World Bowl 47 - Everything Thread

by **Ko-oren** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 6:47 am

*       1  2  3  4
   KOR  0  6  6  9
   CDG  0  0  7  7

Pass
KOR: Masman     14/19 250 yds 0 td 1 int
     Ingdon      8/17 106 yds 0 td 1 int
CDG: Carrington 24/32 307 yds 1 td 2 int

Rush
KOR: Thorebourne 10 car  26 yds 2.6 avg  7 lng 0 td
     Readhallow  14 car  74 yds 5.3 avg 31 lng 0 td
CDG: Phillips    17 car 105 yds 6.2 avg 44 lng 0 td
	 
Rec
KOR: Gasbeek   4/6 108 yds 27.0 avg 38 lng
     Voorhorst 2/4  39 yds 19.5 avg 33 lng
CDG: Ellis     5/5 106 yds 21.2 avg 59 lng 1 td

Def
KOR: 7 tfl 8 qbh 5 sck 11 pd 1 ff 0 fr 2 int 0 td
CDG: 9 tfl 3 qbh 1 sck  5 pd 1 ff 0 fr 2 int 0 td

Q1
CDG int / KOR downs / CDG fg miss / KOR punt / CDG punt

Q2
KOR punt / CDG punt / KOR FG / CDG punt / KOR punt / CDG punt / KOR FG / CDG half

Q3
KOR int / CDG TD / KOR punt / CDG downs / KOR int / CDG punt

Q4
KOR downs / CDG punt / KOR downs / CDG punt / KOR FG / CDG int / KOR end

Another close one between Ko-oren and Cassadaigua

Three World Bowl knockout games between them and many more group stage affairs - the Cassadagans and Ko-orenites are not exactly strangers. Usually these games end in one-score results, such as the World Bowl 39 quarterfinal (10-6 win) or the World Bowl 41 quarterfinal (16-10 win in overtime), and this game was very much within that tradition. Carrington was the first quarterback on the field and looked to lead an early drive to a field goal, but the third down pass on Ko-orenite territory was tipped to Dauntaringun who took it back a few yards to set up Masman - starting again - but the play calling led to a 4th and 3 and a turnover on downs on the CDG 25. A huge pass to Ellis gave them a chip shot field goal but the kick sailed wide right, and that's probably when most in the stadium realised it was going to be that kind of game again.

Two punts saw us out of the first quarter. The second quarter started with the teams trading punts, and Jauffret's XI got a three-and-out as the defence loaded up on confidence after a questionable first game. Bennett, 37, is still with the team and powered a field goal through the uprights to get the Dragonflies on the board, and would repeat that with half a minute on the clock at the end of the half for a 6-0 lead. After that, the Cassadagans started changing their approach and Bouchard was featured more, and we got some strange packages from Marwood, inspiring Carrington to a nearly flawless six completions on seven attempts for the touchdown after Masman sent a ball deep but that got intercepted in the endzone by Chapman. The Dagan defensive captain's pick started a really good phase for her unit, as after the touchdown she and the team forced a punt and then an Ingdon interception, and things started looking up. It was still 7-6 to Cassadaigua with no Ko-orenites anywhere near a score. If they could avoid turnovers and short fields, well, an upset was a very real possibility.

Instead, Ko-oren got some of the initiative back with a good defensive showing of their own: yTaddwadd killed a drive with a third down sack, and Jennings batted down two passes later that fourth quarter to get another punt done. Ingdon, having only appeared in that intercepted drive, was given another shot and the pocket stayed clean this time, but the team still grinded to a halt in the final 20 yards. Bennett kicked the go ahead field goal with three minutes to go and enough time for a comeback, but Turaundhinthen was in the right place to catch Carrington's second interception - and that ended it.

*       1  2  3  4
   GKI 10 24 27 27
   KOR 3  13 27 41

Pass
GKI: Wobet  25/32 338 yds 2 td 1 int
KOR: Bodkin 36/41 366 yds 4 td 0 int
     Masman  3/7   29 yds 0 td 0 int

Rush
GKI: Tachibana  20 car 118 yds 5.9 avg 35 lng 1 td
KOR: Readhallow 10 car  66 yds 6.6 avg 11 lng 0 td
     Jurethen    8 car  52 yds 6.5 avg 18 lng 1 td
	 
Rec
GKI: Kato     7/9 103 yds 14.7 avg 25 lng 1 td
KOR: Crossket 4/6  70 yds 17.5 avg 26 lng 1 td
     Costigan 4/10 44 yds 11.0 avg 15 lng 1 td

Def
GKI: 7 tfl 3 qbh 3 sck 5 pd 3 ff 0 fr 0 int 0 td
KOR: 2 tfl 3 qbh 2 sck 4 pd 4 ff 3 fr 1 int 0 td

Q1
GKI TD / KOR FG / GKI FG / KOR punt / GKI punt

Q2
KOR TD / GKI TD / KOR punt / GKI int / KOR FG / GKI TD / KOR half

Q3
KOR downs / GKI FG / KOR TD / GKI fum / KOR TD / GKI fum / KOR punt

Q4
GKI punt / KOR TD / GKI fum / KOR punt / GKI downs / KOR TD / GKI downs / KOR end

One team allowed to be good at any time, Ko-oren prevails

It was a game of two halves - it's a famous cliche but there's no other way to explain it. Gyatso-Kai ran out to a 24-13 lead at half time, then got stalled out completely by the Dragonflies, aided by some luck, and Bodkin in his first World Bowl 47 start put together the half of a lifetime for the 41-27 win.

Both starting quarterbacks had themselves a half in which everything went right. The blocking perfect, the running as a fantastic complement. Tachibana's 118 yards kept the Ko-orenite defensive line busy, who had just gotten so much praise for their first two games. Kato was an outlet for Wobet nearly the entire game, and when in doubt, the quarterback mostly looked for his favourite receiver on the sideline rather than a short dump off to a tight end or running back. It all helped Wobet set up a great early lead, with a touchdown on the opening drive and a 10-3 lead after 15 minutes, to two more touchdowns in the second quarter. A quick Ko-orenite drive did get Bodkin his first touchdown pass - of which he'd get 4 today - to Crossket whose speed was a bit too much for the Boarqupines. There was the first setback for the Avatarians, with Wobet's wobbly pass to Aurisea, but his short memory (which is a good thing in sports, apparently) helped him with another touchdown pass, to Somchai.

The second half was all Ko-oren, not so much to anyone's credit or blame, but the weirdest group of drives we've seen so far. Gyatso-Kai coughed up the ball on two consecutive drives, and after the Dragonflies defence failed to punch the ball out in the first two games, recorded four fumbles, three of them ending up with a Greenblue, and two of those - as noted - coming on back to back drives in the third quarter. Bodkin's short intermezzo between bad Boarqupine drives were a set of deep passes to a growing group of receivers, but ended up with a touchdown pass to Costigan on 2nd-and-goal from the three. After all that, the score was tied at the end of the third at 27-27.

The fourth was a Bodkin masterclass again, with his five incompletions on 41 attempts, as he kept pushing the ball for short gains to Voorhorst and Shanigunten, the tight ends accounting for a huge set of completions, but the chunks came of rare intermediate length passes to Marineau, Costigan, Crossket - the trio establishing themselves as the go-to receivers for all three QBs on the roster. The fourth quarter saw the final fumble, followed by some scrambled attempts to get back in the game, ending with multiple turnovers on downs, and the Dragonflies didn't have to do all that much on offence to keep the win - but Jurethen punched in a final touchdown anyway, on an 18-yard run to finish his mediocre day on a high note.

by **Ko-oren** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 7:19 am

The season is not far away now! To prepare you for another great year of gridiron football - here's how the twelve teams look ahead of this year.

Divisions
The Eastern division has taken back the preview crown from the West; the Caspians, 65ers, and Astronauts have been building as the dynasties of the Dragonflies and Explosions waned, and the Western teams that have been looking so good - the Saints, Wolves, Destroyers, and even the Godspeed have had their success in recent years - have failed to turn their dominance into something structural. Add the fact that NT players don't play on club teams, and looking at the recruiting you might guess some teams that were basically picked clean by Hardman and the rest of the NT staff. The Godspeed lost significant talent, and so did the Explosions and Destroyers - two teams that looked unassailable just four years ago. But the Aminey Caspians also lost a lot of good players, and yet they remain the gold standard for this year.

Overall
The top four teams are distinctly ahead of the rest, and are built with some sort of balance. The Aminey Caspians might not excel in any metric, but at the end of the equation, they come out as the strongest. The 65ers offence is too good - but zooming in it's not a success story all across the board - with a decent defence (again, with several good units). The Astronauts are a step behind the 65ers but built completely the opposite way, with a staunch defence and a questionable offence, and our first Western team, the Saints, will be relying on incredible creativity on the offensive side of the ball yet hoping to not get caught out too badly on defence.

After that, it's a bunch of strange teams - the Sterrenwolde Dragonflies and their all-or-nothing approach, with a punishing defence paired with an offence that, no matter the draft capital, just refuses to come together and form something good. The Eaglebury Emperors and their pretty good team (disregard that O-line) but a complete lack of proven special teams can't be taken too seriously. The Schemerdrecht Admirals and Mayara Wolves should contend for a playoff spot - remember, it's three teams per division, so the Wolves will have a much easier time to contend than the Admirals - and then we land among the bottom four, who all have significant problems with their squad.

The Mayara Destroyers have a good offence and good special teams but barely a defence, the Aerellen Explosions had to give up a lot of talent to the NT and are left with good trenches and great special teams but a lot of holes on the rest of the roster. The Greencaster Godspeed's offence is unenviable but their defence could still deliver every now and again... and then there's the Mawryshire Centaurs that are looking at a very, very bad year where they hope to develop their players a bit and a bounceback year next season.

Units
The six strongest groupings, as far as we can tell right now:

1. Willowbourne Saints: offensive skill positions. Fullback Olink and running back Hooligan (ex-NT), as well as easily the best receiving corps with Denett, Easlemouth, and Bernot, let alone yMaellceoff as a tight end - there are multiple almost-NTers here and they're all going to be here for a while. Denett is 20 and Easlemouth is 24, and only Olink is over 27.

2. Mayara Wolves: defensive line. Payne was protected from being on the NT and will lead the edge once more, and they added Hoddle and Sjouwman as interior defensive linemen. Add another rusher on the other end in Kaunorerinthen and you've got a near-unstoppable unit, perhaps a bit limited by what's around them, more than the Saints' offence at least.

3. Eaglebury Emperors: quarterbacks. It's only two guys, but still. The Emperors drafted Stratham, 21, to be their long term option, and he can sit behind Hanada (29) for a year if needed, while being surrounded by good outlets - as long as he can stay healthy behind that line. Stratham is a very exciting talent and probably the best QB to come through in years.

4. Sterrenwolde Dragonflies: defensive backs. You can't get through one of these sections without them. Year in, year out, they are a defining part of the team - or even the league. Groenlinde is the best cornerback in the league and a year away from being on the NT. Beyond him, there's the punishing safety duo Slotmoerbei and Dollen, and pretty good options further down the depth chart with Groenvriend and Tsuzuki who would both be starters on every other team's secondary.

5. Noordrug Astronauts: linebackers. No team is as deep at this position as them, and they can rely on them for a lot of duties between the other two units, which should still help them out massively. Yes, the Dragonflies have the number one defence, but the Astronauts might overtake them most weeks anyway. Just a really complete group with Holmgroen (veteran), Morinoue (picked up from god knows where), Cliffane (24, young), Pelzer (23, younger), and Amandinspar (again, where do they find these guys?)

6. Schemerdrecht Admirals: offensive line. You can show your knowledge of gridiron football by saying some intelligent-sounding stuff about the offensive line. "Teams are built from the trenches" and "look at the expert callout here" as well as hits like "yeah the QB was sacked but it's not on any of these five, it's on the receivers but you don't see them from the standard tv angle". Either way, some of those might actually be true for the Admirals, with Merseman-Millan-Esmeijer-Mura-Schooten the best group of big guys in the league. Schooten (36), Mura (35), and Esmeijer (33) are on their last contract, probably, and Esmeijer is a pretty overlooked centre either way, so if you want to see some good O-line play, this might be the final year to do it.

by **TJUN-ia** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 10:14 am

After starting this cycle on a high, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia were 1-0 on their mission to bring joy back to TJUN-ian Gridiron...joy that the NSCF folks just aren't delivering right now. This role as the lighthouse in the fog was one that Gus McKerrin did enjoy, but this sport is all about grit and pain above anything else and he knew that he couldn't stop to smell the roses in this journey towards glory...so how would this first double-header go?

Up first would big the first home game back at The Field of Dreams in the Gardens of New Washington, which was always going to be a huge occasion no matter the opponents or what happened in Tikariot on MD1. The Kytler Peninsulae would be the opponents for this glorious occasion and they would provide a steady challenge to this game, with Wecoisus Mocks scoring 2 TD (1 each via Heath Ilford and Lit Taklik) and Dafydd Nevins going 2/2 on PATs and 1/2 on FGs. But Gareth Baldwin would not allow any bad shit on this night and he scored 4 TDs on this night, with Victor Que-et-Vous and Fremont Whitehorse bringing home 2 each, while Clayton McGee would go a respectable 3/4 on PATs. It ended 27-17, not an easy win in any sense but 2-0 all the same, and that performance was one that would be needed heading into MD3.

And then came the Chromatika game. We knew that going to the Henza Center in D'rea to face the #2 Iron Legion, coached by the legendary Misha Florentine, would be a tough circumstance to find ourselves in, but we couldn't just give in. We wanted to give them a game and with Anne-Maurice Vivayavich starting in place of the legendary Sarai Gwenderyn, we knew we had an opportunity to do just that. This game was tough as balls, and no one was surprised about that, with Karl von Liechten working overtime to try and pressure Vivayavich into some mistakes and players like Park Mi-Hyeon and Jere Rinaldi doing the same to us. Vivayavich did manage 3 TDs, with Alessandra Mio getting 2 and Demitrius St. Pierre the other while Dwayne Markseon did well with 2/3 on PATs and 2/3 on FGs. Baldwin, on the other hand, managed only 2 TDs in the main body of the game, both of them to Fremont Whitehorse and one only coming because of a KvL sack-fumble, while the main carrier of this team became McGee, with 2/2 on PATs and 5/6 on FGs. Late on, we did indeed lead 29-26 with the hosts looking to score the winner...until Jake Northridge intercepted Viviyavich's throw and ran it 83 yards all the way back for a dagger pick-6 that stunned the local crowd. McGee hit the extra point and there would be nothing else that this game had to say. It wasn't pretty, and that pick-six certainly did help, but we managed to go to #2's house and beat them. The Iron Legion had melted under the Jaguar's claw...and it felt so fucking good to pull that one off.

