World Bowl L - Everything Thread

[Banija]

Playoff Table

World Bowl L Playoff Table      Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
1 Ranoria                        14   13   1   344   84 +260
1 Cardenao                       14   13   1   472  243 +229
1 The Kytler Peninsulae          14   12   2   423  149 +274
1 Valanora                       14   12   2   486  300 +186
1 South Newlandia                14   11   3   370  238 +132
2 Sarzonia                       14   11   3   450  209 +241
2 Ko-oren                        14   11   3   340  124 +216
2 Quebec & Shingoryeo            14   10   4   425  210 +215
2 Drawkland                      14   10   4   442  320 +122 
2 Banija                         14    9   5   430  298 +132 
3 TJUN-ia                        14   10   4   417  190 +227
3 Kamijiro                       14    9   5   370  220 +150
3 Chromatika                     14    9   5   347  226 +121
3 HUElavia                       14    9   5   353  282  +71
3 South Americanastan            14    7   7   345  309  +36
4 United States of Nova Calania  14    9   5   370  332  +38

4 Busoga Islands                 14    8   6   311  260  +51
4 Rouyoute                       14    7   7   294  294    0
4 New Rotterdam City             14    7   7   245  276  −31
4 Grand Exultia                  14    6   8   268  274   −6

World Bowl L Round of 16 Matchups

As a note, there is no re-seeding from this point onwards at any point. It is a fixed bracket. Stadia for each match shall be edited into this post in the morning.

Ranoria Half (Scored by Banija, played in Ranoria)

#1 Ranoria v. #16 United States of Nova Calania @ Mount Reinhold Stadium, Eglise, Ranoria (59,700)
#8 Quebec & Shingoryeo v. #9 Drawkland @ Constance Airlines Field- Fiston, Ranoria (60,007)

Above two winners will meet in the World Bowl L Quarterfinals

#4 Valanora v. #13 Chromatika @ Fermete Stadium, Fermete, Ranoria (64,070)
#5 South Newlandia v. #11 TJUN-ia*@Champion Stadium, Berlin, Ranoria (64,800)
Above two winners will meet in the World Bowl L Quarterfinals

Banija Half (Scored by Ranoria, played in Banija)

#3 Kytler Peninsulae v. #14 HUElavia @ BCEL Stadium(cap. 52,400) in Jinja City, Hangaza, Banija.
#6 Sarzonia v. #12 Kamijiro* @ The Crocodile Swamp(cap. 65,000) in Aissa, Hangaza, Banija.

Above two winners will meet in the World Bowl L Quarterfinals

#2 Cardenao v. #15 South Americanastan @ The Watering Hole(cap. 63,000) in Lwanga, Buganda, Banija.
#7 Ko-oren v. #10 Banija @ The Stadium of the Restoration(cap. 101,835) in Busukuma, National Capitol Region, Banija.

Above two winners will meet in the World Bowl L Quarterfinals

*=TJUN-ia and Kamijiro swapped with each other to avoid a group stage re-match in the Ro16 between Sarzonia and TJUN-ia.

[United States of Nova Calania]

Nova Calania qualifies for the round of 16

Shanzhou - It's the final week of the group stage, if Nova Calania wins, we're qualified for the round of 16 but if we lose, we need tie breaks. It was a tight matchup, Pafi is a very good team, but, luckily, the Tapirs won 44-38. Pafi won the coin toss and chose to start with the ball. They scored on their first drive when Sung-Min Glai caught Quincey Pan's 15 yards pass into the endzone. Nova Calania answered with a 17 yards passing touchdown from Arielle Bellerose-Deslongchamps to Rachel Lavigueur. Before the end of the 1st quarter, Pafi took the lead with a 7 yards pass from Quincey Pan to Sibeal Sir. The score was 14-7 Pafi after 1 quarter. Nova Calania couldn't do better than a 39 yards field goal early in the 2nd quarter. Pafi increased their lead with a 3 yards rushing touchdown by Fergal Bel. At this time, Pafi was leading 21-10. Nova Calania answered with a 26 yards rushing touchdown by wide receiver Anne-Élisabeth Guirguis on a jet sweep play. Pafi couldn't do better than a 32 yards field goal on their next drive. Within the two minutes warning, Arielle Bellerose-Deslongchamps passed to François-Xavier Malboeuf for a 23 yards passing touchdown. The score was 24-24 at halftime.

Nova Calania started off the 3rd quarter with a 22 yards field goal. Pafi answered with a 25 yards passing touchdown from Quincey Pan to Guanyu Villon. Nova Calania took the lead before the end of the 3rd quarter with a 2 yards rushing touchdown by Guillaume Bibeau-Babeux. In the final minutes of the 3rd quarter, Quincey Pan was intercepted by James Wollschlaeger who returns the ball to the 44 yards line in Pafi territory. The score after 3 quarters was 34-31 Nova Calania. Early in the 4th quarter, Arielle Bellerose-Deslongchamps throws to Rachel Lavigueur who catches the ball and runs to the endzone for the touchdown. Pafi couldn't score on their next drive and it's a turnover on downs. Nova Calania follows with a 27 yards field goal. Pafi finally scores a touchdown before the end of the 4th quarter when Quincey Pan reaches Guanyu Villon in the endzone for 19 yards. The final score was 44-38 Nova Calania and we keep the golden bowl for atleast another week!

Nova Calania is 4th in Bobby Dials group with 9 wins and 5 losses. The Tapirs qualifies for the round of 16 as the best 4th placed team ahead of Busoga Islands with a 8-6 record and Rouyoutte, 7-7. Nova Calania will play against the 1st seed and co-host Ranoria. The winner will play against the winner between Quebec & Shingoryeo and Drawkland. Nova Calania is actually the temporary owners of the golden bowl since we beat Cardenao on week 10 but it's time to say farewell to the prestigious trophy and it will be taken to Ranoria on a charter flight next friday, in time for the round of 16 on sunday.

PAFI           14   10    7    7  -  38
NOVA CALANIA    7   17   10   10  -  44

GAME SUMMARY

1st quarter
11:48 TOUCHDOWN PAFI - Quincey Pan passes to Sung-Min Glai for 15 yards - Extra point good.
7:02 TOUCHDOWN NOVA CALANIA - Arielle Bellerose-Deslongchamps passes to Rachel Lavigueur for 17 yards - Extra point good.
3:22 TOUCHDOWN PAFI - Quincey Pan passes to Sibeal Sir for 7 yards - Extra point good.
2nd quarter
14:35 FIELD GOAL NOVA CALANIA - Ji-yoo Han's 39 yards kick is good.
9:47 TOUCHDOWN PAFI - Fergal Bel runs for 3 yards - Extra point good.
5:59 TOUCHDOWN NOVA CALANIA - Anne-Élisabeth Guirguis runs for 26 yards - Extra point good.
2:25 FIELD GOAL PAFI - Encarnacion Leon's 32 yards kick is good.
0:36 TOUCHDOWN NOVA CALANIA - Arielle Bellerose-Deslongchamps passes to François-Xavier Malboeuf for 23 yards - Extra point good.
3rd quarter
11:34 FIELD GOAL NOVA CALANIA - Ji-yoo Han's 22 yards kick is good.
7:29 TOUCHDOWN PAFI - Quincey Pan passes to Guanyu Villon for 25 yards - Extra point good.
1:41 TOUCHDOWN NOVA CALANIA - Guillaume Bibeau-Babeux runs for 2 yards - Extra point good.
4th quarter
13:55 TOUCHDOWN NOVA CALANIA - Arielle Bellerose-Deslongchamps passes to Rachel Lavigueur for 24 yards - Extra point good.
10:13 FIELD GOAL NOVA CALANIA - Ji-yoo Han's 27 yards kick is good.
2:48 TOUCHDOWN PAFI - Quincey Pan passes to Guanyu Villon for 19 yards - Extra point good.

Injury Report			                vs Ranoria
		                              
HB Javon McCollum 	          Ankle sprain	Probable
CB Louis-Alexandre Bourguignon 	  Groin	        Out
T  Colton Janikowski              PCL Tear      Out
LB Kyle Wintermeyer               Knee          Out

Jean-Alexandre Guindon

[Sarzonia]

Winning 11 natches from 14 including a 34-3 shellacking of Rouyoute in the group stage finale at Joe Gibbs Stadium and earning the sixth seed out of 16 teams weren't enough to brighten the dour mood of the Sarzonian national gridball team.

Sure, they were the "home" seeds against 12th seeded Kamijiro in the Round of 16 matchup at The Crocodile Swamp in Aissa. But they had the group title in their grasp, or did until Stars quarterback Cameron Stallworth threw a pick-six against Valanora in overtime to lose in Mar Sara.

That result cost Sarzonia the group title, and not just any group title, mind you. It resulted in grubby elven hands holding the Gavin Davis Group trophy aloft, a group named after one of SARZONIA's greats. The significance of the 11th ranked Vanorans winning a group named after a Sarzonian was not lost on a still-fuming manager Tyler Paige after the victory.

"We will get even," Paige said. "We're onto Kamijiro, but we'll keep that result [the overtime loss to Valanora] in the back of our minds."

Sarzonia will have to move on fairly quickly, though. Stallworth completed 11-of-18 passes for 155 yards and did not attempt a single carry against Rouyoute. Running back Ty'Relle Clinton ran 20 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns and Cal Barkley completed his only throw, a 88-yard touchdown bomb to Matt Largent. Meanwhile, Stallworth chose to concentrate on the team's next opponents.

"We didn't have the group stage we wanted, but we have ourselves to blame," he said. "If we don't lose that overtime match against Natkr, we still win the group," he said. "I'll take 11-3 anytime, but now the real fun begins."

Sarzonia finished the group stage of World Bowl L the third ranked offence with 450 points scored and allowed 209 points to finish fifth in points conceded. Sarzonia's plus-241 point differential also ranked the Stars third among the 16 teams still remaining.

"We've got a lot of work to do," said Largent, who caught seven passes for 159 yards including the long score from Barkley. "It starts with Kamijiro."

The Stars will face 12th seeded Kamijiro because World Bowl organisers prohibit group stage rematches in the first knockout round. TJUN-ia finished as the 11th seeds with a 10-4 record. Kamijiro were 9-5.

None of that mattered to Clinton, who said the Stars had bigger goals in mind.

"We want another World Bowl title," he said. "We want No. 4."

[Kamijiro]

Oh, great. They're still in it.

Well, well, well. It would appear that running the same play over and over again still works even in the big World Bowl L. Sure, they're going to get blown out by Sarzonia, a three-time Bowl champion and overall much better team, but you already know that the Jirō Islanders will take any chance at winning something they can get. I mean, they fight over a cone. To be fair, the cone was significant if only because it sat perfectly on the halfway line dividing the north and south when it was first 'discovered' by the North Islanders and South Islanders, but... still.

The team, shockingly, has not gotten injured at all. Although, the linemen aren't able to count much past five anymore and Paul still insists that there's two of everybody on the field, but it can't be that bad, right? At least Rafael can throw in a straight line for 30 yards at a time now. Oh, and the defense can kinda stop the pass every now and then. But that's not gonna matter much when it comes time to take on Sarzonia, who are stacked all over the field and despite underachieving by their standards in the group stage, will still put belt to ass.

The Jirō Islanders win either way, in this case. Either they win the game or they win the ability to go home and not have their heads done in every five seconds. Go Islanders, I guess?

[Chromatika]

The Standout Nations of the Group Stage

Offense

Rk	Nation				 PF	 PF/G
01	Valanora			486	34.71
02	Cardenao			472	33.71
03	Sarzonia			450	32.14
04	Drawkland			442	31.57
05	Banija				430	30.71
06	Quebec & Shingoryeo		425	30.36
07	The Kytler Peninsulae		423	30.21
08	TJUN-ia				417	29.79
09	South Newlandia			370	26.43
09	Kamijiro			370	26.43
09	United States of Nova Calania	370	26.43
12	Delaclava			364	26.00
13	HUElavia			353	25.21
14	Chromatika			347	24.79
15	South Americanastan		345	24.64
16	Ranoria				344	24.57
17	Ko-oren				340	24.29
18	Pafi				326	23.29
19	Norway-Sweden-Finland		318	22.71
20	Busoga Islands			311	22.21
21	Vaishnavaria			299	21.36
22	Rouyoute			294	21.00
23	Juvencus			282	20.14
24	New Umoja			270	19.29
24	Terefuxe			270	19.29
26	Grand Exultia			268	19.14
27	Equestria			267	19.07
28	Natkr				264	18.86
29	East Lithuania			259	18.50
30	Newmanistan			258	18.43
31	Katzeburg			252	18.00
32	New Rotterdam City		245	17.50
33	Sherpus				243	17.36
34	Barnettsville			233	16.64
35	Crpostran			230	16.43
36	Of the Golden Harp		209	14.93
37	Tumbra				206	14.71
38	United States of Devonta	183	13.07
39	Quirhoshe			179	12.79
40	Darmen				176	12.57

Defense

Rk	Nation				 PA	 PA/G
01	Ranoria				 84	 6.00
02	Ko-oren				124	 8.86
03	The Kytler Peninsulae		149	10.64
04	TJUN-ia				190	13.57
05	Sarzonia			209	14.93
06	Quebec & Shingoryeo		210	15.00
07	Kamijiro			220	15.71
08	Chromatika			226	16.14
09	South Newlandia			238	17.00
10	Cardenao			243	17.36
11	Busoga Islands			260	18.57
12	Crpostran			267	19.07
13	Grand Exultia			274	19.57
14	Katzeburg			275	19.64
15	New Rotterdam City		276	19.71
16	HUElavia			282	20.14
17	Rouyoute			294	21.00
18	Banija				298	21.29
19	Valanora			300	21.43
20	South Americanastan		309	22.07
21	Drawkland			320	22.86
22	Equestria			326	23.29
23	United States of Nova Calania	332	23.71
24	Juvencus			337	24.07
25	Darmen				356	25.43
26	New Umoja			369	26.36
27	Terefuxe			371	26.50
28	United States of Devonta	379	27.07
29	Of the Golden Harp		381	27.21
30	Pafi				385	27.50
31	Natkr				401	28.64
32	Delaclava			408	29.14
33	Sherpus				409	29.21
34	Barnettsville			417	29.79
35	Norway-Sweden-Finland		421	30.07
36	Newmanistan			427	30.50
37	Vaishnavaria			438	31.29
38	Quirhoshe			445	31.79
39	East Lithuania			466	33.29
40	Tumbra				474	33.86

Margin of Victory

Rk	Nation				 PD	 PD/G
01	The Kytler Peninsulae		274	19.57
02	Ranoria				260	18.57
03	Sarzonia			241	17.21
04	Cardenao			229	16.36
05	TJUN-ia				227	16.21
06	Ko-oren				216	15.43
07	Quebec & Shingoryeo		215	15.36
08	Valanora			186	13.29
09	Kamijiro			150	10.71
10	South Newlandia			132	 9.43
10	Banija				132	 9.43
12	Drawkland			122	 8.71
13	Chromatika			121	 8.64
14	HUElavia			 71	 5.07
15	Busoga Islands			 51	 3.64
16	United States of Nova Calania	 38	 2.71
17	South Americanastan		 36	 2.57
18	Rouyoute			  0	 0.00
19	Grand Exultia			 -6	-0.43
20	Katzeburg			-23	-1.64
21	New Rotterdam City		-31	-2.21
22	Crpostran			-37	-2.64
23	Delaclava			-44	-3.14
24	Juvencus			-55	-3.93
25	Equestria			-59	-4.21
25	Pafi				-59	-4.21
27	New Umoja			-99	-7.07
28	Terefuxe		       -101	-7.21
29	Norway-Sweden-Finland	       -103	-7.36
30	Natkr			       -137	-9.79
31	Vaishnavaria		       -139	-9.93
32	Sherpus			       -166    -11.86
33	Newmanistan		       -169    -12.07
34	Of the Golden Harp	       -172    -12.29
35	Darmen			       -180    -12.86
36	Barnettsville		       -184    -13.14
37	United States of Devonta       -196    -14.00
38	East Lithuania		       -207    -14.79
39	Quirhoshe		       -266    -19.00
40	Tumbra			       -268    -19.14

Playoff Table

Rk Nation				PF	PF/G	PFRank	PA	PA/G	PARank	 PD	PD/G	PDRank	RankSum
01 The Kytler Peninsulae		423	30.21	 7	149	10.64	 3	274	19.57	 1	11
01 Sarzonia				450	32.14	 3	209	14.93	 5	241	17.21	 3	11
03 Cardenao				472	33.71	 2	243	17.36	10	229	16.36	 4	16
04 TJUN-ia				417	29.79	 8	190	13.57	 4	227	16.21	 5	17
05 Ranoria				344	24.57	16	84	 6.00	 1	260	18.57	 2	19
05 Quebec & Shingoryeo			425	30.36	 6	210	15.00	 6	215	15.36	 7	19
07 Kamijiro				370	26.43	 9	220	15.71	 7	150	10.71	 9	25
07 Ko-oren				340	24.29	17	124	 8.86	 2	216	15.43	 6	25
09 Valanora				486	34.71	 1	300	21.43	19	186	13.29	 8	28
09 South Newlandia			370	26.43	 9	238	17.00	 9	132	 9.43	10	28
11 Banija				430	30.71	 5	298	21.29	18	132	 9.43	10	33
12 Chromatika				347	24.79	14	226	16.14	 8	121	 8.64	13	35
13 Drawkland				442	31.57	 4	320	22.86	21	122	 8.71	12	37
14 HUElavia				353	25.21	13	282	20.14	16	 71	 5.07	14	43
15 United States of Nova Calania	370	26.43	 9	332	23.71	23	 38	 2.71	16	48
16 South Americanastan			345	24.64	15	309	22.07	20	 36	 2.57	17	52

---

Valanora vs. Chromatika... In a Different Sport

Six wins in a row, after putting up fifty on Banija. Conceding a grand total of 29 points in their last five matches. This is the kind of gridiron that Chromatika has wanted to play, and they are starting to do it. Katzeburg did only lose by seven points - they were always within reach - but they never got inside the Chromatik thirty, turned the ball over three times, and never got much going.

After a stumble in Darmen, the Chromatik running game got back on track, rushing for more than 150, while Gwenderyn had the game's only touchdown on a nice throw to the back corner of the end zone to the ever reliable Alessandra Mio. It was the best throw of the night by Gwenderyn as she beat the corner right before they could get there to try to jar the ball lose.

Although Banija dropped their Group Stage finale to Busoga Islands by a sizeable margin, the first tiebreaker for teams tied at wins is Overall Point Differential, dropping the Iron Legion to the thirteenth seed. Their reward will be a battle against Valanora in the Round of Sixteen. Valanora topped a group that had Sarzonia and TJUN-ia, and they have the best offense in the entire tournament, averaging almost 35 points a game.

Håkon Schau is not Odin Sørbø, but the fact that Odin isn't even on the roster shows just how good Valanora's team is. It's a team of veterans that have devoted themselves to a craft that is often overlooked in their nation, which means that they truly love the game. It's very difficult to take down a team that knows why it is that they play this sport, so when Chromatika takes them on in Fermete Stadium, they must be as devoted as the Vanorians.

"It's the first time taking them on in the World Bowl," commented Head Coach Misha Florentine, "But we have seen that flag plenty of times as a nation. The Vanorian way of playing sport is very similar to the Chromatik one - built on talent, composure, and respect for your opponent. Raynor University has been a rival of Felswyr State (now Mountain District), so we're familiar with them on the football field as well. It's going to be a total war out there, but we have been tested through thick and thin and are ready to go."

The rest of the World Bowl playoff field is ridiculous. Notable first-round battles include Group-winning South Newlandia taking on the Jaguars of TJUN-ia, Quebec and Shingoryeo taking on Drawkland, and, in a match that should be a World Bowl Final, Ko-oren taking on the Serpent Eagles of Banija. Defending champions Cardenao open with South Americanastan, while top-seeded Ranoria plays the lone fourth placed team to make it in - the United States of Nova Calania.

Chromatiks are starving for another deep playoff run, but it won't be easy - as it never is in the World Bowl. It all starts with Valanora, and there will be no room for error as they delve into knockout play.

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

There was a reversion to the mean. Of course there was a reversion to the mean. The Green Machine actually lost games plural - but that didn't stop them from finishing top of their group, 12-2 with the best point differential of any team. When Drawkland got their revenge win on home soil, it was only in a 33-30 barnburner. The Grid Corps lost the home-and-home aggregate by 27 points. That should not happen to anyone, let alone the national team of a nation for whom this isn't a truly national sport (or, depending on who you ask, it is one, but for a nation that is not The Kytler Peninsulae) and who still run either a triple-option offense or an awkward adaptation thereof. Opposing teams still seem to have plenty of awkward adaptation of their own to face, and aren't handling it too well; the Green Machine put up over 30 points per game, one of only seven teams to do so. None of whom came anywhere near the Green Machine's paltry 149 points allowed in 14 games; the only two teams that topped that were Ranoria and Ko-oren, who didn't score nearly as many themselves. (What else would you expect from Ko-oren?)

Speaking of Ranoria, there won't be another Kytlerian raid on that nation to follow that game against Saint Kanye, as the Green Machine are in the Banijan half of the bracket - which for the Kytlerian nation brings back memories of soccer rather than gridiron, of defeat in the World Cup 97 octofinal and victory in the Di Bradini Cup quarterfinal. Speaking of soccer, it's another prominent soccer nation who await in this octofinal, with HUElavia sneaking through as the 14th seed with a 9-5 record. On form, then, the Green Machine are clear favourites. But QB Dirk Dijkstra isn't taking that label seriously.

"We're good, they're good, and weird things happen in elimination games," he told a press conference in the buildup. "They have offensive playmakers and have a style that fits how the game is played more broadly across the multiverse, so really we're reliant on being different and making that work, and obviously we've had to evolve in the last couple of cycles as teams adapted to us, I think even in this group stage teams dealt better with us second time around so I'm sure HUElavia will have taken notes on how they did that. But yeah, it's elimination game time now, the whole international season has come down to this, we're all four wins from glory and nothing we've done before this matters anymore."

Is there any thought about if this team could actually get those four wins? "There will be if we get the first three," he laughed. "It's one game at a time, always and forever. Especially when there isn't a next game if you lose this one."

[Valanora]

If there were nerves that the Sabres were going to bottle their first chance at winning a group in the World Bowl, then they were quite well masked by the team as they ventured forth to East Lithuania. A win in the far away land would secure the team their first ever group win in the World Bowl and a spot as a first seed in the bracket for the knockout rounds, which would most likely provide a favorable matchup for the Sabres. The team had obviously grown quite a bit since their early group blunder away to Natkr and there was a look of cool determination upon the faces of the players as they sang the national anthem before the game. For a decade they had been building up for a moment like this, a moment where they could demonstrate quite fully that the Empire had room for gridirion in its collection of sports that it succeeded at at the very highest level. While success in the knockout rounds might help that further on, finally winning a group title in a group that they were far from fancied from was going to be a momentous achievement, they simply had to defeat a low ranked team away from home to accomplish that goal.

Coming into the tournament there was a lot of talk about Håkon Schau and how he was no longer the quarterback to lead the Sabres forward, that the starting job needed to be given to Felix Strom and that Odin Sørbø should have been on the roster as the back up option. Odin opted out of representing the Sabres for this tournament, decided to focus on his shift from collegiate gridrion to the professional grade, though he was following in Strom's footsteps and making his way to Banija to play ball. Schau was thirty and his production in the Vanorian Gridiron League in the second season of the competition had went down a bit. Combine that and with how lackluster and disappointing the Sabres had been the previous edition of the World Bowl, there was quite a few calls to bench the former Raynor University quarterback and to go with the younger option who was proving he had all the skills to do the job in Banija. Despite those calls for a change, head coach Andy Magnusson decided to stick with Schau, believing that the young man still had something to give to the team, even if this might be the last tournament he had the opportunity to.

