World Bowl 47 - Everything Thread

by **Saint Kanye** » Wed Sep 27, 2023 7:17 am

After taking down the rival Ko-oren Dragonflies to tie their all-time series up at 3-3 apiece (including playoffs), the St. Kanye Surge were in high spirits as they traveled to Rouyoute for Matchday 6 of the World Bowl 47 group stages. The boys in purple and lime hoped that the momentum from the 26-10 home win against Ko-oren would help carry them past the Rouyouteans, but they were also well aware that this was a side that has spent a cycle's worth of preparation, in order not to get embarrassed against the Surge the way they did during the previous Bowl. The game went on to be a low-scoring affair, 16-9 thankfully in favor of St. Kanye. Not the forty bombs that they dropped on their opponents twice in their previous three meetings, but a win is a win anyways, and they were glad to add another one to their tally.

2Q STK Dobler 59 pass from Linetti (Rasputin kick) STK 7-0
Nothing doing during the first quarter, so we have to skip ahead to the second for some scoring action. Despite injury and age causing him to drop in the rotation, Bruce Dobler showed that he still has the moves, catching a pass from Linetti despite triple(!) coverage and taking it to the house.

3Q ROU field goal Gauthier 28 STK 7-3
The Rouyouteans found themselves in the red zone early in the third quarter, but a short run followed by an incompletion brought up third and short. Julien Girard rifled off a pass in the end zone to his tall primary receiver Alexandre Dupont, which he caught.... out of bounds. They gave up a chance to score a touchdown and knot things up at seven with a successful extra point, instead choosing to attempt the short field goal (which Pierre-Louis Gauthier made).

3Q STK Safety, Whitlock tackled Girard in end zone STK 9-3
Jerome Whitlock is really proving to be a capable replacement for the recently retired Matt Dawson, having made several huge defensive plays so far in the tournament. Another just got added to his highlight reel, as he spotted Girard dropping back to launch a long bomb, broke through the home team's offensive line, and took the quarterback down onto the ground before he could get rid of the ball. That also gave the Surge a couple more points and grew their lead to six.

3Q ROU field goal Gauthier 38 STK 9-6
Another stalled drive by Rouyoute resulted in another field goal by Gauthier.

4Q STK Silk 14 run (Rasputin kick) STK 16-6
Faced with third and short in the red zone, Gregory Silk made like his namesake and glided past his defenders for the touchdown run.

4Q ROU field goal Gauthier 36 STK 16-9
The home team just couldn't find a way to get to the end zone, as yet again the Surge D clamped down on them and caused them to settle for three. The final two and a half minutes of the game were spent by the Yeezies punting, and the Rouyouteans getting turnovers on downs.

"Yes, consider me glad for the victory, the thing is, we can't keep scoring less than we usually do," Surge head mentor Jeff Delphine told reporters. "There are times when we get hot, but we have to learn how to maintain that throughout other games. We could have used an offensive performance like we showed against the [SJJeBOS] Tapirs, a defensive showing like against the Dragonflies, things like that. Thankfully, there's plenty of tape for us to study and see what we do right and what we do wrong."

St. Kanye (4-2; third behind 5-1 Ko-oren and fellow 4-2 Cardenao) shall be capping off the first half of the group stages with the matchup against A Place Somewhere (yes, that's the name of the country) in Kardashia. APS are unranked and hold a 1-5 card, second from last in Group A ahead of only the winless Tapirs. "No game is easy though. Teams that are said to be inferior on paper, are still dangerous because they'll be looking for an upset," Coach Delphine pointed out.

-------------------------------------------------------------
| 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  | W 16- 9 |  4-2   |  3rd  |
|  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  |         |        |       |
-------------------------------------------------------------

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Wed Sep 27, 2023 9:20 am

After dealing with a stern road test in Anthor, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia were 4-0 and somehow still undefeated in this long WB journey. Sure, being 4-0 was certainly a blessing that we weren't going to underestimate at all but it also felt weird to be this good after all the recent pain the sport had been through in this country. Gus McKerrin has certainly enjoyed the spotlight, don't get anyone wrong there, but it just felt like things were too good to be true...but was it?

Our 2nd game at the Field of Dreams in The Gardens of New Washington would be a big fucking deal as #23 Valanora, a traditional World Bowl power despite their 1-3 record, would be our opponents. The Sabres of Andy Magnusson have fallen on hard times recently but we were expecting them to give us everything they had and that is exactly what they did - with Håkon Schau managing 3 TDs (1 each for Nikolas Isaksen, Emil Gundersen and Max Strömberg) while Edvard Söderberg managed 2/3 in PATs and a FG as well. As for us, we simply let Gareth Baldwin cook and he certainly would do that with 5 TDs (2 each for Gilbert Nyamutsamba and Victor Que-et-Vous, 1 for Fremont Whitehorse) while Clayton McGee went 4/5 on PATs. The reserves would come in to end the game, with Leon Gallas finding Peter Borosić for a TD but Xander Tiovannen did miss his only attempt at a PAT. But that wasn't a bummer at all as this 40-23 win moved us to 5-0 - and that's all we could ask for.

Then it was back on the road to take on 1-4 Lisander and like the Anthor game, this one was certainly tougher than many would've been expecting as Lisander produced a defensive performance topped off by 3 TDs, 2/3 PATs and a FG. But, once again, we just about had enough on the day as Baldwin produced 4 TDs (2 each for Fremont Whitehorse and Victor Que-et-Vous) while he also threw to Gilbert Nyamutsamba for a 2PC. McGee ended up going a perfect 3/3 on PATs and that would be that, a 29-23 win that wasn't pretty but it got the job done...and meant that we were now only one of 3 teams left yet to take an L.

Being 6-0 felt nice, but this 1st half still had one more game left to go...and it will be a big one. New Washington will host the 5-1 Stars of Sarzonia in a game that will definitely say a lot about both sides...and I cannot wait. Someone has to win that battle...and no one really knows who and how. 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 W 40-23 (2nd/5-0)
MD6: @Lisander (43) W 29-23 (1st/6-0)
-------------------------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) - Qardinal Field, Borlfield
-------------------------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 **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Wed Sep 27, 2023 9:49 am

This audio RP covers part of the pregame show on KBT, the Kytlerian TV network that holds World Bowl rights, ahead of the Game 7 matchup with Anthor in Borlfield.

Presenter Graham Harper hands over to a pre-recorded feature from reporter Andrew Charlton.

by **Sarzonia** » Wed Sep 27, 2023 10:18 am

Sarzonian national gridball team manager Gavin Davis barely kept himself from flying off the handle after a much-closer-than-first-anticipated 20-15 victory over The Kytler Peninsulae.

Sure, they were unranked, but they'd shown shockingly strong form in the first half of World Bowl 47 qualifying. They brought a 3-1 record into the match against No. 13-ranked Sarzonia. They'd already defeated No. 2 Chromatika, the highest ranked team competing in this World Bowl in a 7-6 shock result. They lost to No. 7 TJUN-ia 27-17, a surprisingly strong showing against a Jaguars side that was likely wary of the newcomers.

However, Davis could point to his own team's relative ineptitude. Eleven penalties. Four turnovers, including a rare Ty'Relle Clinton fumble on the Kytler one-yard line that prevented Sarzonia from getting badly needed breathing room with 3:47 left in regulation and the Stars up by five. The Stars defence stiffened and forced a turnover on downs at the Sarzonia 49 after a desperate attempt by the underdogs to drive the length of the field for a potential match-winning touchdown.

"We played like absolute crap," Davis said. "Worst match I've seen us play and still get the win. We can't afford that kind of play against Chromatika.

They wouldn't get it. The Stars only committed five penalties, but the Stars offence couldn't get untracked against Chromatika in a 20-10 loss. Cameron Stallworth completed 16-of-28 passes for 201 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Davis's decision to forego a 47-yard Matt Andersen field goal try with 3:41 remaining and Sarzonia retaining all three timeouts drew questions.

"We knew we needed two scores," he said. "I realise now that we probably should've kicked the field goal there. Matty is as good a kicker as there is out there, even though he is young. I wanted to go for the touchdown first, but I should've remembered the situation and gotten the three and kicked off deep and try to force Chromatika to get first downs against us. That's on me."

Running back Ty'Relle Clinton ran for 81 yards on 14 carries, but only rushed one time for nine yards in the second half. Davis said the Stars were trailing by three possessions and had to abandon the run.

"Look, if we scored on that fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line (when the Chromatiks stuffed Clinton despite Davis calling for a heavy jumbo set of four tight-ends, including two offensive tackles reporting as eligible receivers), then we'd give Ty'Relle the rock," Davis said. "We didn't score on that (18-yard touchdown pass from Stallworth to wide receiver Steve Swain) until what, seven minutes left in the fourth? If it's a one-score game, you bet we're running him." When a reporter noted that Davis sounded almost relieved the Stars lost the match to Chromatika, he shook his head.

"Look, you never want to lose," he said. "But having said that, we lost to the highest-ranked side in this competition. It was fair play. They're a strong team. We knew that going in. Besides that, we know we're going to have another tough one in New Washington when we play TJUN-ia." He looked out at a reporter who raised their hand.

"Don't even think about asking that question," Davis said. "That's the ancient past. We don't deal in the ancient past when it doesn't involve gridball."

As it stands now, the battle between Sarzonia and TJUN-ia for supremacy at the halfway point of qualifying isn't the team's final goal.

"We've got bigger goals than just winning the first half and finishing top of table after seven matches," Stallworth said.

by **Cardenao** » Wed Sep 27, 2023 12:04 pm

Mihaly’s Machinations (Part IX)
(Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV),
Part V, Part VI, Part VII), Part VIII)

In a singular move, he rose from his leather chair, switched off the TV, opened his communication app, and strode out of the room.

Watching Cardenao lose by one point to Rouyoute was painful, Mihaly wished he’d watched their 27-49 blowout win vs A Place Somewhere first instead. He’d never fancied himself much of a footbal man, he was much more inclined to football, but there was something so primal about football that drew him into the sport. There was an onus on him as President of Cardenao to appear at public functions including sporting events, but those were so much more fun when he was actually having fun. Being in the stands watching an unranked Cardenao blow away the 8th and 11th best teams in the world was certainly fun. Being in the stands watching an unranked Cardenao get totally eviscerated by Ko-oren, the third best team in the world, was unbearably humiliating. So, for the next two games against A Place Somewhere and Rouyoute, Mihaly watched from his new home in the Palace of Tears, historically the residence for the King and Royal Family of Cardenao, a post vacant for over 110 years now.

Six games, four wins against much higher rated opponents, two losses against an unranked team and the third best squad in the world. Consistency and inconsistency at the same time but that was the nature of international sports, Mihaly had discovered. With all the time he spent running Cardenao, it was impressive he found the time for something so mundane as sports, but Mihaly understood the importance of the sporting world as a vehicle for advancing national interests. Indeed, some of his best diplomatic efforts had gone amidsts the backdrop of sport. The treaty with Banija, the Anaian diplomatic summit during the most recent World Cup where he quietly secured a territorial expansion for his nation, and now? Shit, now Mihaly was just a football fan.

Almost a football fan, he thought to himself as he strode through the sunset-lit halls.

There was always national business to take care of and so there was now, at the 11th hour of what was culturally a day full of rest. The issue at hand had been in contention ever since the conclusion of last years college football season, was renewed this season on the back of the LeBois Santura University Broncos having an excellent season, and now those same players had been selected to represent Cardenao in her first ever World Bowl tournament. A tournament they weren’t doing half bad in, and that’s where the issue was stemming from.