Suddenly, we found ourselves 3-0 and on top of the pile in Group B - but there is still a long way to go here. We're heading back home next time to take on the only winless team in the group - #16 -Anthor- - in a game that may act as a defacto celebration for this result. Our fate is in our hands...but the path is still long and twisty. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group B)
MD1: @Tikariot (UR) W 36-3 (1st/1-0)
-------------------------Double Header------------------
MD2: vs The Kytler Peninsulae (UR) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 27-17 (1st/2-0)
MD3: @Chromatika (2) - Henza Center, D'rea W 36-26 (1st/3-0)
-------------------------Double Header End------------------
MD4: @-Anthor- (16)
-------------------------Double Header------------------
MD5: vs Valanora (23) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD6: @Lisander (43)
-------------------------Double Header End------------------
MD7: vs Sarzonia (13) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
-------------------------Double Header------------------
MD8: vs Tikariot (UR) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD9: @The Kytler Peninsulae (UR) - Zube Olympic Stadium, Zube (?)
-------------------------Double Header End------------------
MD10: vs Chromatika (2) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
-------------------------Double Header------------------
MD11: vs -Anthor- (16) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD12: @Valanora (23) - Lathalein Celestial Stadium, Mar Sara
-------------------------Double Header End------------------
MD13: vs Lisander (43) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD14: @Sarzonia (13) - Joe Gibbs Stadium, Woodstock

by **South Newlandia** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 12:02 pm

Cutoff for Groups A and B!

Group A

Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove 27–41 Saint Kanye
Ko-oren 63–17 Cardenao
Rouyoute 6–12 Gyatso-kai
A Place Somewhere 13–29 Cassadaigua

Group A                                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win % 
1 Ko-oren                                      4    4   0   156   64  +92    1.000
2 Cardenao                                     4    3   1   112  136  −24    0.750
3 Rouyoute                                     4    2   2    78   40  +38    0.500
4 Cassadaigua                                  4    2   2    63   44  +19    0.500
5 Gyatso-kai                                   4    2   2    88   85   +3    0.500
6 Saint Kanye                                  4    2   2   109  116   −7    0.500
7 A Place Somewhere                            4    1   3    82  140  −58    0.250
8 Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove       4    0   4   111  174  −63    0.000

Group B

Anthor 20–26 TJUN-ia
Valanora 27–35 Chromatika
Lisander 0–50 The Kytler Peninsulae
Sarzonia 30–0 Tikariot

Group B                                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win % 
1 Sarzonia                                     4    4   0   135   33 +102    1.000
2 TJUN-ia                                      4    4   0   125   69  +56    1.000
3 The Kytler Peninsulae                        4    3   1   111   64  +47    0.750
4 Chromatika                                   4    2   2    83   73  +10    0.500
5 Valanora                                     4    1   3   107  124  −17    0.250
6 Tikariot                                     4    1   3    46  105  −59    0.250
7 Lisander                                     4    1   3    36  107  −71    0.250
8 Anthor                                       4    0   4    49  117  −68    0.000

by **The Fanboyists** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 12:03 pm

Dunnmaar Daily Broadsheet
National News - Sports Section
Special World Bowl XXXXVII Coverage

Disciplined Effort Takes Care of Bongo Johnson
Terefuxien national side wins 45-20 over World Bowl vets

Unlike their opener against Torisakia, the Terefuxien national team managed to take care of business against Bongo Johnson in relatively decisive fashion. QB Bernie Torres was once again an effective general of the offense, the defense stepped up to force a few decisive turnovers, and while Bongo Johnson nearly climbed back into the game in the second quarter, a focused effort from players and coaches alike put the game away decisively not long after.

After winning the opening coin toss, head coach Torren Tormundsun opted to have his team receive the opening kick, in an effort to build some momentum; Tormundsun admitted earlier in the week that: “[he has] largely lost my gauge for where we stand in international competition, to be honest; I like this squad, but it’s hard to know where we stand, talent-wise, against a lot of our competition, so we really just have to come armed for bear every game.” The decision paid off quickly; Torres marched the offense down the field reliably on a 5:43-minute, 13-play drive featuring a mix of running and passing that culminated in Torres lofting a pass to receiver Arlo Villenueve, who’d managed to get a step on his man in the endzone, for a 14-yard score.

Over the course of the next two drives, the teams would swap field goals, with the Bongo Johnsonians getting a 31-yarder and the Terefuxiens answering with a 35-yarder from Harald Alexandrus to return the lead to 7 points, 10-3. Another promising drive for Bongo Johnson near the end of the quarter ended in disaster when an attempted screen pass near the Terefuxien goalline was intercepted by Hammer (defensive end, for international readers) Danyl Innus, who shrugged off two tackle attempts to bring home the pick-six, extending the lead to 17-3 after the PAT.

On their do-over drive, the Johnsonians got as close as the Terefuxien 16-yard line before they were forced to settle for another field goal to shorten their deficit to 17-6. However, they got another chance almost immediately; on the following Regulars’ drive, their defense forced a bad throw by Torres, resulting in a very clean interception. Only quick thinking and good tackling by diveback Arthur Morgyn prevented it from turning into a pick-six in the other direction. Instead, it set up the Johnsonian offense in very good field position, which they capitalized on four plays later on a 3-yard run into the endzone to make the game 17-13.

Thankfully, the Terefuxien offense got its act together for a redemption drive of their own. A methodical effort to eat up more than 7 minutes of clock going down the field from their own 20 culminated in tailback Theo Falkenburg taking a handoff on a sweep for a 4-yard touchdown run. Alexandrus’ PAT afterward widened the lead back to 24-13.

With just over two minutes to go in the half, the Bongo Johnson side managed to execute a clinical two-minute drill to drive down the field in spite of an excellently-placed kickoff by place-kicker Holden Felicitanu pinning them at their own 12. Although commentators decried the effort as “dink-and-dunk”, it was nonetheless effective, and a 6-yard slant into the endzone and well-done PAT cut the Terefuxien lead back down to 24-20 as the half ended.

Fearing the opponent’s momentum with them due to get the ball back to start the second half, Tormundsun and special teams coordinator (and long-time Regulars’ punter) Wyatt Skode opted for the team to attempt an onside kick to start the half. Thanks to the element of surprise, the Bongo Johnsonian team was caught by surprise, and the execution was there to pull off the stunt successfully… were it not for one Terefuxien player (receiver Felipe Godwyn) crossing the line just a moment early, resulting a penalty that negated the maneuver and giving Bongo Johnson good starting field position.

Thankfully, the Regulars’ defense bailed them out; pressure brought by rover Karlus Falkenburg and hammer Frank Geller forced a hurried throw that landed in the arms of rover Mikel Deucampu, who ran the ball back to the Terefuxien 41 to set up the offense with good field position of their own. Their last drive had keyed up Bongo Johnson to focus on the run more than the pass, a fact which Odie Iarlsunn took advantage of by calling a deep play-action pass that Torres sent 42 yards through the air to flankback Fred Kalder (no relation to the Terefuxien national lacrosse team player of the same name), who took the deep pass in the last 17 yards for the touchdown after getting behind his man on a cover 0. The lead was now 31-20.

The quick reversal of the momentum seemed to pull some of the fire out of the Terefuxien’s opponents, and the defense was able to force a three-and-out on the next possession. Still, a good punt pinned the Regulars at their own 21, and they had to punt themselves not long after. However, gunner Atum Temir managed to force the ball out of the Bongo Johnson punt returner’s hands with a well-placed punch, allowing fellow gunner Trentyn Staal to jump on the loose ball. The offense resumed the field at the opposing 38, and four plays later, Arthur Morgyn took a dive from Torres to charge 17 yards up the middle into the endzone, dragging tacklers with him on the touchdown. The score was now 38-20.

There was one last attempt by Bongo Johnson in earnest to get back into the game, a drive that looked promising to close out the third quarter reached midfield. However, a strip-sack by defensive lineman Hiroji Maeda was recovered by centerfielder Faustinu Garcia on the Terefuxien 48 in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter put paid to any serious comeback attempt by Bongo Johnson. The Regulars’ offense geared down, working mostly out of the Long I, running with Morgyn, Torres, and Falkenburg largely behind the blocking of tight-end/fullback Riktun Ellinger and offensive guard Jord Eller to chew up more clock before Torres himself took the direct snap to punch in a 1-yard touchdown run. With that, and Alexandrus’ PAT, the Regulars had a 45-20 lead and the final margin of victory.

With only five minutes remaining in the game at that point, Bongo Johnson was only able to mount one more drive, which stalled out at the Terefuxien 39; a 56-yard field goal attempt to try to lessen the point deficit (point differential frequently comes up big in World Bowl qualifying tiebreakers) ended up having the distance but clanged off the left upright, the kicker having just slightly overcorrected for the spot he was kicking from.

The big win sets up the Terefuxien side for a chance to go 3-0 if they can take care of business against a surprisingly-scrappy, but otherwise unknown United Fruit Company team that was decisively dismantled by the same Torisakia team the Regulars handled last week.

Notable Terefuxien National Team Stats:
- QB#22 Bernie Torres - 17/26, 189 pass yds, TD, INT, 8 rush, 34 rush yds, 1 rush TD
- FB#26 Arthur Morgyn - 16 car., 78 rush yds, TD
- HB#07 Theo Falkenburg - 7 car., 46 rush yds, rush TD, 4 rec., 38 rec. yds

Dunnmaar Daily Broadsheet
National News - Sports Section
Special World Bowl XXXXVII Coverage

Falkenburg's Big Day Lifts Terefuxe!
Big plays help Regulars survive against upstart United Fruit Company side

After decisive wins against Torisakia on the road and Bongo Johnson in Innsboro, the Regulars seemed to be settling into their customary nickname and reputation. Head Coach Torren Tormundsun and his staff were getting more comfortable at the post-game podium, and the team was starting to walk with a little more swagger going into their road match against the United Fruit Company. Certainly they, despite Tormundsun’s insistence that all teams in the World Bowl are dangerous, fully expected to win.

They would leave the UFC stadium at the end of the night with the win, to be sure, but also perhaps a little more humility, having survived a strong effort by the World Bowl newcomers that devolved into a shootout that required a number of clutch plays on both sides of the ball to prevent the Regulars from succumbing to an upset.

Perhaps the biggest revelation of this World Bowl for the national team has been the high-scoring nature of this offense. While they move the ball methodically for the most part, a mix of chunk plays and reliability in the ground game has seen the team post 30+ points in each of their games thus far, and that pattern continued here. However, their confidence also turned to sloppiness, and it would show in the game’s opening minutes, when QB Bernie Torres marched the team down the field in five plays from their own 26, only to negate the strong opening drive by losing the ball on a strong hit by a UFC defender to fumble forward into the endzone, where the ball was recovered for a touchback.

By the same token, defensive coordinator Karlus Walturs’ unit had gotten more aggressive as it found its legs over the first two games, and a multi-turnover effort against Bongo Johnson only heightened the tendency. It also meant that the team over pursued to a large extent against UFC, and this would enable their unranked opponent to gash them multiple times en route to a touchdown only five minutes into the first quarter. Perhaps seeking to be aggressive themselves in their upset bid, the United Fruit Company team attempted a 2-point conversion, although mercifully the attempted jet-sweep was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage by a gang-tackle featuring defensive lineman Markus Eriksun, hammer Ryan Mueller, and centerfielder Faustinu Garcia. That saving grace made it so the United Fruit Company’s lead was only 6-0 instead of 8-0.

A much more cautious Regulars’ offense would work it’s way down the field in the answering drive, although a holding penalty negated a big run by Arthur Morgyn that would have extended the drive past the UFC 26. Instead, the team was forced to settle for a 43-yard field goal by Harald Alexandrus, cutting their deficit to 6-3. However, the deficit worsened again on the following drive; the United Fruit Company team followed the same aggressive strategy to take advantage of miscommunications in the Terefuxien defense, resulting in another touchdown near the end of the first quarter. Taking another crack at a two-point conversion to widen the lead, this one was also stuffed by the Regulars’ defense, with Garcia streaking into the backfield to bring down the UFC quarterback with a jarring hit. UFC’s linemen diving on the loose ball prevented a two-point return for the Regulars, but it still kept the deficit at a more manageable 12-3, and, it would turn out, scared the United Fruit Company’s coaching staff from attempting any more two-point conversions for the rest of the game.

On the following drive at the beginning of the second quarter, the Regulars relied on a pair of big plays by tailback/flanker Theo Falkenburg, who hauled in a 16-yard strike from Torres on 3rd down at the Terefuxien 34 to extend the drive, and then ran to daylight three plays later for a 28-yard touchdown scamper to close the gap to 12-10 (with an assist from Alexandrus’ PAT). The UFC squad’s attempt to answer looked promising as they marched down the field on a set of big plays, but this time the Regulars’ defense tightened in the red zone, and defensive back Xose Estevus made a leaping interception to cut the drive short and set the Regulars up with a touchback.

The next drive was a struggle; the UFC defense was energized and the Regulars needed two fourth-and-short conversions to extend the drive, only to be ground down to a halt once again around the United Fruit Company 19-yard line, and the team had to settle for an Alexandrus 36-yard field goal. This actually gave the team a precarious, 13-12 lead late in the second quarter.

Sadly, it wouldn’t last, as a clinical two-minute drill allowed the UFC team to move down the field steadily. Some clumsy clock management by Torren Tormundsun meant that by the time UFC’s quarterback scrambled into the endzone for a 2-yard TD, there were only about 45 seconds left in the half. This time, the underdogs played it safe and kicked the PAT, retaking the lead 19-13 and putting the Regulars in a position where their only real recourse to end the quarter was an abortive drive that didn’t quite make it back to midfield.

Due to UFC having deferred the opening kick-off, they got the ball back to start the second half. Although their drive to open the quarter was less-decisive than their first-half drives, all the same it ended with a 6-yard touchdown pass to widen their lead to 26-13 after the PAT.

However, while the defense was still trying to regain its legs, the offense had managed to clean up some of their first-half mistakes; starting from their own 24 after the kick-off, Torres managed a mistake-free drive of ball-distribution to get long gains from Morgyn, Falkenburg, Kaldur, Serrano, and Farren, culminating on a triple-option pitch-and-run to Falkenburg who zipped through a hole in the defense for a 14-yard touchdown run. With Alexandrus’ PAT, the gap was closed back to 26-20.

The Bananas had little trouble moving the ball on the answering drive; some lackluster tackling turned what might have been short gains into longer gains, and made it hard to get off the field on third down. Still, the Regulars received a break when the Fruit Co. got greedy and sent a long-bomb down the sideline; rotating defensive back Eddie Dunn managed to snag the ball against his helmet before landing on his rear and rolling out of bounds. Although it took a moment of review to confirm that the man had gotten both cheeks down before going out, the takeaway ended a promising-looking UFC drive at the Terefuxien 12-yard line.

With the third quarter nearing its end, a third-down toss-sweep to Falkenburg saw the back pick up some favorable blocks from Morgyn, Ellinger, and guard Sancho Merino, find a gap in the defense, and bolt down the field; he had cleared the defense by midfield, and he was gone for the 79-yard score. After another successful PAT, the Regulars had retaken the lead, 27-26.

It was short-lived; on the following drive, on the second second-down of the drive, a well-executed play-action pass allowed one of the UFC’s wideouts to get behind the back end of the defense (you know, the thing the cover-3 shell is specifically designed to prevent) for a deep touchdown bomb to open up the fourth quarter by retaking the lead. Successful PAT, 33-27 lead for the United Fruit Company.