The coach's faith in Schau had been rewarded greatly through the first thirteen games of the group stage and it was rewarded once more in East Lithuania as the offense continued to hum perfectly. Schau would throw for three hundred twenty-two yards with five touchdowns with a seventy-eight percent throwing accuracy on the day as the Sabres sliced right through their unranked opponent. Alexander Østby added on with ninety-two yards on the ground and a rushing score of his own as the Sabres looked to have a bit more balance on the attack that what some might be used to from the team, knowing that they are going to need some sort of production from their running game if they are going to find any sort of success in the knockout rounds of the competition. The defense held the hosts to twenty points, thirteen of those coming in the second half when it all was but assured that the Sabres were going to be walking away from the game with the much desired victory and the group title with them as a result. It was exactly the sort of performance that the team knew they were capable of and what was needed against an overmatched opponent on the road.

However that group title and first seed did not do the Sabres any favors as they were drawn against the fifth ranked Chromatika side in the Round of Sixteen. From the outset the betting odds in the Empire give the edge to the Chromatika side, who had to emerge from a highly confrontational group with excellent performances from Busoga, South Newlandia, and Banija in order to scrape their way into the knockouts. It had looked a bit dire for Chromatika at one stage but the team reeled off six wins in a row and had just put up over fifty points on a very talented Banija side. It is the sort of the team that you do not want to have to come across in the knockouts, much less in the first round and it spells a lot of trouble for the Sabres as they search for their first ever knockout round victory. Chromatika was a top eight team when it came to defense and they will be looking to try and slow down the Sabres offense, which finished as the best scoring offense in all of the competition. The skeptics will say those numbers are inflated due to the nature of the Vanorian group, we have seen that before when foriegn media have tried to discredit Raynor's and Tech's accomplishments.

So how do the Sabres win when they are going against a team who are better than them on paper and who seem to be on a hot streak and happen to play the very style of game that on paper looks to cancel out everything that the Sabres try to do on the offensive side of the ball? Well this is why getting some run production is important, it keeps Chromatika honest and prevent them from doubling up on the wide outs and sitting back in zone and daring Schau to beat them. This is also where the defense needs to stand up and make a few stops that they are not expected to make, instead of holding Chromatika to field goal attempts they need to get them off the field and gave Schau and the offense a few more possessions to try and solve the equation on offense. Then of course is special teams, where the field position game is going to be key especially trying to flip the field as we know the reputation of Chromatik kickers as being some of the best of the bunch. Beyond that, a bit of luck needs to go the Sabres way and for the heart and determination of a team trying to prove the world wrong to be a cutting edge against a foe looking to assert their own dominance and add to their legacy.

[Ko-oren]

Season 55 Regular Season 1/2

Schedule:
Each team plays the teams in their division twice (home and away) and the teams in the other division once. Out-of-division weeks are weeks 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10. Divisional games occur in weeks 2, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, and 18. Teams have two byes that fall in one of the Divisional weeks. Weeks 11 and 15 are reserved for rivalry games: the Urban Derby between the Greencaster Godspeed and Willowbourne Saints; the Capital Clash between the Mayara Wolves and Mayara Destroyers; the Southwestern between the Mawryshire Centaurs and the Eaglebury Emperors; the Shemurdar Derby between the Schemerdrecht 65ers and Schemerdrecht Admirals; the Battle for the Bay between the Sterrenwolde Dragonflies and Aminey Caspians; and the Northeastern between the Aerellen Explosions and the Noordrug Astronauts.

Week 1 EX Selpernim 35 16:00 - Greencaster Godspeed 16-0 Sterrenwolde Dragonflies (Surbourneshire Square, Garihnkatar (Greencaster) att. 65000/65000, 25C Sunny)
ToP: 33:14-26:46 / Total Yds: 317-269 / 1st Downs: 15-15 / 3rd %: 41-42 / Pass Att: 36-29 / Pass Comp: 26-20 / Pass Comp%: 71,2-67,8 / Sacks: 2-2 / Fum TA: 1-0 / Int TA: 1-1 / Pen: 4-4

Week 1 EX Selpernim 35 19:00 - Aerellen Explosions 0-17 Willowbourne Saints (Northern Arena, Ehbanna (Aevanna) att. 32000/32000, 18C Clear)
ToP: 28:09-31:51 / Total Yds: 310-339 / 1st Downs: 4-21 / 3rd %: 37-59 / Pass Att: 31-48 / Pass Comp: 20-36 / Pass Comp%: 63,6-74,4 / Sacks: 5-5 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 2-2 / Pen: 3-4

Week 1 EX Selpernim 36 16:00 - Noordrug Astronauts 48-6 Mayara Destroyers (The Glacier, Launathi (Launott) att. 28000/28000, 8C Cloudy)
ToP: 36:32-23:28 / Total Yds: 395-263 / 1st Downs: 14-12 / 3rd %: 63-44 / Pass Att: 31-30 / Pass Comp: 20-19 / Pass Comp%: 64,4-62,6 / Sacks: 1-0 / Fum TA: 2-1 / Int TA: 0-0 / Pen: 7-6

Week 1 EX Selpernim 36 19:00 - Mayara Wolves 36-17 Aminey Caspians (Wolves' Lair Stadium, Senoren (Senoren) att. 32039/37000, 23C Some rain)
ToP: 35:07-24:53 / Total Yds: 363-283 / 1st Downs: 15-13 / 3rd %: 51-39 / Pass Att: 10-38 / Pass Comp: 7-25 / Pass Comp%: 74,8-66,2 / Sacks: 4-1 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 1-1 / Pen: 3-8

Week 1 EX Selpernim 36 19:00 - Eaglebury Emperors 49-34 Schemerdrecht Admirals (The Palace, Gillberra (Eaglebury) att. 28095/34000, 13C Considerable rain)
ToP: 33:49-26:11 / Total Yds: 318-356 / 1st Downs: 16-17 / 3rd %: 36-45 / Pass Att: 8-30 / Pass Comp: 5-16 / Pass Comp%: 64-52 / Sacks: 4-1 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 0-0 / Pen: 4-6

Week 1 EX Selpernim 36 19:00 - Mawryshire Centaurs 52-16 Schemerdrecht 65ers (Hertfield, Marapsathi (Mawrystwyth) att. 33000/33000, 14C Considerable rain)
ToP: 36:09-23:51 / Total Yds: 446-320 / 1st Downs: 27-14 / 3rd %: 46-26 / Pass Att: 33-35 / Pass Comp: 24-17 / Pass Comp%: 72,2-49,8 / Sacks: 3-5 / Fum TA: 2-1 / Int TA: 2-2 / Pen: 4-5

This season is wide-open, or so they said. Instead the season opener is a shutout and so is the second game of the season later that evening. In both, Eastern teams fail to score, which sort of fits the pre-season narrative: the West is a horrible place to be in and out of three or four contenders, all but one are in there, and the Godspeed might not even be one of them. Still, the first game was pretty even on paper but where the Godspeed did score, the Dragonflies simply failed to get anything together. That's a little different from game two, where the Explosions only got four first downs - they did get a couple chunk plays though. It didn't get much better the rest of the weekend: the Astronauts won by 42 against a Destroyers team that rightfully was called the worst in the league. The Caspians were on the way up but got stopped by the Wolves who won the battle on the trenches - as they always do. The Emperors and Centaurs flexed their muscles to show that they are the real contenders: the former won by 15 while scoring 49 and the latter scored over 50 points and had a 36-point win, even while taking five sacks, all because they kept the 65ers under 50% pass completion, which is a bit of a sin in the KPG.

Week 2 DIV Jaranethan 5 16:00 - Schemerdrecht 65ers 33-12 Aerellen Explosions (65ers Arena, Shemurdar (Schemerdrecht) att. 36938/48000, 19C Gloomy and rainy)
ToP: 33:52-26:08 / Total Yds: 390-240 / 1st Downs: 18-25 / 3rd %: 42-36 / Pass Att: 31-20 / Pass Comp: 25-11 / Pass Comp%: 81,2-56,8 / Sacks: 3-4 / Fum TA: 0-1 / Int TA: 0-1 / Pen: 3-6

Week 2 DIV Jaranethan 5 19:00 - Schemerdrecht Admirals 53-17 Noordrug Astronauts (Orange Bowl, Shemurdar (Schemerdrecht) att. 40632/54000, 17C Gloomy and rainy)
ToP: 36:22-23:38 / Total Yds: 431-246 / 1st Downs: 17-18 / 3rd %: 59-33 / Pass Att: 24-31 / Pass Comp: 17-18 / Pass Comp%: 70,2-56,8 / Sacks: 9-3 / Fum TA: 1-0 / Int TA: 0-0 / Pen: 10-4

Week 2 DIV Jaranethan 6 16:00 - Eaglebury Emperors 30-3 Willowbourne Saints (The Palace, Gillberra (Eaglebury) att. 34000/34000, 14C Cloudy)
ToP: 35:40-24:20 / Total Yds: 371-208 / 1st Downs: 27-15 / 3rd %: 46-47 / Pass Att: 22-33 / Pass Comp: 15-20 / Pass Comp%: 70,4-60,6 / Sacks: 0-4 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 1-1 / Pen: 3-4

Week 2 DIV Jaranethan 6 19:00 - Greencaster Godspeed 30-43 Mayara Destroyers (Surbourneshire Square, Garihnkatar (Greencaster) att. 64809/65000, 19C Overcast)
ToP: 29:40-30:20 / Total Yds: 406-344 / 1st Downs: 10-20 / 3rd %: 35-65 / Pass Att: 32-24 / Pass Comp: 23-20 / Pass Comp%: 73,4-81,6 / Sacks: 0-4 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 2-0 / Pen: 6-7

Week 2 DIV Jaranethan 6 19:00 - Mawryshire Centaurs 47-10 Mayara Wolves (Hertfield, Marapsathi (Mawrystwyth) att. 33000/33000, 15C Cloudy)
ToP: 35:22-24:38 / Total Yds: 403-224 / 1st Downs: 23-15 / 3rd %: 57-33 / Pass Att: 37-12 / Pass Comp: 32-5 / Pass Comp%: 85,4-45,6 / Sacks: 4-0 / Fum TA: 1-0 / Int TA: 1-0 / Pen: 10-2

The search for the first one-score game continues, and with these all being in-division games, there should be something there. Or so we thought. The Eastern games might not have been the best: the Explosions earned two turnovers but still lost by 21 against a riskier 65ers team. The Admirals scored 53 points - awesome if you support the, but for neutrals it wasn't all that - in a game with 12 sacks total, 14 penalties, the majority committed by the winning team, but that doesn't matter if you kill drive after drive on the line. The Saints, fourth in pre-season polling, lost by 27 to an Emperors team that's looking to make their first Bowl appearance in a while. The Destroyers, one of the worse teams in the league, beat the Godspeed away through... probably just belief in themselves, because there was little else to suggest they could get away with it, except for going 20 off 24 in passing. The Godspeed scored 30 points which should have been enough but QB Gulthithen was on something. Lastly, the Centaurs scored 47 and easily go into first place in the power rankings with +4 sack differential and +2 turnover differential in just this game, on top of completing 32 from 37 and allowing just 5 from 12 - it's the Wolves, and they matched up terribly.

Week 3 EX Jaranethan 11 16:00 - Greencaster Godspeed 34-28 Aerellen Explosions (Surbourneshire Square, Garihnkatar (Greencaster) att. 61863/65000, 20C Partially Cloudy)
ToP: 31:19-28:41 / Total Yds: 372-329 / 1st Downs: 14-25 / 3rd %: 50-50 / Pass Att: 29-22 / Pass Comp: 19-16 / Pass Comp%: 64,2-71,8 / Sacks: 4-3 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 0-2 / Pen: 9-3

Week 3 EX Jaranethan 11 19:00 - Willowbourne Saints 33-28 Noordrug Astronauts (Willowbowl, Ilohbonu (Willowbourne) att. 55000/55000, 23C Overcast)
ToP: 30:57-29:03 / Total Yds: 339-249 / 1st Downs: 21-31 / 3rd %: 40-40 / Pass Att: 38-23 / Pass Comp: 29-13 / Pass Comp%: 75-58 / Sacks: 4-1 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 1-0 / Pen: 5-2

Week 3 EX Jaranethan 12 16:00 - Aminey Caspians 6-26 Mayara Destroyers (Stade sur la Baie, Amahne (Aminey) att. 25820/70000, 17C Overcast, Lightning)
ToP: 28:59-31:01 / Total Yds: 262-398 / 1st Downs: 18-20 / 3rd %: 42-41 / Pass Att: 24-35 / Pass Comp: 12-20 / Pass Comp%: 49-57 / Sacks: 3-0 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 1-0 / Pen: 8-4

Week 3 EX Jaranethan 12 19:00 - Schemerdrecht Admirals 36-25 Mayara Wolves (Orange Bowl, Shemurdar (Schemerdrecht) att. 51098/54000, 18C Clear)
ToP: 34:08-25:52 / Total Yds: 301-285 / 1st Downs: 11-18 / 3rd %: 41-50 / Pass Att: 30-5 / Pass Comp: 19-3 / Pass Comp%: 62,2-65,8 / Sacks: 3-3 / Fum TA: 2-1 / Int TA: 1-3 / Pen: 7-3

Week 3 EX Jaranethan 12 19:00 - Schemerdrecht 65ers 44-30 Eaglebury Emperors (65ers Arena, Shemurdar (Schemerdrecht) att. 48000/48000, 17C Clear)
ToP: 33:03-26:57 / Total Yds: 379-366 / 1st Downs: 21-16 / 3rd %: 53-37 / Pass Att: 29-14 / Pass Comp: 19-10 / Pass Comp%: 66,8-68,2 / Sacks: 3-0 / Fum TA: 1-0 / Int TA: 2-2 / Pen: 7-8

Week 3 EX Jaranethan 12 19:00 - Sterrenwolde Dragonflies 40-7 Mawryshire Centaurs (Het Planetarium, Seterbohdu (Sterrenwolde) att. 46000/46000, 18C Clear)
ToP: 36:45-23:15 / Total Yds: 441-247 / 1st Downs: 15-18 / 3rd %: 40-35 / Pass Att: 33-38 / Pass Comp: 22-17 / Pass Comp%: 67,6-45,4 / Sacks: 0-4 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 1-1 / Pen: 7-7

Back to out-of-division games, and we've got one! We have a close game! The Godspeed, reeling from last week's defeat, won a close battle against the Explosions. And honestly, it was a back and forth from the beginning. The Godspeed cleared the field faster in fewer plays, the Explosions needed longer drives to do it, but in the end, it's only a six point game. The Saints had trouble against the Astronauts where they probably overlooked their week three opposition a bit: every team, even the ones with glaring holes on the roster and losing their best players to the national team, has a way to beat the number one team in the league. For the Saints, they weren't ready for the short fields the Astronauts were able to create but clutched it out in the end. The Destroyers beat the Caspians in what could prove to be an expensive loss for the home team in their bid to win the East. And despite the sacks, the best team simply were the visitors. The Admirals beat the Wolves in a fun shootout, the 65ers beat the Emperors showing that the best of the East can hang with the best of the West, at least at home, in another game where one team got the better of the other team on the line and powered that into a multi-score win. The Dragonflies, potentially SO back, had a good offensive showing, scoring 40 points (!!) despite giving up four sacks as they beat a very, very good Centaurs team. To remind you, these teams were 11th and 1st in the preseason rankings, and yet this is what happens any given Sunday. Well deserved win, too, for the number one ranked defence.

Week 4 EX Jaranethan 17 16:00 - Noordrug Astronauts 20-37 Greencaster Godspeed (The Glacier, Launathi (Launott) att. 28000/28000, 11C Drizzle (rain))
ToP: 27:36-32:24 / Total Yds: 338-434 / 1st Downs: 23-29 / 3rd %: 43-41 / Pass Att: 23-31 / Pass Comp: 12-18 / Pass Comp%: 52,6-57,4 / Sacks: 2-0 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 2-1 / Pen: 2-6

Week 4 EX Jaranethan 17 19:00 - Willowbourne Saints 13-14 Aminey Caspians (Willowbowl, Ilohbonu (Willowbourne) att. 55000/55000, 20C Sunny)
ToP: 31:26-28:34 / Total Yds: 333-327 / 1st Downs: 6-22 / 3rd %: 54-41 / Pass Att: 40-35 / Pass Comp: 20-27 / Pass Comp%: 50,8-76,2 / Sacks: 0-2 / Fum TA: 2-1 / Int TA: 1-0 / Pen: 7-3

Week 4 EX Jaranethan 18 16:00 - Schemerdrecht Admirals 41-18 Mayara Destroyers (Orange Bowl, Shemurdar (Schemerdrecht) att. 51714/54000, 14C Clear)
ToP: 34:19-25:41 / Total Yds: 371-275 / 1st Downs: 27-15 / 3rd %: 56-45 / Pass Att: 33-33 / Pass Comp: 26-17 / Pass Comp%: 79,6-50,4 / Sacks: 3-4 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 1-0 / Pen: 4-8

Week 4 EX Jaranethan 18 19:00 - Schemerdrecht 65ers 37-20 Mayara Wolves (65ers Arena, Shemurdar (Schemerdrecht) att. 48000/48000, 14C Clear)
ToP: 33:57-26:03 / Total Yds: 443-360 / 1st Downs: 18-34 / 3rd %: 32-47 / Pass Att: 37-5 / Pass Comp: 29-2 / Pass Comp%: 78,4-47,6 / Sacks: 3-3 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 0-0 / Pen: 3-3

Week 4 EX Jaranethan 18 19:00 - Sterrenwolde Dragonflies 6-21 Eaglebury Emperors (Het Planetarium, Seterbohdu (Sterrenwolde) att. 46000/46000, 15C Clear)
ToP: 27:57-32:03 / Total Yds: 238-372 / 1st Downs: 6-12 / 3rd %: 40-45 / Pass Att: 32-14 / Pass Comp: 21-10 / Pass Comp%: 65-70 / Sacks: 0-2 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 2-0 / Pen: 2-9

Week 4 EX Jaranethan 18 19:00 - Aerellen Explosions 24-10 Mawryshire Centaurs (Northern Arena, Ehbanna (Aevanna) att. 31886/32000, 7C Drizzle (rain))
ToP: 33:00-27:00 / Total Yds: 295-264 / 1st Downs: 17-17 / 3rd %: 48-47 / Pass Att: 25-31 / Pass Comp: 17-15 / Pass Comp%: 69,8-49,2 / Sacks: 2-3 / Fum TA: 0-1 / Int TA: 1-0 / Pen: 6-6

A low scoring nailbiter! The Saints lost to a last-minute touchdown and conversion by the Caspians, who after a very expensive loss, picked up a pretty lucky win away from home. The Saints tried to chunk play from end zone to end zone, but they didn't account for a well prepared Amahne team. The Godspeed went to a rainy northeast and got a 17-point win to keep up with the Emperors and Centaurs - who both ran into trouble but more on that later - while the Admirals and Destroyers - roughly estimated to be equals - ended up with a 20+ point difference. The Destroyers' passing game wasn't up to par and the penalties they incurred en route to their loss didn't help. The 65ers made it 2-0 for Shemurdar city this week with their win over the 0-2 Capitals - the Wolves (after the Destroyers also lost) completed two passes. When their style works, it works, but when they're down multiple scores, the game gets out of view quick. The Dragonflies only scored 6 points in their loss to the Emperors despite catching two interceptions, but the Explosions did beat the other southwestern menaces, by 14 points, as the Centaurs' passing attack wasn't enough to overpower rainy northeastern weather.

Week 5 DIV Jaranethan 23 16:00 - Schemerdrecht 65ers 37-34 Aminey Caspians (65ers Arena, Shemurdar (Schemerdrecht) att. 48000/48000, 20C Gloomy)
ToP: 33:15-26:45 / Total Yds: 393-334 / 1st Downs: 17-11 / 3rd %: 42-49 / Pass Att: 39-44 / Pass Comp: 28-32 / Pass Comp%: 72,6-73,4 / Sacks: 4-4 / Fum TA: 0-1 / Int TA: 1-2 / Pen: 8-7

Week 5 DIV Jaranethan 23 19:00 - Sterrenwolde Dragonflies 9-10 Schemerdrecht Admirals (Het Planetarium, Seterbohdu (Sterrenwolde) att. 46000/46000, 18C Gloomy)
ToP: 32:23-27:37 / Total Yds: 237-210 / 1st Downs: 15-24 / 3rd %: 47-49 / Pass Att: 31-22 / Pass Comp: 25-15 / Pass Comp%: 79,8-67,2 / Sacks: 3-5 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 2-0 / Pen: 3-7

Week 5 DIV Jaranethan 24 16:00 - Mayara Wolves 41-0 Greencaster Godspeed (Wolves' Lair Stadium, Senoren (Senoren) att. 37000/37000, 20C Partially cloudy)
ToP: 37:53-22:07 / Total Yds: 413-183 / 1st Downs: 28-12 / 3rd %: 64-23 / Pass Att: 2-25 / Pass Comp: 2-14 / Pass Comp%: 81,2-56,8 / Sacks: 5-2 / Fum TA: 1-0 / Int TA: 0-1 / Pen: 5-3

Week 5 DIV Jaranethan 24 19:00 - Mayara Destroyers 9-26 Willowbourne Saints (Exhibition Centre, Majara (Mayara) att. 41000/41000, 19C Partially cloudy)
ToP: 27:49-32:11 / Total Yds: 336-384 / 1st Downs: 19-23 / 3rd %: 42-34 / Pass Att: 27-39 / Pass Comp: 17-30 / Pass Comp%: 63,6-77,4 / Sacks: 5-0 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 1-1 / Pen: 6-7

Only four games this week: one low scoring but roughly equal game between the Dragonflies and Admirals, with surprisingly good passing even if neither offence could really get going. One high scoring equal game as the 65ers score a last-second field goal to walk off a Caspians team who held on surprisingly well for so long. Between teams that weren't exactly seen as contenders but who might have a shot in a poor Eastern division, the Admirals got a fourth quarter field goal to overcome just nine points - as the Dragonflies offence keeps failing to tick since the early season. The Wolves tore apart the Godspeed 41-0 - the former might be in better shape than expected, but the Godspeed better figure it out while the Centaurs, Emperors, and Saints all go on better runs. The Saints won by 17 points over a hapless Destroyers team who did force five sacks but even that wasn't enough to keep the offence of the field.