Football, that is to say, soccer in Cardenao was operating on established financial norms, including a healthy injection of funding from the Mihaly-directed Cardenao Investment Fund, and now, just like when basketball emerged before it, gridiron was clamoring for some of the modernization money that was filling the government’s coffers.

He knew the only person who would call him at this time of year, at this time of day, right after a Cardenao national gridiron game, it would have to be Steve Valentine, coach of the BSU Broncos and the Cardenao team. It was going to be a continuation of an ongoing conversation between them regarding the status of gridiron in Cardenao, both professionally and at a collegiate level. The issue at hand? Money of course.

The national team needed funding. Practice facilities, updated uniforms with modern padding to minimize injury, a representative in the Ministry of Sport, and payments to the players and coaching staff for services rendered to the Federated Republic. Then there would be Valentine’s typical push for across the board funding for collegiate gridiron play, something Mihaly couldn’t help but privaerly admire. Here was a man who had every advantage in the book, the best collegiate team, the best facilities, exclusive access to one of the best talent pools in the country, everything was stacked in Steve Valentine’s favor to succeed as BSU’s coach and establish a decades long dynasty…yet the man was the biggest advocate for allocating funding to other schools, in addition to a considerable amount of grassroots organization and funding to ensure a steady stream of prospects. Steve Valentine truly loved the game of football and bringing that game and passion to the people was quickly becoming his raison d'etre.

Mihaly saw a lot of himself in Steve Valentine’s quest, it wasn’t much different than his own mission to modernize Cardenao and develop the country into something beautiful. A mission that was going quite well and could only be bolstered by shuttling some excess funds into this football project.

After a few short minutes, the call was over. It was mostly an exchange of pleasantries, with Mihaly congratulating Steve for his team’s accomplishments in both the World Bowl and NSCF competitions. Coach Valentine gave his thanks, asked if Mihaly’d been thinking about his plan, which Mihaly said he had and would think further on it, and that was the end of that. Coach V asked if Mihaly would attend the next game against Cassadaigua, which he confirmed he would be, and the call ended. Quick, to the point, respectful, everything it needed to be. Coach Valentine would be happy to have his call answered by the most powerful man in the country and that he was following Steve’s results.

Things were coming together, at least for now.

by **South Newlandia** » Wed Sep 27, 2023 12:12 pm

Cutoff for Groups A and B

Group A

Gyatso-kai 40–0 Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove
Cardenao 45–43 Cassadaigua
Saint Kanye 49–14 A Place Somewhere
Ko-oren 39–0 Rouyoute

Group A                                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win % 
1 Ko-oren                                      7    6   1   232   90 +142    0.857
2 Saint Kanye                                  7    5   2   200  149  +51    0.714
3 Cardenao                                     7    5   2   229  230   −1    0.714
4 Gyatso-kai                                   7    4   3   203  121  +82    0.571
5 Cassadaigua                                  7    4   3   220  140  +80    0.571
6 Rouyoute                                     7    3   4   111  118   −7    0.429
7 A Place Somewhere                            7    1   6   126  282 −156    0.143
8 Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove       7    0   7   131  322 −191    0.000

Group B

The Kytler Peninsulae 16–3 Anthor
Chromatika 6–3 Tikariot
TJUN-ia 24–3 Sarzonia
Valanora 31–27 Lisander

Group B                                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win % 
1 TJUN-ia                                      7    7   0   218  118 +100    1.000
2 Chromatika                                   7    5   2   145  100  +45    0.714
3 Sarzonia                                     7    5   2   168   92  +76    0.714
4 The Kytler Peninsulae                        7    4   3   155  104  +51    0.571
5 Valanora                                     7    3   4   196  204   −8    0.429
6 Tikariot                                     7    3   4    82  133  −51    0.429
7 Lisander                                     7    1   6   100  203 −103    0.143
8 Anthor                                       7    0   7    74  184 −110    0.000

Reminder that tomorrow will be an Off-Day!

by **Banija** » Wed Sep 27, 2023 2:39 pm

Banija earn close, hard-fought win over the Regulars, with 29-24 home victory to improve the Serpent Eagles to 5-0 at this tournament

HERZEGOVINA CITY, MORAVICA- So far, the away days at World Bowl 47 have proven to be a bit of a challenge for the Serpent Eagles. Not a bit off more than they can chew challenge, of course- they've won both of them. But these are opponents who, well, Banija expect to probably run into the ground. And instead, they've required close, hard-fought wins. "Of course, this is a tourney where Banija has a brand new starting QB- of course things are going to be at least a little bit of a challenge in some regards." Said a TV analyst. "Besides, sometimes, with road games, all you can ask for is that the team comes out victorious."

But Banija's MD4 trip to the United Fruit Company, while yielding a win, did not do much to inspire confidence in the Serpent Eagles. This high-powered offense was utterly dormant in the first half. Two crucial first half turnovers where this unranked team made them pay. Throwing a 90 yard pick six on your first drive of the game is a pretty brutal bad beat for Hairte, we'll have to say. But then, in the second quarter, Kawsu Gaye fumbling inside his own 40 yard line- again, another brutal finish. They had 14 points off of turnovers, and had a 14-0 lead at half against us. Of course, we came roaring back in what became a wild second half- scoring four touchdowns to eventually take a 26-14 lead, and then holding on for dear life at the end. The United Fruit Company scored a TD with about 30 seconds left, and then recovered the ensuing onsides kick.

Nerves rising. But Ogunsola came out with the strip sack to put this game on ice- Banija escaping with the 26-21. "A lot of ugly- a lot that we have to clean up after this one." Said the head coach, Thomas Hall, to reporters. "We've got to do a much better job in these road games- what about trips to South Newlandia? Or Terefuxe? They both loom. However, away games are tough- we'll take the win, and we've got a huge Moravican homestand to prep for." Thomas Hall was right. Matchdays 5 & 6 were both home games, playing in the two largest cities of Banija's largest region- welcoming the Regulars to Herzegovina City on Matchday 5, before the 10th ranked Fleftics came to the Istria Olympic Stadium on MD6.

Terefuxe, of course, roll into this game sporting a 3-1 record- so this was a battle for first place. "They've got history in this tournament, of course- but so do we." Said head coach Thomas Hall. "It's a great matchup- these are the type of matches, with meaning, that we play this tournament for in the first place." The Regulars bring in a challening offense to try and defend against, especially when the Banijan front 7 seem to be the weakness of this Serpent Eagles squad. The goal for the Banijans, was to keep the crowd involved, and force Terefuxe into passing situations. In the opening quarter, we did the exact opposite. Banija had a 15 yard gain on its first play- but after that, we went three and out, forcing a quick punt and giving the Regulars football.

That power running game, combined with some triple option, is dreadfully difficult to stop. "You don't see it in many places anymore- hats off to the Regulars and their ability to run this." Thomas Hall told reporters. It's something that you can practice for, but can be terribly difficult for the scout team to emulate in practice. And on the opening drive, the Regulars showed the Banijans exactly how challening it could be to defend. 11 plays, 5+ minutes, 84 yard drive. 10 of them were running plays- and 4 different players had carries. 10 carries for 70 yards. One pass for 14 yards. They had the Banijan defense diving for air everywhere they went. The final play of the drive, of course, was Arthur Morgyn taking the pitch on the read-option by Torres and running it in for a TD on 1st and goal from the 7. A quick 7-0 lead for the Regulars- a hell of a start for Terefuxe.

The Banijan defense definitely needed to recover. The nice thing about the Serpent Eagles, is that they have CBs they can trust on an island on the outside. So while the Regulars took a couple of shots down the field on drive 2, Koman Tabor made two plays in coverage- enough to force a Regulars punt, and then let Ebou Hairte and the Serpent Eagles go to work. He's not quite Ice Chineze, of course, but he's an excellent player in his own right. Hitting receivers, extending the play, and the OC balancing the run game. Zamandi Ayana's powerful 6 yard touchdown run would tie this game at 7, and that would be the score at the end of the first 15 minute period.

There's nothing like a well-timed turnover to turn a gridiron game straight on its head though, right? Another read option play, as the Regulars were driving. Torres decides to keep it, and is plowing forward. But, here comes Bango Uster from the side- BOOM. Massive hit. Punches the football out- ball live on the ground. Sizo Ashenafi, the DE, recovers it at the Banijan 43 yard line- a momentum shifter, as well as excellent field position for the Banijans to really go to work. They would score on that drive- where the key play was a 3rd and 17 pass to Gabriel Yafet that netted the Serpent Eagles 21 yards and a first down. The touchdown itself was a 14 yard pass to Kalu Alazar- tip toeing like a ballerina along the sideline for that catch. And after Terefuxe lined up offsides on the PAT, our coach made the analytically sound decision and went for 2- with Hairte running a keeper on a RPO.

15-7 to Banija. That was the last touchdown of the half. The Regulars hit a field goal later on, so we'd go into halftime with the Banijans leading by 5- a score of 15-10. The Regulars came out, with that ground & pound style offense, hitting the Banijan defense with all sorts of looks we never see, and getting some solid chunk plays out of it. But they were able to break one open. Running the triple on a 2nd & 1 from the Banijan 41, Torres faked the handoff to the upback and ran right. Only one defender- so he pitched the ball to the deep back running with him, Falkenberg. Falkenberg saw daylight up the sideline- and he was gone. Spun past Makang Secka, and simply flew into the end zone. 41 yards- a stunning play, a hell of a way to come out of halftime for the visitors. They decided not to chase the point- simply kicking the PAT to extend their lead from 1 to 2.

If it's all about the big play however- well, two can play at that game. A few drives later, the Banijans started a drive at their own 4 yard line. First play from scrimmage- they needed breathing room. They handed it off to Zamandi Ayana for a 14 yard carry up the middle, and a first down. And then, well- we'll take you to the radio commentary.

Banijan Radio Commentary wrote:A punishing run by Zamandi Ayana in what has been an excellent game so far! Banijans down by 2- at the very worst, we're going to give the runner some breathing room, and not give that dangerous running offense on the other side some ridiculous field position. We come out in the I-formation- Hairte under center, a fullback in front of Ayana, a TE to the right, with WRs Alazar and Yafet split out wide. Gotta keep feeding the rock to Ayana, right? Hairte hands the ball off to Ayana- who pitches it back to Hairte! Oh, it's a flea flicker and the Regulars fell for it! Hairte tosses it DEEP down the field, and a WIDE open Gabriel Yafet catches it at the Terefuxe 40! Nobody's gonna catch him! Goodbyeeeeee Gabriel- and TOUCHDOWWWWWNNNNNNN BANIJA!

Nothing like a 2 play, 96 yard drive to take the lead at home? The stadium was rocking. We led, 22-17. And then, after forcing a Terefuxe punt on their next drive, the Banijan offense came out, rolling. Getting nice plays, trying for another scoring drive- trying to put this game on ice. But the Regulars had other ideas. Daryl Innus, their best pass rusher, is an absolute beast- and he blew past the tackles on the 2nd play of the fourth quarter. He sacked Ebou Hairte, swatting the ball as he brought down the QB. Forced fumble, and Leonyrd Ibanus was first to land on top of the football, at the Banijan 41. A huge turnover- completely changing the flow of this game.

The Regulars weren't about to let this opportunity go to waste, either. Just under 2.5 minutes later, it was the QB, Torres, who would keep it himself on the triple option, running it 8 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. A huge moment for the Regulars- they could taste the upset brewing with this fourth quarter lead. Taste it a little too much, in fact- Torres got an excessive celebration penalty, so they couldn't go for 2 to make it a 3 point game. Still, a 24-22 lead is a 2 point lead, on the road, against Banija. Not bad, eh?