This time, however, it was the Regulars’ turn to erase a lead almost immediately; having been burned by Falkenburg on deep throws and wide runs, the United Fruit Company’s defense left the tackle-box particularly light after a couple of completed slant and out-route throws. A gashing outside run by Torres also helped this tendency, which meant that there were far fewer defenders than usual in the way when Torres fed a dive handoff to Morgyn, who plowed through the light box and galloped to a 46-yard touchdown. Alexandrus knocked through another PAT, and the Regulars were back in front, 34-33.

It seemed that the shootout would continue to escalate; a few big chunk plays were there to be had on an increasingly-coordinated, but still beleaguered Regulars’ defense, but as the UFC entered field-goal range at the Regulars 35, this time rover Mikel Deucampu found a gap in the line and hit the UFC quarterback for a strip-sack. Defensive lineman Leo Ibanus dove on the loose ball, and the Regulars had possession with good field position.

The Regulars kept the ball largely on the ground on this drive, mostly working read-options and triple-options (with plenty of designed regular runs to boot) to chew up the clock and keep the ball out of the all-too-explosive UFC offense’s hands. There was, accordingly, about a minute left in the game by the time Torres, lined up in the shotgun with Falkenburg to his left, pulled the ball from Falkenburg on the zone run, and, seeing a gap open up in the middle of the line, ran decisively forward for a 4-yard touchdown run to widen the Regulars’ lead to 41-33.

UFC’s offense would get one last crack at the ball with a little over a minute left and only one score behind. Although a 17-yard gain from their own 25 got them uncomfortably close to midfield, the Terefuxien defense finally managed to exorcize its demons by forcing a throw-away on first down, breaking up an almost-sure first-down reception on second, and batting down two more throws to force a turnover on downs with 8 seconds left in the game. From there, Torres took a knee, and the Regulars’ survival was assured.

The uncomfortably-close call sets the Regulars up as one of the two 3-0 teams in Group D (the other being group leaders Banija), but it also has to have the team feeling more than a little rattled as they go into their fourth game, a match-up against 9th-ranked (and World Bowl co-hosts) South Newlandia, who should present a very steep challenge. The main thing giving Regulars’ fans hope is that they will get their first crack at top-ten competition this World Bowl at home in front of what should be a raucous crowd in Dunnmaar’s Harborview Municipal Stadium. Hopefully the home crowd energy will lift what has been a somewhat uneven, if tenacious Regulars’ squad against a tough opponent.

Notable Terefuxien National Team Stats:
- QB#22 Bernie Torres - 14/26, 204 yds, 9 car., 41 rush yds, 1 rush TD, 1 FUM lost
- FB#26 Arthur Morgyn - 16 car., 105 yds, TD
- HB#07 Theo Falkenburg - 12 car., 5 rec, 174 rush yds, 73 rec yds, 3 TDs

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 2:30 pm

From the news website of Kytlerian national broadcaster NBO.

Parents express concern over gridiron popularity surge

Parental groups against the teaching of gridiron in Kytlerian schools have expressed concern over the sport's potential surge in popularity following the reformed national team's early World Bowl success.

Parents Against Gridiron in Educational Settings (PAGES) have seen a surge in membership, with its Borlfield-based founder Carolyn Dole saying she can't keep up with enquiries.

"People here in Varn especially talk about parental rights and protecting kids, and then they expect us to force those same kids into a sport notorious for concussion amongst other major physical dangers," Dole said. "These kids can't truly consent to this just because they see grown men playing on the TV and winning. There are other sports they can play which are much safer."

The Kytlerian gridiron team returned to international play in stunning fashion with a shock 7-6 victory at Zube Olympic Stadium against Chromatika - the highest-ranked team in the entire competition - and have won two of their three games since. Teachers have reported significant new interest in gridiron from students - including girls inspired by the women on the Chromatika team.

Gridiron is taught in all schools in Varn, but is illegal in the state of Burana. Elsewhere in the country, schools can decide for themselves whether to teach the sport, and a national survey by the Kytlerian Gridiron Association suggests around 40% of all Kytlerian secondary school students have played gridiron in PE lessons. Most Varnian secondary schools have their own teams, while in many other areas local youth organisations run competitions instead.

Dole points out that Babbageball offers a simplified non-contact variation on the sport, and one that became compulsory in the Kytlerian secondary curriculum several decades ago - although when sporting curricula were delegated to the states 15 years ago, some states removed this status, often in favour of gridiron. "We want to see the Babbage-first national curriculum return, as a public health demand."

PAGES are set to launch protests at future Kytlerian home games in the World Bowl pool phase. "Two of the games are in Borlfield, so it will be good to show the nation that not everyone in Varn supports gridiron. The people of this state aren't always the way the rest of the country likes to think they are."

However, with no international Babbageball competitions running in recent years, the end of the Kytlerian isolation makes gridiron a far more tempting prospect for young aspiring sportspeople. North Borlfield School running back Will Thompson, 16, told NBO that this is only going to keep becoming more true.

"Babbageball is a kid sport, nobody wants to play it," he said. "Gridiron is one of the major sports in the multiverse and the hard hits and impact action are what people want to see right now. We know what we're in for and we think it's worth it because there's no other sport that combines brawn and brain like this."

"States have the ability to determine their own sporting curricula to reflect local variations in popular sport and also teacher availability," a statement from the Education Department read. "The federal government requires only that a range of sporting options are provided, including both individual and team sports, to ensure students are given exposure to multiple sports and develop both teamwork and independence."

----

A note: the two games being moved from Zube Olympic Stadium to Borlfield will be against Anthor (Game 7) and TJUN-ia (Game 9). They will take place at the 45,603-seat Qardinal Field. These games are moved due to the use of Zube Olympic Stadium for the West Pavola Rally, as there will be multiple weeks of work to construct and then deconstruct a ramp and concrete track for this event.

by **Banija** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 3:17 pm

Banijan HC Thomas Hall, 3rd and goal with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Banija at the Peru 2 yard line

It was just one of those games where, no matter what the offenses did- both of them were getting the opposing defenses to bend, but neither could get the other to break. That's what happened when you were in the midst of a game where there were 7 combined field goals. Thomas Hall had tried to warn against this, but these sort of things are inevitable- after the crazy, high-octane, high-energy shellacking they put on South Newlandia at home on MD1, they had mostly come out flat here on MD2 on the road- especially on offense. Against an unranked opponent, where nobody was giving the opponents much of a shot- they were putting up one hell of a fight.

At the moment, the Banijans had a slim, 4 point lead- they led 16-12 here on the road. This was thanks mostly to a 3rd quarter punt return by Oscar Apolo- he had been able to really put on the jets and break a few tackles, and take the punt return all the way to the house. That's what you needed when your offense couldn't finish drives- some other facet of your team to finish the drive for you. "We've got to get this third down here- c'mon." Thomas Hall said. Obviously, the O. Coordinator was the playcaller on offense, but Thomas Hall was always privy to the conversations.

3rd down and goal- they were in a shotgun formation. The crowd was really getting on their feet, making their presence felt. Ebou Hairte adjusted the protection at the line of scrimmage, and was barking out orders. He got the ball, and Peru blitzed. Hairte rolled to his right, but nobody was open- was forced to throw it into the stands. Fourth down. "FUCK!" Thomas Hall said. He was pissed- why was his offense, that looked like a well-oiled machine the previous week at home, suddenly been unable to travel here in this road game? Especially in these short yardage situations.

"We aint' kicking shit- we need to talk about this." Thomas Hall called timeout, to give his team time to talk about this. He spoke into his headset. "Ok, we've been cute for three plays, and haven't done shit. No- we need to move them out of the way. With all due respect, this is an unranked nation? We've got a good O-Line. We just need to move them out of the way." The Coordinator tried to argue over the headset, from the booth, but Thomas Hall cut him off. He was the head coach, of course. "Nah. We're doing this my way. Good, old fashion ass whupping on the goal line."

Thomas Hall walked up to Zamandi Ayana. "Look- you're an absolute animal out there. We're running you on a toss play- if you've got to break a tackle, break a damn tackle, I could give a shit." Ayana just nodded. "Plow into the damn end zone- I'm not gonna sit here and watch us suffer a massive upset." And so, fourth down, crowd loud, trying to will their defense to a stop. Complete jumbo- 7 OL, 2 TEs, a QB, and Ayana. They tossed it out to the wide side of the field, and the blocking was great- creating a path for Ayana to the end zone. It would be a Peru CB who would try to fill it, but Ayana put his shoulder down and plowed through him into the end zone for a touchdown.

The dude went flying backwards. "HELL YEAH BABY!" Thomas Hall yelled, pumping his fist. It was an ugly game- but in this sport, at this level, all wins count the same. Still 9 minutes to go, but up 11... He had taken a gamble, and it had worked. He took the life out of the crowd. What a way to put yourself in route to win #2.

World Bowl Brief- Ebou Hairte throws for four first half touchdowns as Serpent Eagles fly past Torisakia by a score of 51-10 at World Bowl 47

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- It's a small sample size, yes. But it seems to be this- at home, this offense is unstoppable. "This offense is always tough to stop- we've always been built on our high-flyers, our talent at the skill positions, our ability to basically just scheme up whatever and let these talented players just ball out." Thomas Hall told reporters. "We saw a lot more of that today- run game, passing game, etc... Everything was clicking."

A coach will say that when his team ends up with 598 yards of total offense and 0 turnovers. What are the numbers that'll impress to you just how well the Banijans played in front of the home crowd at Jinja City? Well, let's take a few. We already have the total offensive yardage. What about the fact that we only took one sack? What about the fact that we had 7 possesions in the first half- and five of them ended in touchdowns. What about the fact that this game was more than over at halftime, having gone up just 35-3? Ebou Hairte was looking increasingly comfortable, after an ugly offensive performance a week prior in Banija's 26-12 road win over Peru.

"I'm able to see things well, and obviously, the coaches and the players- everything's going well for me right now." Ebou Hairte told reporters. "We know that the toughest games are upcoming- Terefuxe is circled on our calendar already, they've got a hell of a team over there. But this was a great performance- I'm glad that I was able to get so many people the ball, and do one of those rare things in pro competition- empty our bench, making sure all 53 players got a chance to play today. The tournament generally won't be like this, but I'm happy with today's performance."

50+ points in a World Bowl game is always a fantastic performance. Can't get around that one. It's a nice 3-0 start for Banija, but of course, this year's group stage is 14 games- it's a marathon, not a race. "3-0 is a good start- technically, it can't get better." Thomas Hall told reporters. "But we've got to do better in our road games- that Peru performance was unacceptable on MD2. If we're playing a better team than Peru, with all respect, there were all sorts of ways we could have lost that game. But I am glad our home form is truly peaking- we want to have the singular most feared place to play in this entire competition, and we are well on the way to making that happen. We want our opponents to quiver in fear when they see they've got to play a game in Banija- and so far, we're making that happen."

Banija will travel to the United Fruit Company on MD4, before hosting fellow undefeated Terefuxe in a huge game on MD5 in Herzegovina City.

by **Sea Dome** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 4:11 pm

Agardel the Liberator: shaken?

SPL Realignment!

Mafia War Takes More

HCR FREE - PFMSDC&M $0.18 - DOME $1+tax - SDA BURN AFTER READING - INTL: CONTACT HCR OFA

SPL Realignment! While SPLC.tv released an "official SPGL preview" earlier in the offseason that implied CGF Pres Fractious Besiter

(CTZ) would score a decent compromise on his "All-AAT League" policy proposal, the so-called "Academics & Strugglers League" has been officially scrapped. According to Street Rat sources, the ASL was initially seen as a bone to throw at all three microstates in the Sea Peoples Gridiron League. Soon the concept would be reevaluated politically. Besiter was probably demonstrating loyalty, not satisfaction, when he backed up Council President Durmen Gradgrade

(CCO) on the plan; ICFA Gridiron Comrade-Dr. Almonaster Canada

(SDC) was more interested in reviving "3-down" or Canadian football, while Fairness Cmte. Chair Rax Fabian Quing ■ (SDA) was ambivalent and could be more easily brought on board through other means. SDGF Pres Geimugyoukai and Rules Cmte. Chair Stithenaece, meanwhile, were anxious to clean up the interregional mess caused by Sea Dome University muscling Autonomous University out of NSCF 29 and then going 4-6 in a conference weakened by the presence of CC1's High City College Snipers. Pres. Gradgrade finally had an opportunity to cast aside the ASL and All-AAT plans in one motion.

Everyone on the Council gets a win in the new system, except for Matrian college football, given the 'death penalty' much rumored in recent weeks. SDU, AU, SDIS and other AAT are to be merged seamlessly into the professional system with no more academic requirements for players or staff; universities and colleges are out of the business of football. This includes High City College, despite their more conventional path to NSCF 29. They will technically be allowed to enter NSCF 30, but only with a separate all-student squad, and will now be forced to buy nonstudent players and staff if they hope to compete in SPGL 1's Inner Division. The new status quo also benefits the Supermassive Sea Dome Anarchists, who get to field a team in the Outer Division where they can scam and grift wealthy fans from all four domeward countries and to their very hearts' content. All 4 also get to keep at least one college or university owned club in League 1 to aid their transition to the all-pro game, a boon to Fractious who was only ever interested in AAT for the guaranteed profits to begin with.

TABLE LOADING.. . . .

by **Sarzonia** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 4:15 pm

Some gridball organisations will fire their manager after one bad season, or if the team don't show progress quickly enough.

Sarzonian national teams have typically not shown that lack of patience. They were prepared to move on from former World Bowl hero quarterback Gavin Davis and find a new manager if not for some bureaucratic behind the scenes work that saved Davis.

That patience has thus far been rewarded, as Sarzonia continued their winning ways with a 30-0 victory over Tikariot in front of a crowd of 66,732 at Joe Gibbs Stadium in Woodstock. Cameron Stallworth completed 20-of-27 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns before he sat out the fourth quarter to allow Mike Barnett to take snaps.

Stallworth said he felt the team took care of business against Tikariot.

"The line did a great job of passing protection and opening holes for [running back Ty'Relle] Clinton," he said. Clinton ran 16 times for 88 yards, including a 46-yard burst off right tackle to set up first and goal at the six-yard line. He would later score a one-yard touchdown that gave the Stars a 24-0 lead at halftime.

The Stars (4-0) were equally strong on defence, getting six sacks and forcing five turnovers, including four interceptions. Will Donnelly picked off a pass on Tikariot's third possession of the match, one that prevented the unranked side from cutting into Sarzonia's 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Davis was pleased with the result, even if he felt the team weren't as sharp as he wanted.

"We did what good teams are supposed to do," he said. "We brat a team we were expected to. We could've done a better job in the red zone. I think [Stallworth] missed a couple of reads that could've resulted in six points on drives where we settled for three."

In general, however, Davis said his team were able to avoid the trap match that an unranked Tikariot (1-3) represented. The Stars will face the other unranked side in The Kytler Peninsulae away from the confines of Joe Gibbs Stadium. However, Davis said he wasn't viewing that match as a trap.

"They beat the highest ranked team in the entire competition," he said of The Kytler Peninsulae's shock 7-6 victory over Chromatika on Matchday One. They also destroyed Lisander 50-0 in their most recent match. Sarzonia won their Matchday Two contest against Lisander 18-6.

