a shot play, with Beck taking a chance on Abram Navis deep to start the drive. Paul Mattieu was on the coverage, and Beck's ball was a little bit short, forcing Navis and Mattieu to go up for a 50/50 ball. It would fall harmlessly to the turf, but Mattieu wouldn't. He would limp off the field with an ankle injury, and now the Iron Legion was without two of their best defensive playmakers.

Drawkland would make quick work on the drive despite the opening incompletion. They moved into the end zone and the drive was capped with Beck hitting Jackie Morris on a slant for the touchdown. A two-pointer later, and the Corps was up 28-16. With momentum firmly on Drawkland's side, and playing with a two score lead, Chromatika was forced to rely on the passing game. The Corps D had the secondary in prevent, and the front seven pinned their ears back and made life hell for Gwenderyn.

The Drawkian height advantage was very present. On the ensuing Chromatik drive, multiple passes were tipped at the line of scrimmage. Eventually, one of Gwenderyn's passes was tipped too high, and Harvey Donovan came down with an interception. Drawkland would get the ball, move it down the field, and score a touchdown. The story replayed. Chromatika fought tooth and nail to get the ball down the field, but another tipped pass would end in Drawkian hands. The Corps would move the ball down the field and score again.

The rest of the game developed in a similar fashion. We were treated to an ugly blowout, with the Iron Legion offense being suffocated, and the defense being ripped up on the ground and in the air. The game would end with an unbelievable 54-16 scoreline. Gwenderyn had perhaps the worst outing in her young career, ending with four interceptions (only one of which was technically her fault, a bad read to Mio picked off by Kyro Cruz) and getting shut out in the second half.

A statement win for Drawkland, and something that nobody expected. Chromatika is a good team that didn't deserve a result, but sometimes life isn't fair. They'll be treated to a top five ranking after this Bowl is over though, so at least their run won't go for naught.

Championship Preview - Ranoria

As if the last three games weren't tough enough, we'll now be facing our biggest challenge yet in this World Bowl. The lineup of Abanhfleft, TJUN-ia, and Chromatika is nothing to sniff at, but at the end of the day, they're all midmajor teams who were just performing well. Now we'll be facing a true juggernaut. The #1 ranked and defending champion Ranoria, fresh off another great group stage and playoff run fraught with blowouts, await the Grid Corps.

Oh yeah, did I mention that this Kraut team is out for blood after our upstart win against them in the World Bowl XLI quarterfinals? This is almost the hardest possible matchup to face, in a World Bowl final no less. The only way this could be worse is if this game was IN Ranoria. I almost would rather face an early 20s Allamunnic States team than Ranoria right now. If Drawkland can somehow steal victory in this game, it would be unprecedented. Also, nobody would be able to argue that we didn't deserve the title.

In a way, this game is a crossroads. Can the new-look Corps prove their worth? Our future in the World Bowl quite literally depends on it. Thanks to our crapsack group stage performance, those five losses will sink us out of the top five in the World Bowl rankings. Winning the World Bowl, however, would elevate us to #1 in the rankings and set the stage for future dominance. Now, the upper echelons of the World Bowl rankings are cutthroat and tight right now, so a few ranking points isn't huge, but if we lose this game and the next World Bowl has a similar format to this one? We're a pot two team that has to deal with a juggernaut in the group stage.

This game means so much for both squads. Ranoria has been dominant for several Bowls now, and just now got their first title last time. Now they're looking to repeat, and cement their place as a budding dynasty in World Bowl history. That's only compounded by the fact that a win would keep them at #1 in the rankings, by a considerable margin. Drawkland needs a win to stay relevant and to continue the chase to tie Allamunnic States in the Six Title Club. The two-time winners club is large and will only expand if Ranoria takes this win, while the three-time winners club has only had Allamunnic States and Dancougar for ages until Ko-oren finally broke and exceeded the glass ceiling.

Two big name World Bowl nations, one a former dynasty looking to recapture former glory, and one a newer team looking to establish their own. Both teams in fantastic form (well, one team in fantastic form and one greatly overperforming), both teams desperate to win just one more game.

It all comes down to this. What more could you ask for in a World Bowl championship?

From Delaclava, excited to watch this massive L we'll take in person. corpsguy725 out

by **Delaclava** » Sun Jan 16, 2022 2:57 pm

It's the final cutoff! (Sorry.)

This World Bowl has been a pleasure to host and I really enjoyed reading the high level of RP that took place in this tournament. Thank you all for participating!

World Bowl XLIII
Ranoria 40–10 Drawkland
@ Royster Field (110,000), Catherina

Congratulations to the Krauts on their second consecutive (and overall) title, joining the pantheon of multiple champions! Congratulations to the Grid Corps on another impressive run to the final.

See you next time!

by **Ranoria** » Thu Jan 20, 2022 1:08 pm

Has Royster Field Ushered In a Dynasty? Ranoria Hoists Second Title In As Many World Bowls

The Krauts defense celebrating after Judas Wolfson broke the game open with a 102 yard pick 6 on Dustin Beck

The Krauts stay in Catherina appears to have been a fruitful one. After a 37-10 drubbing of the representatives of the host nation, they stayed true to form in this one, racking up 40 points while the Red Wreckering Crew did it's thing, holding the Grid Corps to just ten points.