Especially when you force the Banijans to go into a 3 & out on the next drive. It turned into a miniature defensive battle- the Regulars went three out, and then the Banijans went 3 and out again, and then the Regulars went three and out AGAIN- four straight series without a single first down for either team. That got Banija the ball, down 2, with 5 minutes left at their own 34 yard line. An opportunity for Hairte to thrive. Live by the big play, die by the big play, right? It would be Lafi Senghore, buried on the depth chart, who would make the key play. Brought in as the WR4 on this drive, Hairte was able to thread the needle to him twice- once, over the middle on a 22 yard post. And then, the very next play, for 18 yards on a corner route. 40 yards in just two plays. Then, Oscar Apolo took a shuffle pass over the middle 19 yards, shiftily dancing his way to the 7 yard line.

1st and goal from the 7- he hit Kawsu Gaye on a crossing route for a touchdown. PAT up and good. Needed four plays- but Ebou Hairte and this offense are explosive. Finally, forcing the Regulars to chase- but with over 3 minutes left, the Regulars could even keep the running game in the mix.

Banijan Radio Commentary wrote:The Regulars are surely driving down the field. This might be the legendary game for Torres to really make a name for himself out here. The Regulars have a first and 10, sitting at the Banijan 47 yard line. Torres takes the snap in the pistol, and is under pressure- an Ashenafi spin move has him leaving the tackle in the dust and making a beeline straight to the QB. Torres tries to step up, and realizes he can't- he throws into coverage as he's hit by the FSU grad! And... IT"S PICKED OFF! The stadium ROARS as Koman Tabor gets the interception! He goes down with 1:58 left here in the fourth quarter. A massive play- one first down wins the game for Banija! Oh my, oh my, look at the defense step it up!

The Regulars had two timeouts remaining- but the Banijans were not going to give Torres another chance. Ayana had a 7 yard gain on first down, and didn't even let this get to a third down- he ran for 12 yards on second down, effectively icing this game. Victory formation ensured our 29-24 victory. "Wow- what a game." Thomas Hall told reporters. "You see the talent, the coaching, this is one hell of a team from Terefuxe right here." Thomas Hall told reporters. "This was truly a heavyweight battle. And this is one that we won. There's a lot to be proud of- we were resilient, and made plays at many points in the game to ensure that we got this victory. A great one."

@AllBanijaSportsMagazine Banija crushes Abanhfleft in top 10 matchup at the Istria Olympic Stadium- leaping out to 34-0 lead at halftime as the team wins 47-3. Game highlighted by Apolo returning the opening kickoff 102yards for a TD, and the team never looked back from there.

@ULIFootball Have a DAY Ebou Hairte, one of our many alumni participating in World Bowl 47- is that three touchdown passes in the second quarter? All in for the QB1- who's with me?? #HairteForLyfe

Also, this marks the second ULI alumni who have started a game for the Serpent Eagles in World Bowl compeition. Does anyone know the number for NMU? I'm not sure I can count that high #LoyolaBrotherhood #StrikeDownCougarNation

@AllBanijaSportsMagazine Banija sit at 6-0 in the World Bowl, wiht an interesting away trip to a .500 Bongo Johnson on the docket. Can we earn a win here and get to 7-0 at the halfway point of these group stages?

by **Sea Dome** » Wed Sep 27, 2023 4:29 pm

Sea Dome 64–17 Ardsk

After crushing unranked Ardsk like a filet, the LEMON SHARKS have found themselves the protagonist of a new gridiron meme, "Unlike Ardsk." From passing to rushing to kicking to punting to the line, anything reliable is now "Unlike Ardsk" and vice versa. We here at the Rat eagerly await the end of this fad.

We especially regret to inform you of the new chant, though it is breathtaking in its originality and creativity.

BOX SCORE LOADING.. .

Ardsk		0   0   10  7
LEMON SHARKS	16  16  16  16

QB Ethel: 20-23 (87%), 243 yd, 2 TD, 2/2 2PA
HB Yael Jele: 241 yd/38 carries (6.3 per), 3 TD, 1 fumble, 1/2 passing, 40 yd, 2/2 2PA
FB Adam Block: 16 blocks, 1 TD, 1 FR
WR Naki Dunn: 140 yd/9 rec, 69 YAC, 2 TD, 3/3 2PA
TE Deborah Dihmonghali: 51 yd/8 rec, 12 YAC, 1/1 2PA
QB Xilo: 15-17 (88.2%), 120 yd, 1 TD, 1 int, 1/1 2PA
DE Dunden Rumathier: 5 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR, 8 yd
ILB Carrie Ebert: 2 FF, 2 int, 1 FR, 43 yd, 1 TD
CB Goatly Bannon: 3 int, 64 yd
K General Gregg duPont: 0/0 FG, 0/0 PAT, avg opp start pos: own 23
P Veda Bennett: dressed

by **HUElavia** » Wed Sep 27, 2023 6:17 pm

Land of Frauds

Well HUElavia? What do you have to say for yourself? You lose not one, but two consecutive games. Not just a simple loss, no... YOU LOSE BY BLOWOUT MARGINS.

59 points? Really? You concede that much to an unranked nation? Given we lost to Corporate City, I guess HUElavia still loves to get on all knees to give joy and pleasures to corporations. Both on and off the field. Makes sense we're called a Corporate Bordello.

And against Quebec and Shingoryeo? We were outclassed throughout the game! The offense looked cooked. Q&S just had to string up some solid drives and that was good enough. How long has it been since we've been shut out? This was not the HUElavia team this country grew up on. Sure, we're only recently seeing decent and deeper runs, but with the ranking we have, we need to do more!

The defense looked stale and jaded. Maybe we should've gotten better players from the HGFL. I know it's the group stage still, but man, those two games look horrid for the team. Hopefully this is just some one-off losses and not signs of something worse. Right?

...Right?

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Wed Sep 27, 2023 8:01 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 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) - September 27 (Raoul-Christophe)
1 Large Dec. Montevicio Montevicio Emerald Ball
Cutoffs to occur (Likely in DBC): September 29 - TBD - TBD
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 16 - Last Night of the QBC Proms - Raoul-Christophe (2.0)

It was at that point when Ian and Myeong-Shin were disrupted by a familiar presence. Noticing a certain Raoul-Christophe Kim, a 33-year-old man who wore a blue, well-tailored suit with his own goggles, entering the box, they immediately noticed that whatever the merger discussions they were to have required some thinking back at Ian and Odette's place after the show. 'Crud, why is he here today?' Ian said to Myeong-Shin, as they saw the son of the former Prime Minister of fourteen years being no less courteous, even going as far as to give light neck bow to Ian and Odette's youngest, Alana. 'Does he have no respect for some peaceful time of pomp and circumstance-'

'There is no peace attached to pomp and circumstance, Ian,' Myeong-Shin answered back. 'But young Raoul-Christophe does look every bit dandy his father was, is and will be, though too bookish to be a Prime Minister. Not a fancy sport at least in practice.'

'He's here for other reasons, isn't it?' Ian said. 'The young buck knows everybody, or at least purports to do so.' That more or less gave them a clearer hint, especially considering that Raoul-Christophe himself worked under the Intergovernmental Office, which often addressed queries between the ministries, and also between two-levels of governance. But this was also because Raoul-Christophe, who read history eight years below Christine II and Asher Lundrigan, had interned at the Royal Archives of Shingoryeo under Myeong-Shin's father, Dr. Heo Dong-Soo, and had often been present for meetings between Arsene and Dr. Heo, who held cordial relations thanks to latter being one of last postgraduate students of Raoul-Christophe's grandfather, Dr. Kim Sang-Doh, at St. Croix. 'So he's probably here to give an update. Perhaps unwillingly so.'

'Messieurs, Heo and Lautner,' said Raoul-Christophe as he gave both of them a neck bow, a suggested sign of respect he held towards the two. Hierarchy in Quebec and Shingoryeo was a weird creature, even more because it did not always tie itself towards the age, but also held the mix of familial ties and status one had held as whole. 'I believe that we have a lead into your respective situations regarding the sale.'

'Do say it please, Raoul-Christophe,' Ian said. 'Why didn't you contact us to go the other box's way? Aren't the Kims supposed to be sitting on the other box?'

'Dear father, I meant Sir. Arsene Pineau Kim, is currently occupied to his duties, and I'm afraid it would constitute as a conflict of interest if Madame Casavant were to contact us directly over it.' This part was true, for the Casavants, young Raoul-Christophe's family, were known for their longtime involvement in CSKA Quebec dating back into 1980s. 'Anyways, the good news is that the RQFA situation with Perce Town and Montreal City should be resolved as fine, provided Mr. Lautner sell Northandryun Rovers by the year's end.'

'That's not exactly the issue, from what I do know of the situation,' Ian answered. 'Year's end would give us even more time, even.'

Raoul-Christophe continued to speak. 'That is a great news, dear sir, because we have a few matters to settle on the other ends as well.' He coughed, before continuing to speak. 'As for Montesierra's permit to film Barbenheimer in Ruland, the situation will require a bit more time. I am currently in discussion with the PMO (Prime Minister's Office) to simplify the procedure, but the matter appears to be blocked by a certain high-ranking royal whose status is tied to that of Busukuma and the Royal Quebecois Navy.'

Ian and Myeong-Shin remained quiet, as Raoul-Christophe continued to speak. 'I'm sure both of you, having been part of the high society for long in this country, and in Mr. Heo's case, abroad too, know the significance of the Navy and the Commonwealth this holds. And it is as clear as possible that His Royal Highness is having his part in doing his part by intervening on that with the National Film Council and the Foreign Office.'

'Well that's great. Bloody fucking Philippe, that bastard doing his best to keep us out of our own project,' Myeong-Shin said, his temper ticking right at that very moment upon the commentary. 'Well, is there anything we can do about the situation without pissing off Busukuma or the Palace?'

'Not on your end, no, but keep in mind that there is not much you two, dear gents, or even your sister could do part,' Raoul-Christophe said. 'But I felt that it's wise to give you and Mr. Lautner a clearer sense of where we are going for, especially since we have a three-way problem or so to speak. First problem is that of Montesierra filming in middle of Ruland, putting the lives of hundreds if not thousands by going to the live warfields. Then, the second problem is the very ownership saga involving a half-dozen football clubs and addendum. Finally, the third problem is that two aforementioned problems end up clogging the fairly straightforward process that is the acquisition of one of our finest institutions internationally and at home.'

'You read the Praetorian? This is news to me,' Myeong-Shin raised his eyebrows. 'I thought you would be the very Taegukgi reader your father or the Agrippa-le-Grand kids would be known for.'

'I'm a Voyageurs fan who listens to country and fanboy Raphael Bentick (Grim Reapers and Jeongju Javelins' TE -e.d-) and Alison Swann (OOC: Quebecois equivalent of Taylor Swift), yes,' Raoul-Christophe responded, his response much drier than just fifteen seconds earlier. Being a Voyageurs fan right in the first decade of Ian Lautner's career no doubt influenced the dynamic of this situation, and he couldn't exactly hide the giddiness that would come up whenever he had to use 'Mr. Lautner' instead of 'Ian', 'Le capitain', etc. 'As you could see the second problem is more or less resolved, but the first one will require intervention beyond your control, respectively so, and only then we will see the third problem resolved.'

'Yes, we see that, Raoul-Christophe. But I don't think you are here for that, aren't you?' Ian said, cutting straight to the chase. 'There's got to be another problem that had happened between June and now, that the PMO or the Palace is dealing with, or something that his father-' He looked at Myeong-Shin, who admittedly had not been not the one most communicative to his father on his affairs. 'Has to handle.'