Linebacker Calvin Jacks acknowledged the challenge facing the Stars in the next three matches.

"If you looked at the schedule before we began playing," you'd think this was an easy one before the matches against the two highest ranked sides in our group," Jacks said. "With the way [The Kytler Peninsulae] are playing, we're heading into Murderers Row."

Davis said he was reminding his team that the qualifying campaign was "a marathon, not a sprint.

"Fourteen matches for each team means we're probably not going to go undefeated," he said. "We want to make sure we can handle adversity." Davis pointed to the lacrosse team's recent failure during the World Lacrosse Championships."

That team didn't break a sweat until the semifinals, then when they faced a one-goal result, they didn't know how to handle it," he said. "We're going to have to be playing much more competitive matches much earlier on."

by **HUElavia** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 4:18 pm

Sea Dome 3–18 HUElavia

HUElavia 56–17 Ardsk
Helles Stadion, Bish, HUElavia

Business as Usual

HUElavia takes down two unranked opponents as they march on in the World Bowl!

Another two games in the World Bowl, another two victories. If the Drawkland game was a beatdown for the team directly below Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos in the multiverse rankings, then these two matches would serve to be overwhelming blowouts for the team. Due to the mismatch of skill, Coach Schneiderman opted to play with backups throughout these two matches. The team wore their Away uniform for the first match and the Home Uniform for the second match.

The first match was more difficult than what was expected. While Duarte could not get a touchdown via passes, nor could the run game get close enough for scores, but Schultz came in clutch with him scoring the points for HUElavia with free kicks ranging from 18 yards, 26, 35, 44, 48, and 53 yards. All while REDACTED scored a field goal late in the 3rd quarter at a distance of 41 yards to get what was the eventual score of 18-3.

The second match was more of the blowout victory that was expected from the team. Duarte got three touchdown passes, with two touchdowns for Ccora and one for Huamancuri, while No ran for two touchdowns and one for Demidov as well. The defense came out big, with REDACTED getting intercepted four times, with two of them being ran back for Pick 6 by el-Abad and Andino respectively. The repetition of the Touchdown song gave way for the crowd to chant and clap at each time the HUElavians scored. While REDACTED did get a touchdown pass, along with REDACTED getting a touchdown run, and REDACTED scoring a field goal late into the 4th quarter, HUElavia dominated their match at home, winning 56-17 and having that commanding lead in Group C.

At the end of Matchday 3, HUElavia was at a 3-0 record, as well as they lead the tournament in yards per game, as well as points scored, as was expected by the offensive firepoweer the team has. The hunt for the World Bowl title continues, and here's to hoping for more victories.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

by **Saint Kanye** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 5:44 pm

(Note: Permission for the Gyatso-kai scoring info was given through Discord.)

Unfortunately, after that close win against motorsports rivals Cassadaigua, the Yeezies dropped their next two matches of World Bowl 47. They played the Gyatso-kai Boarcupines even during the first half of their encounter at Surge Field, only for the latter to go on fire (must be their benders) in the second half and prevail 37-22. And then a week later, the young, speedy Cardenao players stormed to a 21-3 lead at halftime; St. K tried to rally, only to fall short by a 35-27 margin.

"That is vastly disappointing, because I believe, no, I know we had a chance to win both of those games," said Surge quarterback and offensive captain R.J. Linetti. "We're gonna hope to bounce back, finish the first half of the group stages strong, and then try to get back at those who beat us during our rematches. Being one of the top four looks easy on paper, but there's a lot more to it, especially with the opponents we've been matched up with."

1Q GKI Tachibana 48 run (Prater kick) GKI 7-0
1Q STK field goal Rasputin 35 GKI 7-3

2Q STK field goal Rasputin 41 GKI 7-6
2Q GKI Kato 20 pass from Wobet (Prater kick) GKI 14-6
2Q STK Linetti 23 run (Rasputin kick) GKI 14-13

3Q GKI Amsilli 32 fumble return (Kick failed) GKI 20-13
3Q GKI field goal Prater 37 GKI 23-13
3Q STK field goal Rasputin 38 GKI 23-16

4Q GKI Fells 11 pass from Wobet (Prater kick) GKI 30-16
4Q STK Jeffers 28 pass from Linetti (Two-point conversion failed) GKI 30-22
4Q GKI Kato 44 pass from Wobet (Prater kick) GKI 37-22

1Q CAD Shabeux 66 pass from Dials (Charelson kick) CAD 7-0

2Q CAD Fulton 39 run (Charelson kick) CAD 14-0
2Q STK field goal Rasputin 52 CAD 14-3
2Q CAD Peterson 15 pass from Dials (Charelson kick) CAD 21-3

3Q STK Silk 29 run (Rasputin kick) CAD 21-10
3Q STK Schwartz 64 interception return (Rasputin kick) CAD 21-17
3Q CAD Peterson 30 pass from Dials (Charelson kick) CAD 28-17
3Q STK Fredericks 18 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) CAD 28-24

4Q CAD Fulton 12 run (Charelson kick) CAD 35-24
4Q STK field goal Rasputin 33 CAD 35-27

The back to back losses put the Surge in a 1-2 hole after three matchdays, surprisingly joined at the bottom half of Group A by Gyatso-kai and Cassadaigua. "However, there's more than enough room and time to bounce back. We have to do something to survive these group stages," head coach Jeff Delphine said. "Our offense is starting to show up after a slow start, but this time it's the defense that needs to step up once more. I mean, we gave up 72 points during those two losses, that's not a good sign. Special teams are still doing well, thankfully. But we have to strike a balance between these three aspects of the team."

Up next for the team is another away game, this time against Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove (or SJJeBoS to save everyone some time and breaths). "The Tapirs have a rather strange philosophy in that their coaching is crowd-sourced; we don't have anything to prepare for exactly that, so we'll focus on a bit of everything in practice," spoke offensive coordinator Dan Shelby. "It's also gonna be confusing because their jerseys apparently don't have numbers. We won't say anything next week because we'll be playing at their turf, but once they go to St. Kanye, such stuff probably wouldn't fly. We shall also discourage Surge supporters from being a part of their coaching strategy, although that is for fairness' sake, preventing bias and all that."

-------------------------------------------------------------
| MD | Opponent           | Rank | Score   | Record | Place |
-------------------------------------------------------------
|  1 | @Cassadaigua       |  15  | W 19-17 |  1-0   |  4th  |
|  2 | Gyatso-kai         |   8  | L 22-37 |  1-1   |  5th  |
|  3 | @Cardenao          |  UR  | L 27-35 |  1-2   |  5th  |
|  4 | @SJJeBOS           |  UR  |         |        |       |
|  5 | Ko-oren            |   3  |         |        |       |
|  6 | @Rouyoute          |  23  |         |        |       |
|  7 | A Place Somewhere  |  UR  |         |        |       |
|    | BREAK              |      |         |        |       |
|  8 | Cassadaigua        |  15  |         |        |       |
|  9 | @Gyatso-kai        |   8  |         |        |       |
| 10 | Cardenao           |  UR  |         |        |       |
| 11 | SJJeBOS            |  UR  |         |        |       |
| 12 | @Ko-oren           |   3  |         |        |       |
| 13 | Rouyoute           |  23  |         |        |       |
| 14 | @A Place Somewhere |  UR  |         |        |       |
-------------------------------------------------------------

by **Ranoria** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 8:24 pm

ZYX

Cutoff for Game 4!

Group C

Sudilia 14–27 Sea Dome
Ardsk 23–47 Drawkland
South Americanastan 16–23 HUElavia
Corporate City 1 28–29 Quebec and Shingoryeo

  Group C                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA
1 HUElavia                    4    4   0   146   56
2 Quebec and Shingoryeo       4    4   0   141   69
3 Drawkland                   4    3   1   160  115
4 Corporate City 1            4    2   2    77   68
5 Sudilia                     4    1   3    84  106
6 Ardsk                       4    1   3    81  150
7 Sea Dome                    4    1   3    70  135
8 South Americanastan         4    0   4    58  118

Group D

Terefuxe 30–51 South Newlandia
Peru 2022 RP 29–34 Bongo Johnson
Torisakia 13–10 Abanhfleft
The United Fruit Company 21–26 Banija

  Group D                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA
1 Banija                      4    4   0   146   59
2 Terefuxe                    4    3   1   148  110
3 South Newlandia             4    3   1   108   99
4 Bongo Johnson               4    2   2    84  113
5 Torisakia                   4    2   2    70  106
6 Abanhfleft                  4    1   3    61   64
7 The United Fruit Company    4    1   3    93  124
8 Peru 2022 RP                4    0   4    67  102

by **Chromatika** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 9:26 pm

Anne-Maurice Vivayavich Leads Iron Legion to Bounce-Back Win Over Valanora

Team                                       1Q  2Q  3Q  4Q  Tot
Chromatika                                  7   0  14  14   35
Valanora                                    7  14   3   3   27

1Q

10:28 VAL TD - Nikolas Isaksen 23 yard pass from Håkon Schau (Fredrik Mundal Kick)
05:42 CMT TD - Alessandra Mio 29 yard pass from Anne-Maurice Vivayavich (Dwayne Markseon Kick)

2Q

08:20 VAL TD - Alexander Østby 5 yard run (Fredrik Mundal Kick)
00:27 VAL TD - Alexander Østby 19 yard run (Fredrik Mundal Kick)

3Q

11:48 VAL FG - Fredrik Mundal 38 yard Field Goal
09:01 CMT TD - Niles Gwievern 9 yard pass from Anne-Maurice Vivayavich (Dwayne Markseon Kick)
02:11 CMT TD - Demitrius St. Pierre 31 yard pass from Anne-Maurice Vivayavich (Dwayne Markseon Kick)

4Q

10:12 VAL FG - Fredrik Mundal 41 yard Field Goal
05:01 CMT TD - Rowena Hastroff 26 yard pass from Anne-Maurice Vivayavich (Dwayne Markseon Kick)
01:29 CMT TD - Park Mi-Hyeon 60 yard fumble return (Dwayne Markseon Kick)

LATHALEIN CELESTIAL STADIUM, MAR SARA, VALANORA - Ever since Sarai Gwenderyn severely sprained her left hand during the First Quarter of the game against The Kytler Peninsulae, the Iron Legion hasn't been the same. Yes, Gwenderyn is the living soul of this team, but to see the rest of this team fold under pressure of The Kytler Peninsulae and then TJUN-ia has been disheartening. Misha Florentine stated that he was going to let Anne-Maurice have access to the full playbook, and the youngster really came to her own in a 35-27 win over Valanora that will hopefully set the tone for the latter half of the games that the Iron Legion will need to survive without their superstar Quarterback.

The First Quarter was rather evenly matched to start. Håkon Schau worked the intermediate passing game with ease for the Vanorians, and Nikolas Isaksen found a zone between Vi-Nia Kald and Nikolai Dimitrov to catch the twenty-three yard pass that would open up the scoring. To see the home team get to such an early lead saw the gathered crowd go wild; Anne-Maurice would need to combat the crowd as well in her first drive.

After a first down handoff to Lana Rhodes that saw six yards, Anne-Maurice found Niles Gwivern on a slant route just in front of Middle Linebacker Jonathan Sætre, and the Quarterback started to get to work. Four minutes and forty seconds later, Alessandra Mio ran a simple go route to get past the left corner, and the Iron Legion had tied it up - Vivayavich going four-of-six for fifty-three yards and that score.

Unfortunately, the Vanorians adjusted, and the Iron Legion throttled down for the rest of the first half, the Vanorian running game taking over. Alexander Østby had 105 of his 174 yards on the day in the first half, including two touchdowns in the Second Quarter, as Valanora rushed out to a 21-7 lead at the halftime whistle. Valanora was starting to get some pressure on Anne-Maurice - as she finished 10-of-18 for 81 yards and that one score in the first half.

This time, during halftime, the Iron Legion actually made adjustments. In the second half, they utilized the Tight Ends to help the line, and Jere Rinaldi made it his personal mission to track the elusive Østby for the rest of the game. With these adjustments made, Anne-Maurice went back to work - and it was a beautiful thing to see.

Vivayavich would find Jefferson and St. Pierre for a pair of touchdowns in the Third Quarter after a Mundal Field Goal to get the lead down to 24-21 - starting to do well in the face of pressure. "I started to see the coverage schemes, and where we were in the face of them," she stated afterwards, "the line was able to give me enough time, and I was able to do the rest."

A Jere Rinaldi tackle in the start of the Fourth Quarter led the Vanorians to push the lead to six, and that was when Anne-Maurice put together a drive that gave some credence to the fact that life without Gwenderyn may be survivable. Avoiding pressure by stepping up in the pocket, she found Alessandra Mio on a twenty yard seam route before a Lana Rhodes run on second and eight took the ball to midfield. Then, the Iron Legion started to grind out the yards, running down the clock in the process.

On third-and-two from the twenty-six, Rowena Hastroff ran a deep wheel route, caught the pass in stride, and outran the rest of the linebacking core to the end zone. Markseon kicked the extra point, and the Iron Legion had the lead.

"She actually audibled me into the flat to run that route," Hastroff stated of Anne-Maurice after the game, "It was a brilliant read, a better throw, and the rest was history."

Valanora still had one last drive, and Håkon Schau started to put together a really promising drive, finding Isaksen for 28 and 19 yards to get the ball past midfield. On the very next play, with the ball on the Iron Legion forty-two, the home team needing to just get few more yards to get their kicker in the best spot, Jere Rinaldi punched the ball out from Alexander Østby, and Park Mi-Hyeon picked it up to return the ball all the way for the deciding score, ending the game.

"It was a tremendous hit," Park stated of Rinaldi's punch-out, "I was able to get the ball on the bounce and take care of it, but that was huge."

Anne-Maurice Vivayavich finished the game going 24-of-39 for 308 yards and four touchdowns, with Alessandra Mio catching eight of those balls for 112 yards. Lana Rhodes contributed 61 yards on 14 carries, but for the day, the game belonged to the backup who had been called to step up.

"We knew she could do it," Florentine said of Vivayavich at the postgame conference, "It was a matter of confidence, of setting her up to be in the best scenarios possible, and she took care of the rest."

With three more matches of no Gwenderyn to go, this could be a very important win going forward.

Chromatika takes on Lisander next before facing undefeated, group-leading Sarzonia away.

"We're going to concentrate on getting that first home win of the campaign before a tricky road trip to Sarzonia," stated Florentine, "Everyone's still going to give us their best shot, and we'll have to be ready to face them. After this win, though, I think it'd be too early to count us out."

If their Quarterback can play like they did today, they'll have more than a chance.

by **Drawkland** » Mon Sep 25, 2023 9:53 pm

"The Filtering Process"

The indignation of the physics lab class was quickly forgotten by Brooklyn once she got home. There was a new stack of colored envelopes on the kitchen counter, more to add to the pile the Becks had already sorted. It was starting to get to the point where it was a little overwhelming. So far they’d simply been sorting the scholarship offers by what sport they were for, whether that be baseball, basketball, or some combination of the two. There were also a few odd ones for soccer or track, but Brooklyn had made it pretty clear she wasn’t paying those any heed.