Week 6 DIV Jaranethan 29 16:00 - Noordrug Astronauts 17-20 Schemerdrecht 65ers (The Glacier, Launathi (Launott) att. 28000/28000, 11C Downpour (rain))
ToP: 30:42-29:18 / Total Yds: 315-304 / 1st Downs: 19-34 / 3rd %: 42-48 / Pass Att: 34-31 / Pass Comp: 27-21 / Pass Comp%: 79,4-68,6 / Sacks: 3-5 / Fum TA: 0-1 / Int TA: 0-1 / Pen: 7-9

Week 6 DIV Jaranethan 29 19:00 - Aerellen Explosions 24-32 Sterrenwolde Dragonflies (Northern Arena, Ehbanna (Aevanna) att. 29470/32000, 12C Downpour (rain))
ToP: 28:55-31:05 / Total Yds: 265-308 / 1st Downs: 18-18 / 3rd %: 41-43 / Pass Att: 24-38 / Pass Comp: 12-23 / Pass Comp%: 51,4-59,6 / Sacks: 3-0 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 0-1 / Pen: 3-7

Week 6 DIV Jaranethan 30 16:00 - Schemerdrecht Admirals 47-33 Aminey Caspians (Orange Bowl, Shemurdar (Schemerdrecht) att. 35707/54000, 15C Gloomy, Fog)
ToP: 34:47-25:13 / Total Yds: 455-283 / 1st Downs: 23-23 / 3rd %: 48-45 / Pass Att: 34-32 / Pass Comp: 27-22 / Pass Comp%: 78,8-69,2 / Sacks: 6-0 / Fum TA: 1-0 / Int TA: 1-0 / Pen: 3-9

Week 6 DIV Jaranethan 30 19:00 - Mayara Destroyers 22-37 Eaglebury Emperors (Exhibition Centre, Majara (Mayara) att. 41000/41000, 13C Clear)
ToP: 28:33-31:27 / Total Yds: 297-407 / 1st Downs: 20-21 / 3rd %: 38-48 / Pass Att: 32-16 / Pass Comp: 21-13 / Pass Comp%: 67-82 / Sacks: 1-0 / Fum TA: 0-0 / Int TA: 1-1 / Pen: 4-3

Week 6 DIV Jaranethan 30 19:00 - Willowbourne Saints 23-20 Mayara Wolves (Willowbowl, Ilohbonu (Willowbourne) att. 48257/55000, 14C Intermittent rain)
ToP: 31:38-28:22 / Total Yds: 347-338 / 1st Downs: 25-24 / 3rd %: 48-43 / Pass Att: 39-7 / Pass Comp: 30-5 / Pass Comp%: 77,6-67,4 / Sacks: 0-0 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 0-1 / Pen: 5-4

Week 6 DIV Jaranethan 30 19:00 - Greencaster Godspeed 23-19 Mawryshire Centaurs (Surbourneshire Square, Garihnkatar (Greencaster) att. 65000/65000, 16C Cloudy)
ToP: 32:14-27:46 / Total Yds: 289-270 / 1st Downs: 18-10 / 3rd %: 58-53 / Pass Att: 36-35 / Pass Comp: 22-20 / Pass Comp%: 60,8-56,2 / Sacks: 1-0 / Fum TA: 1-0 / Int TA: 1-1 / Pen: 5-9

More in-division games as we gear up for three weeks of rural games after this: the 65ers take a win in the north by a field goal despite honestly not having the better of the game, but hey, if the Astronauts refuse to score more, this happens. The Dragonflies win and keep the East very close by taking down the Explosions who thought they had a shot at the playoffs, and after weeks of poor performance the away team get together a decent offence again. There's talent there but they really need the opposing team to let them do what they want... and for an even bigger pointfest, we turn to the Admirals-Caspians game: 80 points (!) with the Admirals' D-line getting the Caspians off the field enough times. They played pretty good for a defence giving up 33 points. The Emperors and Centaurs are back from their bye week, and the Emperors immediately win by 14, but the Centaurs lose by 4 against a Godspeed team that wanted revenge for their awful showing the week prior. The Saints do the minimum required to fight off a feisty Wolves team and keep up with the west coast duo in their playoff bid.

Week 7 DIV Rural Jaranethan 36 16:00 - Aminey Caspians 37-21 Aerellen Explosions (Stade sur Écurie, Soibourg, Amahne (Aminey) att. 9000/9000, 20C Sunny)
ToP: 34:52-25:08 / Total Yds: 414-336 / 1st Downs: 17-18 / 3rd %: 48-38 / Pass Att: 34-27 / Pass Comp: 27-17 / Pass Comp%: 79,2-61,8 / Sacks: 2-2 / Fum TA: 1-0 / Int TA: 0-0 / Pen: 6-2

Week 7 DIV Rural Jaranethan 36 19:00 - Sterrenwolde Dragonflies 7-3 Noordrug Astronauts (Waterveld, Ossendal, Seterbohdu (Sterrenwolde) att. 6100/6100, 12C Gloomy and rainy)
ToP: 32:18-27:42 / Total Yds: 284-274 / 1st Downs: 25-21 / 3rd %: 37-48 / Pass Att: 30-28 / Pass Comp: 21-14 / Pass Comp%: 70,8-49,2 / Sacks: 1-2 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 1-1 / Pen: 4-7

Week 7 DIV Rural Jarakha 16:00 - Eaglebury Emperors 20-33 Greencaster Godspeed (Woomera Ground, Tarrashall, Gillberra (Eaglebury) att. 7500/7500, 13C Drizzle (rain))
ToP: 28:43-31:17 / Total Yds: 289-287 / 1st Downs: 21-25 / 3rd %: 39-43 / Pass Att: 11-28 / Pass Comp: 5-22 / Pass Comp%: 49,4-77,6 / Sacks: 5-0 / Fum TA: 1-2 / Int TA: 1-0 / Pen: 2-3

Week 7 DIV Rural Jarakha 19:00 - Mawryshire Centaurs 10-13 Willowbourne Saints (Ddefchosted Stadiwm, Feddhaw, Marapsathi (Mawrystwyth) att. 7700/7700, 13C Drizzle (rain))
ToP: 30:20-29:40 / Total Yds: 267-340 / 1st Downs: 26-27 / 3rd %: 54-46 / Pass Att: 27-39 / Pass Comp: 13-29 / Pass Comp%: 49,4-74,6 / Sacks: 5-5 / Fum TA: 0-1 / Int TA: 2-0 / Pen: 5-9

Huge trouble for the Emperors. What looked like a playoff-bound team is now on a multi-game losing streak, and the Godspeed honestly look like a completely reinvented squad since their meltdown two weeks ago. The Emperors are only in a position to complete 5 passes which is bad even if the Wolves had done something like this... all while the Saints are looking more and more like a team to beat by keeping the Centaurs under them by a field goal, in a game that went back and forth on a rain-logged field. In the east we had a low score and a high score: The Dragonflies make it two in a row with their 7-3 as it's all defence, while earlier that day, the Caspians used the only dry spell of the weekend for a massive win over the Explosions - 414 yards, nearly 80% completion.

Week 8 EX Rural Tharathju 5 16:00 - Aminey Caspians 31-24 Greencaster Godspeed (Stade sur Écurie, Soibourg, Amahne (Aminey) att. 9000/9000, 15C Clear)
ToP: 33:35-26:25 / Total Yds: 332-305 / 1st Downs: 15-12 / 3rd %: 32-52 / Pass Att: 35-32 / Pass Comp: 19-22 / Pass Comp%: 55,4-67,6 / Sacks: 3-2 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 1-0 / Pen: 3-6

Week 8 EX Rural Tharathju 5 19:00 - Schemerdrecht Admirals 43-31 Willowbourne Saints (Vleugelbergerveld, Vleugelberg, Shemurdar (Schemerdrecht) att. 9600/9600, 14C Partially Cloudy)
ToP: 32:19-27:41 / Total Yds: 331-305 / 1st Downs: 18-22 / 3rd %: 42-36 / Pass Att: 31-42 / Pass Comp: 22-29 / Pass Comp%: 69,4-69,6 / Sacks: 4-0 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 2-0 / Pen: 7-5

Week 8 EX Rural Tharathju 6 16:00 - Mayara Destroyers 9-27 Schemerdrecht 65ers (Rikalathen Arena, Maethoru, Majara (Mayara) att. 35971/39000, 20C Drizzle (rain))
ToP: 28:50-31:10 / Total Yds: 340-319 / 1st Downs: 16-12 / 3rd %: 45-58 / Pass Att: 36-37 / Pass Comp: 19-30 / Pass Comp%: 51,4-81,6 / Sacks: 2-6 / Fum TA: 0-1 / Int TA: 1-1 / Pen: 8-9

Week 8 EX Rural Tharathju 6 19:00 - Mayara Wolves 25-13 Sterrenwolde Dragonflies (Lothaudhna Stadium, Gakhithrau, Senoren (Senoren) att. 9200/9200, 19C Drizzle (rain))
ToP: 34:25-25:35 / Total Yds: 361-243 / 1st Downs: 27-14 / 3rd %: 40-44 / Pass Att: 1-32 / Pass Comp: 1-24 / Pass Comp%: 65,4-73,6 / Sacks: 6-4 / Fum TA: 1-1 / Int TA: 1-0 / Pen: 6-2

Week 8 EX Rural Tharathju 6 19:00 - Eaglebury Emperors 34-13 Aerellen Explosions (Woomera Ground, Tarrashall, Gillberra (Eaglebury) att. 7500/7500, 9C Cloudy and rainy)
ToP: 34:41-25:19 / Total Yds: 408-258 / 1st Downs: 23-18 / 3rd %: 61-48 / Pass Att: 12-26 / Pass Comp: 8-19 / Pass Comp%: 65,2-71,8 / Sacks: 1-2 / Fum TA: 1-0 / Int TA: 0-1 / Pen: 10-9

Week 8 EX Rural Tharathju 6 19:00 - Mawryshire Centaurs 27-25 Noordrug Astronauts (Ddefchosted Stadiwm, Feddhaw, Marapsathi (Mawrystwyth) att. 7700/7700, 8C Cloudy and rainy)
ToP: 32:06-27:54 / Total Yds: 300-264 / 1st Downs: 15-19 / 3rd %: 50-38 / Pass Att: 30-31 / Pass Comp: 20-16 / Pass Comp%: 65,4-50,6 / Sacks: 3-3 / Fum TA: 2-2 / Int TA: 1-2 / Pen: 5-7

For week two of the rural games, we have all twelve teams active with pretty awful passing all around in a rainy weekend with lots of wind unimpeded by the smaller stands of smaller venues - it didn't seem to hurt everybody universally: the Admirals and Saints put up over seventy points, for instance, but only the 65ers managed to complete over 80% of passes - and subsequently won - and the other two teams completing over 70% both lost. The Dragonflies (73.6%) lost by 12 to the Wolves who love these kinds of running conditions, and the Explosions haven't looked like themselves for a while as the Emperors break their 4-game losing streak with a 21-point win in a game with 19 penalties and only two turnovers - low for a KPG game. The Centaurs won by two, the Caspians won by seven (in a game with little offence to speak of, despite it being literally the two teams associated with big time skill position players). As always, the rural venues really mess up the status quo.

And so we reach the mid-point of the season, with a few answers and a lot of questions: in the West, the Mawryshire Centaurs are looking pretty good - though no team are in the vicinity of a 7-0 record - and the Willowbourne Saints have come out as the main challengers. The Greencaster Godspeed and to a way lesser extent the Eaglebury Emperors have hit major roadblocks, but the former can probably do a bit more damage in the long run than the latter. In the East, it's all to play for with the Sterrenwolde Dragonflies showing signs of life, the Schemerdrecht Admirals finding their groove sometimes, and... are the Schemerdrecht 65ers really the frontrunners in the East?

[TJUN-ia]

Yeah. We missed the end of this group stage. We have a bit to discuss.

TJUN-ia 30–34 Valanora
This one was close. Like, really close. We knew that Valanora in the Field of Dreams in The Gardens of New Washington was a recipe for a banger, and a banger it did indeed produce. 64 combined points usually does mean banger after all...but despite all the effort Leon Gallas put into this game (4 TDs), Andy Magnusson and Håkon Schau knew the game they wanted the Sabres to play and executed it to perfection. Our stout defence was ineffective at times in this game...and that is what sealed our fate.

Rouyoute 22–16 TJUN-ia
We knew that The Crooked Crown Cap was going to be a problem and so it proved in a game that simply made no sense. Turns out when the dimensions of the field are fucked, the whole game goes with it. Frustrating, to say the least. Julien Girard knew what he was doing, simple as that...and we failed to adapt.

TJUN-ia 40–6 Delaclava
At least we ended on a high, back at home against the Phoenixes. An absolute demolition job as 6 TDs came home. In the end, we would finish 3rd in this group at a respectable 10-4...but we are hungry for more.

And so, we go to the Playoffs as the best 3rd seed of them all looking to try and cause some chaos before the sun goes down. And so, we must climb. In order to avoid a rematch with Sarzonia, we were instead drawn to Berlin to play #12 South Newlandia - who actually beat out both Chromatika and Banija to win the Isaka Jawara Group. Scott Yadav seems to be a brilliant QB and Robert Victorino seems to know what he is doing. All in all, we know this game will be tough...but we think we are ready. GO JAGS!

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SCHEDULE (Group Gavin Davis)
MD1: vs Natkr (41) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 38-13 (2nd/1-0)
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MD2: vs Sarzonia (4) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 13-0 (1st/2-0)
MD3: @East Lithuania (UR) W 60-0 (1st/3-0)
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MD4: vs Quirhoshe (UR) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 38-6 (1st/4-0)
MD5: @Valanora (11) - Lathalein Celestial Stadium, Mar Sara L 7-13 (2nd/4-1)
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MD6: vs Rouyoute (45) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 35-20 (1st/5-1)
MD7: @Delaclava (20) W 27-15 (1st/6-1)
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MD8: @Natkr (41) - Skyhold Dome, ?? W 22-10 (1st/7-1)
MD9: @Sarzonia (4) - Joe Gibbs Stadium, Woodstock L 20-38 (3rd/7-2)
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MD10: vs East Lithuania (UR) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 38-3 (3rd/8-2)
MD11: @Quirhoshe (UR) W 33-10 (3rd/9-2)
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MD12: vs Valanora (11) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington L 30-34 (3rd/9-3)
MD13: @Rouyoute (45) - The Crooked Crown Cap, Rouyoute L 16-22 (3rd/9-4)
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MD14: vs Delaclava (20) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 40-6 (3rd/10-4)
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Ro16: vs South Newlandia (12/#5) - Champion Stadium, Berlin, Ranoria

[HUElavia]

Kytler Peninsulae vs HUElavia Preview

Well, we've made it to the knockouts again. Although, this may not sound like much of an achievement for this team. After all, for a team like HUElavia, it's an expectation for this team to be in the knockouts in every World Bowl. But this team has been very... Pedestrian. A 9-5 record that did allow HUElavia to have the #14 seed in the knockouts, serving as the 2nd worst of the 3rd placed teams. Although, the famous phone call during the Group Stage that blew up HUElavian Social Media seemed to have woken up the team, where they went on a 7-2 romp through the rest of the group stage. Still, the team's record comes off as "Ehhh..." Those two losses came of course with a beatdown from Ko-oren who returned the favor after our victory on Matchday 3, and Ranoria sweeping us in the group stage.

Really, those two opening losses really left a dark eye on this team so far. This team really could've been an 11-3 team, maybe even higher seeded in the bracket. But, here we are. Yet in another Round-of-16 match, essentially the "Wild Card Round" of the World Bowl. And now, we're taking on Kytler Peninsulae, the No. 3 seed of the knockouts. Kytler Peninsulae has been one of the most outstanding teams of this tournament, having the No. 1 defense and No. 3 offense of the Group Stage up to now. All while being the No. 9 team in the Multiversal rankings. While just being separated by 4 places in the rankings, it somehow feels more of a gap. And that gap is thanks to those 5 losses for Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos.

Look at HUElavia: 13th in offense, 16th in defense. Roughly around the Top 25% of the entire field, but entirely different compared to Kytler Peninsulae. The roster has had some good scores, but also had close results that really shouldn't have been that way. There should've been larger margins of victory, of which HUElavia sits in 14th. Kytler Peninsulae? 1st. They would blow out their opponents. This team has looked very tired at points and the tactics and playcalling from Coach Schneiderman isn't working like before. And a team like Kytler Peninsulae will punish one for it. It may look closer in the rankings, but this feels like it may not be much of a fight. Either way, this feels like house money being played for HUElavia, who are just happy to be at this point. And hey, an upset here can look very nice and motivate the team to do more in these next possible few games. At the end, it's like the old saying: "Any given Sunday." And it'd be a nice feeling to punch a strong opponent and send them packing home. One can only hope, but we're in for a long game if these stats say anything.

[Cardenao]

The Blue and Golds

The streets of Lwanga, Buganda in Banija were always lively, filled with all the glory and chaos of life in the Kingdom, and it was no different these days. Buses, metro rails, and trains were shooting all around the city, bringing people from point a to point b and back again only today, things were a little different. The heavy RTC presence throughout the city was full of passengers wearing two colors: the Blue and Golds were in town. Team Cardenao was facing off against South Americanastan in a Round of 16 clash that would see one team move to the quarterfinals and one team head to the airport, a trip that would feel like another loss after having to endure the shitty highways Lwanga was notorious for. For now though, who the hell cared?

Banija was like another home for Cardenaoans after over twenty years of national friendship and the tens of thousands of fans in the streets were treating it like their home. Blue and Golds had travelled from the pristine beaches along the coast of Cardenao, from the factories in Küsbon, from the shacks of Puente Salista or the halfway submerged November City. The increasing wealth disparity was on display here, for every private jet coming in from New Cardonia, there were ten from the quiet fishing villages that still formed the foundation of the nation. How they showed up here though, who they were–none of that matters at a time like that. Cardenao was here, and thus they became the Blue and Gold.

The official fan supporter section has been packed all week leading to the game against South Americanastan. Singing Azul y Oro, drinking beer and smoking that Cardenaoan good good, waving banners with Bobby Dials, Marquis Ingram, and Alabaster Red on it. Some fans had C A R D E A N O painted across their chests while some had opted to go entirely blue or gold. Shoot, there were even triceratops floats to celebrate the alliance between Banijan and Cardenaoa. The fans knew these were the moments to enjoy, these were the good times. Still the defending world champions who stamped their authority on the group mates, drink the feeling in ahead of this knockout game. Sure, Cardenao should win, but then again, Cardenao shouldn’t have won the last World Bowl so it was impossible to predict the winner of this upcoming game. All that to say……enjoy these good times, cause they could be over in 60 minutes.

Back home, the roads were empty. Businesses had closed, restaurants were filled to the brim, crowds gathered in thousands around public viewing stations set up by the government in town centers, this was a must see event! Even out in those little fishing villages, children gathered around radios and dingy televisions to see their heroes play. It was remarkable how the sport of football had changed in Cardenao within a decade, nine years ago nobody played and now they were the champions.

Champions who were sitting in the locker room, getting ready for the big game. It had been a close victory against Sherpus but it had gotten the starters some much needed rest. Bobby Dials was ready to let it rip, Elton El-Amin was looking forward to getting his hands on the South Americanastan quarterback, and Ferran Ávila was stretching, getting loose and ready to nab an interception or two, shoot the Blue and Golds were ready to rock and roll.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

In the meanwhile....

While all the matters both domestic and political had been going around, the well-esteemed squad of Quebec and Shingoryeo had a relative lack of trouble towards the finish line of a race named 'group stage'. Of course, that's a very easy thing to say on surface, not very least in the way they had critically underperformed, leading into chronic harrassments online and on stadiums after a terrible 3-4 second half of the group stage, but on the surface it had the makings of a 'mission accomplished'. They had managed to seize their opportunity early by coming off hot on an outstanding first half, rotating and resting many starters, and even then still had the ability to finish with a decent 10-4 record with a whopping +215 PD, mounting a few shutouts and more or less securing a runner-up position by the week eight.

Not bad, not bad, as they would often say. Even then, nothing was set. The general consensus back home, and surprisingly not abroad where journalists tended to overrate the Reapers, was that they had the luck of a favourable group. This, of course, was a debatable concept, considering relatively high profile and modest performances by third and fourth seeds Nova Calania and Kamijiro, but outside of a brief Pafi surge early on, status quo had stood firm for the Bobby Dials Group where the namesake had no trouble leading Steve Valentin's squad to a 13-1 drubbing over everybody. So that's where the concern stood for most, as had certanly seen noticeable struggles exhibited by Banija, Chromatika, and even Drawkland. Most acknowledged that had this been a more competitive group involving an underseeded opponent like Busoga Islands, a nation whose output on international gridiron scene is understated relative to their 'reputation', or the black magicians of Rouyoute and the emerging side of Grand Exultia, the Reapers would have likely faltered enough to the brink of group stage on the second half.

With this in mind, most of the squad had a quiet enough of ending when they travelled to Vaishnavaria for the game. On their previous national team window, where they had shat on Sherpus on a 40-0 win, the Reapers were met with hours of players and staff getting pelted with tomatoes, cabbages and other objects following a shameful one-point loss to Nova Calania at home. Naturally, nobody cared that Nova Calania squad was locked in their locker room for five hoursdue to genuine security concerns. Most people of the Arrosian state, after all, saw value in finding fault through their own rather than their opponents, and had appropriated targetted their own instead of visitors. A very straightforward story, you would think.

Their ordeals, however, would not end when they had travelled back from northernly Nagligusuŋniq to the mainland, as harrassments would continue for few more weeks across the league, as the season continued. It went to the point where Raymond-Luca Wanaudi, the team's star linebacker, ended up in an actual carjacking three days after the game, causing massive uproar at home and abroad. While Wanaudi and his fellow passenger, a friend not of footballing capacity, walked off unharmed, the recent memories of the Cheval Noir Hotel bombings just fifteen kilometres away in the nation's capitol had meant that the news blow up appropriately so.

'It's certainly unfortunate, but let's be honest, we played like shit and thus people deserved to treat us like shit,' said Errol Cernugel Jr, who spoke of the incident on the following week's press conference as the Prince Eric Thunderhawks' head coach. 'Best way to answer to that is to win all the winnable games and not disappoint at home. Cardenao losses can happen, and those were close, but we shouldn't deny that the away loss to Tumbra and home loss to Nova Calania were every bit shameful.'

Fortunately, the Reapers were able to find a small breathing room with almost every imaginable tiebreaker running in their favour against both Nova Calania and Kamijiro, as they held a combined 3-1 head-to-head record against them and were miles ahead on point differential. On normal times the point differentials mean relatively little, especially if the team of concern blows apart every Jabronis and performs terribly otherwise, but for the Reapers, this served well enough for a footballing term named 'Indiana'.

So with this in mind, most had managed to agree that shame is shame, but the Reapers would live to play two more games at least. One of them being a quiet 14-37 win over hapless Vaishnavaria, and now the second round. Unfortunately for the Reapers, they had not exactly taken into account the possibility of upsets in the other groups that, as described above, were more competitive with some surprising results. That's what did happen to both Banija and Chromatika in Isaka Jawara Group, as the jubilant Elephants of South Newlandia would crush every sign of opposition out of them to win their group. While most of the spotlight had been taken by three-time champions Ranoria and defending champions Cardenao, it is actually the Elephants who were most impressive under Robert Victorino's direction where, to quote the Newlandian media 'what Drawkians are capable of may never be fully comprehended by human minds'. Factos.

While the Elephants were relatively underheralded on their path to destruction, similar sentiments were felt towards Kytler Peninsulae's annihilation of Group Busty Beck that had most notably seen one of the most bizarre second halves of this World Bowl cycle. As with the Reapers, Drawkland would have unexpected struggles in middle of the group stage that somehow put their group chances out of reach even before corpsguy725 had expected, and had to settle for a very easy runner-up spot. Coincidentally, that's whom the Reapers would be facing at the Constance Airlines Field in Fiston, Ranoria, as the final matchday's lopsided slate of results had left most runner-up sides bereft of more 'favourable' opposition....not that there's really one if you look closer. It is a matchup that had been seen for the third time in fourth cycle, and while some remembers the first of those, a Drawkland win on championship game a decade ago, more recent matchup had ended with Reapers' winning on a 20-9 throttling of the hosts after a 65-yard walkoff winner over TJUN-ia in Cavsar just few days before. It's a matchup that, though would favour the higher-ranked side more, was a bit closer competitively than let's say, Chromatika who they have surprisingly never beaten, or Cardenao.