'Precisely so, dear sir,' Raoul-Christophe gave back a smile. 'There is a fourth problem. It will likely involve the Doc to handle it himself, but could be used as a leverage tool to address the First Problem and the Third Problem. The PMO is hesitant to address them, especially since they wish not to intervene on the Rulandese Front of the Great War of Farfadillis, but I don't think what they fear is so much of an issue after all, especially if they could just pass off Marco Hertel's possible role in the future as that of an individual deviation. I'm sure both of you, especially Mr. Heo, agree on this as much as I do.'

'Precisely so,' Myeong-Shin said. 'If the PMO is too hesitant to address, but may or may not involve our fathers and the Privy Council, what the hell would it be?'

by **Ranoria** » Wed Sep 27, 2023 8:55 pm

ZYX

Week 7 Cutoff!

Group C

HUElavia 57–13 Sudilia
Drawkland 30–20 Quebec and Shingoryeo
Sea Dome 28–3 Corporate City 1
Ardsk 17–15 South Americanastan

  Group C                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA 
1 Quebec and Shingoryeo       7    6   1   248  120
2 Drawkland                   7    6   1   256  152
3 HUElavia                    7    5   2   239  152
4 Sea Dome                    7    4   3   174  155
5 Corporate City 1            7    3   4   153  155
6 Sudilia                     7    2   5   131  238
7 Ardsk                       7    2   5   127  242
8 South Americanastan         7    0   7    76  190

Group D

Abanhfleft 3–3 Terefuxe (10–3 OT)
Bongo Johnson 0–28 Banija
South Newlandia 51–3 The United Fruit Company
Peru 2022 RP 41–41 Torisakia (44–41 OT)

  Group D                   Pld    W   L    PF   PA 
1 Banija                      7    7   0   250   86
2 South Newlandia             7    6   1   238  125
3 Terefuxe                    7    4   3   221  156
4 Abanhfleft                  7    3   4   102  127
5 Bongo Johnson               7    3   4   112  171
6 Torisakia                   7    2   5   136  208
7 The United Fruit Company    7    2   5   124  212
8 Peru 2022 RP                7    1   6   131  229

by **Drawkland** » Wed Sep 27, 2023 9:35 pm

"The Mysterious Stranger"

The two weeks passed really quickly for Brooklyn. Practice blew by. She was making her throws and running the ball well, so when they went on the road for the first game of the season, it was no wonder that North Craggold won 63-7 against a lowly rural school outside Sadeg. The team was looking great as they approached their home opener.

Besides the physics lab, Brooklyn’s classes were going swimmingly. It was senior year after all, most of the classes were cake for an easy A.

“Ms. Beck,” her lab teacher, Mrs. Hardy said the day before the home opener. Brooklyn had been called to the teacher’s desk before class started. “Your pretest results were awful. I know this is a lab course, but you must take it seriously. There’s a month before the midterm, but you have a long way to go if you’re going to pass it. If you need help, you should pay more attention to your lab partner as you’re assembling the lab reports.” She put a suspicious amount of emphasis on the word ‘you’re’ regarding the reports.

“Yes ma’am,” Brooklyn replied sullenly, and trudged back to the lab table, where Spencer already had his equipment for the class ready.

“Everything going alright?” Spencer asked, seemingly innocent.

“It’s fine. Shove it, man.” Brooklyn hissed. There’s no way Spencer could’ve heard what Mrs. Hardy said; their table was well out of earshot. She figured Spencer was sharp enough to piece it together himself, though.

“Doesn’t sound fine to me.” Spencer sighed. “Listen, if you’re serious about graduating on time, you can’t let this class fall to the wayside. Also, I’m sick and tired of doing all the work myself. I don’t mind doing most of it, but I’m not gonna do every report in its entirety as you sit here daydreaming about balls all class.”

“Rephrase that,” Brooklyn growled.

“My bad,” Spencer said quickly. “Point stands, though. I can tutor you, if you want. I’ll give you my phone number so you can message me whenever you need help.”

“Thanks, I guess. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Brooklyn woke up earlier than usual the next morning. It had just occurred to her that she’d forgotten to ask her dad to borrow his car for the day, so she could drive it to Outbox after the game with her teammates. She had to get up in time to catch her dad before he went to work.

“Hey Daaaad,” Brooklyn murmured sleepily as she walked into the kitchen.

“Morning BB. What’s got you up so early?” Dustin was assembling his lunch for work. It was funny, seeing him all dressed up in a polo and slacks. After retiring from football, he was immediately rehired by his former employer, the Sadeg Spartans in the GLD. Instead of playing QB, he was working as a “brand ambassador,” whatever that meant. He was hoping that they’d let him become the QB coach in the near future.

“Um, I have a question. A request, really.” Brooklyn put as much sugar in her voice as she could manage in her half-conscious state.

“Mhmm,” Dustin narrowed his eyes. “And what would that be?”

“Can I drive your car to school today? The boys want to hit Outbox after the game and I might need to drive. I don’t want to burden you or mom with such a responsibility.” Brooklyn was starting to wake up.

“Well, that certainly seems possible.” Dustin furrowed his brow in thought. “Don’t you need a parking pass to park in that lot during the school year?”

“I got a guest pass for today,” Brooklyn lied. She hadn’t thought about that, but she could pick up a one-day guest pass once she got to school. “And I can park the car on the far end so that none of the idiot juniors scrape it trying to park.”

“Good thinking.” Dustin hesitated, as if weighing the options, and nodded. “Alright, you can have my car today. It better come back spotless, though!”

“Yes sir!” Brooklyn replied curtly. She added, more sweetly. “Thanks Dad.”

“You’re welcome, BB. Anything for you.”

Approximately 12 hours later, Brooklyn was suited up in the red and blue colors of North Craggold High, bouncing on the balls of her feet at the door of the Wolves locker room. The school day had rushed by, the walkthroughs passed in a blink, and it was time for the last first home game of her high school career.

North Craggold’s head coach, Bill Franco, hyped up the team in the locker room before lining them up and sending them rushing towards the field. Brooklyn led the charge, bounding under the bleachers, over the track, and onto the turf as the marching band blared the fight song for the huge crowd. NCHS was a big school in a big city, and this was a big event. The main grandstand was packed, and even the away fan bleachers on the other side were stuffed. It was going to be huge.

The opponent was Castle High, an extremely old school located near the historical center of town, where the old town of Sadeg was located. North Craggold and Castle weren’t really heated rivals, but a crosstown team is one you have to beat. Castle’s Knights had a good squad, so it wasn’t going to be easy.

Even the game itself seemed to slip by quickly. Too quickly, it would seem. Brooklyn had a decent performance, but the big Castle defensive line was having its way with North Craggold’s rather young O-line. Brooklyn was doing her best to stay out of trouble, but there’s only so much she could do when there were only two seconds to throw almost every play.

Mark Holmes was also suffering behind the crumbling O-line, but he did pop off a good run every now and then. Castle’s linebackers weren’t as airtight as the D-line, so if somebody could get past the line of scrimmage they could tear up some yardage. Mark was the first to score, busting through the line for a two-yard TD run late in the second quarter.

North Craggold made a couple big plays to keep themselves in the game, as the defense came away with several turnovers. One was a pick on the first play of Castle’s drive after halftime, setting up Brooklyn and the Wolves in prime field position. Following Mark grabbing a couple yards on the ground, Brooklyn got a strike to Kevin Briggs in the end zone for another touchdown.

Castle had a few good drives of their own ending in points, even against North Craggold’s excellent secondary. When Brooklyn tossed a TD pass to a sophomore tight end with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, it tied the game at 21. Castle followed that with a frustrating drive, eating up the clock and getting first downs until the NCHS defense finally locked down and forced a field goal attempt.

Now only three minutes remained on the clock, and Brooklyn needed to lead a drive to tie or take the lead, preferably with no time left for Castle to mount a comeback drive of their own. As the special teams received Castle’s kickoff, Brooklyn turned to Julian Gallagher standing next to her.

“Can I count on you? We need to get down the field quick.”

“I can make a move. I got you.”

Thankfully, Coach Franco was on the same page as his players. He called a shot play for the first of the drive, giving Julian the chance to shake someone and get deep. Brooklyn took the snap and immediately faced pressure on the right side. Instead of shrinking away, she suddenly accelerated in the same direction, bumping past the Castle lineman and breaking free of the pocket to her right. The sudden movement drew the attention of the Castle defenders in the area, who knew that Brooklyn was a dual threat like her father. She wasn’t looking for ground yards here, though.

The distraction had given Julian a perfect opportunity to make his move on the Castle defensive back, who bit wildly and fell three steps behind. Brooklyn paused her stride, pulled up, and launched the ball (a little wobbly) down the sideline. Julian had to shorten up to catch the ball, giving the defender enough time to catch up, but Jules came down with the ball regardless. One play, fifty yards, and now North Craggold was already knocking on the door with minutes to go.

At this point, Brooklyn wasn’t thinking about anything else. The pressure of the moment, the context of the game, the anxiety of everything else she was dealing with, it might as well have never existed. To her, all that mattered was getting this ball into the end zone. Her eyes were locked into something like a thousand yard stare, yet she seemed to be aware of everything at once. Kevin and Mark sometimes called this “The Zone.” Brooklyn would disappear into the zone, and generally came out of it with points on the board.

The Wolves got yardage, a couple quick strikes from Brooklyn, but the time ticked away so very quickly. The crowd stomped on the loud metal bleachers, the drumline pounded quick bits in between snaps. It was loud, and the younger players on the team were feeling it. Meanwhile, Brooklyn could’ve been at a tropical resort, and you wouldn’t have noticed anything off about her demeanor. The time ticked away all the same, and North Craggold was still too far from the end zone. All of a sudden, it was 3rd and Goal from the 6 yard line, and only five seconds remained on the clock.

Coach Franco called his last timeout to bring his troops together. In the huddle, he began to congratulate the offense on their drive down the field, and discuss the plan for overtime.

“Coach,” Brooklyn interrupted.

“What?” Franco was pissed. He didn’t like being interrupted, of course.

“Fuck the field goal. Give me the ball.”

“Don’t talk to me like that, Beck. We’ll win this game in overtime.”

“We’ll win this game now. Let me handle it.”

“Beck, your job is to throw the ball. I make the decisions around here. Now shut up and get on the side-”

“This is my last season, coach. I need to make this count.”

“I don’t give a damn. Nobody here gets special treatment, not even you.”

“This isn’t special treatment. This is winning the damn ballgame.”

“I don’t care what you think it is, you-” Franco was interrupted by the referee’s whistle blowing. The timeout was over, and he hadn’t gotten the time to assemble the special teams unit.

“Hey O!” Brooklyn yelled out suddenly. The starting offense all perked up to listen. “Gun Deuce Right, Bench Option, 480, On two!”

While the North Craggold special teams unit hesitated on the edge of the sideline, waiting for Coach Franco’s signal, the offense rushed back out to the line of scrimmage with Brooklyn leading the way. The play clock was already rolling, and now all 10 men (and 1 woman) were setting up in formation. Franco cursed and motioned for the special teams unit to stay put as the crowd roared in anticipation.

The Castle defense was caught on its heels. They were expecting a field goal attempt, so they scrambled to switch their personnel as Brooklyn went into her cadence. The ref held the ball to allow the switch, but as soon as they let it roll, Brooklyn immediately called for the snap.