“I think you’ll have to start sending out ‘no thank you’ letters to some of these schools,” Elie Beck suggested to her daughter. “You don’t want to keep getting material from the same places trying to keep you on their recruiting path.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Brooklyn mumbled. She was presently skimming the contents of a basketball scholarship offer from Queen’s University in Kayo.

“Man, they’re really hitting the ‘find YOUR true passion’ angle in these soccer scholarship offers, aren’t they?” Dustin chuckled, reading through an offer Brooklyn had opened a few minutes prior.

“They’re trying so hard,” Brooklyn laughed in agreement. “As if I was going through the whole gauntlet of playing both football and soccer at the same time just for your sake. Because, y’know, that’s a piece of cake and totally worth it.”

“Are you sure you’re not just playing football to appease me?” Dustin said with a joking tone, but he didn’t laugh.

“Of course not. No way I’d go through all this crap just for that.” Brooklyn stuck her tongue out. “As if I care what you think anyway.”

“Is that how it is, BB?” Dustin looked up from the letter he was reading with narrowed eyes. “And here I thought I was given the perfect daughter. A sensible one, at that. I guess I was wrong …”

“Let’s keep on task, shall we?” Elie attempted to reign in the conversation. “We need to start filtering through these offers a little more proactively. Brookie, are you 100% sure you’re not doing soccer and track? We can start there.”

“Fine, fine,” Brooklyn sighed. She took a look at her father. “Do you have more of these boxes? It’s time to make a reject pile.”

“Coming right up,” Dustin said, and he disappeared down the hallway towards the home office.

“So …” Elie continued, “what about baseball and basketball? Are you still keeping both of those options open?”

“Ummm, yeah, for now,” Brooklyn replied, a little uncertain. There was certainly a little pressure in that question, considering her mother had been a starter for the Sadeg State basketball team and even played in the NSCAA. Rejecting basketball would feel like rejecting her own mother. “Y’know, I’m still hoping to get some football offers too. I know it’s a long shot, but if they come they’re gonna be my top priority.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Elie affirmed. She seemed to ignore the uncertainty in Brooklyn’s voice concerning the basketball question. They already knew that Brooklyn was favoring baseball anyhow, as it was the sport she talked the most about besides football. “It’s in your best interest to narrow down the choices sooner so you’re able to have a simpler choice to make.”

“To be honest, I think I’m gonna reject anything that’s not a top program, either.” Brooklyn added. “I just don’t see myself going to a smaller school.”

“That’s my BB,” Dustin returned, a few cardboard boxes in hand. “Always wanting to be under the bright lights.”

“It’s not just that,” Brooklyn insisted. “It’s just, if I’m going to get a full ride somewhere, I want it to be somewhere that I’ll enjoy being. I think being in a bigger city would be fun. Plus the fans would be louder, and all that.”

“Sadeg is the largest non-capital city in the country, by the way,” Dustin said with obviously fake nonchalance. “Just a little geography factoid, not sure if you were aware.”

“I actually stay awake in class, I’ll have you know,” Brooklyn stuck out her tongue.

“Speaking of which,” Elie started as she began to sort the track letters into the reject pile, “how was your first day of senior year?”

“Oh, it was good.” Brooklyn replied automatically. “Honestly, I’m just glad it’s my last one of high school. Really brings all of this into perspective, y’know?”

“Definitely.”

“Just be careful, because time will sneak up on you,” Dustin said sagely. “Enjoy this time while you have it. You’ll blink, and suddenly your playing days are behind you.”

“Dad, you’ve been retired for less than a year. Are you depressed already?”

“No!”

A day later, Brooklyn was sitting on the turf of North Craggold High’s football field, going through her pre-practice stretching routine. As she went through her motions, she was joined by her fellow seniors in Mark, Julian, and Kevin. The trio of skill position guys were already in the middle of conversation as they sat on the ground to begin their stretches.

“I’m telling you, we should’ve all signed up for that study hall together,” Kevin Briggs said as they came into Brooklyn’s earshot. “That would be the perfect time to set up some sneaky audible plays. You never know when that could come in handy.”

“Dude, I told you this last spring. I’m doing a co-op this year because of my job, I didn’t have any room for a study hall.” Julian Gallagher rolled his eyes.

“Look who’s all high and mighty because he’s got a job cooking patties at Outbox,” Mark Holmes replied in a mocking tone.

“Money is money, bro.” Julian shrugged. “If that’s how you’re gonna act, I’m not gonna give you any rides when I buy myself a car.”

“You’ve been talking about this car for two summers now,” Mark scoffed. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Sure you’ve got that excuse, but what about B over here?” Kevin turned his attention to Brooklyn, who had just stood up to do some trunk twists. “I know you don’t have time for a job. Why didn’t you take the study hall with us?”

“I told you guys, I got stuck in this stupid physics lab,” Brooklyn spat.

“Oh yeahhhh,” Kevin replied. “Brutal.”

“It is,” Brooklyn confirmed. “Plus I’ve got this complete nerd of a lab partner, and I’m gonna be stuck with him all year. Total nightmare.”

“Surely it’s not that bad?” Julian suggested. “I mean, he’s gonna help you pass the class right?”

“Most definitely,” said Brooklyn. “But I’m trying to talk to the guy, and he’s got nothing. I asked him what sport he plays, he said none. I’m like, okay, that’s fine, not everybody’s athletic. So I asked him what sport he watches. Also nothing!”

“He doesn’t do anything?” Mark gaped. “Like he’s not even a band geek?”

“Nothing,” Brooklyn repeated. She indignantly pointed south where Craggold Field, the home stadium of the Sadeg Knights, was located. “Didn’t even know who the Knights were. The fuck’s up with that?”

“How is that even possible?” Kevin was astounded. “I thought Iarocav passed a law about that. Like if you didn’t follow any sports, he would come to your house and beat you up.”

“That was a TV skit, you moron,” Julian shot back. “Seriously though, that is a little odd. Maybe your influence could help show him the wonders of athletic competition.”

“That’s another thing too,” Brooklyn suddenly remembered. “Not that this matters much to me personally, but he didn’t even know who I was! I can’t even get between classes without a couple freshman groveling at my feet, but this dude didn’t even flinch when I said my name. Which he had to ask for, by the way.”

“Yeah, it really sounds like it doesn’t bother you at all,” Kevin said sarcastically. The other two guys snickered.

“What? It doesn’t bother me. I just said that.”

“Oh yeah, sure.” Mark joined in. “That’s why you just ranted for thirty seconds about it. Sounds like you can’t handle being the center of attention for once, eh?”

“That’s not it at all!” Brooklyn protested. “It’s just-”

“Just what? You’re not gonna get any special treatment from this guy?” Julian laughed. “Oh no, the world is ending!”

“Don’t worry, Jules. She’ll go home and cry to daddy about it, I’m sure he’ll tell the school board to knock some sense into this kid.” Mark cackled.

“Fuck off,” Brooklyn grunted. She wasn’t that agitated about the situation, or so she thought, but this banter was certainly not helping. The boys broke into another round of laughs, but the merriment was cut short as the coach blew his whistle to bring in the troops for the beginning of practice in earnest.

Brooklyn got home from practice later that night, tired and sweaty, but ultimately in a better mood than she had been when practice started. Working and playing always took her mind off things; it gave her something to focus on and put her energy into. Plus, she was good at it. It was satisfying to improve herself and her connections with her teammates in ways that mattered.

After showering off the grease and grime, Brooklyn laid on her bed, procrastinating on the few homework assignments she already had. To pass the time, she watched the Knights game broadcast on her laptop. She wanted to watch the game on TV, but she couldn’t go downstairs when she was pretending to do homework, and her parents wouldn’t let her have a TV in her room. Thus, she craned her neck at her computer screen, pumping her fist as first baseman Charles Adelaide belted a no-doubt 2-run shot to deep right field.

Moments later, somebody knocked on the slightly ajar door to Brooklyn’s room. Elie pushed the door all the way open as Brooklyn scrambled to hide the game feed from her view.

“Hey Brookie,” Elie started, taking a step into the room. “Are you busy right now?”

“Uh, not really,” Brooklyn closed her laptop. “What’s up?”

“Do you mind if I ask you a serious question?” Elie stepped a little closer, coming over to sit on the edge of Brooklyn’s bed.

“Sure,” Brooklyn replied tentatively. She had no idea what this would be about.

“Okay.” Elie hesitated for a moment. Her eyes roamed around the walls of Brooklyn’s room, which were plastered with dozens of posters, jerseys, and medals.

“What’s the question?” Brooklyn prodded.

“Do you really want to play basketball in college?” Elie finally launched in.

“I mean, yeah. Kind of.” Brooklyn answered quickly, but with the same uncertainty she had the night before. “I think it would be fun.”

“I see,” Elie replied shortly.

“Plus you always talk about how great it was to play in the NSCAA,” Brooklyn continued, hoping it would sound convincing. “I’d like to have that opportunity too.”

“You know, you don’t have to do that for my sake,” said Elie after a moment. “I’ll love you the same no matter what you choose to do. Even if you decide you don’t want to do college sports at all.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Brooklyn insisted. “This is what I want to do.”

“I know, I know. I’m saying that we’ve put you through a lot these last four years, and really the years before that. We saw great potential in you, and you had the drive and the passion to really bring that potential to life. But all this work, all the practices and games precious few weeks of break time add up. I wouldn’t blame you for a second if you wanted to walk away entirely. I would be disappointed, sure, and so would your dad, but we would understand.”

“Yeah?” Brooklyn said, not expecting such a serious topic. She was a little taken aback, and didn’t know what else to say.

“Mhm. The thing they tell you in all those letters is true, Brookie. This is your future, not anybody else’s.” Elie smiled, or maybe grimaced. “If you don’t want to be a basketball player in your future, then that’s alright with me. I would rather see you be happy in the place you want to be, than see you taking up my mantle. It’s not like I left a big legacy like your dad’s anyway.”

“Mom …” Brooklyn murmured. She didn’t know why, but she felt a prickle from her tear ducts. She scooted over on her bed so she could lean on her mother’s side.

“Hmm?” Elie brought her arms around to give Brooklyn a hug, and they sat for a minute in silence. Brooklyn sniffled a little bit.

“Thank you. It means a lot.” Brooklyn straightened up again. “I still don’t know exactly what I want to do. I meant it when I said that I wanted to do the NSCAA and all that. But I think that I love playing baseball or football more than I do basketball. Maybe my mind will change, but I don’t know.”

“That’s alright with me,” Elie repeated. “If anything, it’ll make your college decision just a little bit easier.”

“Thanks Mom,” Brooklyn said again. She wasn’t sure why her mom had picked this time in particular to have such a serious conversation, but she was glad it happened. Elie was right: this was going to make narrowing down the college choice simpler. At this point it would be a question of how many schools, if any, would offer Brooklyn a football scholarship … and which among the schools that offered baseball scholarships were the best options.

There would be time to think about that later, though. For now, Brooklyn and her mom enjoyed a quiet embrace.

by **Saint Kanye** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 8:49 am

After the disaster that was their second and third matches of World Bowl 47, the St. Kanye Surge bounced back to the five hundred mark, prevailing in the first of two "Battles of the Saints" between themselves and the Tapirs of Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove (whew). Yeezie quarterback R.J. Linetti had a splendid day, completing his first thirteen passes on the way to a stat line of 27/34, 311 yards and three passing touchdowns (a whopping 134.19). He also had seven carries for 62 yards and a rushing touchdown, as the Surge took a 41-27 victory on the road.

"It seemed like we were in control from start to finish," Surge offensive coordinator Dan Shelby said of his players. "It's something you love to see as a member of the coaching staff." For the first time in this edition of the World Bowl, the Yeezies did what they seem to be doing at least once per tournament and scored more than forty points. The Tapirs looked as if they were going to mount a comeback late in the game, even closing the gap to a single touchdown with less than five minutes to go, but the St. Kanye defense prevented them from scoring any more, and the offense was able to put the game away.

1Q STK Moore 39 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) STK 7-0
Tapirs nose tackle Maximilien Kowalczyk looked like he was about to sack Linetti as he dropped back to pass, but the Surge shot-caller evaded him and threw on the run to a waiting Patrick Moore for the first points of the game.

1Q STK field goal Rasputin 26 STK 10-0
Later in the opening period, the ever-accurate James Rasputin would add a short field goal to make it ten-nil in favor of the visitors.

2Q SJJ O'Farrell 14 pass from Bellerose-Deslongchamps (Kick failed) STK 10-6
Tight end Callum O'Farrell opened up the scoring for the Tapirs with a catch in the end zone, but Ji-yoo Han's attempt on the point after was blocked.

2Q STK Fredericks 31 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) STK 17-6
Kowalczyk, with some help from right end Pierre-Olivier Gaignard, succeeded in taking down Linetti this time around, bringing up third and 15 on the Surge's 31-yard line. It didn't matter, however, as Deshawn Fredericks not only managed to catch the long ball past the first down marker, he managed to dodge his defenders and take it all the way to the house for six (seven with the point after, of course).

2Q STK Malloy 71 punt return (Rasputin kick) STK 24-6
The Jean-Jacquois' succeeding drive stalled, and they were forced to go for a punt. Greg Malloy returned said punt for a touchdown, allowing the Yeezies to quadruple up on their opponents' score at halftime.

3Q STK field goal Rasputin 46 STK 27-6
St. Kanye opened up the third quarter with another kick from Rasputin, making it a three-touchdown lead.

3Q SJJ F. Guirguis 4 run (Han kick) STK 27-13
Both teams then exchanged punts, and even though Chris Florence managed to pin the Tapirs at their own nine-yard line, they went on a long drive capped off by a short run courtesy of François-Pierre Guirguis. Han succeeded on the extra point this time.

4Q STK Hall 32 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) STK 34-13
A perfect throw, a perfect catch, a perfect dash towards the end zone, and a perfect dive upon getting there. And just like that, Tyron Hall is officially a point scorer for the St. Kanye Surge, something he and his teammates certainly celebrated.

4Q SJJ Zapata-Latouche 92 kick return (Han kick) STK 34-20
However, the Tapirs managed to return the succeeding kickoff, cutting the lead back down to fourteen. They went for, and got, the onside kick.

4Q SJJ Tourangeau 25 pass from Bellerose-Deslongchamps (Han kick) STK 34-27
This was a drive that took longer than expected, seeing as the home team went backwards twice. First on a huge sack on the Tapirs quarterback by the Surge's new beast of a right end Jerome Whitlock, and later on a holding call on left tackle Jean-Jacques Noiseux. Both times however, they were able to regain the lost yards, eventually scoring on a Zachary Tourangeau reception that caused the visitors to call a timeout and regroup.

4Q STK Linetti 12 run (Rasputin kick) STK 41-27
The Surge made sure to eat up as much clock as possible on their next possession, seeing as they were still holding a seven-point lead. The drive seemed to be going well until they reached the end zone, where a short run and two incomplete passes brought up fourth down at the Tapirs' twelve-yard line. Linetti made the brave decision to go for it here, dropping back as if to throw a pass. The defenders bit, only to find out too late that it was a fake and Linetti actually kept the ball and ran with it for the score. With just a minute and change remaining, the Tapirs went rapid fire on their passes to try and advance, only for Surge safety Oliver Law to pick off Bellerose-Deslongchamps. Instead of running up the score, they simply knelt it out and waited for the final whistle to declare them victors.