'It's a tricky situation, that's for sure,' answered the Reapers' head coach Theodore Galstian on facing Drawkland during the team's press conference. 'Obviously neither side has performed up to the expectations, with us playing like shit! even hardr, but it's also about finding the right groove.'

'Does this mean that you think the team two years ago may have had peaked too early?' asked a local reporter.

'What the fuck? Of course not,' Galstian answered. 'Look, I don't like the term peaking or being too old. If I were a QFL or RFL or GFLB GM I may raise that, but with national teams things can rapidly change any moment at any cycle. It's nothing new. I don't think this squad is anywhere near reaching its potential, that's a matter of fact, but a lot of the guys have yet to scratch their potential. I'm sure our wideouts and the secondary will be getting there in time, and our backers aren't so shabby either. But no, there is no peaking in it.'

'Thank you, Coach Galstian,' a Quebecois reporter asked. 'What are your thoughts on the outlook of the game?'

'I don't know man,' Galstian answered, trying to not give too many words about it. 'It could be great, it could be shit, but our volatility certainly doesn't help in our cases don't they? So all I could say to my guys right now is to enjoy the fight, have no stress over what's to happen, and avoid getting injuries. Because at the end of the day, is it worth living if you don't remember who you are no more?' He quickly stopped, before closing. 'I don't believe so.'

And now, it was time to move onto the players for the interview. 'Thank you, Coach Galstian. We'll now move onto The Benolution, what are your thoughts on being back in Fiston, the site of latest RFL dynasty...'

[South Newlandia]

Ranking all 16 World Bowl Knockouts Quarterbacks by how attractive they are

Bobby Dials (Cardenao)
Easily A-tier. One of the most famous currently active Quarterbacks, the Bobby Dials goes back to LeBois Santura, and has been leading Cardenao for some time now, including winning a chip last WB. Not outstandingly tall for a QB but a strong, big guy playing in nice colours. I would definitely dials Bobby.

Rafael Endymion (Kamijiro)
Playing both ways is an immediate plus, and clearly, Kamijiroans don’t need validation from anyone else. They feel comfortable doing things their own way, and that way has gone quite well for them, even if others don’t always understand them. He’s not the biggest, but he’s able to do a lot, so that puts him near the top of B-tier.

Arielle Bellerose-Deslongchamps (Nova Calania)
Well, if she’s as forthcoming with all types of communication as she is with letters in her name, I imagine that she can be a great partner, and she’s clearly been able to go through some changes. She’s in her prime at age 27 and takes a leadership role as a captain for her team, this is another strong B-tier candidate.

Benoit Youngblood (Quebec and Shingoryeo)
Have to say, I’m more down on the Quebecois passer compared to most. He’s definitely tall, and he knows a good snow bear nation when he sees one, having spent his career in Ranoria, but the Madison Gladiators? Are we sure we want to be living there? I’m good, call me again when you get traded somewhere nicer. We’ll slot Youngblood in the D-tier.

Sarai Gwenderyn (Chromatika)
The Chromatik superstar definitely belongs in the A-tier. She’s been excellent wherever she went, be that FSU or the Falcons, and she’s also not going to be giving up if there’s a couple bumps in the road, like there have been this WB, but she’ll always be putting her best foot forward. She’s in her early 30s now, which is definitely her prime, and she’ll continue to be awesome for some time.

Scott Yadav (South Newlandia)
Yadav is one of the toughest cases on this list. He’s the youngest QB on here, at just 22, and there’s a lot to speak of in both directions. For starters, he couldn’t really finish the job with Richardson in college, graduating early due to a severe case of getting benched. Now, he leads the Pachyderms, and despite not being very good at that, somehow, he has found a ton of success. If he’s as attentive as he is to his running backs, he should be a good partner, but I would really like to see him do something that sets him apart in some way, or I’m going to feel like I settled the rest of my life. C-tier.

Kadesh Odika (Banija)
Another strong A-tier entry. Odika impressed for FSU, and he didn’t let an unfortunate injury to his ACL slow him down. He’s now playing for Istria domestically, which is a very nice city. Despite very high expectations, he’s thrived, and he’s been able to persevere through adversity as well. Just don’t suggest any trips that involve too much mud, and you’ll have a great partner.

Logan Oakley (Drawkland)
F-tier, isn’t Lane Proudfoot. Grid Corps should be ashamed.

Dirk Dijkstra (The Kytler Peninsulae)
I love a good name that sounds like a different thing, and he’s been running the Green Machine very efficiently. Everyone loves a good underdog story, and the Kytlerians have delivered us exactly that with stunningly good performances. Ultimately, information about Dirk is somewhat scarce, keeping him from rising beyond the C-tier.

N/A (South Americanastan)
It doesn’t count if you don’t post a roster.

Leon Gallas (TJUN-ia)
The TJUN-ian signal caller has been in the limelight for a while, having played for Trent State before taking over the Jaguars. He’s another candidate where information about his private life is tough to come by, but I imagine him to be quite a nice guy if he’s anything like the other TJUN-ians. Perennially underestimated but always proving the doubters wrong; but I’d need to see more to push him above high C-tier.

Cameron Stallworth (Sarzonia)
One of the larger guys on this list, which is definitely a plus, although I think Woodstock is overrated, at least a little. He can make things happen with his arms and his legs, and being able to do good things in multiple ways is a big upside. Also a World Bowl Champion in an absolute shootout, and I love a guy who ages relatively slowly, so this is a very solid B-tier.

Håkon Schau (Valanora)
Gotta admit, I like it when I can text someone’s name with my regular keyboard. Used to play for Raynor before making the jump to the Sabers, so he knows a thing or two about weapons, which is a little bit of a red flag. Definitely seems like a good dude though, and he’s been around for a little while, so he probably knows what he’s doing. Schau also goes in the B-tier.

Pier Masman (Ko-oren)
Masman is the man from the team where they hate Quarterbacks and offense in general, and it shows by me being entirely unfamiliar before making this list. Looks solid, though, but I think being an offensive player for Ko-oren leaves you with deeply buried trauma, so I think I’m going to pass; Masman goes in D-tier.

Vallienté Wagner-Young (Ranoria)
He played for Northern Moravica in college, which as I understand is pretty much treason for a Ranorian, but he’s still a snow bear. A massive 6’5”, he’s definitely not the youngest anymore, but that just means he knows exactly what he’s doing and how best to apply his skillsets. He’s got a very strong arm, which is great, but he’s still on a team that is only just learning that Quarterbacks are cool – they like to run the ball a lot – but still, A-tier for the big man.

Fabrício Duarte Lobo (HUElavia)
Another case of little available information, so its tough to know what to do with him, but he seems nice enough. Los Amarillos are definitely underappreciated, as they continue to search for a deep run, but they’ll keep trying. Solid C-tier.

[Ranoria]

OOC: Notes
1- Chronologically, this season would have occurred before WB L.
2- all those rules favoring the passing game - those aren’t a thing here. Hard hitting safeties and linebackers are at a premium, making the middle of the field a dangerous place to throw, roughing the passer calls are few and far between, and defensive backs are often given a bit of leeway with their physicality prior to the catch.
4- Expect significantly lower average passing numbers than in the NFL. In 70+ seasons, the RFL has had six 4,700+ yard seasons, three 5,000+ yard passing seasons, and nine 40+ passing TD seasons. By comparison, there have been 15 5,000+ yard seasons in the NFL and 19 NFL seasons of 40+ passing touchdowns. Please keep this in mind if your players - particularly QBs, WRs, or TEs, aren’t having the production you’d expect.
5- also as a result of this, running backs take on a greater role and the average rushing numbers are higher. 2,000+ yards is still a rarity.
6- I'm not committed to any more heavily RP'd seasons, but the league will hopefully continue to run as long as I have those foreign players who were in place as of 2035-2036 cycle at the very least. This is a lot and I've only got so much time.

7- Same as the last few seasons, but critical to point out - huge shoutout to South Newlandia for all the help he gives and time he commits to this project. Wouldn't be able to score the divisions without him (not correctly anyway) and everyone's favorite elefriend is a whizz with the google sheets so that I can pick out individual regular season games to RP, which I basically never did before. That lets me go way more in depth for the regular season. Win streaks, etc. cuz I promise I didn’t ever do that before looking at full week’s worth of scores. The RFL is just as much his project as it is mine at this point, and it's so much more enjoyable with the collaboration there. This is a collaborative effort between the elephant and Ranoria, please grade accordingly.
8- Ages are going to be off pretty frequently from the TL's of the user's players, it happens, most of us have a different timeline per cycle and there's not much I can do about that. 2 RFL seasons happen per cycle.

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Adelhard Dynamics Dome, Pittsburgh
Week 1 - Ranoria City Silver @ Pittsburgh Ironmen

Bobby Dials was in his element, even if it was a new location. The flyover didn't rattle him. The Ironmen's faithful, eighty thousand strong, applauding their new-look team before they even took the field was nothing new. The black and gold uniforms were - but nothing he couldn't handle. It takes a lot to shake the World Bowl champion, after all. More than the Ranoria City Silver, anyway.

That applause reached its apex when the kickoff went up, and he clapped in excitement when fellow rookie James Golb caught the kickoff and took it out of the end zone. Taken in the sixth round, Golb had flashed a lot of athleticism, and was even on track to get some game snaps. He juked one defender, Bobby cheered, and then someone damn near took the rookie's head off. He held onto the ball - but when his helmet ricocheted off the grass field after the hit, it was clear he wasn't coming back in the game.

Bobby didn't have time to mourn though, offering some brief words of encouragement as his teammate was helped off the field and strapping his helmet up. He gave his cadence and the offense lined up - World Bowl Champion or not, his rookie debut would come againt a front seven featuring Nicole Manstrom, Jill Lia, and a familiar foe in the rookie linebacker out of Richardson, Kerron Nicholas.

Go time.

Ranorian Football League - 2041
Is It A Quarterback's League Now?

Let's just get the Ranorian Heartland out of the way, shall we?

The Balafre Bootleggers were of course the division's bottom feeders - they tied for the 2nd worst record in the league at just 4-12, but no one was particularly surprised. When you throw in three teams with recent championship history, of course the division is going to be an absolute buzzaw. But Mariana wasn't quite what anyone expected, either.

With former Elephants passer Zachary Stevens completely crashing out, the Mariana Tigers have the equivalent of some soggy crackers and maybe an empty can of tuna at the quarterback position. They still managed to do okay scoring - twenty points per game flat thanks to a brilliant red zone strategy that the educated have called "hand the ball to Thomas Fantikos until something good happens" but it didn't stop their quarterbacks from either being color blind or intentionally throwing the ball to the other team. Haven't figured out which yet. It started with a 38-14 shellacking in Ranoria City, which isn't too unheard of. But a 31-14 loss to the Munich Thrashers - who have been boycotting the forward pass ever since before it was invented - threw up some warning signs.

Then They got blown out again - 33-7 to the good-not-great Richardson Fenrirs. They'd pick up their first win against the Bootleggers the next week, but never seemed to get back to their winning ways, getting their eighth win over Benoit Youngblood's Gladiators in week 15 and finishing the season at .500.

The Falcons, of course, were beneficiaries of more than just Mariana quarterback issues. When the Pittsburgh Ironmen fired 2x Winter Bowl Champion Damian Giles to bring in Steve Valentine, it didn't take long for the Falcons to hire him on, since the former rising star Jack Halifax got the axe after missing the playoffs in back to back seasons. His hiring also allowed them to bring in a ton of free agents - it'll be salary cap hell next season, but for now, they're loaded.

Despite the week 1 win, his tenure didn't start off super great. The Falcons got destroyed on the road by the Sierraville Farmers in a game with major playoff implications despite how early it was in the season. With superstar Akhello Volson leading out a secondary also including Nicholas Hussain and now Packard Goss, throwing lanes were limited. Throw in veteran Kohnhead pass rusher Robert Lawrence with Banija's own Malchiel Lukiwiya on the defensive line, and they were in for a thrashing. Quarterback Isaiah Hunter was good, connecting on 17 of his 25 passes for 237 yards and a pair of scores - but we all know who was the lightning rod on the Farmers. Rylan Rodgers Jr had the best game of his RFL career, ripping off 243 rushing yards on 28 carries and piling on four touchdown runs in a game that would end 50-13 in their favor.

Ranoria City Falcons 13-3
Berlin Snow Bears 10-6
Mariana Tigers 8-8
Balafre Bootleggers 4-12

The Falcons couldn't lick their wounds though - in week three game the Ranoria City Bowl - Sheila Pantoja and the aforementioned front seven of the Ranoria City Silver against Gwenderyn's Falcons. They lost that one, too. Down 21-23 with a chance to go win it, Gwenderyn's third down pass sailed. Harrold Hynes was more than ready, snagging it in mid air and taking it all the way back to the raucous applause of about half the crowd while the other went home dejected. Anyway, they'd only lose one more game - a 39-33 overtime thriller against the division-mate Berlin Snow Bears, and ended the season on a tear. Nine straight victories, all by at least two scores, and they'd finish with the best offensive in the league at 13-3.

The Snow Bears fought for the division crown and fought hard - but their 1-3 stretch to open the season ultimately took them out of the race. The 41-0 shutout of Balafre at home to open the season was great, and as a matter of fact they only lost one game in Champion Stadium all year. It was a fortress - Dustin van Halfensen was a hero in their week seven win there over the Falcons, reeling in a touchdown as the clock expired to force overtime, and stiff arming his way to 21 yards after the catch and a second score in overtime to win it.

And they weren't done! When those Farmers that destroyed Ranoria City came to Berlin, Champion Stadium was ready. Be it Patil, Sörens, or Dominick Ford, the South Newlandian-led defense showed up ready and willing to tackle against Rylan Rodgers Jr in week 14. It still took a heck of an offensive effort to force overtime, and once again it was DVH leading the charge - he caught three touchdown passes, two in overtime, to take the win. The Snow Bears, after starting the season 5-6, won their last five to make the playoffs with room to spare. Their star? None other than that tight end, who led the RFL in touchdown catches for the second time in his career.

The Ranorian Central was just as competitive, though. Aging or no, Zamadi Ayana gives the Apollotown Sabers all the offensive juice they need. The former MVP and Winter Bowl champion was electric all year, but the Sabers were cautious with the snaps of their stars, spelling both Ayana and Abram Fairbanks more than usual and pulling them entirely in any blowouts. Both superstars were essential, though, to racking up a dozen wins, including a 60-0 thrashing of the Nasvhille Sabercats. No surprise there, they're always in the mix. What was shocking was what happened to the Memphis Steamers.

They had some rough patches - but overall the team looked ready to compete with a 3-2 start and Kualu Luani slinging it to Max Strömberg, like always. But injuries derailed their season. When former NSCF MoP Kasper Ulvestad missed a couple weeks, the team suddenly lost to the Mariana Tigers and then allowed fifty points in a shootout defeat against the Edmunton Eagles. Still time to bounce back, you'd figure. A 47-3 win over the hapless Sabercats started a three game win streak. Kualu Luani was actually getting in on some MVP talks, with a career-high 30 touchdown passes in just 12 games to that point...but then it was over. Luani went down against the Wraiths on a nasty leg break, and the team scored 12 points over the next three games, losing two, before a 22-21 loss to the Indianapolis Hogs sealed their fate.

Apollotown Sabers 12-4
Indianapolis Hogs 11-5
Memphis Steamers 8-8
Nashville Sabercats 8-8

The Hogs, meanwhile, somehow won 11 games. Largely thanks to the veteran pair of linebackers Park Mi-Hyeon & Jere Rinaldi, defensive tackle Jaire Alford and free safety Agnor Viridian were the stars on the other levels of the defense that allowed this unit to thrive. They weren't able to take the division crown, but 11 wins more than comfortably earned them a playoff berth. And in the North, well, the Gladiators were lucky the rest of the division isn't great at actually doing sports.

Madison Gladiators 10-6
Vancouver Yeti 5-11
Lafayette Crusaders 4-12
Halifax Blizzard 4-12

The Ranorian North features one of the weaker divisions in the game - despite the fact that the Madison Gladiators won a chip as recently as 2038. The other three teams, as usual, didn't do much. Veteran wideout Cooper Canis, a Cold Hill alumni, has carved out a nice career for himself, but at 34 he's most likely done even on a squad as deficient as the Yeti. Their third year linebacker, Derek Pierce, is probably out the door in free agency. Lafayette has an exciting piece in Kraut linebacker Bradley Bain, but that's it.

Anyway, onto the only exciting team in the division. Led by Benoit Youngblood, the Gladiators posted the third best offense in the Ranorian Football League. Their star quarterback leading the league in passing yards and touchdowns, with the solid 1-2 punch of Nikolas Isaksen and Calvin Hale on the outside giving him plenty of ammunition, and Duke Becket probably riding out his farewell tour at 32 years old. Unfortunately, they also had the 7th worst defense in the league. Youngblood cut down hard on the turnovers this season - with a career low 11 interceptions - but with only one standout in DT Billy Beets on the defensive side, every game turned into boatrace.

Their season started smooth - with a soft first four weeks, they were unbeaten in the first month before the Memphis Steamers took them down in week five, 31-18. They beat two more bad teams before taking two more losses - one a 40-33 defeat to the Farmers, which saw Rylan Rodgers Jr post three rushing touchdowns as the defense completely collapsed against the run, and the second coming 25-23 to the Fermete Marauders. It was getting to the point where the Gladiators were being called a paper tiger, without a strong, signature win. But they answered that question, seemingly, quick enough, rattling off four straight wins to get to 10-3, one coming by way of a dominant 31-3 mark against the eventual 12-win Apollotown Sabers, led by Abram Fairbanks and Zamadi Ayana. Beno didn't slow down, putting up back-to-back 40+ point performances to win 45-27 and 43-23, but that's when it came apart. 36-31 loss to the Hogs, 40-27 to the Mariana Tigers, and 48-30 to the lowly Vancouver Yeti.

The Gladiators easily won the division - but their defense remains a massive question mark. How will they fare in the postseason with that unit running out?

Next up, we've got the Ranorian Coastal division. And this is where things get really fun. The Munich Thrashers had a surprisingly viable season at 7-9 with a couple big upsets. The Victorsville Hurricane were bad, and the Highport Hawks were one of the league's basement dwellers, no surprise after a long period of success with Byron Joseph, Herman Whitworth, and Robert Lawrence leading the charge.

So the Sierraville Farmers, once again, were the stars. Coming off a Winter Bowl loss last season, they were out for blood, and Rylan Rodgers Jr looked like he'd fully realized his potential in his age 26 season. They started the season with four straight wins - 30-6 over the Thrashers was nice, but the aforementioned 50-13 steamrolling of the Ranoria City Falcons put the league on notice. They'd knock off both the New Quebec Fighters and Highport Hawks the next two weeks before finally dropping one against the Mariana Tigers. After that? Eight straight wins. We already mentioned the wins over the Gladiators and Falcons - but those weren't his only signature showings. They got another matchup, this one a rematch of last year's Winter Bowl, when the Fiston Redwolves came to town.

By this point, RRJ had already racked up a league-leading 16 touchdown runs, and this shootout was no different. Jack Hoy was the star for the Redwolves, putting up a 200 yard rushing performance of his own while Proudfoot did what he did most of the season and completed short passes, begrudgingly, when he was asked to. It was almost enough near the end of the fourth quarter. They were down 33-30, playing for overtime, and Jack Joy made sure it never came to that. He ran a quick out route on a vertical concept, and with the entirety of Sierraville's elite secondary playing deep, Hoy had room to work. He caught the ball and let his line come up to almost develop a screen. With blockers? Easy money. 70 yards flat later, and Hoy had taken the lead for the Redwolves, 37-33. Make that 300 total yards for the Drawkian superstar who was arguably putting up his best season in Ranoria.

Sierraville Farmers: 14-2
Munich Thrashers: 7-9
Victorsville Hurricane: 6-10
Highport Hawks: 4-12

For all his bravado, Rylan wasn't the hero on the next drive - Isaiah Hunter was. The Chromatik QB largely serves as a complementary player to at least make the passing game a threat, but most forget that he's got a much better deep ball than he gets credit for. Despite taking a few nasty hits from Gideon Kearse in this one, he stood strong in the pocket on the third play of the drive and let it rip, taking another nasty shot to get the pass off. This isn't a matchup of national teams - no Danube Jackson to save them - the Redwolves let up a sixty two yard bomb, and with just seconds on the clock, Rylan would take a shovel pass for ten more to score the final touchdown of the game.

Arguably the best collective performance by two starting backs in history - Jack Hoy piled on 208 rushing yards and three scores along with 104 receiving yards and a touchdown there, while Rylan Rodgers Jr posted 204 rushing yards, 42 receiving yards, and a hat trick in his own right. With an MVP race that was boiling down to those two, Benoit Youngblood, and Gwenderyn this late, it was an impactful game there. The Farmers finished the season 14-2 - only taking one more loss to the Berlin Snow Bears in Berlin's Champion Stadium. Second OT win the Snow Bears had over a 13+ win team, actually.

Isaiah Hunter posted a career-best 29 touchdown passes, feasting off the red zone and play action, but Rylan Rodgers Jr was the star of the show. The running back posted a 2nd-best in the RFL 2,095 rushing yards and an RFL record 26 rushing touchdowns on the campaign, shattering the thirty year old record of 22. Throw in his 524 receiving yards and four touchdowns there, and he shattered the RFL record for touchdowns from scrimmage as well, with an ungodly 30 while clocking just over twenty six hundred yards from scrimmage. Their blowout win over the Ranoria City Falcons early in the season ended up being huge, as the Falcons' 13-3 mark was a game behind their own 14 wins. Enough for the first seed.

But we had a bit more drama, if fewer top-end teams, in the national conference.

The National North was up for grabs according to pundits. The Rouyoute Paladins had to replace Ballast Queen after the experiment to accompany their new stadium and name officially died when Queen retired. The Herot Paladins, despite early success with QB Shirinna Lehmann of Ranoria State, didn't look like a championship contender. The Eglise Mountaineers had taken a huge risk trading away the #1 overall pick to the Pittsburgh Ironmen. The Mountaineers never really threatened to win the division - but they looked much better. They drafted defensive end Mike Garfield and running back Jake Darwin in the first round, and with veteran quarterback Leonardo Torrent, they were optimistic, winning 8 games in year one of this new-look squad.

Rouyoute Aurora Knights: 10-6
Herot Paladins: 9-7
Eglise Mountaineers: 8-8
Fermete Marauders: 6-10

The Aurora Knights knew the standard was, at minimum, a playoff berth. So they took a massive swing, drafting Viktor Rowles in the middle of the first round when most had him begged as a late second/early third round guy. Well, it worked - barely. With Kaytlyne Sellers still chugging along - despite probably being ready to retire - Rowles was eased into the system but elite when called upon, throwing for 3,522 yards and 22 touchdowns to just 13 interceptions in his rookie campaign. Most of the success came early, but their strong start was just enough despite going 2-3 to end the campaign including a 33-13 blowout defeat at the hands of the Paladins, who would finish with nine wins, just shy of a playoff berth.

Over in the National West, the Edmunton Eagles made it look too easy. Blake Zuercher led his team to a 5-0 start, and helped them sweep the only other viable team in the division, the Brittany Walruses, to cruise to an 11 win mark that won the division by three games. Shockingly though, his best game might've come in a loss. When the Eagles showed up to Rouyoute's Elysium, the two teams battled it out. An established star in Blake Zuercher against a team that no one was quite sure of yet with the Aurora Knights being led by Viktor Rowles - and Rowles proved it. Both quarterbacks had their best game of the year under the nothern lights, and it couldn't be decided in regulation.