No one knows just what the hell Grid Corps head coach Quentin Averfel did to get his team from a 5-5 disappointment to a World Bowl championship berth, but they blasted everyone they came across in the playoffs, including a 54-16 drubbing of Chromatika. The Iron Legion had been one of the favorites entering the playoffs, and for an embattled head coach it seemed like he just may have done enough to stick around for one more season.

Then his squad ran into Ranoria.

John Garrett had played this team before, if only for one drive, in a stunning World Bowl 41 defeat. It's the only knockout game Garrett's ever lost during his World Bowl tenure, and he clearly came into this with no intention of repeating that fall. He looked surgical on his opening drive, hitting a future Hall of Famer Johnny Farmer on a pass that would have hit just above his ankle if it hadn't been caught, avoiding any lurking Drawkian arms. Things were never going to be that easy all game, though, with Dustin Beck driving down and matching the feat.

It would be Preston Sawyer who secured the score for Drawkland, running just a slight double move on Cameron Barbarosa and then streaking towards the end zone. Beck ran through a potential sack by big Zach Skinner, who just couldn't quite wrap up both of the passer's legs. And Barbarosa? His excellent make-up speed helped to get close, but he never could have made up for that height difference without playing the ball perfectly.

Early on it seemed that this game would come down to who managed to actually stop the other offense. That's not how it played out in the end, however. With the Krauts nailing a field goal on each of the next two drives, Quentin Averfel made the boneheaded decision - on each of his team's next two series - to go for it on fourth and long rather than take a manageable field goal. Both attempts failed, putting his crew down 13-7 and thanking the stars for a defense that was keeping Garrett and crew in check, at least. With one last drive in the half, again it was Barry Chlorid doing the work. After Vice Jackson was stopped a yard short of the first down mark on both 2^nd and 3^rd down, the best kicker in Ranorian Football history nailed a 52 yarder that looked like it'd have been good from farther out.

With just under a minute on the clock to try and make something happen...Averfel opted to knee out the half and not use his team's timeouts. They were on the bad end of a 16-7 game, and they got the ball at halftime. A promising drive from Beck though was ended when Zach Skinner broke through - again - on third down. This time he managed to seal the deal, bringing the dual-threat down in commanding fashion to force fourth and very long. Averfel finally decided the risk-reward ratio was worth a field goal, and his defense stepped up to give them a chance on the next drive, forcing a three and out as momentum just continued to swing in their favor.

Beck marched his way down the field, looking as sharp as he had all day. Between Conrad, Sawyer, and Mitchell, Ranoria seemed to have no answer to what seemed to be insurmountable physical advantages. Midway through the third quarter, it was Quinn Conrad on a corner route that looked like it could break this game open. Conrad snagged the pass over former defensive player of the year Judas Wolfson, who fought and pulled as much as he could, but couldn't bring the larger man down until Kenny Leinden arrived to help drag him down at the one yard line.

It seemed to be a routine shot, this one to Drawkian legend Jack Hoy, a dump off that was well into the end zone, but one should consider that Judas Wolfson was irate. One of the meanest players in Ranoria came across the field and snatched the ball out of the air. Before any linemen had time to react, he was around the corner and sprinting towards the goal line.

Beck was the only one with a shot at him, and he closed the distance at the five, lowered his shoulder, and launched. The hit knocked Wolfson to the side, but he stretched the ball out and, after a brief discussion, it was ruled a touchdown.

Now, we can debate about the replays all day. Maybe Wolfson's knee hit the turf one frame before the ball crossed the plane. Maybe He wasn't in, but it was far from clear and obvious, and as such the ruling on the field would stand. That completely changed the dynamic of this game. Going from potentially taking their first lead to down 23-10, Drawkland got aggressive, and pushed their way into the red zone once more before Beck was hit, again, on fourth down, causing an errant pass.

And finally, after not being able to seal it all game, the Krauts finally did just that. John Garrett his touchdown passes on back-to-back drives, the second going to 5'9" Javier Gilmore on a drag route from ten yards out. As small and fumble-prone as he was, if he were to be hit by anyone on that Grid Corps defense it would have been bad. Instead, they simply had trouble locating and wrapping up the shifty veteran, and his Krauts took a 37-10 lead as the fourth quarter rolled in.

With their defenders now fighting to hold a big lead, the Grid Corps offense only managed thirteen snaps in the fourth quarter. Dustin Beck hit two deep passes, but ultimately each of their final two drives was stopped on fourth down, and Ranoria let Vice Jackson III and Emilio Annaise handle the rest, running the clock out and nailing one last field goal from Barry Chlorid to put this one away at 40-10, an even more dominant showing than their 42-24 victory over Saint Kanye in World Bowl 42.

The scenes on the field were incredible. Even after knocking off their home team, Royster Field offered some measure of applause to the undisputed champions of the world, with John Garrett and Johnny Farmer embracing - just like they did last time, once the clock struck double zeroes. The Krauts are now 7-0 in playoff games in the past two World Bowls, winning all but one by at least a two score margin, and the question must be asked - with Ko-oren appearing to fade in this edition, are the Krauts the next dynasty at the highest level of gridiron football? They've certainly etched their names into its lore forever, regardless, and with John Garrett at the helm, we don't think they're going anywhere fast.

World Bowl XLIII (43) ~ Everything Thread

NSFB: Undefeated Group Stage. End Of Discussion.

corpsguy725

NSFB: Pain III

corpsguy725

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