The play was supposed to be a pass, but the O-line started pushing forward. Mark rushed forward through a gap to block a defender, and Brooklyn zoomed right behind him. She sidestepped her running back, and zipped to the end zone. There was one Castle linebacker left in her way, standing his ground and hoping to pound Brooklyn into the turf. She had other plans, though. Right before the contact, Brooklyn ripped into a spin and avoided the backer entirely, sidestepping into the end zone for the touchdown. The refs raised their arms. Touchdown North Craggold, game over.

The celebration afterwards was excellent. Everybody wanted to give Brooklyn various fives, slaps, and bumps in congratulations. Slowly, the locker room thinned out, with just a few left besides Brooklyn and her trio of fellow seniors.

“I think it’s about that time,” Julian grinned. “Ready to see my new wheels?”

“Let’s go!” Kevin said excitedly. Despite the ribbing, they were legitimately happy that Julian now had a car of his own.

“Beck!” Coach Franco burst into the locker room, and he was clearly pissed off. “My office, now. Get your ass in here!”

“Um …” Brooklyn trailed off, knowing what was coming. “You know what guys, maybe just go without me for now. I’ll catch up later.”

“But wait, we need you to drive!” Mark exclaimed. “Jules doesn’t have a back seat, remember?”

“I guess you guys just need to decide who gets to sit in the actual passenger seat and who gets stuffed behind,” Julian chuckled.

“Shit!” Kevin and Mark replied at once. They immediately broke into an argument on how to determine the short straw.

“Sorry guys, I’ll be there soon. In one piece, I hope.”

Brooklyn jogged over to Coach Franco’s office, which had a door adjacent to the locker room for easy access. All the adrenaline from the game was gone, and now she was filled with dread for what was to come. She opened the door firmly, and entered the office quickly.

“Sit down,” Franco barked, and Brooklyn complied immediately. “That was one fucked-up stunt you pulled back there. If I had half a mind, I’d bench your ass for the rest of the season. And before you start jawing about winning the game, it’s not about that. Sure, I love to win. That was one hell of a play, I’ll admit it. But you cannot, I mean can NOT, undermine my authority. I am the coach of this team. I make the game decisions. You don’t. I know your dad pulled this shit all the time when he was a player, but that doesn’t make it okay for you to do. I mean, hell, he’s a Hall of Famer, or at least he will be once he’s eligible. You’re a fucking high schooler. You don’t have that cred to do this shit.”

Franco continued on his tirade for about ten more minutes, ranting until he was just about blue in the face. Brooklyn sat there and took it without complaint. To be honest with herself, he was right. She had absolutely overstepped and was lucky enough to get away with it. That was an issue with being in The Zone … it often superseded common sense. So she sat until Franco was satisfied, nodding her head in assent.

“Now get the hell out of here. I want to go home.”

“Yes sir,” Brooklyn replied curtly, and she left the office without another word.

The locker room was now thoroughly deserted. Only the janitorial staff remained, beginning the cleaning process. Clearly Coach Franco’s rant could be heard through the door, and that was enough to chase everybody else out of the room. Brooklyn silently gathered her things and headed out towards the student section of the parking lot. There were a few people straggling here and there, but nobody she recognized. By now she was starving. Outbox sounded really good.

As she approached her dad’s car on the far end of the lot, she noticed something odd. There was a man standing near the car. He wasn’t next to it, rather, he was leaning against the lamp post a few spots away from Dustin Beck’s SUV. It was an odd sight, he was wearing what looked to be a trench coat, but Brooklyn could see even from a distance that he had glasses, and was a little on the shorter side (for a Drawkian).

He gave Brooklyn the creeps. She quickened the pace to the car, but something slowed her down. As she passed by the man, she thought she heard him saying something. It sounded like “third time’s the charm,” but she couldn’t tell.

“Hello?” Brooklyn turned slightly to face the man, though she continued stepping backwards towards the car. “Did you say something?”

“Erm, yes, sorry.” The man didn’t sound very intimidating. “You’re Brooklyn Beck, right?”

“Mmmmaybe,” Brooklyn responded, not sure what to make of him.

“Good. Please don’t be alarmed. There’s something I have to give you. For your hands only.”

“Listen sir, I don’t-”

“Please! Let me explain!” The man insisted. He slowly pulled back the folds of his coat. To Brooklyn’s relief, he had more clothes on underneath. He reached inside with one hand, and revealed a large envelope from within.

“What’s this?” Brooklyn asked suspiciously.

“It’s for you. I’m sorry it has to be like this.” The man carefully handed over the envelope. It was deep red, a maroon type color. On one end was a literal wax seal.

“Is this wax?” Brooklyn was just perplexed now. She was on edge, but at this point she didn’t feel very threatened.

“Yes,” the man offered a dry chuckle. “Um, it’s for effect. Look closer.”

Brooklyn inspected the seal. It was stamped with a logo: a sharp, stylized C with a sword running through the middle of it.

“This is the seal of Cavsar …” she mumbled. Her head shot up to look at the man again. He had stepped closer, and underneath the light of the lamp, a prickle of familiarity went through Brooklyn’s mind. “Wait a minute … you’re Cavsar’s football coach? Linhart, right?”

“Ah, yes. That’s me.” The man, Scott Linhart, smiled nervously. “You can probably guess what’s in that envelope, then.”

“Wha-?” Brooklyn looked at the envelope again, and the realization hit her. “Are you offering me a football scholarship? Is that what this is?”

“Open it and find out.” Linhart dipped his head. His smile seemed a little warmer now. “You don’t have to right now, I’m sure you have places to be. Just give it a read when you have a chance. Sorry if I scared you, by the way. I was afraid our first few communications may have been … intercepted. So I felt that this step was necessary.”

“No, no, it’s fine …” Brooklyn grimaced. “Well, not really fine. Couldn’t you have been a little less creepy about it?”

“I’m sorry!” Linhart insisted. “It’s the only way I could be in this town without being recognized. Really, every second I spend here could bring me closer to a fist in my face, so I think I’ll be heading out now.”

“Are you sure? I-”

“Just read the letter inside. If you’d like to continue correspondence, there’s instructions.” Linhart turned to leave, but stopped himself. “Brooklyn. We would love to see you at Cavsar next year. If there’s anything I can do for you, just let me know.” And with that, the Gladiator coach disappeared into the humid late summer night.

Brooklyn had a lot to think about on her drive to Outbox.

by **Rouyoute** » Wed Sep 27, 2023 9:37 pm

Second quarter of Rouyoute’s 39-0 loss against Ko-oren

Julian Girard wasn’t having his best day. It was the kind of performance that would doom you to ride out the rest of your career on the bench, but he was also the only guy on this team who understood half of what their coach was saying with his insane schemes, so they rolled with it.

“Julian, we’re going to try something!” Rang Henrik Johansson‘s voice. He groaned as the head coach approached, “We need a spark, we’re down 19-0 early and we’ve gotten turn this thing around!”

So as he laid out his plan - Julian cringed.

“We’ll give the Dragonflies a taste of their own medicine. They like double coverage so much? We’ll run a play designed to get a 2 on 1 on one of their corners! It’s genius!”

“Coach,” Julian felt obligated to push back a bit, “They’ll just bring another back over.”

“Hm, right right.” Johansson stroked a beard that was uneven to the point that it caused secondhand embarrassment for those around him, then his hand shot up. “Right! Three on two!”

“They’ve seen trips before coach…”

“Nonsense, we’ll run two receivers to the right and a third will motion behind the line from the left. They’ll never suspect it!”

“Coach, plea- “

“Enough! Julian, do you trust me!?” He pointed an accusing finger, and it seemed like the whole stadium’s eyes were on him.

The whole team waiting for his response. Julian Girard’s mouth opened, closed. Spittle gathered inside his cheeks. He knew the answer. But he also knew what he had to a say.

“Yes, yes coach.”

He never protested, indicating that the Dragonflies would have linebackers in the vicinity, a safety overtop, and potentially a corner trailing that receiver.

“Seeeet,” less than a minute later, Girard kicked a muscled leg back and the 7’2” wideout Alexandre Dupont began his motion - the worst guy to do it with, there was no hiding him. “Hike!”

Girard took the snap, one step, crossoverC two step, cross his feet again and that fifth step up his drop he planted and launched. No hesitation.

“Just trust me Julian, make the throw to Emile Gagnon, he’s 5’8” and even if they somehow predict this genius play, he’ll get lost in the shadow of Dupont!”

The throw was on point. What their coach hasn’t given Julian the time to explain was that they didn’t really need to predict this one. This was kinda like if you played chess and threatened your opponent’s pawn with your queen - except you also blundered mate in one and the same move. They weren’t threatening much and the Ko-orenites only had to react to the stupidity, making it Girard’s third interception of the day when Dupont never had a shot at the pass.

“Man, we suck,” Julian lamented as he watched the Dragonfly defender go out of bounds.

by **South Newlandia** » Thu Sep 28, 2023 9:10 am

Zachary Stevens making strides in strong Ellie offense as Pachyderms win six straight

In his first season as Elephants’ signal caller, Stevens led South Newlandia to a 6-3 group stage record, before they fell to the Jaguars in the first round of the playoffs. In those nine games, Stevens led the Elephants to 209 points (23 PPG). Now, through just seven games, Stevens and the Elephants have already picked up as many wins and more points (238 – 34 PPG). Through those games, Stevens has thrown for 14 touchdowns while adding two with his legs, against seven interceptions. Two of those picks came in the opener in Banija, where the Elephants lost decisively, 13-46.

Ever since then, however, the Elephants gained momentum – they defeated Abanhfleft (who took two of three from them last time) by five, and haven’t allowed any team to get within one score since; including winning by 20 points or more in each of the last 4 games.
The defense has been a major part of that. After allowing 46 to the Serpent Eagles, they allowed 30 to a well-schemed Terefuxe offense, and haven’t allowed anyone else to score as many as 20 points. Across their last three games, the Elephants have only allowed two touchdowns, and one of those was a pick-six.

That stingy defense, ranking 9th across all WB teams in Points Allowed, has been playing well across all phases, but they’ve especially stood out at cornerback. Bray continues to be shutdown whenever she doesn’t have to play Kalu Alazar or face the complex ideas of the Terefuxien team. Alani Sörens has been impressive as a rookie, too, outplaying most people not named Gabriel Yafet, and Valentin Pruitt has also been playing well, as the Elephants increasingly play with three cornerbacks on the field.

Meanwhile, the offense is led by Zachary Stevens, but he’s not actually the player carrying the unit. Instead the former Egret has been successful playing in structure and getting the ball out quickly, letting his skill position players do most of the heavy lifting. Van Halfensen has emerged as one of his most reliable targets, but he also likes to throw to his former teammate, Fantikos, or the wide receivers. Marcel Schlachter in particular is continuing on from an impressive career with the Blue Thunder, on a fast track to become the WR1 for South Newlandia. Getting the ball out quickly has also helped alleviate the problems with the offensive line, which has struggled frequently, especially in the opener in Banija.

That’s really what sums up the performance of the Elephants so far – impressive against weaker teams. They managed to win a shoot-out with a Terefuxe team that’s still finding its footing, and managed to scrap out a win against a good Fleftic team. However, when they were really tested in Banija, the Ellies fell flat. To open the second half, the Pachyderms will invite the 7-0 Serpent Eagles to Elephant Valley. A win would prove the Elephants as a true World Bowl contender, while they’ll otherwise remain in their position as a second-rate gridiron nation taking advantage of some lucky breaks in an easier group.