At 31 all, the Eagles were forced to take 3 in overtime, and Rowles delivered his dagger, ripping a touchdown pass to veteran speedster Isaak Rodriguez on the first play to put this thing to bed. It dropped the Eagles to 9-2, but they'd win just two of their final six overall to slip to 11-5, raising some serious question marks. There's a ton of talent on this roster - Najee Isidora may be the world's best linebacker. Spencer Crutchfield is reliable at DT despite his age, and Elliot Roach & Myles Davis form a nasty combo at running back along with, of course, Zuercher at quarterback. Hell, South Newlandian Viktoire Wilson has been great at wideout. But their late season collapse was downright concerning.

[Drawkland]

CORPSGUY725'S BLOG

World Bowl 50 Playoff Preview
we are cooked, chat

Well, folks, it's that time of the year again. Drawkland is back in the World Bowl playoffs. That makes it 22 straight cycles in which Drawkland has made the World Bowl playoffs. To clarify, that's every single cycle the Grid Corps has participated in, besides their debut in WB XXVIII. In my admittedly limited research, I believe this is the longest such streak by any team in World Bowl history. Despite their long and storied history, Allamunnic States only had a 14-tournament playoff streak, thanks to missing the knockouts in World Bowl XXI. If you want to be technical, the Regulars did survive the first group stage in WB XXI, which you may count as a qualification, but they went 0-3 in the second group stage and did not make it to the quarterfinals. That's missing the playoffs if you ask me. If it weren't for that, their streak would've been 24 straight playoff appearances before finally being broken in WB XXXVI. But by strict definition of knockout playoffs, Drawkland is at the top with 22 consecutive cycles qualified (including that 4-team double elim bracket in XXXVIII). I dunno if that record is unbreakable, but it's definitely impressive.

Isn't that cool? Anyway, this team is absolute garbage and will once again suffer an early playoff exit. Thankfully, the Grid Corps did me a favor by taking a few heinous and unacceptable losses in the group stage this time around, which was enough to convince most of the Drawkian fanbase that this cycle's team is nothing special. Normally the team gets a top seed, and my mentions get inundated with midwits trying to tell me that I'm just a hater for saying the Corps isn't going to accomplish anything. Take last cycle, for example. "The Corps is 9-0! One of the best squads in the tournament!" people said. "We've got home field advantage! The team is looking unbeatable!" kool-aid drinking fans recited. "corpsguy725 is just a mentally ill pessimist!" they insisted. Okay, they were technically correct about that last one, but that doesn't change the fact that I was RIGHT. The Corps got lucky against the good teams, beat up on the mediocre teams as needed, and looked WAY better than they were. Then they had to face a real team again in the quarterfinals (Quebec and Shingoryeo), and this time the opponent had the formula (that everyone knows) to beat Lane Proudfoot. The Corps couldn't even crack double digits on the scoreboard and took the short flight home in sadness. Just like I predicted.

Oh, we're playing Quebec and Shingoryeo in the first round this time around? Great. Wonderful. Awesome. I don't even know why I bothered booking a flight to Ranoria, this is the most obvious one-and-done playoff run I've seen, and I've seen a lot of fraudulent Corps teams. Let's get down to business, shall we?

the group stage

I know I often sound like a broken record on stuff like this, but I believe the head coach needs to be fired. Glenn Romano, having been in charge since Quentin Averfel was finally thrown into a cannon and shot into the sun, is reaching the end of his usefulness. Similar to Averfel, Romano boosted his goodwill with DISC by winning a title early in his tenure and proceeded to dial it in ever since. Yes, that championship was wonderful, to finally break through after four silver medals in four final appearances. No, back-to-back quarterfinal eliminations are not acceptable just because you took us to one chip. If there's any begrudging credit I can give to Averfel, it's that he was great at getting the Grid Corps to the semifinals. Romano, save for World Bowl XLVII, hasn't really done that.

Oh right, we're talking about the group stage. Basically, I think this group stage proved that Romano's gameplanning needs a lot of work. Yeah, the Grid Corps scored exactly 50 touchdowns in the campaign over 14 games, which is great. The defense though? Wow. Listen, I can give a begrudging pass to the implosion against Kytler Peninsulae. There's only so much you can do when your QB throws two pick sixes and your normally dependable kick returner muffs a punt deep in enemy territory. It was total shock, and literally half of the fourth quarter points scored on us happened when the Corps defense wasn't even on the field. You think the Corps is shaking off the loss with a commanding home effort against New Umoja where the defense doesn't even allow the opposition into the end zone all game. Then they give up over 40 points in back-to-back games!

I don't care what your tactics are, I don't care what level you're playing at. ESPECIALLY if it's at the national team level. Your defense should never be giving up 40 points in consecutive games. You can't blame the players on this one, because we know what they're capable of. This is pure piss-poor planning, nothing else. To shit the bed this hard in back-to-back weeks is a damning indictment on this coaching staff. And did I even mention that the two opponents were Juvencus and unranked Newmanistan? I know you're half a second away from going "but corpsguy! those were away games!! trap games!!! you never know what can happen in those!!!!" Are you even listening to yourself? Look at the scoreboard. FORTY POINTS. Top ranked teams should never be putting up defensive performances that terrible. It makes me sick.

Oh, did you expect me to actually recap the games here? Dude, I've been doing that all group stage. You oughta check my blog more often. I'm not gonna repeat myself. It's time for more ranting.

Yeah, you can mention the fact that the Corps followed up those terrible consecutive losses with a shutout win at home, then a sixty-four-point performance against an unranked team, then pulling off a revenge game against the Kytler Peninsulae. Yeah, that walkoff fifty-yarder by Kendall Moon to beat the Green Machine was pretty great. Surely, with a one-game deficit, no need to worry about head-to-head, and two games to go, the Corps would make a last-minute run at the group title. Instead, they turned around and lost by a touchdown to New Umoja. And I swear, if you bring up the away game thing again, I'm going to beat your head with a brick. These kinds of losses are unacceptable and show a failure at the organizational level. Teams of this caliber operate at a different sort of standard.

My point is, this group stage was good. 7-0 at home, 3-4 on the road. Still, that's just not the kind of thing that we as Grid Corps fans should be happy with. And thankfully people seem to agree with me this time around. Regardless on how you think he is as a head coach and team leader, it's clear that Glenn Romano not going to be the answer going forward. I'm almost hoping the Corps gets eliminated early so that the morons at DISC will realize that he needs to be fired. Obviously, this means Romano is about to pull a playoff run out of his ass that happens to be the exact length needed to keep his job and nothing more.

state of the roster

Over 14 games, the Grid Corps scored 50 touchdowns and 23 field goals. Of those touchdowns, 17 were 8-pointers, 13 were 6-pointers, and 20 were standard 7-pointers. Kicker Kendall Moon actually didn't miss any PATs this go-round, even with the longer-than-usual group stage, so this means the Corps offense went a bit over 56% on two point conversions. That's definitely the sweet spot: above the typical conversion rate for professional squads and above 50%, meaning the two-pointer gamble is resulting in more points being scored. To be precise, it means 4 more points were scored. Yup, seems mathematically sound to me.

Anyway, 24 of the touchdowns were scored on the ground. Even with Proudfoot bench riding all tournament (he literally didn't take a single snap, I'm not even sure if he ever put his helmet on), the running game was relied upon pretty heavily. Old habits die hard. Romano and the offensive coordinator Austin Thacker stated they wanted to have a more air-based attack, which we did see. Oakley definitely has the ability to take over games with his arm and put up big volume stats, but it seems that the Corps coaching staff preferred to finish off drives with a solid running game. Maybe the multiple red zone interceptions in certain big games against group leaders made Romano hesitant to trust Oakley in goal-to-go situations. Honestly, I don't blame him for that. Trent Walters led the running back room with 12 rushing TDs and 1 receiving, pretty similar to his numbers last campaign. Daniel Holst also made a good impression in his first cycle, scoring 4 TDs on the ground including a long run on his very first snap in a Corps uniform. Jack Hoy also scored 4 TDs in garbage time throughout the group stage, though he was noticeably dogshit in key games - the last play against Juvencus, or that muffed punt against Kytler, for instance. Maybe having him sit on his ass 90% of the time isn't actually a good idea. But whatever, I get paid embarrassingly low amounts of money to shitpost online, so what do I know? Proko and Rico Evandrus both got a touchdown apiece on funkier fullback runs, which is nice, and Oakley scored two rushing TDs (one from a read-option, another on a scramble). Overall, nice performances from the running back room as a whole.

As for our quarterbacks, I think Logan Oakley was okay in his debut as full-time Grid Corps starter. Is he The Chosen One? Definitely not, at least from what I've seen. He got the job done (besides a couple choice moments), and put up 20 passing touchdowns in a still run-heavy offense. Also, Cyrus Aberman got some garbage time action and threw two touchdowns. Good for him. This is to be expected from Oakley, but he distributed the ball very well. Every wide receiver had at least one touchdown. Rory Akers was looking for a breakout campaign, rocketing from bench option last cycle to featured receiver this time, and it actually went nicely. He picked up 5 receiving touchdowns, though he was still behind Johnathan Kimbrough's mark of 6 on this season. It's going to be hard for anyone to beat Kimbrough, considering the fact that he's a beast. What surprised me most is Jackie Morris picking up three touchdowns despite a much lower workload. Oakley was pretty efficient, if you ignored his penchant for some heinous, and I mean HEINOUS, interceptions. Even outside of the two pick sixes in THAT game, Oakley threw six other interceptions and lost two fumbles on strip sacks. Surely those are just aberrations, and he won't commit some godawful turnovers in a crucial moment in a playoff game!

The defense ... well, we touched on it earlier. This is a talented unit, but good LORD Simian Schofield did a terrible job coaching them this time around. As always, Proko found his way into nearly every important play. This defense would be noticeably worse without his stable presence in the secondary and everywhere else. Really, that's just a terrifying thing to think about. Where would we be without our short king? He even had a pick six! So did Danube Jackson III, and Russell Marsh brought back a short-field fumble six, a total of three defensive TDs on the season. Those are more situational than anything else, but they're always fun. The main highlight was the defensive unit pulling off 46 sacks over the entire group stage, though a lot of those were racked up against the easier opponents. The Corps defense only sacked the Kytlerian QB Dijkstra three times over both games combined, for example. The Corps also had 20 takeaways, which is decent but not great for a 14-game spread (11 fumbles forced, 9 interceptions). Unsurprisingly, Proko led the charge there with 2 forced fumbles and 2 picks. I love him.

I touched on this earlier, but special teams was just fine. Kendall Moon went 23/25 on field goal attempts and was perfect inside 50, which is pretty much all you can ask from your kicker. The highlight there was his game-winning long shot to beat the Kytler Peninsulae. Hopefully he has more magic moments on the way. Jack Hoy also had a kick return touchdown, but you can basically delete that from your memory because the uncharacteristic muff against the Green Machine was the turning point in that fourth quarter nightmare.

Overall, the players performed as you'd expect. Excellent performances from excellent players, but questionable playcalling hampering their effectiveness. It just always feel like we should be seeing more. Maybe I'm just impossible to please. That may explain why I haven't gotten a third date in over a decade. Alright, let's wrap this beast up before I start crying.

playoff outlook

The thing with the Grid Corps is that this is inarguably Drawkland's most successful national team. 22 consecutive playoff berths speak for themselves. The Net Corps can't touch that. Kick Corps fans try to make excuses about soccer tournament cycles and qualifying campaigns, but even with a handicap they can't compete. The Base Corps? Don't make me laugh. The other national teams being so maddeningly inconsistent, plus gridiron football being arguably our biggest sport, combines for a national team fanbase that refuses to accept when their team just isn't elite.

It's bad enough with the Net Corps. It's hilarious to me that people still doubt my ball knowledge, when I perfectly predicted IBC 41. "But the team is developing! Domingo Abbott is pulling the best out of his players! Our quarter of the playoff bracket is paper-thin! This is the cycle we break out again!" Boom, quarterfinal loss to a team that had never been that far in their careers. It would be hilarious if it wasn't so sad. You all need to accept that I always know what I'm talking about.

As I mentioned earlier, the Grid Corps defense very helpfully imploded three and a half times during this group stage, which was enough futility to convince the wider Grid Corps fanbase that this team doesn't really have the sauce this season. Now I don't have to work as hard to convince you all that another semifinal or final appearance is NOT on the horizon. But because I love all of you, my adoring fans and deranged haters, I'm going to preview our potential playoff path anyway.

First up, we have Quebec and Shingoryeo. The Grim Reapers embarrassed us on home soil last cycle, so obviously the Grid Corps will be hungry for revenge. That being said, both offenses are good, averaging over 30 points per game in the group stage. We've seen in previous cycle matchups that they can keep up in barnburner matchups, and this season appears to be no exception. Now, unlike the Grid Corps, the Grim Reapers couple that fiery offense with a top ten defense, allowing a mere 15 points per game through 14 games. Drawkland's not even in the top 20 for the tournament, though a few of those points came from turnover touchdowns, so really the actual defense is rated a little higher. That doesn't change the fact that this unit is super leaky. Honestly, the Corps v Reapers matchup has become quite the rivalry over the last decade, and either way we're set to see another thrilling edition here. In pretty much all of our recent contests, one team gets ahead by multiple scores, then they put down the boot and drive to the finish line. Very few of our games have actually become "last team with the ball wins" style shootouts. That being said, whichever team is winning at halftime, especially if it's a two-score lead, are definitely going to finish the job.

If we somehow won that match, we'd have the honor of facing #1 seeded Ranoria on home soil, or a Nova Calania team that's fresh off beating said Ranorian squad. The few Ranorian shitposting/trolling accounts I follow seem convinced that the Krauts aren't going deep this year, despite the fact that Ranoria has the tournament-best defense by far. I get it, their offense isn't great, but they've got the home crowd backing them and they have the second-best margin of victory, behind the Green Machine. That doesn't bode well for us in particular. This isn't your grandad's John Garrett juggernaut, but it's not a team I'd be happy to face. On the other hand, despite having a mediocre roster, Nova Calania are on an absolute heater. The Tapirs looked like they were nearly dead in the water, but rattled off five straight wins. That includes handing Cardenao their only loss of the group stage and outlasting Quebec in a 1-point win. They snagged the last playoff spot, and honestly, those are the most dangerous teams to face. A #16 seed on a hot streak is way different than a #16 seed that backed into the position after other teams fell out of the way to keep them alive. If they can beat Ranoria, they can beat anyone, especially us. Also, for you nerds out there, this will be a Golden Bowl contest. Like that matters at all.

I think anybody would agree with me that there's no way the Grid Corps is still alive at this point. Even if they did manage to make it to the semifinals, their reward would be whoever survives between Valanora, Chromatika, South Newlandia, or TJUN-ia. That's simply not optimal. However, I'll admit that if Drawkland were to make it this far, I would be slightly more optimistic about their chances. For all their playoff failures, the Grid Corps record in semifinal games is actually pretty good. Need I remind you that Drawkland has 7 appearances in the championship game, tied for the most in World Bowl history? I concede that if the Corps managed to bullshit their way into wins against rival Quebec and home powered Ranoria/hot streak Nova Calania, they probably stand a great chance against Sabre, Elephant, Jag, or Legion. We can cross that bridge IF we come to it.

Once again, don't get your hopes up. The Grim Reapers have looked a lot more impressive against tougher competition, despite our similar seeds, so I believe this playoff "run" will be DOA. I'll still be here in-person, trying my hardest to keep my heart from believing. You know how it goes. Until then, my friends.

corpsguy725 out

[Banija]

GFLB Playoff Semifinals

GFLB Rosters

Preview Part 1

Preview Part 2

GFLB Regular Season

GFLB First two Rounds of the Playoffs

Bunyoro RSC(13-4) @ Sisonke Leopards(14-3). Kickoff is Sunday at 3:00 PM.

And off for the first Semifinal. A spot in the Simba Bowl on the line. The Leopards, who expected to be here, and Bunyoro RSC- who nobody expected to be here, and yet have suddenly developed one of the strongest teams in the league. "Now that we're in the last 4, the league is taking notice of what we've accomplished." Bunyoro's HC told reporters before the matchup. "And look- we're not here just to be here- we're here to win games, and kick ass as well. And today, we're gonna be ready to shock this country, and the world."

What the East Division champs were not ready for, of course, was an old-fashioned shootout. Bunyoro RSC's offense was cooking on the day. 467 yards of total offense, and 39 points- 5 TDs, including three through the air for their QB, and two on the ground for their HB. They even had a successful 2 point conversion early, trying to send a message. It was after the TD on their opening drive, and had given them an early 8-0 lead. "That two pointer wasn't necessary- it was about sending a message." Said a TV analyst right after they had converted it. "They came to the Kitaran capitol city without fear, and unlike most of the world, they sincerely believe that they are good enough to not only deserve to be here- but good enough to deserve to a trip to Busukuma outright. And they're going to take everything off the shelf in order to do so."

It was, perhaps, an incredible offensive performance, by a team that had been defying the odds all year. Not one skill position player on offense plays for any national team anywhere- and yet, they were moving the ball up and down against the preseason Simba Bowl favorites like they were playing a new school Loyola defense. A tremendous day by veteran HB Thaddeus Ouko helped a ton- he had 192 yards, on 27 carries, on his own- putting the team on his back, and really driving them forward. He's an Islamic U grad- but, of course, from their BCSG days. With the right side of the O-Line anchored by two Staramara Tech guys, who played together at the Chromatik university, they had an opening to attack, and had the Leopards defense in a spin cycle all day long.

It was not the type of game the Leopards wanted to play. Allowing 39 at home in a playoff game? Not usually a recipe for success. "But." Said a Banijan TV analyst. "You don't want to go score for score with Wagner-Young- it's advantage to the Ranorian every single time."

And advantage, indeed. The NMU grad relished the opportunity- and despite his defense putting in a vacation request for the Playoff Semifinal, he showed up to work- and he was DEALING. The offense put up 533 yards of total offense, and had 7 TD drives- all without forcing any turnovers. "The Bunyoro RSC output forced the Leopards offense to be near perfect- and this mega-talented unit was exactly that." Said a TV analyst after the game. "Wagner-Young had 403 yards passing yards, and a ridiculous 5 TDs- just shredding his opposition." Whenever the Leopards needed it most, Wagner-Young would consistently come through. And look- he's got Essa Kayode as his WR1, Angela Sauber as his WR2, and Staramara Tech grad Isaga Duhaga as his HB1. He's got weapons, and he was always going to make full use of them.

Neither defense did much of anything in this game- it was a track meet. The game would come down to someone who's defense could make a play- any play- and that was the Leopards. Two fourth down stops, one in the third quarter, and one in the fourth quarter, gave the Leopards just barely the edge they needed to seal the deal. And, of course, a little bit of luck- Leopards K Dwayne Markseon hit a 49 yarder, but was roughed by a Bunyoro RSC special teamer for a 15 yard penalty and a first down- a moment that they would turn from 3 points to 7 points.

Ultimately, it would be Sisonke who would be the first team to clinch a spot in this year's Simba Bowl. 49-39. Could Wagner-Young, the 34 year old Ranorian, get his trophy?

Rukunbi Wizards(9-8) @ Istria Black Mambas(15-2). Kickoff is Sunday at 7:00 PM.

Are we destined for an Odika v. Wagner-Young Simba Bowl? It would be one hell of a matchup- the Banijan and Ranorian NT starters competing for the league title. But in order for that matchup to happen, and what a game it would be- the game the GFLB Commissioner, Moses Muhumuza is desperately rooting for- Istria's gotta get past Rukunbi first.

If you don't know about Rukunbi, take a deep dive into Istria's other side first. Rukunbi is the biggest borough of Istria, with almost 1.5 million people living there alone. A largely working class borough, they have developed their own subculture- and are populous enough to, generally, warrant their own sports teams in most of Banija's sports leagues. In the GFLB, the Wizards are generally overshadowed by their regional, and city rivals- Herzegovina City, and Istria. Both of those big teams went 15-2 this season- and they were both on Rukunbi's schedule twice. Herzegovina City are the defending champs. Rukunbi were the last team into the playoffs, at 9-8, getting in on point differential. And they had to travel to a 15 win team to start the postseason.

"We fear no man." Said Rukunbi's HC. "We beat the champs. We beat Mynda. And Istria? Well, we're about to be kings of this town."

As for Istria, well- the path could not be any clearer. They've got the superstar QB, Kadesh Odika. They've got a flashy roster, as they were the best team in the league. The league's best TE, by far- in Russell Farmer. One of the league's better young WRs, in Godwin Tamuka. A rapidly improving HB Joshua Okombo, who's a former NSCF Offensive Player of the Year. And while last year they had a mega-talented offense, without much of a defense, they fixed their problems- and went onto earn the league's #1 overall seed. Adding Emmitt Krell to the secondary was a good idea, as they seemed to be pushing their chips for an all-in run towards the Simba Bowl- convincing a number of veterans to delay retirement.

To say that the city was buzzing, would be an understatement. "This is, easily, the biggest Istria city derby, in any sport, that the city has ever seen." Said a Banijan TV analyst. "Istria v. Rukunbi, for the right to play in the Simba Bowl? Let's get ready for a BANGER."

Throw out records, throw out seeds- when these two meet, it's going to be a hard-fought battle, and these famiilar rivals gave us a spectacular game. It was move and countermove, punch and counterpunch. Every single move made by one team, was countered by the other. The players were really into it, animated as hell- with LT Ôskâr dí Rívânká nearly coming to blows with a Rukunbi EDGE rusher. It was a miracle neither were thrown out of the game for that. And, of course, conspiracies galore. Fans across the country felt as if the league wanted Istria in the title game, to have that Odika v. Wagner-Young title matchup. Social media was ablaze when what seemed to be a pretty clear PI call on Istria was called back, seemingly with no explanation.

After the game, the referees said they had gotten the skycam assist. Of course, the home crowd cheered- but social media was on fire. But hey- bad calls happen in every game, right? The game was action-packed. Kadesh Odika might have had the drive of his lifetime- down 7 with under two minutes, he drove his team 81 yards, with no timeouts, in 1:33- throwing the game-tying TD pass to Russell Farmer with 22 seconds left. And when you're the favorite, at home, you don't go for 2 in that situation- you want an extended game, as the better team, over time, usually asserts themselves. Right- Right?

But you never know what's going to happen in overtime. Modified sudden death rules, remember? The Black Mambas got the ball first- and Odika thought he was going to end the game. And he had a great opportunity to do so, but it was the incumbent World Bowl champion, Montrazel Brown, who stopped him- on a 3rd and 4, where he had Tamuka getting free downfield, the pressure from the Cardenao forced an early throw, that threw off the timing, and fell harmlessly onto the turf. He gets to the QB a second later- it's Istria going to Busukuma. But, he didn't get there a second later- and that set up the play of a lifetime for Wizards fans.

It's first and 10 for the Rukunbi Wizards, at the Istria 44 yard line. Remember, Istria punted on the first possession- so it's straight sudden death here. Their kicker is iffy, so they probably would want at least another first down to feel comfortable kicking the FG. They break out of the huddle in the I-formation, with Felix Ström under center, and Lana Rhodes as the deep back. King Felix gets the snap, and tosses right to Lana Rhodes. Oh, there's a pretty big hole, and she's gonna get a first down- and a juke! She jukes the safety out, and she's off to the races! It's a foot race down the sideline! The 30, the 20.. And she's gonna dive for the pylong... TOUCHDOWN! TOUCHDOWN! Is there a signal?

(There was no signal as the Chromatik HB has her hands in the air, and the referees are discussing with each other. After a 20 second discussion- they raise their hands in the air, for the touchdown signal.)