The Yeezies improved to 2-2, but an inferior point differential saw them at sixth among the eight teams in Group A. "Not a good sign. We gotta score more like we showed here, but we also need to prevent our opponents from scoring more too," head coach Jeff Delphine said. The Surge will be returning home to Kardashia for next week's rivalry match against the Ko-oren Dragonflies, who sit atop the group with a clean 4-0 slate. "Man, these guys are on full on beast mode this tournament," Linetti said. "We all know about their fearsome D, but it's the offense that's making waves right now. 41, 43 and 63-point games. Am I scared though? No, I'm not. Excited, more like. Remember, anything can happen. I believe that if we do our best, we can hold our own against them. Also I can't wait to be wearing our new dark duds. Intimidating look, that." Indeed, the team will be showcasing their new alternates for next week.

After that though, it's back on the road again as the Yeezies face their group stage opponents from last World Bowl, the Rouyoutean team. "I know they won't let us crush them like we did last time, so we gotta be wary of them," Linetti said.

-------------------------------------------------------------
| MD | Opponent           | Rank | Score   | Record | Place |
-------------------------------------------------------------
|  1 | @Cassadaigua       |  15  | W 19-17 |  1-0   |  4th  |
|  2 | Gyatso-kai         |   8  | L 22-37 |  1-1   |  5th  |
|  3 | @Cardenao          |  UR  | L 27-35 |  1-2   |  5th  |
|  4 | @SJJeBOS           |  UR  | W 41-27 |  2-2   |  6th  |
|  5 | Ko-oren            |   3  |         |        |       |
|  6 | @Rouyoute          |  23  |         |        |       |
|  7 | A Place Somewhere  |  UR  |         |        |       |
|    | BREAK              |      |         |        |       |
|  8 | Cassadaigua        |  15  |         |        |       |
|  9 | @Gyatso-kai        |   8  |         |        |       |
| 10 | Cardenao           |  UR  |         |        |       |
| 11 | SJJeBOS            |  UR  |         |        |       |
| 12 | @Ko-oren           |   3  |         |        |       |
| 13 | Rouyoute           |  23  |         |        |       |
| 14 | @A Place Somewhere |  UR  |         |        |       |
-------------------------------------------------------------

by **TJUN-ia** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 9:00 am

After we managed to score a huge win over the #2 team in the multiverse, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia had somehow made it to a 3-0 record in these early stages - which certainly was a situation most in Blue and Orange were enjoying with warm smiles. This situation was one that Gus McKerrin certainly enjoyed, especially beating the Iron Legion on their turf, but he also knew that things couldn't be this rosy for long. He knew that tougher tests would be ahead, as would be the rematches against everyone they have faced so far, and so he knew that we couldn't just stand still. We had to keep going no matter what happened next.

Up next would be a visit to -Anthor-, a consistent team that were ranked #16 entering this World Bowl. We knew that with the home crowd on their side, Anthor was going to be strong and they showed that with 3 TDs and 2/3 on PATs. But we still had talent on our side, and Gareth Baldwin showed off his style with 4TDs, 2 each to Gilbert Nyamutsamba and Victor Que-et-Vous, with Clayton McGee going 2/4 on PATs - but that was still enough in the end. It was a tight battle but in the end, it was one we won 26-20. Tight. But a win all the same.

4-0. But even now, there is still a long way to go. Our 2nd double-header is on the way, as Valanora come to New Washington before we head out to Lisander for an interesting clash. Somehow, both teams are 1-3 right now, but no underestimation will be applied at all. These two have pedigree...and if we are to beat them, we must respect that. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group B)
MD1: @Tikariot (UR) W 36-3 (1st/1-0)
-------------------------Double Header------------------
MD2: vs The Kytler Peninsulae (UR) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 27-17 (1st/2-0)
MD3: @Chromatika (2) - Henza Center, D'rea W 36-26 (1st/3-0)
-------------------------Double Header End------------------
MD4: @-Anthor- (16) W 26-20 (2nd/4-0)
-------------------------Double Header------------------
MD5: vs Valanora (23) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD6: @Lisander (43)
-------------------------Double Header End------------------
MD7: vs Sarzonia (13) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
-------------------------Double Header------------------
MD8: vs Tikariot (UR) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD9: @The Kytler Peninsulae (UR) - Zube Olympic Stadium, Zube (?)
-------------------------Double Header End------------------
MD10: vs Chromatika (2) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
-------------------------Double Header------------------
MD11: vs -Anthor- (16) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD12: @Valanora (23) - Lathalein Celestial Stadium, Mar Sara
-------------------------Double Header End------------------
MD13: vs Lisander (43) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD14: @Sarzonia (13) - Joe Gibbs Stadium, Woodstock

by **Ko-oren** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 12:03 pm

*       1  2  3  4
   KOR 14 28 35 63
   CRD  7 10 17 17

Pass
KOR: Bodkin 29/32 476 yds 1 int 4 td
CRD: Dials  15/25 107 yds 2 int 1 td

Rush
KOR: Readhallow 14 car 108 yds 7.7 avg 44 lng 2 td
CRD: Fulton     14 car  36 yds 2.6 avg  8 lng 1 td

Rec
KOR: Ouimet  6/8 96 yds 16.0 avg 27 lng 2 td
CRD: Shabeux 4/4 41 yds 10.3 avg 16 lng 1 td

Def
KOR: 11 tfl 6 qbh 6 sck 4 pd 2 ff 2 fr 2 int 3 td
CRD:  2 tfl 2 qbh 1 sck 1 pd 1 ff 0 fr 1 int 0 td

Q1
KOR TD / CDR TD / KOR downs / CRD fum (KOR TD)

Q2
CRD INT / KOR TD / CRD int (KOR TD) / CRD FG / KOR half

Q3
CRD TD / KOR int / CRD fum / KOR TD / CRD fum / KOR punt

Q4
CRD int (KOR TD) / CRD downs / KOR TD / CRD punt / KOR TD / CRD punt / KOR TD

Defence thriving, scoring versus Cardenao

That's what we've been looking for! The Dragonflies turn into the second most scoring team in the World Bowl with their 46-point win over Cardenao, involving three defensive touchdowns and 63 points scored by Ko-oren in total. Jauffret's XI hasn't been as shutdown as in previous Bowls, but his unit has made up for that with the first score(s) on that side of the ball, turning into a feast-or-famine group that has given up some curious touchdowns but has also played a huge part in getting Ko-oren to score this often on both sides of the ball.

Aalander scooped up the ball on the Cardenao 11 yard line for the go-ahead touchdown after Bodkin had thrown to Gasbeek to open the score and Dials got one back via Shabeaux on the opening drives of the game. In the second quarter, there was a rapid 14-point swing with Dials heaving it to the Greenblues twice, once to Vigouroux and later to Aurisea, who took the shallow attempt to the endzone for a pick six. Despite a field goal conceded on a very long drive by the opponents, Ko-oren led by 18 points at the break and the hell had only just begone.

A quiet third quarter didn't betray too much about the fourth quarter we were going to get, with Fulton rushing for a touchdown on an early scoring drive, and Bodkin couldn't avoid the curse of exactly one interception per Ko-orenite quarterback per game so far on another ill-advised deep throw, at least pinning them down with the arm punt. A fumble later, Bodkin had a very short field of about 30 yards that he ended with another touchdown pass, with Ouimet getting unleashed in this second half with easy catch after easy catch. Another turnover went to the Ko-orenite defence, but nothing came off it, leading us into the strangest fourth quarter in quite some time. Forget all you know about the 10-7 winning, never-conceding-more-than-10-points Dragonflies. After all, Dials and Cardenao had already scored 17 today.

Bodkin threw for nearly 200 yards in the final quarter, deep shot after deep shot, and that's after the first five minutes of the quarter ended with a pick six going our way and another Cardenao drive. Bodkin led three drives from that point forward, interspersed by three-and-outs, all leading to touchdowns for 28 total points scored by Ko-oren - 21 by the offence.

by **Cardenao** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 12:24 pm

To say the mood before practice was somber after the humbling 63-17 loss to Ko-oren would be quite the understatement, Bobby Dials had seen happier funerals. The Cardenao national gridiron team was slow to trod onto the practice field with both their disappointment at losing in such a fashion and their determination to bounce back clearly etched on every player’s face. The pain of defeat cut deep, especially losing in such a humiliating fashion, but the players knew this was the moment for them to prove their worth, that their 3-0 start wasn’t a fluke and that Cardenaoans could ball. That somber mood started to melt away as a sea of fans gathered at the practice field entrance, yelling and cheering and showing their love to the team they would die supporting.

As the blue and golds took positions for drills and practice schemes, they couldn't help but look over at the fans that had gathered and were still screaming their heads off. Oh to be a fan, with their faces expressing eternal optimism and encouragement, a marked contrast to the disappointment the players were feeling. It was a reminder that the love for the sport and the team ran deep within Cardenao.

Bobby Dials, captain, quarterback, cornerstone of the team, was the one player exuding confidence and optimism. He knew this was just one game in a long competition, and the Cardenaoans had already shown they could compete at the highest level by beating the eighth and 11th best teams in the world. He spoke to his teammates before practice, reminding them of the productive journey they had embarked upon together. The team beat their chest and yelled to the sky as the fans, standing on the sidelines, roared in approval.

The energy on the practice field began to shift. The disappointment began to give way to determination. The players understood that they had the talent and the spirit to bounce back. They worked on their drills with renewed vigor, each pass, each tackle, and each catch becoming a symbol of their commitment to improvement.

The positive impact of the fans, singing and chanting, further built that sense of unity and purpose within the team. It was a poignant reminder that they weren't just playing for themselves; they were playing for an entire nation that believed in them and hung their hopes on the player’s shoulders. The unwavering support of the fans was a beacon of hope that ignited the players' spirits.

Bobby Dials, leading by example, showcased why he was captain for country and college. He made precise throws, encouraged his teammates for their positive play, helped correct any mistakes, and drove it into his team that they could put this singular loss behind them and focus on their qualification challenge. The original goal was clear and active: to enter the World Bowl unranked and prove that Cardenao belonged on the world stage in football, just as they had done in football.

That practice session that day became something more than just going through drills and exercises. It became a pivot moment, all the negative emotions and pain of the Ko-oren loss was worked out of their system, giving way to the unbreakable bond between the team as brothers and their bond with their loyal fans. The players left the field with a rejuvenated determination, their spirits lifted by the crowd behind them.

As they prepared to face even harder challenges ahead, the Cardenao national gridiron team understood that their fate was in their hands.

by **South Newlandia** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 12:30 pm

Cutoff for Groups A and B

Group A

Cassadaigua 81–20 Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove
Gyatso-kai 44–3 A Place Somewhere
Cardenao 23–24 Rouyoute
Saint Kanye 26–10 Ko-oren

Group A                                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win % 
1 Ko-oren                                      5    4   1   166   90  +76    0.800
2 Cardenao                                     5    3   2   135  160  −25    0.600
3 Rouyoute                                     5    3   2   102   63  +39    0.600
4 Saint Kanye                                  5    3   2   135  126   +9    0.600
5 Gyatso-kai                                   5    3   2   132   88  +44    0.600
6 Cassadaigua                                  5    3   2   144   64  +80    0.600
7 A Place Somewhere                            5    1   4    85  184  −99    0.200
8 Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove       5    0   5   131  255 −124    0.000

Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove 0–27 Ko-oren
Rouyoute 9–16 Saint Kanye
A Place Somewhere 27–49 Cardenao
Cassadaigua 33–31 Gyatso-kai

Group A                                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win % 
1 Ko-oren                                      6    5   1   193   90 +103    0.833
2 Cardenao                                     6    4   2   184  187   −3    0.667
3 Saint Kanye                                  6    4   2   151  135  +16    0.667
4 Cassadaigua                                  6    4   2   177   95  +82    0.667
5 Gyatso-kai                                   6    3   3   163  121  +42    0.500
6 Rouyoute                                     6    3   3   111   79  +32    0.500
7 A Place Somewhere                            6    1   5   112  233 −121    0.167
8 Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove       6    0   6   131  282 −151    0.000

Group B

Tikariot 16–9 Anthor
The Kytler Peninsulae 15–20 Sarzonia
Chromatika 36–14 Lisander
TJUN-ia 40–23 Valanora

Group B                                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win % 
1 Sarzonia                                     5    5   0   155   48 +107    1.000
2 TJUN-ia                                      5    5   0   165   92  +73    1.000
3 The Kytler Peninsulae                        5    3   2   126   84  +42    0.600
4 Chromatika                                   5    3   2   119   87  +32    0.600
5 Tikariot                                     5    2   3    62  114  −52    0.400
6 Valanora                                     5    1   4   130  164  −34    0.200
7 Lisander                                     5    1   4    50  143  −93    0.200
8 Anthor                                       5    0   5    58  133  −75    0.000

Anthor 13–35 Valanora
Lisander 23–29 TJUN-ia
Sarzonia 10–20 Chromatika
Tikariot 17–13 The Kytler Peninsulae

Group B                                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win % 
1 TJUN-ia                                      6    6   0   194  115  +79    1.000
2 Sarzonia                                     6    5   1   165   68  +97    0.833
3 Chromatika                                   6    4   2   139   97  +42    0.667
4 The Kytler Peninsulae                        6    3   3   139  101  +38    0.500
5 Tikariot                                     6    3   3    79  127  −48    0.500
6 Valanora                                     6    2   4   165  177  −12    0.333
7 Lisander                                     6    1   5    73  172  −99    0.167
8 Anthor                                       6    0   6    71  168  −97    0.000

by **Saint Kanye** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 6:41 pm

Alright, what is the world coming to? The Ko-oren Dragonflies have always been known for tiring out their opponents, preventing them from scoring, and of course, ugly scorelines like 7-3 and 3-nil. But during the World Bowl 47 group stages, the team had been putting out an exciting product, blasting the likes of A Place Somewhere 43-13, Gyatso-kai 41-27, and Cardenao 63-17. Well, they only beat Cassadaigua by a 9-7 margin, but old habits die hard anyway.

This of course provided a bigger challenge for the St. Kanye Surge, the Dragonflies' Matchday 4 opponents, seeing as the former will not only have to plan around shattering the latter's tough defense, but clamping down on their potent offense as well. Yeezie quarterback R.J. Linetti had said that he was more excited than scared to face his team's bitter rivals, and that one could expect the Surge to play to the Dragonflies' level if they put in all the effort. Sure enough, they did - not only did St. Kanye manage to shake off a slow start and escape with the 26-10 win at home, they were also able to hold the much-hyped Ko-orenite offense to zero points. "They [Dragonflies] gave us quite a fight at the start, and at some points towards the end of the game," Linetti said. "But once we got going, we got harder to stop." He recorded a stat line of 16/24, 232 yards, two touchdowns and one interception (for a rating of 106.25.

1Q KOR Duterte ?? interception return (Bennett kick) KOR 7-0
Yes, we were mistaken. No, the cornerback who gave the Surge problems in the past was not out of the lineup, and he made it very clear, snatching Linetti's errant pass in the air and returning it for a pick six.