Ellie baby picture bribe

by **Sarzonia** » Thu Sep 28, 2023 12:33 pm

If someone told Sarzonian national gridball team manager Gavin Davis that he and his charges would sit at 5-2, solidly in third position in the Group B table at the halfway point of World Bowl 47 qualifying, he’d be delighted.

He’d be happy if you told him that the team’s only two losses came at the hands of the higher-ranked teams in the group. He’d have told you he was pleased with how his team took care of business against teams below them in the world rankings.

And yet, the way the team has gotten there has Davis scratching his head and searching for answers. Three of the first five matches made it appear that the offensive gameplan Davis was calling was firing on all cylinders. The team averaged an astonishing 43.75 points per match in their first four, putting up 48 points on 16th ranked Anthor, a team Sarzonia figured to battle with for a spot in the knockout rounds. Even after a harder-than-expected victory over The Kytler Peninsulae, Sarzonia still scored over 30 per match.

The last two matches, both against top-10 teams in the gridball multiverse, have been another matter entirely. Sarzonia could only muster a field goal, a lousy three points, in a 24-3 loss to TJUN-ia, the No. 7 ranked team. The previous match saw No. 2 Chromatika hold the Stars to a mere 10 points.

Clearly, whatever was working earlier isn’t now. The Stars are still averaging 27 points per match, but most of that was on the strength of the first four. In the last three, Sarzonia have only mustered an average of 11 points.

Davis said after reviewing the match tape of the losses to Chromatika and TJUN-ia respectively that his team’s trailing by three possessions during both matches led him to abandon the running game, “probably a series or two earlier than I should’ve,” he said. “We have a bell cow back in Ty’Relle [Clinton], yet he only got 14 carries against the Chromatiks. He only got 13 against TJUN-ia (for 66 yards). We’ve been able to get him running room, but we need to be able to run the ball effectively to win out there.

Quarterback Cameron Stallworth missed the last two series of the first half and the entire second half of the Jaguars loss whilst being evaluated for a concussion. He took a sack at the TJUN-ia 41-yard line and his helmet hit the turf hard. Backup quarterback Mike Barnett finished the match going 12-for-22 passing with 97 yards and three interceptions. Davis said Barnett would start the away match in Mar Sara against Valanora if Stallworth is not cleared.

“We’ll have to adapt,” he said. “Mike doesn’t have the big-time arm or the scrambling ability Cam has. We’ll make those adjustments if Cam can’t go.”

Kicker Matt Andersen missed the field goal try from 59. He made one from 38 midway through the first quarter that cut the Stars deficit to 7-3.

“Cam didn’t see [Clinton] in the lane to complete a check-down,” quarterbacks coach Noah Hendry said. “We just can’t take a sack in that situation because it cost us points.”

by **Chromatika** » Thu Sep 28, 2023 8:39 pm

Sarai Gwenderyn Returns from Injury as Iron Legion Survive to Get to 5-2

When Sarai Gwenderyn went down with a sprained wrist on her throwing hand, all the alarm bells went off for Iron Legion fans. When the team lost to TJUN-ia after an Anne-Maurice Vivayavich pick, there was some visible sings of stress.

Since then, the Iron Legion has won four games in a row, including a win over previously undefeated Sarzonia. Since then, they've outscored their opponents 97-54, and played some solid defense. It hasn't always been pretty, but it's gotten the job done, and they've moved to second place in the group, due to the head-to-head record against the Stars.

Now, Sarai Gwenderyn returns. She could've been pressed into service against Tikariot, but the coaching staff decided not to - and it almost backfired, as they won an ugly game on the road by a field goal. She's looked rather good in practice, being able to zip the ball downfield with the same velocity as usual, but her World Bowl campaign hasn't really gotten started, as she was knocked out of the game after just nine snaps in the first game.

"She looks ready to go," Offensive Coordinator Naia Curentino said of her superstar quarterback, "And we're ready to take that next step. We haven't really looked like the top ranked team in this competition, and we will get a chance to turn that around. We start with The Kytler Peninsulae at home - the same team that shocked us last time around. That will be a very important chance to right the ship."

"I don't blame any of their players for the play," stated Gwenderyn, "It was a clean hit, and I just got unlucky. Anne-Maurice has done a wonderful job in my absence, everyone else has picked up the slack - it's time that I carried my load."

The Henza Center will be rocking - every Iron Legion fan has been waiting for Gwenderyn's return.

"It was an honor to help the team as much as I did," Anne-Maurice said after the game against Tikariot, "I wish we could've won all of them, but you can't win them all, I guess."

"Her return allows us to do everything that we want to do offensively," remarked Alessandra Mio, "Anne-Maurice did well in her absence, but it's going to be so good to have Sarai back."

With the group being way closer than anyone expected - The Kytler Peninsulae and Tikariot are giving Sarzonia and Chromatika trouble, while TJUN-ia are frontrunners - the Iron Legion will need the best from everyone, including their world-renowned superstar Quarterback.

Otherwise, it may be a dogfight to just make it to the playoffs - something that nobody thought possible after learning that Sarzonia would sit out this tournament.

by **Gyatso-kai** » Thu Sep 28, 2023 11:13 pm

Another Crazy Mando Sports Fan


@M4nd0Sp0rtF4n482

Halfway through and well... in the middle of the group.

Older Brother works for ASPN, says I should watch more gridiron... or Gaan'shuk as we call it here in Sundari. Not exactly my cup of galhaar, but hey, can't hurt to watch right?

#WB47, #BisonsVSBoarcupines, #IKnowKoorenAndCassadaigua

An Avatarian Abroad


@N0t_My_Day_J0b

I wonder if it would be possible to get a consistent series out of the Boarcupines.

One tournament, we sweep the pitch with everyone; take it to the Finals and pull off a miracle. Then the next, we barely skate through the group stage only to get our faces stomped in the next round. Consistency is all we want as fans.

This tournament is looking more like a float at the surface and hope a giant gilaa'ro doesn't come up & eat our liver.

#WB47, #IStillHaveALiver, #NotMuchElse, #4and3IsBetterThan0and7

by **Drawkland** » Fri Sep 29, 2023 12:50 am

CORPSGUY725'S BLOG

World Bowl XLVII Group Stage Halfway Point
The Proudfoot Era Begins (have mercy on our souls)

It still feels like some sort of joke. Dustin Beck retires (finally), and now we enter a new era of Grid Corps football. You'd think this would be a fresh beginning, something new, perhaps something to escape the doldrums of decent performances but ultimately falling short in the playoffs when it matters most. The problem? There's no heir apparent for the QB spot on the national team. Now, of course, there's no rule saying we have to have the same QB playing for more than a decade, but the continuity helps build chemistry and dependability for the team. You'd like to avoid a carousel of new QBs every cycle.

You'd hope the Grid Corps coaching staff, headed by Glenn Romano once again, would select some great standout from the GLD. Pick up a gunslinger, one of the many established names in our home league that could really utilize the talents of our other offensive stars. Get a wily veteran, or a rookie with excellent upside. Who does the Corps pick to fill the shoes of Dustin Beck?

Lane "Motherfucking" Proudfoot. And sadly, that nickname isn't me being profane for once, it's just a particularly descriptive adjective describing this man. Faced with this choice, the Corps coaching staff decided to go with the most boneheaded move, selecting the Cavsaran Casanova himself to come home from Ranoria and pilot the Corps offense.

This might be up there with one of the worst things to ever happen to the Corps. "But corpsguy725!" you say, "Proudfoot has actually played great in the RFL! So many passing yards! Fiston has had so much success!" I'm begging you to shut up. Yeah, I'll admit it, Proudfoot is a top three QB in the RFL, which is to say he's consistently battling to be the second-best under Gwenderyn's iron fist in first. That might sound good if you know nothing about the RFL meta. The RFL is a running back's paradise. Ground and pound is the name of the game, and 90% of their QBs would be in the unemployment line if they were born in literally any other country. Why else do you think Jack Hoy went there? It fits his playstyle, namely "never put the ball in the QB's hands and let me run it 50 times a game."

That environment is the place that Proudfoot wants, nay, NEEDS to survive as a quarterback. A place where he can chuck the ball minimally, rely on the run game, and take naps on the sideline. If the team gets beat in the run game, oh well, nobody expects the QB to pull out a win. That's just the kind of league the RFL is. Unfortunately, this kind of philosophy is a great way to get immediately dumped out in the first round of the World Bowl playoffs. And this is the guy that's supposed to push the envelope and get Drawkland back to the promised land? Yeah right.

@ HUElavia

So anyway, let's just jump right into the action here. My instincts are telling me that for some reason, I shouldn't be too verbose in this article. Allow me to summarize. The campaign started with our toughest test of all, that being the away match against the top seed in the group, #5 HUElavia. It's not a huge advantage, considering we're ranked #6, but this was the first national team start for Lane Proudfoot, and this new era of the Corps. How did it go?

In a word, shitty. This was less Proudfoot's fault, though he had two interceptions, they came in the third quarter when the Corps was already down big. The defense and special team units were simply not handling HUElavia well in any fashion. The QB Vilca Chaupin was raining balls all over the normally tight Drawkian secondary. The Corps defensive front was getting no penetration, and the HUElavians simply had their way. Of course, the offense didn't do much to keep the blowout in check thanks to tons of three-and-outs and drives fizzling for field goals, but you can't give up 49 points and expect to win. Full stop. Merit kicked two field goals, Proudfoot had an early "rushing" touchdown on a QB sneak, and Banks scored one in garbage time. Embarrassing performance.

@ Sudilia

Having to brave back-to-back away games is never fun, especially when you get your ass kicked in the first one. Going against a team barely ranked in the top 30, though, a rebound was necessary. Somehow, the rebound almost didn't happen. Once again the defense was shaky, with the now Leo Cross-less defensive line not finding the explosive pressure they're used to inflicting. Sudilia balanced their rushing and passing attack to keep the Corps on their heels, but the higher talent level of our Drawkian players really made the difference. Sudilia couldn't get the really clutch plays they needed, while the Corps talent kept the offense rolling when needed and the defense tightening when it counted.

Ultimately Drawkland took the lead on their first drive, a long, time-consuming one that ended in Mike Banks punching in a rushing touchdown from 2 yards out. Banks scored again on the two-point conversion to take an early 8-0 lead. Sudilia would also score on their first drive, and the action went back-and-forth for the entirety of the game. Even so, Drawkland always stayed ahead. The killing blow came late in the fourth when Lane Proudfoot threw the ball downfield (what the fuck?) on a pretty play-action fake to his old Cavsar teammate Johnathan Kimbrough for a 25-yard touchdown reception. The PAT from Merit was good, and the Corps took a 27-20 lead that they would not relinquish. Not ideal, but a win's a win.

vs Sea Dome

Now, the home opener, against an unranked team? You gotta come away with a big win there. Thankfully, that's exactly what the Corps provided. Sea Dome's upstart team, keen to prove themselves after an 0-2 start, did not have their day. The Corps defense finally got their act together, holding Sea Dome to just three field goals in the first half. The bend-but-don't-break philosophy is great to keep the clock running but ultimately shut the door on an inexperienced squad, and given how the offense was performing, that was just fine.

Yeah, the offense was clicking. Proudfoot led the Corps to six touchdowns (not a typo) in the first half alone. Two were Mike Banks rushing TDs, one on the goalline and one busted in on a 20-yard breakaway run. Three were passing touchdowns from Proudfoot (somehow also not a typo), a screen pass to Hadrian Taylor, a deep seam to Kimbrough, and a deep strike to Jackie Morris. The defense added a touchdown of their own on a pick six, and overall the Corps offense went 3/6 on 2 point conversions. They got a little too cute on the last few, trying some goofy trick plays and falling short instead.