OH MY WORD- LANA RHODES JUST RAN IT 44 YARDS THROUGH THE HEART OF ISTRIA, AND HAS SENT THE WIZARDS TO THE SIMBA BOWL! The home crowd is simply stunned- the Black Mambas, expecting to punch their tickets to the capitol, will not be going there- and it's the 6'6 Iron Legion running back who has the Wizards playing for a league title!

And that, folks, is why you invest in a running back. Many thought the Wizards were crazy to trade for her two seasons ago- despite her considerable talent, a first round pick for an aging HB, to a division rival, is a hefty price. Even a delayed one. But there's no doubt the winner of that trade- Lana Rhodes has put Rukunbi into the Simba Bowl, while Kosactus has turned that pick into their QB of the future... Wade Hurley. Yikes.

Playoff Semifinal Score Summary
Sisonke Leopards 49–39 Bunyoro RSC
Istria Black Mambas 24–24 Rukunbi Wizards (24–30 OT)

Simba Bowl

Sisonke Leopards v. Rukunbi Wizards. Played at the Stadium of the Restoration(cap. 101,835) in Busukuma, National Capitol Region

---

Banijan HC, Thomas Hall, in the immediate aftermath of Banija's 43-21 loss to the Busoga Islands in Week 14

As Busogan QB Kohan Ersoy prepared to take one last kneeldown, Thomas Hall was extremely disappointed. A rivalry loss is always a tough pill to swallow as a HC- but confirming that the Baninans would be 2-5 on the road, in this World Bowl, was even worse. Despite gettin goff to a flying start, it had been a bitter group stage- and this match, the way this game had gone, was the peak of what had surely been an up and down group stage for the Serpent Eagles.

The Banijans had been used to high-flying during World Bowl group stages. But the 2-5 road record in this group stage- well, it was a stain on the Serpent Eagles, and they had been frustrated in various road trips. They had allowed things to get off the rails in those games- and consistent themes had shown up. The defense was getting blitzed- Chromatika had put up 50 on them, and even the Busoga Islands had put up 43. They weren't able to make key plays late- both Katzeburg and Darmen upset the Banijans, on their own field, in overtime. And, of course, being unable to steady a ship- the Banijans threw two pick-sixes in a brutal 34-19 away loss at the Jungledrom in Ratzupalfu. '

And so as Kohan Ersoy took the last kneeldown, and Busogan fans started to pour onto the field, he jogged across the field and shook hands with the Busogan HC- who had been his defensive coordinator at the previous World Bowl. The handshake was short and sweet- he didn't want to hang out on the field while the Busogans were having a party. "Job well done." The opposing HC said. "Good luck in the rest of the tourney."

"Job better done." Thomas Hall said. And that was it- keeping it short, keeping it sweet- and jogging back to the locker room. Now, a fieldstorm was usually something that happened in college gridirion, as opposed to pro- but this win, this emotion, with the history of these nations- despite the fact that the Busoga Islands were not going to the playoffs, was always going to garner a fieldstorm. It took some time for everybody to get into the locker room here in Dukuma. The fieldstorm, of course, meant that players had to take some sweet time to get over to the locker room.

With games ending, he took a look at the schedule- and gulped. It was just in- Ko-oren would be Banija's next opponent.

"Team!" Thomas Hall started his postgame speech. It had been pretty quiet- most guys were pretty downtrodden on getting their asses handed to them by the Busoga Islands, of all places. "There is so much that we have to do better. I don't have to tell you this, but I must remind you- if we play like this, like we have been playing in these road games, then we ain't winning a title. We ain't getting to Busukuma. We need to flip that switch. We've got championship level talent- but haven't played up to our ability."

He started reading. "We are fifth- fifth! in points per game. It's a pretty good number, don't get me wrong. But how many times have we averaged 35+? A hair over 30 points per game is pretty damn good, I won't lie. But- it's not good enough. Those scoring averages go down in the playoffs, simply because the defenses are better at the later stages of the tournament. On offense- we've got to do so much better. And I'm looking at our leaders." And he looked straight at his star QB, Kadesh Odika. Sometimes, you've got to have the callout. "Kadesh- we'll go as far as you can carry us. You can make all the throws- but too many turnovers. 3 INTs today? Locked up against Chromatika? You can ball against the best- but you've got to be more consistent. We play like we did today, and the Dragonflies are going to silence the sea of green in the crowds when we get back to Banija for this game."

"And now, the running game." He paused, and then continued. "Why is it all over the place? We've GOT to get our shit together. Thats for everyone- players, coaches, etc... We've got to do a better job. RECEIVERS!" He suddenly boomed. "We've been getting wrecked at the point of attack- why aren't you guys blocking like you can?? You all know- no block no rock. I swear, I don't give a shit- if against Ko-oren we're blocking like this at the wideout position, I'll go out there and play receiver my damn self."

And then, another pause. "And now- the defense. Every single one of you- stand up." And they all stood. "I know we aren't known for our defense. But 18th?? How are we 18th in scoring defense?? We all know this defense has long been better than given credit for over time- but not this year. We're an average, at best defense. That shit ain't good enough- we're proving the haters right. So many over the years have said this team is all offense, no defense. And this year- a decent offense, at best, and no defense."

He paused, and then continued. Remember- he was a defender himself. Came up coaching the defensive side of the ball, an all-time defensive back as a player- he took this personally. "Stand up and be counted. We're gonna need you to show up, and we're not going through an early elimination on fucking home soil. Not on my watch."

He stopped, and then, ended his talk. "See you fuckers on the plane. When we get back to Banija- lock the fuck in. We've got a grind if we want to get to Busukuma in a month from now, and we've got to overturn every single rock, to ensure that we can get there."

[Banija]

Who's still standing as we move from the Round of 16 to the Final 8?

Ranoria Half (Scored by Banija, played in Ranoria)

#1 Ranoria v. #16 United States of Nova Calania @ Mount Reinhold Stadium, Eglise, Ranoria (59,700)
#8 Quebec & Shingoryeo v. #9 Drawkland @ Constance Airlines Field- Fiston, Ranoria (60,007)

Above two winners will meet in the World Bowl L Quarterfinals

#4 Valanora v. #13 Chromatika @ Fermete Stadium, Fermete, Ranoria (64,070)
#5 South Newlandia v. #11 TJUN-ia*@Champion Stadium, Berlin, Ranoria (64,800)
Above two winners will meet in the World Bowl L Quarterfinals

Round of 16 Scores
Ranoria 13–3 United States of Nova Calania
Quebec & Shingoryeo 40–33 Drawkland
Valanora 10–22 Chromatika
South Newlandia 24–14 TJUN-ia

Quarterfinal Matchups
#1 Ranoria v. #8 Quebec & Shingoryeo @ The Karmin-Falce SuperDome in Ranoria City, Ranoria (121,450)
#5 South Newlandia v. #13 Chromatika @ Delmar’s Dynamics Dome in Pittsburgh, Ranoria (80,300)

[Ranoria]

Appreciate everyone's patience - because we are onto the Banijan half of the World Bowl L Playoffs!

Here's the matchups:

Banija Half (Scored by Ranoria, played in Banija)

#3 Kytler Peninsulae v. #14 HUElavia @ BCEL Stadium(cap. 52,400) in Jinja City, Hangaza, Banija.

#6 Sarzonia v. #12 Kamijiro* @ The Crocodile Swamp(cap. 65,000) in Aissa, Hangaza, Banija.

-

#2 Cardenao v. #15 South Americanastan @ The Watering Hole(cap. 63,000) in Lwanga, Buganda, Banija.

#7 Ko-oren v. #10 Banija @ The Stadium of the Restoration(cap. 101,835) in Busukuma, National Capitol Region, Banija.

Above two winners will meet in the World Bowl L Quarterfinals

And your results!

Kytler Peninsulae v. #14 HUElavia @ BCEL Stadium(cap. 52,400) in Jinja City, Hangaza, Banija.
Kytler Peninsulae 30–21 HUElavia

#6 Sarzonia v. #12 Kamijiro* @ The Crocodile Swamp(cap. 65,000) in Aissa, Hangaza, Banija.
Sarzonia 20–14 Kamijiro

#2 Cardenao v. #15 South Americanastan @ The Watering Hole(cap. 63,000) in Lwanga, Buganda, Banija.
Cardenao 34–13 South Americanastan

#7 Ko-oren v. #10 Banija @ The Stadium of the Restoration(cap. 101,835) in Busukuma, National Capitol Region, Banija.
Ko-oren 7–23 Banija

Quarterfinal Matchups:
#3 Kytler Peninsulae v. #6 Sarzonia @ Mavuto Field(cap. 75,000) in Hoima, Ankole

#2 Cardenao v. #10 Banija @ Istria Olympic Stadium(cap. 80,000) in Istria, Moravica

[Ranoria]

OOC: Notes
1- Chronologically, this season would have occurred before WB L.
2- all those rules favoring the passing game - those aren’t a thing here. Hard hitting safeties and linebackers are at a premium, making the middle of the field a dangerous place to throw, roughing the passer calls are few and far between, and defensive backs are often given a bit of leeway with their physicality prior to the catch.
4- Expect significantly lower average passing numbers than in the NFL. In 70+ seasons, the RFL has had six 4,700+ yard seasons, three 5,000+ yard passing seasons, and nine 40+ passing TD seasons. By comparison, there have been 15 5,000+ yard seasons in the NFL and 19 NFL seasons of 40+ passing touchdowns. Please keep this in mind if your players - particularly QBs, WRs, or TEs, aren’t having the production you’d expect.
5- also as a result of this, running backs take on a greater role and the average rushing numbers are higher. 2,000+ yards is still a rarity.
6- I'm not committed to any more heavily RP'd seasons, but the league will hopefully continue to run as long as I have those foreign players who were in place as of 2035-2036 cycle at the very least. This is a lot and I've only got so much time.

7- Same as the last few seasons, but critical to point out - huge shoutout to South Newlandia for all the help he gives and time he commits to this project. Wouldn't be able to score the divisions without him (not correctly anyway) and everyone's favorite elefriend is a whizz with the google sheets so that I can pick out individual regular season games to RP, which I basically never did before. That lets me go way more in depth for the regular season. Win streaks, etc. cuz I promise I didn’t ever do that before looking at full week’s worth of scores. The RFL is just as much his project as it is mine at this point, and it's so much more enjoyable with the collaboration there. This is a collaborative effort between the elephant and Ranoria, please grade accordingly.
8- Ages are going to be off pretty frequently from the TL's of the user's players, it happens, most of us have a different timeline per cycle and there's not much I can do about that. 2 RFL seasons happen per cycle.

---

And here's your other two divisions! The National Central and National Coastal

Ranorian Football League - 2041
National Central & Coastal Regular Seasons!

For all of you who were unceremoniously cut off from reading about the rest of RSNN's yearly breakdown, we do apologize for the extended interruption. Our tech crew was working through the night to discover the problem, but unfortunately were unable to identify the issue until the elephants fixed the wiring. But we're ready now, so here are the final eight teams of the RFL season!

The National Central division has a rich history. North Ashialand's Dreadnaughts were the home of one of the best RFL QBs ever in Bo Callahan. The New Quebec Fighters have one of the most unique venues in sports to go along with a stud quarterback (Ernest Bello), and of course the Port Kruger Phalanx are one of the worst teams in sports, period.

Then there's the Ironmen. With the most championships in RFL history at 7, they're undeniably the best team in the league's history - but they've hit a bit of a slump. Despite two Winter Bowl appearances since their most recent win, they're in the midst of a 15 year championshiop drought...which led to some drastic measures. The Ironmen made drastic changes. The team was purchase by Mihaly, becoming the second team in the RFL owned by a foreign entity. Mihaly, of course, wasn't going to be content with playoff appearances, and wanted to get his guy in there.

The team fired 3x Winter Bowl champion head coach Damian Giles, hired World Bowl champion coach Steve Valentine of Cardenao, and initiated The Trade.

Veteran quarterback Leonardo Torrent? Gone. Guy couldn't win with MVP running back Apollo Esther in the backfield and Kaiser Belfort leading the front seven. Two first round picks? Hell with 'em. This is increasingly becoming a quarterback's league, and they weren't going to be stuck midster mcgee. So they shipped Torrent and more to the Eglise Mountaineers to secure the top pick in the draft, netting them the one and only Bobby Dials.

The guys at number 2? They selected Odin Sørbø and he chose the GFLB for some reason. Does he value his health and ability to play quarterback effectively or something?

Anwyay, the Ironmen started strong with a win over the always-strong Ranoria City Silver, 23-14 at home. And the schedule didn't get any easier, with them losing to the reigning champion Fiston Redwolves on the road, with Gideon Kearse of the Krauts perhaps taking vengeance on Bobby Dials for knocking Ranoria out in World Bowl 49 with 3 sacks. The Ironmen beat the Bootleggers, sure, but only 17-6 against a defense that allowed a league high 26.37 points per game throughout the season.

Another loss followed. Remember the Dietrich Dynamos? They beat them 17-zip in Dietrich. A 19-10 win over the New Quebec Fighters was followed up by a narrow loss to the Gwenderyn-led Falcons despite Bobby putting up a tied for season-high 23 points. The Ironmen never really picked up though - the Dials-led squad only cleared twenty points a half dozen times. Dials had to incredible games late in the year - beating the Dreadnaughts 48-24 and the Wraiths 50-13, but their desperate playoff bid was burned away by a 20-13 loss to the Silver to end the campaign.

Those Silver won the division - with Tim Hunt and his heavily Saint Kanye led team going 9-7, that victory over the Ironmen in the final week sealed the deal. Sheila Pantija continues to do her job - she's only had one really prolific season, but her 18:2 TD:INT ratio this season was impressive along with her sixth straight 2,900+ yard season. This team is led by Jill Lia and Nicole Manstrom off the edge, of course, and Gerard Bullion on the interior. The three combined for 24 sacks, with Vi Kia-Naid and Harrold Hynes impressing on the back end, each with 3+ interceptions. The Richardson Fenrirs, meanwhile, led by Tim Hunt, managed to earn nine wins - tied with two other teams for the two wild card spots. Tiebreakers had to be taken into account.

And finally, the National Coastal, home of the reigning champion Fiston Redwolves.

Shockingly, to avoid beaitng around the bush, the North Ashialand Dreadnaughts won the division. Following the formula they had with Elliot Roach, their offense was basically hand the ball to former Ratzupalfu Egret and Richardson Governor Ragnar Sampson until something good happens. That worked! He was third in the league in rushing with 355 carries for 1,895 yards and 19 touchdown runs in his rookie campaign. Running him behing stud tackles Maverick Lee and Eric Modin (a former Krauts starter) proved to be effective while Felswyr State alumni Trevyon Specter and Greedy Collins manned up the defense.

What happened to the usual suspects? Well, the New Quebec Fighters had a tough draw. For the first time in his career, Ernest Bello had a significant injury, going down in the third quarter of week one up 20-10 against the Dreadnaughts. A pick six here and a Ragnar Sampson touchdown run there, and they lost 24-20. They managed to win in week 2 - Sage Sterling picked off a Konstantin Vollmacht deflection for six - those two have been playing together for over a decade now. A couple trick plays got them to 25 points, but they wouldn't replicate that success. They took five straight losses - allowing just 2 games of over 20 points, and even then it was against the Redwolves who forced 5 turnovers between the two games. Derek Pierce and Rebecca Reischel were monstrous against the run. Shean Eckert of Delaclava had six sacks in that span, and Konstantin Vollmacht and Sage Sterling did their part, but the offense couldn't hang onto the ball, and scored just 56 points in 5 games.

Tough hole to dig out of, and they may have rushed Bello back from his broken ankle. They won four straight - Bello was clearly not at his best, but a win over the Silver got them to 5-6, within striking distance. But a 2-3 finish doomed them to finish 7-9. And the Redwolves? Honestly, it was tragic.

After Lane Proudfoot put up a historically dominant season, he clearly though he could just chill out this year. "I did enough work for three years with that shit, and ya'll are mad that I didn't have my best season? Sheesh," he said while reports of late nights out circulated. But they always have, so that wasn't the reason for the drop off. Proudfoot but up 24 touchdowns to 14 interceptions, but was largely accurate with quick apsses, at least. He completed nearly 70% of his passes, and the turnover margin wasn't bad for the RFL. But his YPA was the lowest of his career at 7.2, and the dropoff of over one thousand yards was tough to accommodate, not that the Redwolves didn't try.

Jack Hoy led the RFL in rushing, posting the most rushing yards of all time, actually, with 2,109 yards. Throw in 21 rushing scores - one shy of the record prior to this year, and he was dominant. But he was also the team's second leading receiver with Proudfoot deciding to be a checkdown and screen merchant for a year, catching 72 balls for 685 yards and another four scores. It was a campaign that was truly MVP caliber, and his defining performance came in a 300+ yard losing performance against the Sierraville Farmers. Unfortunately, he was the only one with a career year. Proudfoot's fall off was mentioned, and while Kearse's 12 sacks were good, they didn't quite match his contract.

So Hoy's 400-carry season? It only netted them nine wins. A 4-0 start that saw Hoy post a four touchdown game to open the year was nixed by three losses back-to-back-to-back late in the year, and their desperate two wins to close the year barely got them to nine wins, tied with two other squads for a playoff berth.

Oh yeah, and the Phalanx sucked ass, of course.

The Richardson Fenrirs, Herot Paladins, and Fiston Redwolves ended the season tied at 9-7 with two wild card berths available. And after elephant league administrators spent hours late in the night breaking down tiebreakers, the Fenrirs and Redwolves made the cut. The Paladins, with Shirinna Lehmann, are going to have to search for some answers as their 13 win 2039 campaign slips further and further into the rearview, and the Fenrirs are barely clinging to relevancy.

For the Redwolves, they're the dynasty in the league right now - they've always got a shot.

RFL - 2041 Playoffs

North Ashialand Dreadnaughts: 11-5
Edmunton Eagles: 11-5

Rouyoute Aurora Knights: 10-6
Ranoria City Silver: 10-6

Richardson Fenrirs: 9-7
Fiston Redwolves: 9-7

Ranorian Conference:
Sierraville Farmers: 14-2
Ranoria City Falcons: 13-3

Apollotown Sabers: 12-4
Madison Gladiators: 10-6

Indianapolis Hogs: 11-5
Berlin Snow Bears: 10-6

[Sarzonia]

One concern for Tyler Paige and his Sarzonian national gridball team was a lack of close contests throughout the long 14-match World Bowl L group stage.

Yes, Sarzonia were the fourth ranked team in the multiverse and they often played like it during their tenure in the Gavin Davis Group, winning games by 58-0 and 61-24, but the Stars had a concerning 1-2 record in one-possession contests with losses in both overtime matches.

Against Kamijiro, the Stars were expected to roll over an opponent who appeared outmatched at first glance, but Kamijiro brought pressure through a mixture of blitzes and shifting coverages, resulting in quarterback Cameron Stallworth completing just 14-of-27 passes for 192 yards and two interceptions. However, he was also able to hit wide receiver Steve Swain with a 14-yard touchdown pass with just eight seconds remaining and Sarzonia defeated Kamijiro 20-14 in the Round of 16 contest at The Crocodile Swamp in Aissa.

Sarzonia (12-3) struggled to run the ball as Kamijiro walked up a safety in to play eight-man fronts, and they held running back Ty'Relle Clinton to 47 yards on 19 carries through three quarters. However, he ran eight times for 49 yards in the fourth quarter as the Stars offence finally began wearing down Kamijiro's defensive front. Offensive coordinator Trent Beaucamp said he continued to call running plays despite the eight-man fronts and frequent run-blitzes to wear down the defence.

"We wanted to impose our will," he said. "We weren't able to do it all that much in the first half, but we did in the fourth quarter. That opened things up for Cam and the passing game and we took advantage."

The Stars were pinned at their own four-yard line after the defence forced a three-and-out with 3:16 remaining and the Stars out of timeouts. Stallworth led a 12-play drive that culminated in the late touchdown pass to Swain for the winning margin.

"We practice the two-minute drill a lot," Stallworth said. "We practice it with no timeouts, one timeout, two timeouts, so we know how to handle different scenarios. Our folks know how to get out of bounds when we need to or clock it or hurry up to the line when we need to run a play." Stallworth said when the team operated the no-huddle he calls the plays based on a script he and Beaucamp discuss on a regular basis.

"We go over different formations and coverages and I have an idea of what he's seeing and what I'm seeing," Stallworth said. "We knew we were able to get some chunk plays against them on that last drive."

Sarzonia will face The Kytler Peninsulae in the quarterfinals at Mavuto Field in Holma.

"It won't be easy," Paige said. "They're a tough side and they had an outstanding run through the group stage to get here. We're going to have to be ready no matter what."

[Kamijiro]

The Team Finally Gets to Rest

After a grueling run to the playoffs, the Jirō Islanders will finally get a much-deserved break... at home, on their couches. Sarzonia drove the field near the end of regulation and scored to send the Jirō Islanders home. However, most of the team seemed fine with that. Or too dazed and potentially concussed to really notice. Either way, they're getting life-long pensions from the government, as they are concidered to have 'served' the country's needs for sporting glory. So they're set.

But yeah. That's the end of the road for these morons. There will likely be a new batch of lambs to the slaughter players in World Bowl LI. That's all she wrote from Kamijiro.

[TJUN-ia]

Drawkland is not the "Lolcow" of this universe. We are.
We look to the Drawks sometimes, a land of mystery where some get immortality through some means, and think, "They are some massive underachievers, I hope we don't end up like them". In TJUN-ian sporting culture, Drawkland seemed like a case study - a nation that has won many things but who can't seemingly step up to become a Valanora or a Banija. Drawkland is strong, but sometimes they don't play like their ranking suggests.

We are not Drawkland. We are worse.
At least Drawkland have won things, the 47th World Bowl in most recent times. At least their story is filled with huge successes and moments that live in the mythos like the Drawkonels themselves. At least Drawkland has actually won a Big Five title. If Drawkland were to disappear tomorrow and vanish into the aether of Sonnel it came from, they would leave a legacy as tall as the Drawkians themselves - the Elite Eleven, corpsguy725, 'Corps' as a moniker, 7Ball, the number 7 itself. The shadows of Sonnel may fly away, but we would never forget that familiar Grand Pentad if seen in the sky.

If we were to go, back to U2 whence we came, do we even have a legacy to celebrate?
Of course, we have done great things - in Chess, in Motorsports, in Rugby. We won the IBS in Baseball and regional titles in Baseball and Ice Hockey. We have one silver and two bronze medals from the IBC, Football is in its golden era and even Ice Hockey is starting to feel more and more consistent. But does all of that, all of the glory some of us have delivered, mean anything if we cannot claim a Big 5 crown of our own?

Think about all the different winners of a Big 5 title (World Cup, World Bowl, WC of Hockey, IBC and WBC) since we made our debut in World Cup 84. Think about some of the stories that have risen since our debut:
- The last four WC winners include Delte, Brookstation and Flavovespia.
- Cardenao are the defending champions of this World Bowl.
- The Sherpa Empire, Quintessence of Dust and South Newlandia have all won WBCs.
- Elejamie, The Cordian Isles and Trolleborg have won the WCoH.
- and both Hannasea and Valentine Z have won IBC crowns.
None of this is to say they didn't deserve their crown, they all won them fairly and squarely and deserve to be called champions at that. But sometimes you do wonder...if all of these nations can earn their right to sporting immortality - why not us? What is stopping TJUN-ia, formerly of The North Pacific and currently of Esportiva, from joining them.