1Q STK N. Jackson 10 pass from Linetti (Kick failed) KOR 7-6
The home team retaliated with a Linetti pass to fullback Nico Jackson that came after a long drive, but they couldn't tie the game up as the visitors managed to block James Rasputin's try for the extra point.

2Q STK field goal Rasputin 53 STK 9-7
Rasputin made up for his mistake earlier with a long field goal in the second quarter that put the Surge in the driver seat, where they would remain for the rest of the game.

2Q STK Moore 21 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) STK 16-7
After limiting the Surge to just three points on that drive, the Dragonflies tightened their defense up even more and forced them to punt on their next two. It even looked like it would be three - Maukiliru Gomoltinden having taken down Linetti in the backfield to bring up third and 14 on St. Kanye's own 26-yard line. Linetti threw a long pass to try to get the first down, but the pass intended for Deshawn Fredericks fell incomplete. Wait, no! The referee blew his whistle, it was defensive pass interference on Cuthbert Callader. This moved the chains and gave the Surge more chances to score, which they eventually would, Patrick Moore soaring over two defenders and outrunning them both to the end zone.

3Q KOR field goal Bennett ?? STK 16-10
Ko-oren had the ball to start the second half, a great return by Guy Chelmstomb enabling them to start near midfield, their own 43 to be exact. But it was the Yeezies' turn to show what their defense is made off, two sacks by Robby Edison and Davon Rockwell causing visitors to go backwards and eventually settle for the Abner Bennett field goal.

4Q STK Varley 96 fumble return (Rasputin kick) STK 23-10
It would take until the 4:38 mark of the fourth quarter for the scoreboard to change again. Starting their drive at their own ten-yard line, the Dragonflies advanced through the field and eventually reached the red zone. Spencer Galway was just about to run the ball in for the tie (and with a successful point after, potentially the lead), only to run into the wall that is St. Kanye's defensive line and get the ball knocked out of his hands by Edison. Linebacker Justin Varley dutifully scooped that brown oval up and ran, a trail of Dragonflies at his heels. The ten, 20, 30, 40, midfield, 40, 30.... you get the point. Varley reached the end zone unopposed, Rasputin made the XP, and instead of the Surge's six-point lead being erased, it grew to thirteen.

4Q STK field goal Rasputin 44 STK 26-10
With 24 seconds remaining, Rasputin hammered in another field goal, and with it the final nail in the coffin for the visitors.

It was a morale-boosting win for the Surge, who improved to 3-2 while handing the Dragonflies, eight places ahead of them in the world rankings (#3 vs. #11), their first loss and dropping them to 4-1. "The job is not yet done though," said St. Kanye's head coach Jeff Delphine. "Against Ko-oren, it's only half done since we still have the return match at their home turf in a few weeks. Against the rest of the group, there's plenty more to play and hopefully win, starting with Rouyoute next week."

-------------------------------------------------------------
| MD | Opponent           | Rank | Score   | Record | Place |
-------------------------------------------------------------
|  1 | @Cassadaigua       |  15  | W 19-17 |  1-0   |  4th  |
|  2 | Gyatso-kai         |   8  | L 22-37 |  1-1   |  5th  |
|  3 | @Cardenao          |  UR  | L 27-35 |  1-2   |  5th  |
|  4 | @SJJeBOS           |  UR  | W 41-27 |  2-2   |  6th  |
|  5 | Ko-oren            |   3  | W 26-10 |  3-2   |  4th  |
|  6 | @Rouyoute          |  23  |         |        |       |
|  7 | A Place Somewhere  |  UR  |         |        |       |
|    | BREAK              |      |         |        |       |
|  8 | Cassadaigua        |  15  |         |        |       |
|  9 | @Gyatso-kai        |   8  |         |        |       |
| 10 | Cardenao           |  UR  |         |        |       |
| 11 | SJJeBOS            |  UR  |         |        |       |
| 12 | @Ko-oren           |   3  |         |        |       |
| 13 | Rouyoute           |  23  |         |        |       |
| 14 | @A Place Somewhere |  UR  |         |        |       |
-------------------------------------------------------------

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:08 pm

SOCIAL SEASONS OF SHIN-GORYEO: SYNOPSIS

For those wondering about the Social Seasons, an introductory article about it is available here.

Year Season Month City Function
1 Small Oct. Dongnae-Halifax Festival de Dongnae
Brief synopsis: Raoul-Christophe 'R.C.' Jang-Nolan meets his friend Louise and tells her that there will be a new film project of his that could be his 'finest work', but will likely require assistance from a specific studio.
With a set plan for the presentation of the project, R.C. heads to the premiere at the Festival de Dongnae, where he lightly drops the notes of Rico Sierra, the Quebeco-Krytenian chair of the Monte-Sierra studio, of 'Barbenheimer'.
Sierra finds it amusing, but informs R.C. to give about a month before deciding on the project.
Cutoffs to occur: July 1 (Louise) - July 3 (Raoul-Christophe) - July 5 (Festival Review)
---
1 Small Nov. Joongyeong Bal des Ballons
Cutoff to occur: July 7 - July 9
---
1 None Oct. Mlima Kijani Testiculos Ceremony
Cutoffs to occur: July 27 - July 31 - TBD (Likely in DBC)
---
1 Large June Montevicio Montevicio Emerald Ball
Cutoffs to occur (Likely in DBC): TBD - TBD - TBD
1 Large July Joongyeong Grand Prix de Joongyeong
Cutoffs to occur: August 31 (Pierre) - September 3 (Dr. Heo) - Sept 6 (The Siblings)
2 Small Oct. Joongyeong Final Night of the QBC Proms
Cutoffs to occur: September 24 (Myeong-Shin) - September 26 (Ian)
1 Large April Joongyeong Jongmyo Jerye
2 Large May Songak Athlone Gala
2 Large July Adelphi Castle Adelphite Festival

The Social Seasons of Shin-goryeo

PART 15 - Last Night of the QBC Proms - Ian

'That's interesting,' Myeong-Shin commented, as he heard the penultimate song of the Final Night of QBC Proms being played out. 'Hail Stadacona', a 1800s patriotic anthem that originally began as the coronation chant for the Alexandre I 'The Great' in 1726, the year of his coronation, was sung by Orlando Soto Reyna, a Nueva Orinoquian tenor in his mid fifties with strong sense of vibrato in his voice. Myeong-Shin and Ian, who were familiar with the classical music themselves thanks to matters of early-child education, had heard about his reputation as a prominent tenor, which included three stints with the Opera de Joongyeong in the past ten years.

The continued crescendo of the song, which was a natural in this part of the night's procession, was a good time for them to talk of more personal matters, which included a possible takeover bid involving one of the biggest, if not the biggest, gridiron league in the world. Myeong-Shin raised his voice: 'Those two are no doubt at the very polar opposites, and I do not know if you like either of them. You know what I mean, like it was just a year or two ago when they had a certain Petrogradian Mezzo(-soprano) and 300-something Glee-club teenagers who, in all fairness, were very impressive as choruses.'

'Yes, I suppose,' Ian commented. 'Before I forget, there's also New Quebec Fighters though in their case, the situation doesn't look so green, or so to speak.'

'Isn't that where Ernest Bello's playing? Everybody knows how impressive he had looked at Saguenay, in all fairness to them, and that no doubt led into a rather...interesting dillemma,' Myeong-Shin said. The level of hype Ernest Bello had received in the days between his final, graduate year with the Fighting Irish of their alma mater, Universite du Sagueay, and his first start at the RFL were anything but sane, with many proclaiming Bello, who had led the same program to their first and only semifinals finish, to be the next Dexter Ahn, Lautner himself, or even Sarai Gwenderyn in this part of the world. Of course, whether Bello had lived up to the hype is another story, but he was still carving out a strong career for himself. 'I hear that stayed mostly out of trouble, has learned plays well enough and should have a decent career in the RFL.'

Ian was convinced with his friend's analysis of Bello, who he did not exactly rate highly but still viewed to be a serviceable quarterback. Of course, barely any quarterbacks fit his mind, though much of the issues in his case was that Lautner preferred all-knowing pylons over more..mobility-driven quarterbacks. 'That's very much correct,' Ian said as he raised his eyebrows. 'And it's a decently run organisation, so I'm not going to be the one against them.'

'So we have the Fighters, the Ironmen and the Vamp..I meant Redwolves,' Myeong-Shin answered, right as they moved to the first incantation of the chorus, which went along the lines of Rule Stadacona, Stadaconans rule the waves. Shingoryeoites shall never be te slaves. 'Now we have a full slate. List me your thoughts on the Redwolves first then. You know the best about those quarterbacks yourself.'

Ian went straight to the analysis. 'You know their record, first, but let's look at it from stylistic approach,' Ian said. 'Fiston's a primarily offensively-minded team, and in all fairness it's well-built for that. They have one of the best halfbacks in the world, we all know who Jack Hoy is after all, and the line is fine offensively. Helene Lindebaum, she's another Fighting Irish graduate playing in the league, and centres both national team and the Redwolves, and it's a decent offensive unit. Could use a couple of receivers or tight ends, guys like that Horny Horton bloke.

'Or a guy from Ratzupalfu or Richardson. But cut straight to the focal point, my friend,' said Myeong-Shin. 'Proudfoot, Lane.'

'He's a franchise quarterback, played for Cavsar where he showed in his senior year that for project guys like him, it's just the matter of if or when they finally put everything together. Once that happened he became one of the best in the World, arguably even more underrated than he already is, but this is something that happens when your private life is...yes, even muddier than the rainy fields of Ratzupalfu. None of us have played in one, but you know what I mean.'

'Too much of a liability are you saying?' Myeong-Shin asked. 'I mean, we've seen those before. Just ask the CSKA or Fontvielle Impact when Marco Hertel was still playing. And he's still not really allowed back into Quebec past certain number of days without the RQP (Royal Quebecois Police) escorting him, precisely for the reasons that only you and me know,' he added, making sure to add a mention of Marco Hertel. 'The most openly-prowling warlord out there.'

He knew that one of the most talented footballers in Quebec the past twenty years has only added layers of infamy since retirement, from being guarded by five-hundred policemen on his way from Joongyeong Airport to the PlayToy Mansion (OOC: keep in mind this is specifically to avoid certain friend of Myeong-Shin from coming near his presence, as ordered by the Daemyeonggoong Palace), to quietly fielding a personal army of own named Marco's Slaves. The rumours on the town were that he, who was canonised as 'San Marco' in Ruland on the other side of Inner AO, were ready for an inevitable advance on 'Big Bad Farolera'.

'Precisely, I'm sure the Lissoubas would have some serious words about Praxis Collingwood and her child, Jimothy. Don't forget that there appears to be a child custody case that will activate the moment Proudfoot arrives in Quebec. Lissouba appears to be insistent, especially since it involves one of the Forest City Athletic players,' Ian said, before continuing. 'Just too much of liability that would get us in dogwater. Not because of antitrust or conflict of interest this time, but the morality reasons. It would not look good on me, nor you or anybody else really.'

'Of course not,' Myeong-Shin answered. 'You know as well as I do, arguably even more because you run a QBC show in Sunday morning. The most primetime slot out there in the television,' he then briefly turned around to look at the chorus continuing to blast. They were in middle of the second verse. 'What about the Ironmen?'

'You know them as well as I do,' Ian said. 'In another life, we would have been Saint John Steelers fans or players.'

How cruel the life's coincidences would be. They both knew, especially considering that Ian Lautner would go onto play for two teams that the Steelers themselves had a long history of rivalry against - Joongyeong Voyageurs with their star logo, and Attawapiskat Broncos who had faced the Steelers no less than fifteen times in past half-century - but it was every bit respectable of franchises. But the comparison, whether true or not, had suggested the level of irony if Ian were to make a bid for the Ironmen. 'Belfort, Eden Park, Benn-Kocian, that's a World-Bowl winning defensive front seven, let alone the RFL.' Myeong-Shin noted. 'But not exactly what you are looking for, I assume not.'

Ian shrugged, before giving Myeong-Shin a glare of knowing. 'It's a tempting proposition, don't get me wrong, but wouldn't it be easier to build up on a more...open kind of organisation? One with an emptier slate, so to speak.' Ian said. 'As owners and executives, you cannot try to mould a team into something that they are not, even less so if they are known for a certain brand of play. This is different than if you could clean up the image of an organisation, but that's a Fiston kind of problem, not that of either Pittsburgh or New Quebec. I'm sure we've seen that with the Rovers, where I have mostly kept things going the way they were, or Perce Town, where the city size had dictated the market approach for the club.'

Myeong-Shin immediately understood what he was going for. He, after all, had played into two extremes of successful franchises in his playing days - Kingston 'Brokeball' Tigers and Concord Heights 'Los Pinstripes' Royals. There was no right or wrong model of ideal franchise in their case, but what was made clear to those joining the organisations, as he had experienced twice, was that you don't try to change things without a valid reason. And there existed no reason for either. 'So you are suggesting that the Fighters would be easier to at least work things out, so to say,' Myeong-Shin said.

'Precisely,' Ian answered. 'It's a longer project, but we will be at least keeping things more in line with what the Ranorians have over there. We the people from the motherland, keeping things happy. Building things up for when the Father Time provides the way.'

'I suppose that is not a bad idea,' Myeong-Shin nodded right as they would go into the final round of chorus.

by **Ranoria** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:23 pm

ZYX

Cutoff for Game 5 and 6!

Group C

Group C
Week 5
Quebec and Shingoryeo 63–21 Sudilia
HUElavia 36–59 Corporate City 1
Drawkland 43–3 South Americanastan
Sea Dome 64–17 Ardsk

Week 6
Sudilia 13–12 Ardsk
South Americanastan 0–12 Sea Dome
Corporate City 1 14–23 Drawkland
Quebec and Shingoryeo 24–0 HUElavia

 Group C                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA
1 Quebec and Shingoryeo       6    6   0   228   90
2 Drawkland                   6    5   1   226  132
3 HUElavia                    6    4   2   182  139
4 Corporate City 1            6    3   3   150  127
5 Sea Dome                    6    3   3   146  152
6 Sudilia                     6    2   4   118  181
7 Ardsk                       6    1   5   110  227
8 South Americanastan         6    0   6    61  173

Group D

Week 5
Banija 29–24 Terefuxe
Abanhfleft 28–13 The United Fruit Company
Bongo Johnson 19–15 Torisakia
South Newlandia 40–13 Peru 2022 RP

Week 6
Terefuxe 46–7 Peru 2022 RP
Torisakia 10–39 South Newlandia
The United Fruit Company 15–9 Bongo Johnson
Banija 47–3 Abanhfleft

  Group D                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA
1 Banija                      6    6   0   222   86
2 South Newlandia             6    5   1   187  122
3 Terefuxe                    6    4   2   218  146
4 Bongo Johnson               6    3   3   112  143
5 The United Fruit Company    6    2   4   121  161
6 Abanhfleft                  6    2   4    92  124
7 Torisakia                   6    2   4    95  164
8 Peru 2022 RP                6    0   6    87  188

by **Chromatika** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:28 pm

Lisa Bonsoon Fitting in Corner Back Room without Issue as Iron Legion Defense Clamps Down

#21 - Nikolai Dimitrov - 30 years old – Sisonoke Leopards (Banija). 6 ft 5 inches. Sticks to his man like glue, uses long arms to break up completions. Perfectionist. (Felswyr State University graduate)
#27 - Victoria Mio - 26 years old - Fermete Maulers (Ranoria). 6 ft 8 inches. Lanky, aggressive, ballhawk. Instinctive player who studies to make up for fundamental weaknesses. (Cold Hill University graduate)
#29 - Paul Mattieu - 27 years old – Richardson Fenrirs (Ranoria). 6 ft 3 inches. Plays a bit more aggressively for the ball. (Felswyr State University graduate)
#23 - Mastaya Vorpen – 25 years old – Isipongo Wild Boars (Banija). 6 ft 2 inches. A corner who can be on an island and contest almost anything thrown his way, really showed up for the Lava during their NSCF 27 run to the title game. (Staramara Tech University graduate)
#20 - Lisa Bonsoon – 21 years old – Felswyr State University Firehawk (Chromatika). 6 ft 11 inches. Ballhawk with tremendous range, and instinct. She’s good enough to be here as a twenty-one year old, yep.