At halftime the score was 42-9, and it was clear the carnage wasn't close to over. With that, Romano decided to trot out the second team, and even they got things done. Lorenzo Foster got his first genuine Grid Corps action under center, and he performed admirably. To be fair, he wasn't tasked with throwing the ball much (to Proudfoot's envy, I assume). Jack Hoy, as the backup running back, returned to the turf and tore it up nearly singlehandedly. He scored a touchdown on the ground, and one on a punt return late in the game. Foster tossed a 40-yard bomb to Austin Sixtus on play-action, which Sixtus caught for his and Foster's first NT TD. David Merit added a field goal in the closing seconds (not running up the score, promise, just trying to keep our kicker in shape) to reach the final score of 66-23. Yeah, Sea Dome scored a couple TDs, but it was garbage time, people. This blowout is just what the doctor ordered.

@ Ardsk

This game was honestly pretty similar to the Sea Dome game, though there was a little more difficulty due to the conditions playing on the road. The Corps offense still rolled comfortably to a victory while the defense kept real points off the board until garbage time. Notable highlights: Mike Banks scored three rushing touchdowns in the first half, and Hadrian Taylor scored one as well. Proudfoot actually had zero TDs in this one, as the running game did most of the work in the first half, and he got the rest of the night off as the halftime score was 31-6. Foster and the backups got rotated again, Jack Hoy had another rushing TD, but the team mostly put things into cruise control. Merit kicked three field goals in the second half to bring his game tally to 4/4 and the score to 47-23 by the final whistle.

vs South Americanastan

The resident Pot 4 team happened to be South Americanastan, that being one of the better-ranked Pot 4 teams at #14. After a couple weeks of bottom feeders, this would be a return to a reasonable challenge. At least it was at home, right?

It turned out to be an even easier walk than the last few games. Sure, the Corps was "only" up by 23 points at halftime, but it was a very confident 23-0 scoreline. The South Americanastan offense simply had no answers. The Corps D-line was wreaking havoc to the tune of three sacks, two interceptions (one returned to the house), and not allowing South Americanastan past the fifty yard line. That was all in the first half! Couple that with a rushing touchdown from Banks and a checkdown pass from Proudfoot to Taylor that went for a TD and a field goal right before halftime, things were going great.

Lorenzo Foster would once again get the ball after halftime, this time only protecting a 23 point lead. He did just fine, managing the game and letting Jack Hoy do most the work. Hoy would get another rushing touchdown, Merit would tack on a couple field goals, and linebacker Liam Stilo returned a fumble for six following a Leo Cross strip sack. Good to see you back, you absolute creature. South Americanastan finally got past midfield but soon fizzled out, but at least they got a field goal. Sucks to not complete the shutout, but a 43-3 win is still a forty point win. Can't complain.

@ Corporate City 1

This one had "trap game" written all over it! Well, I can say that with the benefit of hindsight. With the form the Corps had been showing in the past few weeks, it felt like they would roll into this subset of Sea Dome and manhandle the CC1 Legion without much issue. This was not the case!

Points were hard to come by in this matchup. The Corps running game seemed to be out of sync, with Banks and Taylor not finding the right holes at the right time. Lane Proudfoot seemed to be unable to get the ball downfield on command (wow, I'm so shocked and surprised by this information!), and the offense simply struggled in the first half. The saving grace came on an interception deep in CC1 territory by Zeke Kyro Cruz, setting up the Corps with short field that they managed to capitalize on (another Banks touchdown run and 2PC run). Of course, the defense immediately collapsed thanks to a nasty double pass trick play by the Legion, Noddy Myers getting a supposed screen pass only to turn and chuck the ball downfield to Althame for a deep touchdown. Thankfully the Legion settled for the PAT, making it only 7-8.

The Corps would score again right before halftime, with Mike Banks finally breaking away and navigating through the CC1 defense for a surprising 60-yard touchdown run. Lane Proudfoot would use a little read option action to score the two-pointer and bring the score to 7-16. After halftime both offenses struggled again, with the Corps going for and failing five consecutive fourth down conversions. One of those failed conversions set up the Legion with short field, and they finally got points from it to get within two, a 14-16 game.

Things were looking dire for the Corps, as the offense barely scraped by past midfield in the waning minutes of the game. They stood at a 3rd and 1 just outside David Merit's comfortable field goal range. A first down would get them in prime position to either drain the rest of the clock or at least kick the field goal to go up by 5 with only a few minutes left. They couldn't risk going for and missing on fourth down again, as that would put the Legion only a couple first downs away from being in go-ahead field goal range. Needing that yard desperately, Jack Hoy came off the bench to provide a spark. And boy, did he provide. Hoy looked dead to rights thanks to great penetration by the CC1 run blitz, but he made two men miss and zipped around the outside. All of a sudden, he had yards and yards of open grass in front of him. The immortal veteran kicked on the jets, and he flew (figuratively) into the end zone for the icing TD. The final score, 14-23, wasn't comfy, but Drawkland escaped with a W, and that's all I care about at this point.

vs Quebec & Shingoryeo

Somehow, out of all the blowout games earlier in the campaign, this close matchup turned out to be the coming-out party for Lane Proudfoot. To be honest, I never thought I'd see the day. Here's the thing. Quebec's Grim Reapers knew the M.O. going into this game. The Corps has been relying on their running game to win, and Proudfoot hasn't shown himself as a capable passer yet. If you can stop the Corps rushing attack and force Proudfoot to throw the ball, you could perhaps put Drawkland on its heels, make some plays on offense, and come away with the win. With how strong the Grim Reaper front seven usually is, it seemed to be a recipe for success.

The first third of this game seemed to be going to plan for Q&S. The Corps did not score, and the Quebecois running game was clicking smoothly. Romano (and Proudfoot, I assume) wanted to stick to the running game to avoid losing too much time of possession to the Grim Reapers. The Reaper D-line, especially Benn-Kocian and McCauley, were eating Banks and Taylor alive. Meanwhile, Manon Ellis was making moves, and scored two touchdowns before halftime. Add a couple field goals from both teams, and the score was 3-17 at halftime in Quebecois favor.

I guess the problem is that Lane Proudfoot refuses to throw the ball not because he's bad at it, but because he simply doesn't want to. If you force him to throw, and you happen to be fielding a dogshit secondary, you have to be prepared to get your shit rocked. The second half was a rude awakening for the Grim Reapers. I guess it makes sense on a conceptual level. The Reapers destroy lives, being the harbingers of death. Meanwhile, Lane Proudfoot is the harbinger of life, especially in the Greater Fiston Area. If you don't get that joke, ask your parents when you're older.

Jokes aside, Proudfoot proceeded to come out of halftime and rain hell on the Quebec secondary. They didn't give up on the run entirely, only using it enough to keep the play-action open and to steal a few yards underneath when the defense sold out too hard on the pass. Silvio Norwood was who really got the action started, busting out a deep 70-yard pass reception on the first play of the second half. Proudfoot hit Jackie Morris on a fade route two plays later for Drawkland's first TD of the game. Proudfoot distributed the ball with reckless efficiency, hitting his favorite target Johnathan Kimbrough 14 times for over 160 yards and a touchdown. Kenneth Hewitt nearly hit the century mark in yards and caught a TD of his own early in the fourth. Merit added an insurance field goal late in the fourth quarter to bring us to the score 30-20. You notice that Quebec only scored 3 points, because the Corps defense made the necessary adjustments and crushed the Reaper run game in the second half.

It was a total reversal from the first half of the game. And though a 14-point lead isn't an egregious one to blow, you gotta feel bad for the Grim Reapers. They thought they had Drawkland beat. Hell, even I was rolling my eyes at halftime and muttering rude things about Lane Proudfoot. Instead, Proudfoot dropped his enormous schlong all over their defense in the second half and gave them a beating they wouldn't soon forget. Hopefully they don't get so angry that they beat the piss out of us in the second half.

The Second Half

Speaking of the second half, what are the expectations there? Well, listen, I'm really tired right now, so I'm gonna cut to the chase. Given how the Corps has played so far(besides that clunker of an opener against HUElavia), one can expect them to go 6-1 and grab a top playoff spot in the second half. I'm expecting at least one random upset to happen, because of course it will. Bonus points if it fucks us over in the playoff draw and gives us a horrendous early round matchup against a top five team!

In conclusion. Running game reasonable, if shaky. Defense solid, but inconsistent. Lane Proudfoot good, somehow. Second half, win games? Lose in playoffs because eventually Proudfoot will run into actually good secondary. No profit, sad.

corpsguy725 out

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Fri Sep 29, 2023 11:37 am

The Kytlerians are in the playoff positions in their first World Bowl appearance of this era. Not something that was realistically expected at the halfway stage.

"We've just been trying to do what we can and see if it's enough, and it's been enough a few times now which is very satisfying," QB Wecoisus Mocks told KBT after their 16-3 defeat of Anthor wrapped up a 4-3 first half to their Group B campaign.

Most startling of those four times where it was enough came in the 7-6 stunning of Chromatika following an injury to their star QB Sarai Gwenderyn. The return match on the road is next on the docket, before a second and final game in Borlfield against the impressive TJUN-ia. "That was an unfortunate injury, she made a point of saying she didn't blame anyone - Mika (Patariki) just caught her arm as she threw and she landed weird on her hand, I had an injury like that in my first year of domestic play as it happens so I know how fragile things can be with those. But they still weren't meant to lose to us, and our defense was incredible at taking advantage of their simplified offense, we've got the athletes to live with anyone on that side of the ball and that was when we proved it."

As a triple-option QB, Mocks has been primarily handing the ball off or running with it himself. But he thinks he can handle more throwing responsibilities.

"Yeah, of course I want to throw more, and I can do, but I know we have a system that works for us and it does open up the passing lanes when I do throw it. I played the Mike in school - I was a two-way player like a lot of guys at that level - and when you face a team that runs most of the time, of course you're focused on your run fits and how to stop a ball carrier, and you don't think so much about stopping the pass. So I think if we remain a run-heavy team then my arm's going to play up and I've just got to take the openings that creates, which I've been doing lately."

Mocks was then asked what the future might be for Kytlerian gridiron. "I don't know, man, I'm just grateful to be part of that future. Obviously we're mostly a Varn sport still, I don't know if that will change, I don't know if we're going to have a more fully professional domestic league, maybe that's what changes. But right now we have seven more games to play and then hopefully that won't be the end of it."

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Fri Sep 29, 2023 11:48 am

After we managed two more huge wins to put onto the board, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia were still undefeated at 6-0 and you could tell that the mood surrounding this team was swinging like a pendulum. On the one hand, 6-0 is nothing to dismiss as a fallacy - TJUN-ia was one of only 3 teams yet to take an L in this World Bowl and that certainly was a good sign for a team that made it all the way to the round of 16 in the last WB. But on the other hand, being undefeated brings a different type of pressure as every team we face wants to be the one that finally took us down. That pressure was something Gus McKerrin knew was inevitable but one he also knew had to be dealt with. This team were cooking at the moment but everyone also knew that the gas could cut itself off like a cloud in the night...and so, we had to fight on.

The 1st half of group stage football would end back home, in New Washington, as the Field of Dreams in The Gardens hosted a showdown between the 6-0 Jaguars and the 5-1 Sarzonia Stars...or at least, what was expected to be a showdown. Many felt that Gavin Davis and his team was going to show up for this game, especially considering the history between our two nations, but that wasn't the case at all. Instead, our defence hounded Cameron Stallworth and HIA replacement Mike Barnett like dogs, with a FG from Matt Vargas being the only points they could manage from the entire game. As for Gareth Baldwin and the gang, things were more straight-forward as he threw for 3 TDs (1 each for Victor Que-et-Vous, Fremont Whitehorse and Gilbert Nyamutsamba) while Clayton McGee made 3/3 PATs and a FG on top of that. 24-3. Statement.