The only times we felt on the precipice of breaking through was WBC50, in which we finished 4th, and IBC34 - the one where we entered as the de facto #1 seed, won 21 games at that, only to fall to Hannasea at the final hurdle. Ever since the Sardines shocked the world in the Elephant Multiplex, it seems we have been under a mental block - one that we have never been able to overcome in certain sports. Football is the exception; that is very difficult to qualify for, let alone win it all - but the other four can't break through. When things seem to be going in the right direction, they turn out to be false dawns and we return to "the standard" that we are known for - good, but never great. Decent, but never a threat. No matter the sport, no matter the ranking, no matter the momentum - Margaret has never failed in collecting her due from us.

And so, we come to lament on another TJUN-ian team that flew too close to the sun - stomped by the Elephant of South Newlandia like a watermelon. We love South Newlandia, both as a regional ally and as a sporting rival, but they symbolise everything we are not. They came after us, debuting at World Cup 85...and yet they have done so much more than us. Co-hosted a World Cup, Co-hosted two World Bowls, Reached 6 WBC Finals and won 3 of them, host of that infamous IBC. We should have a similar resume to SNL. But we do not.

That's why this loss hurt more than it should. Gridiron Football, like Baseball and Basketball after them, has turned into a Sisyphus - an eternal struggle that we can seemingly never conquer.

I hope that one day, sometime in this universe, TJUN-ia can indeed hold a Big 5 title in their hands.
I hope that someday, our seemingly endless journey towards success can be realised.
But until then, we shall march on.

---

SCHEDULE (Group Gavin Davis)
MD1: vs Natkr (41) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 38-13 (2nd/1-0)
-----------------------------------------------------------
MD2: vs Sarzonia (4) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 13-0 (1st/2-0)
MD3: @East Lithuania (UR) W 60-0 (1st/3-0)
-----------------------------------------------------------
MD4: vs Quirhoshe (UR) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 38-6 (1st/4-0)
MD5: @Valanora (11) - Lathalein Celestial Stadium, Mar Sara L 7-13 (2nd/4-1)
-----------------------------------------------------------
MD6: vs Rouyoute (45) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 35-20 (1st/5-1)
MD7: @Delaclava (20) W 27-15 (1st/6-1)
-----------------------------------------------------------
MD8: @Natkr (41) - Skyhold Dome, ?? W 22-10 (1st/7-1)
MD9: @Sarzonia (4) - Joe Gibbs Stadium, Woodstock L 20-38 (3rd/7-2)
-----------------------------------------------------------
MD10: vs East Lithuania (UR) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 38-3 (3rd/8-2)
MD11: @Quirhoshe (UR) W 33-10 (3rd/9-2)
-----------------------------------------------------------
MD12: vs Valanora (11) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington L 30-34 (3rd/9-3)
MD13: @Rouyoute (45) - The Crooked Crown Cap, Rouyoute L 16-22 (3rd/9-4)
-----------------------------------------------------------
MD14: vs Delaclava (20) - Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington W 40-6 (3rd/10-4)
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Ro16: vs South Newlandia (12/#5) - Champion Stadium, Berlin, Ranoria L 14-24

[Ranoria]

RFL 2041 - The Postseason!

RFL - 2041 Playoffs

North Ashialand Dreadnaughts: 11-5
Edmunton Eagles: 11-5

Rouyoute Aurora Knights: 10-6
Ranoria City Silver: 10-6

Richardson Fenrirs: 9-7
Fiston Redwolves: 9-7

Ranorian Conference:
Sierraville Farmers: 14-2
Ranoria City Falcons: 13-3

Apollotown Sabers: 12-4
Madison Gladiators: 10-6

Indianapolis Hogs: 11-5
Berlin Snow Bears: 10-6

---

_________________________________Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD    Win %
 1 Sierraville Farmers            16   14   2   507  214 +293    0.875
 2 Ranoria City Falcons           16   13   3   525  373 +152    0.812
 3 Apollotown Sabers              16   12   4   344  150 +194    0.750
 4 Edmunton Eagles                16   11   5   472  357 +115    0.688
 5 Indianapolis Hogs              16   11   5   370  275  +95    0.688
 6 North Ashialand Dreadnaughts   16   11   5   285  274  +11    0.688
 7 Madison Gladiators             16   10   6   504  367 +137    0.625
 8 Berlin Snow Bears              16   10   6   425  297 +128    0.625
 9 Ranoria City Silver            16   10   6   351  271  +80    0.625
10 Rouyoute Aurora Knights        16   10   6   315  247  +68    0.625
11 Richardson Fenrirs             16    9   7   451  370  +81    0.562
12 Fiston Redwolves               16    9   7   420  351  +69    0.562
13 Herot Paladins                 16    9   7   283  265  +18    0.562
14 Memphis Steamers               16    8   8   347  270  +77    0.500
15 Pittsburgh Ironmen             16    8   8   312  314   −2    0.500
16 Eglise Mountaineers            16    8   8   298  313  −15    0.500
17 Brittany Walruses              16    8   8   214  249  −35    0.500
18 Mariana Tigers                 16    8   8   320  360  −40    0.500
19 Nashville Sabercats            16    8   8   300  389  −89    0.500
20 New Quebec Fighters            16    7   9   284  289   −5    0.438
21 Dietrich Dynamos               16    7   9   269  280  −11    0.438
22 Munich Thrashers               16    7   9   266  324  −58    0.438
23 Menagerie Pioneers             16    7   9   250  358 −108    0.438
24 Fermete Marauders              16    6  10   270  384 −114    0.375
25 Victorsville Hurricane         16    6  10   206  346 −140    0.375
26 Port Kruger Phalanx            16    6  10   199  395 −196    0.375
27 Vancouver Yeti                 16    5  11   291  365  −74    0.312
28 Lafayette Crusaders            16    4  12   249  307  −58    0.250
29 Highport Hawks                 16    4  12   249  319  −70    0.250
30 Halifax Blizzard               16    4  12   215  348 −133    0.250
31 Balafre Bootleggers            16    4  12   259  422 −163    0.250
32 Yellowknife Wraiths            16    2  14   182  389 −207    0.125

So here we go!

The Ranoria City Falcons have powered their way back into the postseason after their two year hiatus courtesy of the best offense in the RFL. The Fiston Redwolves limped their way in courtesy of Hoy shattering yardage records on a team that clearly took a step back. Edmunton continues to flirt with destiny, Blake Zuercher and Myles Davis keeping this team ever in contention. The Ranoria City Silver's depth and strength across the roster is nearly unmatched, but with a game manager at quarterback, can they go the distance with the true heavyweights? The Rouyoute Aurora Knights have firmly entered the Viktor Rowles era - the rookie quarterback looks to become the second in history to make a Winter Bowl. The Madison Gladiators are led by one of the premier quarterbacks in the world in Benoit Youngblood, making it two Cold Hill alumni in this postseason under center. The Apollotown Sabers? Always in contention - it was only two years ago they won the whole thing off the back of a ferocious Abram Fairbanks-led defense and Zamadi Ayana's ruthless rushing attack. The Indianapolis Hogs stacked defense and strong run game got them in - and the Berlin Snow Bears won double digit games once again to make the postseason with room to spare.

Wild Card Round:

Fiston Redwolves @ Rouyoute Aurora Aurora Knights
Richardson Fenrirs @ Ranoria City Silver

Berlin Snow Bears @ Apollotown Sabers
Indianapolis Hogs @ Madison Gladiators

The Fiston Redwolves didn't look like themselves all season. A team with three chips since 2035 winning just nine games? But they'd snuck their way into the playoffs. They still had Drawkland's starter at quarterback in Lane Proudfoot - even if he's fallen out of favor with the Grid Corps and looks to be having a down year. Jack Hoy carried the offense, ripping off record-pace yardage to get them here. Gideon Kearse is still lining up on defense.

On the other side, the Rouyoute Aurora Knights came out in their brilliant colors in The Elysium, led by rookie Viktor Rowles. He hadn't been dominant, but the campaign was impressive enough to keep them in games, and the veterans got them to double digit wins. Veterans DE Albatross Vergol ILB Alder Kingare most certainly in their farewell tours, but still have gas in the tank. Lee Bo-Mi at defensive end is picking up where Vergol will leave off, and Kaytlyne Sellers is still at running back.

The game started as well as it possibly could have for Rouyoute. They ran a counter, baiting Kearse to overpursue, and somehow, Sellers found the space for a 71 yard touchdown to start the day on the first play from scrimmage. Not to worry - the Redwolves have playoff experience, they're not gonna get rattled that quick. Or they weren't. That lasted for a few first downs, and then Alder King recorded his first career interception, crashing down on a screen pass and giving the Aurora Knights the ball inside the fifty. They wanted it all - Rowles had been protected all season, and no one expected them to let him rip it downfield this early, but the former top recruit in Chromatika launched the ball downfield, hitting Isaak Rodriguez for a 45 yard score to make it an early 14-zip.

The offense looked, for lack of a better word, repugnant. With King and Vergol selling out against the run, Jack Hoy's brilliant season was stopped cold in the playoffs, leaving it to Lane Proudfoot to find something that wasn't there in the first half. Their top target, Denario Southward was struggling to create seperation and in double coverage, couldn't win on the contested targets. They managed not to turn the ball over, but an Isaak Rodriguez punt return touchdown made it 21-nothing, and the Aurora Knights capped it off with back-to-back-to-back field goal attempts on their final three drives of the half. Only one of those went through to make it 24 against a goose egg, but it was enough.

The Redwolves looked dejected going into the locker room - this was a beating they weren't used to. And they came out at half inspired. Lane Proudfoot actually hit a deep shot to open things up, and Jack Hoy somehow skirted through a collapsing offensive line to break off a 15 yard run that he followed up with a second first down carry by bouncing to the outside. Proudfoot targeted the 6'5" Southward on a fade, but the receiver continued to be blanked on the day, and the Redwolves said fuck it. We've got the best back in the multiverse, give him the ball. They handed it to him on second down. And then they handed it to him on third. And then on fourth.

Wait, my bad, he scored on third down - but he held up his fingers for two to get the third straight handoff and put 8 on the board to make it a two score game.

Gideon Kearse finally made his presence known then. After a decent Rouyoute drive, he smashed into Viktor Rowles, ripping the ball away from him and scooping it - somehow, the two hundred eighty pounder looked like he might go the distance. Isaak Rodriguez caught up with him, but one thirty four year old stiff armed another to make it 24-14, just a few minutes into the half, and once again Hoy took the handoff for two.

The home crowd was starting to grow restless. Viktor Rowles eased their fears with another touchdown drive, hitting a receiver on a jet sweep pass to score again. At 31-16, the Redwolves were still in it, but they had to hit the gas. Proudfoot would have the ball on third and long, and he had that look in his eye. That look he'd had during his MVP season just a year ago. The Drawkian champion dropped back and absolutely ripped the ball to Southward on a deep post, pumped a fist in the air in anticipation...and then the Aurora Knights crowd roared its applause when the ball bounced off Southward's hands and into the safety's.

A long return made it a short field. Kearse secured a sack to force three, but with a 34-16 deficit and Kaytlynne Sellers starting to milk the clock, Proudfoot finally looked shaken. Sure, the guy had a reputation for not giving a shit, but generally when he decided to lock in, he could get it done.

He'd end the day throwing a third interception, and the Aurora Knights ran it all the way up to 44-16 by the time it was over. The champions, the dynasty, wouldn't be adding to their legacy this season.

Social media was rampant - calling both Hoy and Kearse stat padders, the former for racking up so many yards on a 9 win team, the latter for continuing to chug away when he was clearly past his prime. But Rowles and his Aurora Knights were moving on.

Rouyoute Aurora Knights 44–16 Fiston Redwolves

The squad heavily led by Yeezies literally never had a chance. Tim Hunt's Winter Bowl appearance looks to be further and further in the rearview, Chase Okama has never emerged as the superstar back that was promised, and Deshawn Fredericks has continued to disappoint after his lone dominant season.

This team, to put it simply, didn't have the talent to stack up player-to-player with the Silver. Sheila Pantoja played mistake free football, Tim Hunt and Chase Okama fumbled twice each as the Silver rolled through them to the tune of 29-6. Easy win for Jill Lia and Nicole Manstrom, with the former burying Hunt on an attempted hail mary that iced the game.

Ranoria City Silver 29–6 Richardson Fenrirs

The Berlin Snow Bears are always tough, and so are the Sabers. Berlin in particular had won two overtime games against the top teams - the Ranoria City Falcons and Sierraville Farmers - in the league. They were battle tested, and weren't going to back down against anyone. Their quarterback, Gracelyn Jackson, is never going to be a superstar, but she can play. Dhairya Taylor provides a steady presence at guard, and Dominick Ford and Patil on the defense are arguably the team's best players.

Well, except for their tight end.

It was Dustin van Halfensen who led the team here, blocking in the gun game, frequently matching up with and beating both Abram Fairbanks and Candace Ferrett on that front. But his highlight came when he decked Fairbanks on a "chip" block and took two steps up before running a sharp out. He turned, and the ball was already coming. Step, stiff arm of an unfortunate corner, and the Snow Bears took the lead courtesy of the first mean elephant.

Dominick Ford was playing out of his mind on defense - shutting down the Sabers run game and finishing regulation with a half dozen tackles, three for a loss, from thr DT position. But the Sabers inched their way back in, nailing a pair of field goals. Courtesy of Demitrius St Pierre's deep ball, the Snow Bears answered with two of their own.

13-6 now. Dustin van Halfensen was fired up, the defense was playing well, and Patil had already picked off the Sabers' QB once today. But the threat was Zamadi Ayana, and as much as he'd had trouble today, he got behind Donovan Johnson on the next drive from the Snow Bear forty, made one cut, and took off. Dominick Ford's arm tackle didn't stop him. Two linebackers tried to high-low him - the low guy got stiff armed and Ayana pushed off him to truck through the high one, both looking silly. He was a bit off balance, but still shrugged off a cornerback's tackle attempt, and by then, most of the Berlin defense was in the dirt wondering where they were.

41 yards to the house, and this thing was tied up.

The Snow Bears were short on time, and managed to get within Hail Mary range. Gracelyn Jackson dropped back, but the Sabers had been clever, lining up Ferrett and Fairbanks on the same side and overwhelming the overmatched offensive line. Fairbanks brought her down to end regulation, and we were going to overtime.

Par for the course for the cardiac Snow Bears. They weren't even afraid, and just did the same thing they did in the other overtime games, a rip it to Dustin van Halfensen. Halfensen caught it ten yards down the field, blasted through a pair of defenders, and sent this thing to double OT. The Sabers managed to answer.

Unfortunately, that thing they say about getting worn down? It was true here. The Sabers came out with six offenisve linemen, and gave Zamadi Ayana his 27th, 28th, and 29th carries to get to fourth and one. The offense never came off the field - one way or another, this game was ending here.Whether the Snow Bears were exhausted or the defense just wanted to avoid coming offsides for the free first down, Berlin's defensive line was slow off the line, and Ayana was in the second level before you could blink. The Sabers tacked on 3 in double overtime - and the Snow Bears literally did not deviate from their plan at all.

"Uh, he's pretty good at football? Their mediocre coach said on throwning the ball to DVH again - because they literally scored a touchdwon, knocking off the Sabers, on the first play by just hitting van Halfensen up the seam again. The Sabers went home after a dozen wins, and the Snow Bears advance.

Apollotown Sabers 13–13 Berlin Snow Bears (23–26 OT)

Literally Park Mi-Hyeon and Jere Rinaldi carried the Hogs this far. Their entire offense is just checkdown to Calista Weathers and run 31 year old Franco Buchannon into the ground. And damn if they didn't do just that - Madison's pathetic defense couldn't stop swiss cheese. Weathers scored once, Buchannon twice, and once Jere Rinaldi forced a fumble from aging Duke Beckett, took the ball, lateral'd it to Park Mi-Hyeon, and that made it 28.

All of that, through four and a half quarters, had the Gladiators down 22-28. Benoit Youngblood was cooking, but one pick from him and a fumble from their kick returned at one point had put them in a tough spot against such a defensively sound team.

"We can't lose to these guys!" He paced along the sideline, looking to his offense, "No more mistakes! No more turnovers! Our defense will find a way to keep them out if we don't put them in a bad spot! Now go give me the best ten damn minutes of football you've ever played!"

Damn if they didn't - Youngblood's third touchdown pass of the day connected wiht Nikolas Isaksen to make it 28-28 - Jere Rinaldi hurdled the entire PAT unit to block the kick. But it wouldn't matter. The Hogs impotent offense went three and out, and Beno milked the clock while pushing to the goal line. Seconds on the clock - but they weren't trusting their kicker with this. Beno lined up in the shotgun, motioned Isaksen into the slot, and took the snap. Isaksen got checked by linebacker Raleigh Jones. Beno sidestepped DT Jaire Alford's bull rush in the pocket, and then their eyes locked - Beno and Rinaldi.

It was a wide open pocket, except for the linebacker who took a fraction of a second to lick his chops. Beno tucked the ball and rushed forward, Rinaldi went to meet him. One of the nastiest hitters in the league against the scrappiest quarterback. The hit was massive - Beno's helmet came flying off when Rinaldi's shoulder drove through his chest, but the former high school wrestler sprawled on Rinaldi to faceplant the linebacker, posted on his free hand, and frog-hopped forward. That got him over Rinaldi and into a jog to make it into the end zone.

Beno spiked the ball, cupping his ear as the Indianapolis crowd went silent, and shook his head as the team swarmed him. He gratefully accepted his helmet, and the Gladiators went for two, hitting Nikolas Isaksen on a jet sweep that saw him cut up into the C gap to make it 36-28. Even if the Gladiators scored, their offense getting another 8 was damn near impossible.

They didn't get anywhere near that far - one pass was all it took for the Gladiators to get what was just their third interception of the season. The Hogs, once again, managed to achieve literally nothing in the post John Garrett ere.

Madison Gladiators 36–28 Indainapolis Hogs

RFL 2041 - Quarterfinals

And now with the wild card done, the bye teams come into play. The Ranoria City Falcons and Sarai Gwenderyn. The Sierraville Farmers and Rylan Rodgers Jr continue their warpath after a Winter Bowl defeat a season ago. The North Ashialand Dreadnaughts who...probably shouldn't be a team with a bye, somehow no one thought to stop "halfback dive to Ragnar Sampson" all season, but whatever. And the Edmunton Eagles are always good - Blake Zuercher is just trying to break through for the big one now.

A regular season rematch - the Snow Bears are one of the two losses on the record of the Farmers, and they're coming off their third overtime win this season. If there's a team none of these top squads wanted to play, it's probably these guys.

Unfortunately, the Farmers had the perfect answer for an offense dominated by Dustin van Halfensen - and that was literally just to put the freakishly large rookie corner Packard Goss on him all game long. With Demitrious St Pierre being hteir only other real threat, Akhello Volson manned him up all game long, and Gracelyn Jackson had her worst game of the season, going 11/25 for 109 yards and a pick.

That interception? Brutal timing. The Snow Bears had been hanging in there, and had only given the 14-win Farmers their first lead of the game late in the fourth whne Rylan Rodgers Jr finally ran in a score, ripping off his helmet, tossing the ball up, and batting it into the stands towards his adoring fanbase. Jackson followed it up by finally testing Volson. She'd only targeted St Pierre twice to this point, but at some point you've got to trust your top wideout, and she paid for it. Volson had no trouble snagging the ball out of the air, and with the Snow Bears closing on him, he and Nicholas Hussain did the thing they've been doing for years now. He lateraled it to the South Newlandian corner, and Hussain sprinted it back the rest of the way, hand raised in the air to make it 20-10.

The Snow Bears, with just a couple minutes left, were beaten. Helluva season, but tough draw to go against a 14-win team here - but how do they get over the hump? Gracelyn Jackson at quarterback is good, but they need a true star...who could it be? The Farmers, meanwhile, continue to make good on their playoff trips. Last time, it was a Winter Bowl berth, and now they're back in the conference final.

Sierraville Farmers 20–10 Berlin Snow Bears

This had all the makings of a shootout for the ages. The Karmin-Falce Superdome's roof was open to the crisp night air, a soft flurry of snow - enough for a nice background, but not to disrupt anyone. The Falcons were back in the playoffs, having not won a championship in five seasons now. But damn were they loaded.

Damien Giles, already a 3x Winter Bowl winning coach, had usurped Jack Halifax as the head coach. Gwenderyn had thrown for more touchdowns than she had since her historic 2036 campaign. Benjamin Merik and Enox Silverman had joined the team along with Rolan Monroe - the latter on a 1 year deal. Victoria Mio was back for another year as defensive captain, and rookie safety Saya Okayato had been dominant as well.

The team is well over the cap. Cuts will be made - but they are loaded. Benoit Youngblood looked amped up after an emotional win - but it wasn't to be.

The Falcons wasted no time - four plays into their intial drive, Gwenderyn hit Enox Silverman deep downfield for a score. The Gladiators answered with a drive of their own, but a Victoria Mio deflection against Nikolas Isaksen forced a field goal. Another touchdown - this time from 22 yards out, hitting Constantina Perrier on a quick slant. Perrier's a great YAC artist, and the Gladiators defense looked like they were out there trying to play soccer or something the way they were whiffing on tackles. Down 14-3 early, Madison managed to put another three on the board, but things got dicey after that. The teams proceeded to end five straight drives with field goal attempts.The Chromatik kicker for the Falcons? Nailed them from 48 and 51. The Gladiators?

Whiffs from 39, 28 and 42. They'd go into halftime down 20-6. Beno couldn't close the deal to get six on the board, and the Falcons offense looked unstoppable. A Rolan Monroe hit on Youngblood led to a Victoria Mio interception, and the Falcons were already milking the clock. Between rookie Benjamin Merik and veteran backup Terrace Peterman, both Chromatik, there was just nothing the Gladiators could do.

Merik would run in a score to make it 27-6, and Madison never made it exciting late, leaving the Superdome with heads hanging at 30-6. The quarterbacks shook hands in the middle of the field briefly, and it was Victoria Mio jawing at the end.

"They thought they were hot stuff, getting through Rinaldi and Mi-Hyeon, but they aren't the only stars from the Iron Legion out here.We're out to knock off the Farmers and take back what's ours. Where are their stars from, Richardson? Get real."

Ranoria City Falcons 30–6 Madison Gladiators

Ya know, you'd think a team as good as the Silver would have realized that literally all the Dreadnaughts do is hand the ball off to Ragnar Sampson. But apparently they didn't. Nicole Manstrom, Jill Lia, Gerard Bullion, nothing. Hell, even Sampson's teammate, Kerron Nicholas, who'd posted 3 seasons of 120+ tackles in college, couldn't stop him.

"We knew he'd be a tough one to stop," Nicholas admitted, "But man, I forgot just how relentless that kid is."

31 carries, 144 yards, 2 touchdowns. Twelve broken tackles. Ragnar Sampson looks much like his father, Elijah, had in his early days, just racking up obscene volume and making it work. The Dreadnaughts somehow completely walked through the Silver, never letting them get into rhythm and, well, never needing to have a rhythm for their part.

North Ashialand Dreadnaughts 24–6 Ranoria City Silver

Coming into Edmunton is always tough, and this crowd was electric. Another season of Blake Zuercher, another playoff run. The team looked much the same, just with Myles Davis now firmly holding the starting role over former MVP Elliot Roach in the backfield. And this thing got off to an electric start.

The Aurora Knights got the ball first, scoring on a field goal, and the Edmunton crowd could barely contain themselves when their offense came out, Zuercher holding a hand high before indicating for them to quiet down. Chromatiks Donelle Ruffin and Mikel Kingston on the inside of the line made the play of the first quarter, blasting through the Rouyoute front seven to clear a lane for Myles Davis - and hilariously Elliot Roach served a lead blocker, running with more abandon than usual without the ball to hold him back. Davis ripped off a forty yard run before he was dragged down, and the Eagles didn't slow down. Zuercher hurried to the line and hit South Newlandian wideout Victiore Wilson on a deep post for thirty more, and before the Aurora Knights could collect themselves, he was running into the end zone. He ran straight out the back with a grin plastered on his face. he floated the ball over the front row to a toddler in the second row, accidentally hitting her in the face. She cried, but the dad laughed and waved, accepting Blake's quick apology.