When looking at the roster of the Iron Legion, what jumps out is *not* the Quarterback, even before Sarai Michelle Bradwyn Gwenderyn went down with that sprained wrist. It's not the Wide Receivers, even if Alessandra Mio is one of the best ever at the position. It's not the Inside Linebackers, even if Jere Rinaldi and Park Mi-Hyeon are the royal couple of Chromatika in the core of the Iron Legion's defense.

No, it's the Cornerbacks. From the Thirty-year old Dimitrov who really stuck out during the Firehawks' run in NSCF 22 to Victoria Mio, the younger sister of Alessandra who grew up trying to defend her older sister her entire childhood, to Paul Mattieu, who actually won that NSCF title with Sarai, to Mastaya Vorpen, who helped the Lava to their only title game appearance to date, and ending with Lisa Bonsoon, who is arguably the most highly touted Cornerback prospect in the country, whose play in her Freshman season was essential for the Firehawks' third NSCF title - this room is full of cold-hearted killers who are willing to do whatever it takes - within reason - to win the game.

After Anne-Maurice Vivayavich's breakout performance against Valanora, it would be these five players that started to lead this team to new heights. Dimitrov and Bonsoon both had an interception apiece in the game against Lisander, while Mio held her opposition to no catches on nine targets. The two interceptions were part of a five-turnover game by the defense as the Iron Legion converted the five to seventeen points in the 36-14 victory. If it wasn't for the fact that Anne-Maurice and the offense were held to five Field Goals, the margin would've been far, far worse. Lisander scored on a punt return in an uncharacteristic mishap from the Chromatik special teams, and the only other score came on a garbage time run late.

Then, the matchup against Sarzonia came. The Stars were undefeated - and Joe Gibbs Stadium was rocking. Sure, the Stars did well enough to pressure Anne-Maurice Vivayavich at times, but the Chromatik secondary was stellar. Cameron Stallworth was held to 16-of-28 passing for 201 yards, a touchdown, and an interception - Nikolai Dimitrov striking again - as the Chromatik defense swarmed all game long. Ty'Relle Clinton had 81 yards on 14 carries, but they couldn't establish any rhythm. Lisa Bonsoon was also brilliant, having three passes deflected while playing slot corner.

With all five of these Cornerbacks seeing playing time depending on the matchup, there is reason to believe that they will continue to dominate their opposition. Vivayavich didn't do much this game - she only went 18-of-29 for 191 yards and no scores - but when they can play this well defensively and run the ball - Lana Rhodes and Rowena Hastroff combining for 201 yards and both touchdowns - the Iron Legion will be fine.

Sarai Gwenderyn is supposed to return for Week 8, meaning that the home game against Tikariot - an Unranked team making some noise - should be the last game as a starter for Vivayavich. She'll likely receive a standing ovation if she leads this team to a 5-2 record after that start.

That secondary will be a major reason why.

by **Saint Kanye** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:35 pm

This was posted late in the game between the Cassadaigua Fillies and the Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove Tapirs.

JEREMIAH BROOKE ✓

@Jeremiah_B
Stop it #Fillies they're already dead

#WB47 : #CDGSJJ

Cassadaigua eventually won 81-20. No, that is not a typo.

by **Drawkland** » Tue Sep 26, 2023 10:29 pm

"The Big Contenders"

About a week later, Dustin Beck came by to pick up Brooklyn from football practice after school. He seemed to be in a suspiciously chipper mood when Brooklyn slid into her seat, riding shotgun. He was humming along with the car music, bobbing his head in rhythm. He wasn’t smiling, but he had that sort of crinkle around the corner of his eyes.

“What’s gotten into you?” Brooklyn asked, a little weirded out. It’s not like Dustin was usually emotionless, but he was rarely this … giddy.

“Oh, nothing, nothing,” Dustin deflected immediately. “Nothing out of the ordinary, really.”

“If you say so,” Brooklyn shrugged, taking a look at her phone to occupy herself. That only lasted about thirty seconds, as Dustin’s whisper-yelled singing to the music was too distracting. “Seriously Dad! What’s going on?”

“Just wait until we get home.” Dustin tightened his lips. “I mean, not like there’s anything especially interesting at home right now, but y’know.”

“You’re weird.”

Everything seemed normal at the house when Brooklyn arrived a few minutes later. Elie was putting the finishing touches on dinner, the TV was tuned to the sports channel, and there were a few new envelopes on the counter. Dustin seemed to linger around the kitchen, rather than immediately moving to the TV as he tended to do once he got home.

“Yaaaay, more letters,” Brooklyn said sarcastically. She sliced open and quickly read the first one, which came in a thick white envelope. It was from the University of Sadeg (notably NOT Sadeg State), an offer to play only baseball. Brooklyn tutted, sorting it in the appropriate box, and went to the next one.

It was another red envelope emblazoned with the large letter R of the University of Raikennax. It was quite similar to the first one Brooklyn received, which felt like ages ago even though it was only a couple weeks.

“Wow, they’re already sending secondary recruiting material?” Dustin asked absently, seeming to focus on something else.

“Apparently.” Brooklyn carefully opened the envelope to reveal the papers inside. This was no follow-up letter, though.

Dear Brooklyn,

I am delighted to inform you that the University of Raikennax athletic department has finally reached a decision. As the head of coaching staff here, I am offering you a full athletic scholarship to play gridiron football at our prestigious university.

“Oh!” Brooklyn gasped before she even read the rest of the letter. “Oh man …”

“What is it?” Elie and Dustin turned to see what the commotion was about.

“Raikennax … they’re offering me a football scholarship! For real!” Brooklyn immediately broke into a grin as she hungrily devoured the rest of the words on the page. A lot of it was similar information from the first letter she’d received for baseball and basketball. At the bottom, it was signed by HUEY GILCHRIST, Head Football Coach.

“Woahhh,” Dustin breathed, giving a small smile.

“Yay!” Elie exclaimed, coming around the counter to read the letter herself. “Awesome!”

“I think it’s time for a new box,” Brooklyn giggled. “At least one school respects what I want. Meanwhile, some other ‘frontrunners’ haven’t even sent me so much as a postcard.” She shot a joking but pointed look at her father.

“Oh yeah?” Dustin set his jaw, dipping his head towards the counter. “You sure about that?”

Brooklyn gave a quizzical look in return, then peered back at the counter. The last letter in the stack was bright gold, with a navy blue outline of a bird-like head on the flap. There could only be one school that came from.

“Interesting …” Brooklyn raised her eyebrows. She sliced it open, pulling its various school swag contents out and dropping them on the counter. The main attraction was the large piece of paper, which Brooklyn unfolded and read carefully.

Dear Ms. Beck,

We have waited a long time to send this letter. At Sadeg State University, we have loved the Becks ever since they first donned the gold and blue. It would bring us great joy to see you become a second generation Skyhawk, following in the footsteps of your mother and father. This is why we are excited to offer you a full-ride athletic scholarship to play both basketball and baseball for Sadeg State University.

Your skillset is unique and powerful, lending yourself to be a top-level talent in both sports. Our baseball and basketball coaching staff have reached an agreement to allow you to compete in both sports at the collegiate level at the same time, if you so choose. Otherwise, either of us would be delighted for you to select a single program to devote all your time, energy, and ingenuity.

The letter continued on as the others often did, with more specific details about the university and athletic programs. At the bottom, it was signed by both coaches.

Aldus Pope, Head Coach (Basketball)
James Denton, Head Coach (Baseball)

“Sooo ..?” Dustin offered, grinning from ear to ear.

“It’s an offer from Sadeg State,” Brooklyn said, trying her best to show some enthusiasm. Honestly, she felt a little let down. Of all the schools she really wanted to see offers from, Sadeg State was the last one to send anything. They didn’t even mention anything about playing football, either. “Baseball and basketball both.”

“Ah, so sort of like that first Raikennax offer, huh?” Elie squinted over Brooklyn’s shoulder to read the letter herself. Brooklyn handed the paper over to her mom to make it easier.

“Yeah, I guess. But this one didn’t even mention football.” Brooklyn leaned against the counter, flipping through the bumper stickers, pins, and standup Skyhawk cutout that came with the letter. “At least Raikennax mentioned that they were looking into football at the time. State didn’t even give that courtesy here.”

“Aw, come on BB,” Dustin raised his hands in a half-shrug. “They’re a big university, lots of bureaucracy to sort through. I’m sure the football offer will come along soon.”

“You’d think with how much they want me to commit, they would try a little harder,” Brooklyn huffed.

“Isn’t this exciting though?” Dustin insisted. “You’ve been talking about wanting to go to State for years. Now that offer is real, in your hands! Well, in your mom’s hands right now, but you get the idea.”

“Well yeah, of course.” Brooklyn replied automatically. “It’s just … I dunno, a little underwhelming is all. I am excited though. Really.” She stepped over to give her dad a hug as Elie put the letter back on the counter.

“Not that I want to sway your decision one way or the other,” Elie added, “but I could remind you that Sadeg State is a mainstay in NSCAA competition. There will be at least one during your tenure, maybe two. Just saying!”

“Trust me mom, I’ve been paying attention,” Brooklyn chuckled.

“Come on, honey, there’s no need for that,” Dustin agreed. “I think the benefits of a Sadeg State education and sports career speak for themselves.”

“Whatever you say, Dad.”

Though Brooklyn still had reservations about the State offer, that didn’t stop her from being excited to spread the news to her teammates at school. Really, she was more excited about the football offer from Raikennax, but that didn’t get as much applause from her peers.

“Amazing!” said Grace Robbins in first period. “I’m just crossing my fingers that a big program close to home will send me something. I got an offer from Shawnia State which is tempting, but my parents would never come to games. They hate traveling.”

“They give out full ride scholarships just for playing a game?” said Spencer in the physics lab. “Good for you, I guess. I wouldn’t be caught dead in Sadeg State’s science department. It’s Corinth City or bust for me!” Geez, what a loser.

Brooklyn rode the high through the rest of her classes, until she finally got to football practice at the end of the day. She didn’t get to reveal the news right off the bat, though.

“Well boys and B, I’ve got excellent news.” Julian Gallagher had his arms raised, as if in triumph, as he walked onto the field before practice. Brooklyn, Kevin, and Mark were standing around, procrastinating on doing their stretches.

“What’s the news, brother?” Kevin asked, interest sufficiently piqued.

“It’s happened. I got her,” Julian replied simply.

“Finally got an actual woman to talk to you?” Mark replied, starting to laugh before Brooklyn’s elbow jabbed into his ribs.

“No, no. I got her.” Julian turned his head and pointed past the far end of the field, where North Craggold’s student parking lot was located.

“You finally got your car?” Brooklyn asked keenly. She craned her neck to survey the parking lot. “Which one is yours?”

“She’s over there, in the far corner. I parked on the far end so that no idiots would park nearby and accidentally scratch her paint.”

“Smart plan,” Brooklyn agreed.

“What, that thing?” Mark exclaimed. “Looks like a tiny old shitbox! Can that thing even hit highway speeds?”

“Don’t disrespect her,” Julian snarled. “I bought her used, but I’m gonna really juice her up. Get a nice engine in there, maybe update the steering. My dad said he’s gonna help me with it.”

“That’s awesome, man.” Kevin grinned slyly. “So when are you taking us for a spin?”

“Two weeks from now. Friday night.” Julian pointed at the trio. “Why don’t we go for some late night Outbox after we win the home opener?”

The trio broke into various sounds of agreement.

“Just one issue …” Julian added. “She’s only a two-seater. Like technically there’s space behind the front seats but it’ll be cramped. We’ll have to convoy to Outbox, I think.”

“I can ask my dad if I can drive his car to and from the game,” Brooklyn said immediately. “I kinda wanted to do that anyway, but this is a great excuse.”

“Perfect!”

“By the way …” Brooklyn said abruptly. “I have some interesting news myself.”

“Spill it,” Mark replied immediately. “Spill the beans!”

“I happened to receive a letter yesterday,” she said, almost nonchalantly. “A letter from a certain Sadeg State University.”

“Yoooo!” everybody exclaimed, though Kevin was the loudest.

“You got a scholarship offer?” Julian added, just to be sure.

“Yup. There’s just one issue.” Brooklyn hesitated for effect. “It’s just for baseball and basketball. No mention of football or anything.”

“Aw crud,” said Kevin. “I mean, are you even sure you’ll get a football offer from anyone that’s not some desperate bottom-tier school?”

“As a matter of fact,” Brooklyn broke into a grin. “I have received such an offer.”

“What?!” Julian exclaimed. “From who? Where?”

“The same school that sent me my first scholarship offer. Raikennax.”

“That’s amazing,” Julian replied. “So what do you think? Are you gonna take it?”

“There’s still plenty of time to think about it.” Brooklyn grimaced. “I’m still not sure. Plus I’ll probably end up with more offers coming in over the next few weeks. Dad says that I should wait for State to send me a football offer, but I’m not convinced they will. But enough about me, do you guys have any good offers yet?”

“Nothing,” Kevin replied immediately. “It’s fine, I know I’m ass.”

“Something will come along, I’m sure.” Brooklyn grinned. “I’ll make you look great this season anyway, maybe that will trick somebody into giving you an offer.”

“Nothing here either,” Julian said, but his voice sounded a little weird when he said it.

“My mom is friends with somebody in the University of Sadeg athletic department,” Mark interrupted before anybody could interrogate Julian. “She says she’ll pull some strings to get me an offer.”

“Just because your mom is banging a USadeg booster doesn’t mean you’re gonna get a scholarship!” Kevin roared. “I’ve been telling you this all summer!”

“Shut the fuck up, man!” Mark retorted.

Thankfully, Coach blew the whistle to begin practice before Kevin and Mark came to blows. Brooklyn made a mental note to ask Julian about it later, but it was quickly forgotten in the grind of practice.

World Bowl 47 - Everything Thread

NSFB: YEAH!

Brooklyn Beck (S1:E5)

NSFB: Maybe We

Brooklyn Beck (S1:E6)

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