1st half down and somehow, we are indeed 7-0...with the rematches all ahead of us. Tikariot come to town before we head out to Borlfield to play The Kytler Peninsulae. Things are far from over and we all know it. But right now, it feels good to be up here right now. 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 W 40-23 (2nd/5-0)
MD6: @Lisander (43) W 29-23 (1st/6-0)
-------------------------Double Header End------------------
MD7: vs Sarzonia (13) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 24-3 (1st/7-0)
-------------------------Double Header------------------
MD8: vs Tikariot (UR) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington
MD9: @The Kytler Peninsulae (UR) - Qardinal Field, Borlfield
-------------------------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** » Fri Sep 29, 2023 2:00 pm

Cutoff for Groups A and B.

Group A

Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove 24–10 Rouyoute
Ko-oren 42–6 A Place Somewhere
Saint Kanye 40–10 Cassadaigua
Cardenao 13–30 Gyatso-kai

Group A                                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win % 
1 Ko-oren                                      8    7   1   274   96 +178    0.875
2 Saint Kanye                                  8    6   2   240  159  +81    0.750
3 Gyatso-kai                                   8    5   3   233  134  +99    0.625
4 Cardenao                                     8    5   3   242  260  −18    0.625
5 Cassadaigua                                  8    4   4   230  180  +50    0.500
6 Rouyoute                                     8    3   5   121  142  −21    0.375
7 Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove       8    1   7   155  332 −177    0.125
8 A Place Somewhere                            8    1   7   132  324 −192    0.125

Cardenao 27–41 Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove
Gyatso-kai 38–50 Saint Kanye
Cassadaigua 15–19 Ko-oren
A Place Somewhere 0–39 Rouyoute

Group A                                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win % 
1 Ko-oren                                      9    8   1   293  111 +182    0.889
2 Saint Kanye                                  9    7   2   290  197  +93    0.778
3 Gyatso-kai                                   9    5   4   271  184  +87    0.556
4 Cardenao                                     9    5   4   269  301  −32    0.556
5 Rouyoute                                     9    4   5   160  142  +18    0.444
6 Cassadaigua                                  9    4   5   245  199  +46    0.444
7 Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove       9    2   7   196  359 −163    0.222
8 A Place Somewhere                            9    1   8   132  363 −231    0.111

Group B

Anthor 29–3 Lisander
Valanora 22–10 Sarzonia
TJUN-ia 52–17 Tikariot
Chromatika 24–13 The Kytler Peninsulae

Group B                                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win % 
1 TJUN-ia                                      8    8   0   270  135 +135    1.000
2 Chromatika                                   8    6   2   169  113  +56    0.750
3 Sarzonia                                     8    5   3   178  114  +64    0.625
4 The Kytler Peninsulae                        8    4   4   168  128  +40    0.500
5 Valanora                                     8    4   4   218  214   +4    0.500
6 Tikariot                                     8    3   5    99  185  −86    0.375
7 Anthor                                       8    1   7   103  187  −84    0.125
8 Lisander                                     8    1   7   103  232 −129    0.125

Chromatika 36–3 Anthor
The Kytler Peninsulae 13–16 TJUN-ia
Tikariot 27–27 Valanora (36–33 OT)
Sarzonia 61–0 Lisander

Group B                                      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win % 
1 TJUN-ia                                      9    9   0   286  148 +138    1.000
2 Chromatika                                   9    7   2   205  116  +89    0.778
3 Sarzonia                                     9    6   3   239  114 +125    0.667
4 Valanora                                     9    4   5   251  250   +1    0.444
5 The Kytler Peninsulae                        9    4   5   181  144  +37    0.444
6 Tikariot                                     9    4   5   135  218  −83    0.444
7 Anthor                                       9    1   8   106  223 −117    0.111
8 Lisander                                     9    1   8   103  293 −190    0.111

by **HUElavia** » Fri Sep 29, 2023 5:24 pm

3 Points of Success

Tonight, HUElavia begins the 2nd half of the World Bowl Group Stage and there are 3 main points for HUElavia to pull a sweet against Drawkland:

1. Throw in open coverage to keep the defense chasing HUElavian receivers.

2. Continue man on man coverage and pressure receivers when Drawkland goes for the pass.

3. Take long drives to drain the clock and strive for Touchdowns.

With these tips, one can be optimistic that HUElavia comes out with the victory.

(OOC: Not enough time to write something more substantial, unfortunately this will have to do.)

by **Chromatika** » Fri Sep 29, 2023 8:08 pm

Streaking Iron Legion Look for Revenge against Jaguars

When Sarai Gwenderyn returned to the field in front of a sold-out crowd at the Henza Center against The Kytler Peninsulae, the Chromatik crowd erupted, shouting "MVP! MVP!" and breaking out in applause. Chromatika won the toss and actually elected to receive; on the very first play since her injury, Gwenderyn hit Jefferson on a post route in stride, and it was obvious that she was back. That drive would result in a four yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Grinner, and the Iron Legion were back in business.

Chromatika never trailed, led by as many as eighteen, and if it wasn't for a last-minute touchdown pass from the visitors, the margin of victory would have been bigger. Gwenderyn finished 20-of-29 for 223 yards and the lone score in the first game back, as Lana Rhodes and Rowena Hastroff had a touchdown run apiece to help the Iron Legion have a more balanced game. Still, the first game with Gwenderyn back at the helm went off without a hitch.

Then, the Iron Legion hosted Anthor, a team that was at the bottom of the table. Here was when Gwenderyn really showed that she was back. Going 28-of-33 for 319 yards and three touchdowns - two of them to Alessandra Mio in long passes that really buried the visitors - Gwenderyn showed the arm strength and precision that she's become known worldwide for. If it wasn't for the Iron Legion having to settle for five field goals, the final score would've been far more dramatic. Mio was her favorite target in the contest, catching nine passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns, with both touchdowns being more than thirty yards. The Chromatik line allowed Gwenderyn to have a long time to throw the ball, and it absolutely helped.

The defense continued their stellar play as of late, allowing Anthor to cross into Iron Legion territory only once and holding them to less than 250 yards while forcing two turnovers. The visitors were never allowed to get comfortable, and the Iron Legion enjoyed home cooking.

Now, things will get very interesting as they hit the road to take on the undefeated Jaguars. TJUN-ia's ten-point win in the Henza Center was a huge part of their undefeated start, something that they've managed to hang onto through nine games. The Iron Legion have made it so that they will probably make the Playoffs, but splitting the Group Stage with the Jaguars would send a reminder to everyone that the Iron Legion are still here and that they can play with anyone.

"It was great to play in front of the home crowd again," stated Gwenderyn after the homestand, "I love this game and playing with these teammates. We have five more chances to set the tone straight before the knockout stage, and we're going to make the most of it."

With an offense that's finding its mojo again and a defense that's really started to clamp down on the opposition, things are finally trending the right way.

by **Saint Kanye** » Fri Sep 29, 2023 8:32 pm

JEREMIAH BROOKE ✓

@Jeremiah_B
What has two thumbs and isn't the one doing the dishes for the entirety of next month? THIS GUY! Huge thanks to @STKSurgeGI for sweeping those pesky #Fillies! Sorry @StacieHouston27 but rules are rules

#WB47 : #STKCDG

RALPH JOSEPH LINETTI ✓

@RJQB8
- -@Jeremiah_B

Anytime brother! Now if you can win a race in the next NSSCRA season before Stacie does then I'll be the one winning a bet with my wife....just so you know....you up for it?

#WB47 : #STKCDG: #NSSCRA

JEREMIAH BROOKE ✓

@Jeremiah_B
- -@RJQB8

Haha dude don't pressure me like that.... jk don't worry I'll try my best

#NSSCRA

by **Banija** » Fri Sep 29, 2023 9:22 pm

Banijan head coach Thomas Hall, end of Bongo Johnson v. Banija game

Head Coach Thomas Hall was pacing on the sideline. The game, of course, was long over. Bongo Johnson fans had long left the building. Seeing a 7-0 lead at halftime for the visiting Banijans turn into a 28-0 lead for the visiting Banijans by the end of the third quarter, in a quarter marked with massive chunk plays, highlighted by a 74 yard touchdown pass to Gabriel Yafet, was not going to make the home fans stick around. Of cousre, with the Banijan fans left in the building, they were wearing green, and making all the noise. Not quite enough to make Bongo Johnson go silent count at their own stadium- but all you could see in the stadium was green.

Thomas Hall's intensity was high. Why was it so high? Less than 20 seconds left in a game where his team was up by four touchdowns. But there was something that he wanted, desperately. "We're getting this mother fucking shutout- I don't give a damn." He had told an assistant coach who had told him to calm down. His intensity, even with his backups in the game, was crazy high. Bongo Johnson had just completed a 27 yard pass, to get to the Banijan 8 yard line. 1st and goal for Bongo Johnson. "Come on guys- they aren't putting a singular damn point on the board here today- I don't give a damn!"

First and goal for Bongo Johnson at the 8 yard line of Banija. Their first time in the red zone for the entire game- a dominant performance by the Banijan defense. Not usually called upon to need to dominate a game, it was a dominant defensive performance that allowed the Banijan offense to slowly get into it, to survive some uncharacteristic sloppiness at the end of the first half. Give them time and space, and eventually this offense will beat you, and that is exactly what happened. First and goal, the Bongo Johnson QB1 rolled out to his right. He looked, and there wasn't time, and he was being chased... Eventually forced to throw the ball out of the back of the end zone, into the second row.

"Let's get it boys!" Thomas Hall said, before calling the play. He was the defensive playcaller for this team. Here, he was dialing up a blitz- rushing 6. Everybody had a one on one battle, and it was Okoth Yienya who would win his, spinning past the tackle and making a beeline towards the QB. The QB1 clearly saw him- and forced a throw to the corner of the end zone, while he took a HUGE hit from Okoth Yienya. But the panic in the throw from Bongo Johnson's QB1- it was Wanzala Ssemeere leaping in front of it for an interception, and then going down in the end zone for a touchback. Thomas Hall's shutout- Banija's first of the cycle- was clinched.

"LET"S. FUCKING. GO!!!!!" Thomas Hall was hyped, nearly running down to celebrate with the players on the INT. Thomas Hall, despite shepherding high-powered offenses through World Bowl after World Bowl, was a defensive guy at heart- the RFL all-time INT leader, as well as a defensive coach. He knew how to adapt- but he loved a good, old-fashioned elite performance from his defense. And he had gotten it here. He had gotten it the last week too, against Abanhfleft- of course, the Fleftics scored. Banija had finished the first half of the World Bowl group stages 7-0 - well on the path to win this group.

Some might call it his best Lance Kabuye impression- but others would call it a pumped up coach, excited after a big win. "We know how good we are, baby!" He told them. "Bongo Johnson, learned what the rest of this group did- nobody can handle us. We take them down all the way to the deep end of the ocean- and we found out today, baby, that they cannot swim. They can't freaking swim. Nobody talks about this defense, but we can be one of the best in this damn competition. A complete team on all fronts- we aint' scared of anybody."

Big words from the coach- but he's been known to back them up. Would he be ready to do so in the most hostile of environments in Elephant Valley?

World Bowl 47 - Everything Thread

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