7-3, and the Aurora Knights were shut down by an electric Edmunton crowd. Three and out, and Zuercher led another touchdown drive, handing it to Myles Davis and faking the keeper. He took a heavy hit from Alder King for it, but rolled back to his feet, arms raised as Davis made it 14-3. The Utahn quarterback looked incredibly calm - he'd been here before, he was a winner, and he wanted that ring.

The Aurora Knights started to get some momentum in the second quarter, with Kaytlynne Sellers running in a twelve yard score, but Zuercher zipped a low throw to Viktoire Wilson to answer and make it 21-10. Najee Isidora blew up a third and short run in the red zone, and the Aurora Knights settled for a 21-13 deficit at halfitme.

The crowd was jubilant. Blake Zuercher guided another deep drive. The young gun looked unstoppable inside the ten. He faked a handoff to Myles Davis, but just as he was pulling the ball up, Albie Vergol pushed the guard back into his lap. The guard's foot smashed down on Blake's, his weight already going backward with his foot immobilized, and he went down.

The stadium, excited, electric, went quiet.

Sure, this game was in hand - but without their quarterback, how were they possible going to go any deeper?

They kicked three while Zuercher was helped to the locker room. The Aurora Knights seized the opportunity and everything fell apart for the Eagles. Within ten minutes, they'd scored back-to-back touchdown drives, Albie Vergol and Alder King selling out against the run and Viktor Rowles putting on a vintage Buffalo performane in the second half. All of a sudden, they had the lead 27-24, and it was confirmed - Zuercher was out for the game with a broken foot and high ankle sprain.

It didn't get any better. Viktor Rowles made it four touchdown passes on the day to push the lead to 41-24. The Eagles fans were leaning forward on their seats, balled up in their chairs, some staring blankly up into the sky, wondering what they had possibly done to deserve this.

Another promising season, another failure.

Edmunton Eagles 24–41 Rouyoute Aurora Knights

RFL 2041 - Conference Championships

Some dreams have been shattered already, and other teams are making the most unlikely of cinderella runs. Well, one is, anyway. And one feels less like a cinderella team and more like a why are they even here type deal.

But the RFL Conference Championships are here - it's time!

Earlier in the season, these two teams met, and it was an ugly one. 50-13 for the first seeded Sierraville Farmers, the game that earned them the first seed in the playoffs. But that was just week two. Week two of the Damian Giles tenure in Ranoria City, and a lot of these newer pieces hadn't meshed yet. After a pretty ugly start, they'd been unstoppable, on a ten-game winning streak coming into this one. Sarai Gwenderyn wasn't the frontrunner for the MVP, but there were talks once again.

And she started the game with a touchdown drive, handing it off to Benjamin Merik to start it seven nothing.

They had the lead for exactly eleven seconds of game time.

Sierraville's National Harvester GoldenDome was bumping, Rylan Rodgers Jr was amped, bouncing on the balls of his feet during the kickoff, and sprinting out onto the field so fast he forgot his helmet. Graciously, Isaiah Hunter brought it out for him, and when he called the play, The Butler grinned ear to ear, jumping into the air and pointing both thumbs at himself.

"This one's mine! Ya'll had a good run, it's my turn!"

Some may have thought this was a drawn out bait for a flea flicker. If they did, they paid for it. Rylan Rodgers Jr took the ball from Hunter before his quarterback had even fully extended it and busted through a defensive tackle like wind would cardboard. The linebackers never had a good shot, but at least forced him to bounce outside, and a safety got close and pulled up, expecting the back to run out of bounds.

The golden light from the bronze-inlaid dome glinted off his helmet for just an instant.

Instead of giving up, Rylan planted hard and and rammed through the poor soul, planting him on his ass and sprinting to the end zone. He chilled out around the five yard line, looked back, chucked up the deuces, and walked past the last bit of the way through the goal line.

The Falcons would never take the lead again. Constantina Perrier is a YAC artist - but she has to get open first. And whether it was rookie Packard Goss in the slot or Hussain out wide, she never got separation. She'd finish the game with 2 catches on six targets for just 23 yards. And Enox Silverman?

He got two looks all game. One came on that second drive. He tried not to respond to Akhello Volson's jawing, but the corner just didn't stop. Sarai Gwenderyn thought Volson had lost focus when Silverman got out on a break and ripped it just before he cut, but the Krauts' star corner turned on the afterburners and jumped into the air to one-hand it a few yards in front of Silverman. He sprinted past Constantina Perrier, but with the entire offensive line on him, he lateraled it again, this time to Packard Goss, and laughed as Benjamin Merik decked him - knowing that was good for six and a fifteen yarder after the kickoff.

"I don't know why more guys don't lateral it," he said after the game, "We're trying to get good TV ratings here, aren't we? I'm helping the league out, and we're scoring touchdowns! It's awesome, especially against a dog shit team like the Falcons."

Well, as much as that may have been too far, it didn't look like it. The Farmers ran it up, trashing Ranoria City to the tune of 34-13. Perhaps mercifully, it was Isaiah Hunter who got the mic at the end, just complimenting a team laden with his fellow Chromatiks, thanking them for the opportunity to compete, and saying he looked forward to winning his first Winter Bowl championship to go along with the two from the NSCF.

Sierraville Farmers 34–13 Ranoria City Falcons

Viktor Rowles, a rookie quarterback with the opportunity to push all the way into a Winter Bowl, to bring Rouyoute the title they'd believed they were due all the way back when they'd signed Ballast Queen five seasons ago.

The Dreadnaughts who...were somehow here and much less exciting.

The Aurora Knights did a great job stumping the Dreadnaughts offense by loading the box and stopping the halfback dive, which was baffling, really. Analysts even remarked that maybe the Dreadnaughts could try outside runs or, maybe, just maybe, go to the B gap instead of just literally right up the gut. Any kind of variety probably would have done it, but instead Alder King and Albie Vergol shut that down and while Viktor Rowles played horribly, throwing three interceptions, the Rouyoute Aurora Knights somehow walked away the victors, to the tune of a 10-7 win.

Two Chromatik quarterbacks were going to the Winter Bowl - both alumni of Ranorian schools and arch-rivals in college. Isaiah Hunter and Viktor Rowles. Both played in NSCF title games, and the two have three rings there between the two of them. Who comes out on top?

North Ashialand Dreadnaughts 7–10 Rouyoute Aurora Knights

Regular Season Awards

Ragnar Sampson, RB, North Ashialand Dreadnaughts [RAN]

Tough vote between Sampson and Rowles, but the consensus is that while Rowles had a good year for a rookie, Sampson just had a good year period, placing fourth in the RFL in rushing. His college teammate, Benji Merik of the Falcons, got a couple votes as well.

Ragnar posted 1,544 yards and 17 touchdown runs in a dominant if a bit confusing campaign for the Dreadnaughts, who have basically no talent around him and have robbed their own ability to acquire more by way of winning too many football games.

Mugisha Mulogo, CB, Apollotown Sabers [BNJ]

An easy selection, the Banijan rookie came in and provided star talent to back up a dominant Sabers defensive line. With Candace Ferrett, Gudbrand Taurus, and Abram Fairbanks still providing a national team caliber front, Mulogo feasted with a half dozen interceptions to lead the best defense in the league by far. The Sabers allowed a paltry 9.3 points per game - the next best team allowed just over 13 points per game (the Farmers) and no one else allowed fewer than fifteen per contest.

Jack Hoy, RB, Fiston Redwolves [DRK]

Historically dominant campaign for the Redwolves' superstar. Hoy may not have made it four championships, but he put up the best numbers of his RFL career and shattered yardage production records galore, highlighted by a 300 yard performance against the Farmers. He's the only back in RFL history to put up multiple 2,000+ yard seasons, broke the legendary Herman Whitworth's all time rushing record...but was it enough to win the MVP?

Blake Zuercher, QB, Edmunton Eagles [UTH]

The Eagles QB may have had a tragic end to the season, but he's been a star for years, and his off the field initiatives have been critical to supplying food to the needy in the Edmunton region, as well as several documented cases of his taking less well-off families to shop for holiday gifts (and food) on his dime.

Zuercher's (almost) always been an upstanding citizen - this one was a no brainer this season.

Rylan Rodgers Jr., Sierraville Farmers [RAN]

The most single, dominant rushing season in RFL history collectively. It's the only time we've seen multiple 2,000 yard rushers, and Jack Hoy's dominant campaign just happened to come in the best year for The Butler as well. Hoy is the best back in the multiverse - but a talent like RRJ, in his prime, can keep up. Rylan'd 2,095 rushing yards and twenty six hundred yards were just a hair behind Hoy's own production, but he set himself apart by both record - 14-2 with the Farmers to the Redwolves' 9-7 - and scoring. Rylan Rodgers Jr. set an RFL record with 26 rushing touchdowns and 30 total scores to win his first RFL MVP award - though it was a hotly contested vote with Hoy earning a third of ballots and two other players earning votes.

The Winter Bowl - 2041
@The Elysium, Rouyoute, Ranoria

Rouyoute Aurora Knights vs Sierraville Farmers


Not too often a team gets to play at home in the Winter Bowl, though the Falcons have certainly had that luxury with how often the Superdome gets chosen as the venue.

The 10-6 Rouyoute Aurora Knights had never gotten here with their aggressive push with QB Ballast Queen, WR Isaak Rodriguez, MLB Alder King, MLB Clancy Gluber, and DE Albatross Vergol. Queen and Gluber are gone. King and Vergol were certainly retiring, and the team had indicated no desire to resign Rodriguez. Kaytynne Sellers? Aging at running back.

But Viktor Rowles is here. His numbers hadn't been insane in the regular season, but two 40+ point explosions in the playoffs had been enough to propell his squad to a championship. And perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. Going all the way back to his high school days, Viktor Rowles is now 15-1 in playoff games he's started. He has an NSCF title as a backup - but as a starter he's 0-4 in championship games. Twice in high school, and twice in the NSCF.

One of those losses? It came to none other than the quarterback standing on the opposite side of the field in Isaiah Hunter. Hunter wasn't as talented, no one will ever argue that, but he wins games. He's consistent, can rip it downfield when he needs to, and controls the pace of the game. Think game manager plus. He'll do enough to make you pay if you sell out too hard against the true star of their offense in Rylan Rodgers Jr.

So the northern lights were shining, two teams were ready, and Viktor Rowles's Rouyoute side got it first. Rowles is young - but he's played a lot of futile championship football, and was ready to erase that mark once and for all here on the biggest stage in domestic football. The rookie was lethal on that first drive. Four plays, three passes, three completions, one touchdown throw to Kaytlynne Sellers in the flat. And when the Farmers failed to answer - damn did he smell blood.

The first quarter was an absolute riot - despite championship appearance, the Farmers almost looked like they were feeling the pressure of this moment, a team that had everything they could earn in a season...besides the title, was playing tight. Rylan Rodgers Jr fumbled for just the third time this season, and Isaiah Hunter was picked off. So rather than playing like the better, 14-2 team that they were against a 10-6 side that had barely made it here, they went down 21-7 deficit.

Because in contrast to them, Rowles looked locked in. He had nothing to lose - a rookie in the Winter Bowl, he'd already lost enough title games that it isn't like the critics could be any harder on him.

So the Farmers had to get something going. Isaiah Hunter took the lead on the final drive of the half, hitting three straight completions to finish it and score...only for RRJ to get denied when going for the two point conversion.

The half ended that way, with Viktor Rowles pumping a fist in a rare show of emotion from a Chromatik player, much to the delight of a loudly pro-Knights crowd.

We had Hunter and Rylan mic'd up though, and caught their halftime exchange.

"Rylan," the quarterback grabbed his back by the chestplate, "It has to be you. You're tight, you're holding yourself back. We need you out here, all of you, and you know what you are. Go take what's yours, man!"

The beastly back grabbed his longtime friend's arm, nodded, and shot back, "Yeah, you're right. Time to make history."

Isaiah Hunter has always been more than the complimentary passing threat to his back - roommates and fast friends at Richardson, Hunter provides the cool, steady leader to Rylan's erratic fire. And when the back is down, he's been the one to bring him back. After his father's death just prior to their final Rebel's Cannon Bowl together, it had been Hunter to bring him back after a fumble crushed his spirit.[/url]

And here, it was just the pick me up he'd needed.

The Farmers drove right down and put up three to at least get some mojo as the season came closer to its climactic conclusion, and finally the defense made a play.

It was another familiar foe for Viktor Rowles in Packard Goss this time. Rowles, with three touchdowns on the day, was feeling it, he was hot, it was his night, and he was launching it downfield with complete confidence. He nailed back to back 20+ yard completions to Isaak Rodriguez, but on a third straight target, the 34 year old's gas ran out, and the much larger Goss outmuscled him for the ball.

Finally, a turnover. And finally, the offense broke through. One handoff, and Rylan Rodgers Jr took off - completely untouched, he was too fast for anyone to have a shot on such an uncontested sprint. 83 yards through the heart of Rouyoute, the ball raised in the air as he crossed the finish line, and we had a ballgame.

21-20, Aurora Knights.

Rowles was more cautious now, hanging onto the lead, handing the ball off plenty as his coach, too, knew how precarious their position was. And for their part, Alder King and Albie Vergol showed up big time, making life miserable for Rylan Rodgers Jr, but by the time the game was down to four minutes left, the Farmers finally took the lead with a second Rylan Rodgers Jr touchdown run to make it 27-21 for the 14 newly anointed MVP's squad.

Rowles wasn't watching film on the sidelines - his head was bowed. The roar of the crowd trying in vain to move the Farmers offense off their seemingly destined championship run. The violent hits that characterized this barbaric league. His coaches trying to get his attention. And the second they had the ball, his eyes shot up.

They started with a couple handoffs, picked up eight yards, made it an easy conversion - there was still time to burn. The coaches called a quick, easy concept to pick up the first, and Rowles dropped back, pulled back, then looked up.

There.

Isaak Rodriguez was supposed to just be a clearout route. But Rowles felt it, felt his arm, and he patted the ball, stepped up, and launched an absolute moonball that came way closer to hitting the roof than anyone figured was possible. Somehow, Rodriguez outpositioned Akhello Volson, snagging the biggest completion the corner had allowed all season at 57 yards. One more handoff, a Farmers defense on its heels, and Rowles got it again on play action - right up the seam with all the corners outside the numbers. Bang - touchdown number four, back in the lead.

With just minutes on the clock, they took a 28-27 advantage once again, and Rowles shouted into the air with the crowd at his back. No more champion choker - he was dominating here. Not the complimentary piece he'd been all season - the Aurora Knights were on his back and their fate tonight would be determined by his arm alone.

But it wasn't over - and the Farmers still had the league's best at running back.

Isaiah Hunter shocked the world when he dropped back and spun it, hitting his own 45 yard bomb to open up the next drive.

"I don't know why everyone gets so surprised when I hit the deep ball," he had even said at a pregame presser, "You all get too caught up in media narratives. My coaches at Richardson really helped me out in the throw power department."

The next came on an outside zone sweep to The Butler - a poor play concept really, but when you have a back that good, it works, and Alder King dragged him down after six yards. Rylan would break through for a ten yard run next, and Isaiah Hunter hit another pass for six yards.

Albatross Vergol, finally, made himself known next, breaking through with a straight bull rush and burying hunter for a loss.

Timeout, Aurora Knights.

One minute on the clock. The Farmers handed it off to Rylan Rodgers Jr, and he smashed into the brick wall that is Alder King, pushed him back an extra yard, and finally came down.

Fourth down. Timeout. Fifty four seconds.

The Farmers lined up the kick, and the stadium roared. Fans behind the goal posts jumped, waved their shirts in the air, anything to distract an already unreliable kicker. He lined it up, and the stadium immedietely reacted when he half-tripped on his first step, but a desperate if ill-advised swing of his leg caught the thing, bounced it off the upright and into the goal posts.

BANG.

The entire kicking unit sagged in relief, the kicker himself falling onto all fours, before coming up and praying his thanks.

But Rowles had one more shot.

The kickoff went up, and disaster struck. Nicholas Hussain had come onto the special teams unit and he decked the Aurora Knights return man, knocking the ball free, and they got lucky to pick it back up at the three, fighting off the Sierraville coverage unit.

97 yards in forty nine seconds, one timeout. Doable? Sure - but if he could pull this off, Rowles would go down in history. Hell, maybe even make a case for a spot n the Iron Legion.

The first play went right up the gut, and Sellers managed to pick up a yard, but with the clock ticking they hurried to the line. Bunch formation, and the Farmers crowded the line in response. Akhello Volson looked to be lined up on the tight end, fingers twitching in anticipation. That was probably their only clue as to what was coming.

Rowles dropped back, stepped up, and the crowd was already lamenting before he pulled back - Akhello Volson had come through, completely unblocked, and Rowles never saw him coming. Volson ran through him, perfect form tackle, and the rookie hero went down. The entire Elysium erupted in their jeers, and Volson screamed into the northern lights, pounding his chest as the entire sideline made their jubilations known. Viktor Rowles didn't even get to his feet. He managed a sitting position, head hanging low, and absentmindedly spiked the ball against the turf with a flick of his wrist.

Kaytlyne Sellers was eventually the one to pull him to his feet, guiding the downtrodden young man to the sideline.

Sure, the Aurora Knights called their timeouts, but it only added one kneeldown to this thing following the safety punt.

With that final kneeldown, Rylan Rodgers Jr and Isaiah Hunter embraced, the former damn near in tears, as they won their second championship together. The second title for the Farmers and the first in 23 years.

And Rylan? He's even further cemented his legacy as one of the greatest athletes on the planet, perhaps in sporting history. World Baseball Classic Champion, NSCF champion and Offensive Player of the Year. Winter Bowl Champion and RFL MVP.

Right, and he's just 26 years old.

Helluva season - for everyone. Unmatched drama. And for all the effort, struggle, and storylines of the other teams, the Farmers will be the only ones going home having won the last game of the season. Rowles and his Aurora Knights continue to come up just short, despite coming as close as they ever have.

Rouyoute Aurora Knights 28-32 Sierraville Farmers

[Sarzonia]

After winning a World Bowl title in World Bowl 48 two editions ago, Cameron Stallworth seemed to loosen up a bit.

When his teams aren't taking to the gridiron, Stallworth can sometimes give off a casual surfer's vibe and is known for his easygoing attitude toward life. He enjoys the occasional trip to comedy clubs and even tried his hand (badly) at a stand-up comedy event.

He's also known for being a little bit slow on the uptake when it comes to reading certain cues. He wandered into the Triangle, a gay bar in downtown Portland and smiled broadly when a guy greeted him a little too enthusiastically. He put his hand up with a smile and said, "no, it's OK" when a bouncer approached the man who had touched him without consent. His younger brother Kevin had to tell him and explain the guy was hitting on him. Not that it mattered.

During a break between the end of a training session and the team gathering for their evening meal, Stallworth was mindlessly scrolling on his mobile phone when he came across a set of rankings of the starting World Bowl quarterbacks by their looks.

"Guess I've got some bulletin board material," Stallworth said out loud, catching the ear of running back Ty'relle Clinton, who looked completely lost.

"What are you on about?" Clinton asked.

"Look at this," Stallworth said, showing his phone to Clinton, who read through the rankings.

"What's so wrong with being in the middle?" Clinton said.

"I think I'm better looking than Bobby Dials, at least."

"Mate, you're asking the wrong bloke," Clinton said. "No offence, but I'm not the foremost expert on how guys look. Maybe you should ask Swainie." Wide receiver Steve Swain was gathering his notes on the Kytler Peninsulae's secondary and looking for any "tells" their corners had so he could possibly exploit holes if they played a zone or he could get his mark to bite on a double-move. He wasn't paying attention to Stallworth's and Clinton's conversation about the South Newlandian ratings of quarterbacks until he heard "Swainie."

"What's going on?" Swain asked.

"Cam wants to know what you think about this," Clinton said, passing Stallworth's phone to Swain. The receiver looked at the list carefully and thought for a moment.

"Anyone on that list you'd be interested in?" Clinton asked Swain. Swain shook his head.

"I only know of a couple of the teams there," he said. "I don't know."

"C'mon, Swainie," Stallworth said. "You don't think I'm better looking than 'B' tier?"

Swain looked at Stallworth for a moment with his eyes widening slightly. He furrowed his eyebrow for a moment.

"Cam, don't get me wrong, you're a good-looking guy," Swain said. "But I don't check out my teammates like that in the dressing room or the showers." And I certainly don't look at pictures of players other than in their kits."

Swain saw a look of what appeared to be disappointment cross Stallworth's face.

"Nothing against you, Cam. I come here to do my job and help us win gridball matches. I'm not here to pick up men."

Running back Paul Edgerton overheard the conversation. Unbeknownst to the other principals involved, he was texting a "are you INSANE?"-titled text message to the South Newlandian outlet defending his starting quarterback's honour.

"If it makes you feel better, Cam, I didn't like what they said about you or Woodstock," he said. "I'm giving them a piece of my mind right now."

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

This audio RP is of the introduction of the Green Machine's quarterfinal with Sarzonia. Yup, I bought the silly voices out. And Dirk Dijkstra becomes possibly the first QB in World Bowl history to be heard in an RP before he is seen.

This pretentious montage, featuring narration from renowned Kytlerian journalist (and World Cup 98 draw host) Andrew Charlton, was bought to you by the absurdly-titled ~{ || MEGA || }~ by larrynachos!

DIRK DIJKSTRA: We always said one game at a time, but to go a step beyond what we've done before, that's obviously as big as it gets.

ANDREW CHARLTON: A hurdle they have faced once before, and failed to clear.

MIKE ROBERTS: And this dream run hits reality, and Drawkland advance.

AC: The last two campaigns, they couldn't even get that far.

MR: A second straight octofinal exit for the Green Machine.

AC: But there's no Grid Corps this time. We already dealt with them.

MR: And that's fifty. Fifty. FIFTY!

AC: This is a new experience. A World Bowl quarterfinal where the Green Machine are given every chance of winning. Sarzonia have the pedigree of course. They've been here before many times - and they cleared this hurdle last time around. But they've not met this Green Machine.

DD: We've beaten big teams before, this is just another chance for us to do it again.

AC: A defining moment... has arrived.

The music changes to KBT's gridiron theme, "Dark Spirits" by NandinAnubis.

MR: There has never been a game like this in the history of the Green Machine. A World Bowl quarterfinal against the Stars of Sarzonia, and a chance to become the first Kytlerian team ever to make the last four of one of the three biggest team sport championships. Mike Roberts here alongside Brady Thompson here at Mavuto Field in Banija's southern city of Holma, and Brady, you were on the bench of course for that first quarterfinal against Drawkland back in that debut cycle, how different does this feel?

BRADY THOMPSON: It's honestly kind of silly that - we made that quarterfinal in the first place cause I mean, we were unranked! People forget just how ridiculous it was, like - they know the story, we - we beat Chromatika in the first game and then we had the snow game of course - to beat Saint Kanye in the octos, but - the - there was no expectation on us and - that's changed, this is a team - that a lot of people think are favourites for this game, like - not just in this country but like - external people, like - betting markets are saying... maybe this is a pick'em, maybe even - we're favourites, and that's like - I cannot believe, that - just three cycles on from that (World Bowl 47) we could be favourites or even remotely discussed as favourites in a World Bowl quarterfinal.