NSCF 35 - Everything Thread

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

D R A W K F I C T I O N

The Greatest Football Game To Be Played
By: GoldenGaYael
It is year 2076. NationStates College Football is about to enter a brand new era that takes place when the two first-time schools, Cavsar-Columbus and Bolgatanga State, head to Iqaluit for what would be the first of many championship games for them. Cavsar-Columbus, on one end, is considered a team of black magic where the nuclear wasteland of Columbus were transfused with the codex of Cavsar, while Bolgatanga State's hail mary bid for the NSCF have turned out in the best way possible when they have, up to this point, 16-0. In the snow-filled, -30'C fields of Iqaluit, where the death stands in the way of those who try to leave the field before the final whistle, who will win this championship game?

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PART 7: Oppenheimer
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But dear reader, what happened to Bolgatanga State?

It is a question that's come to occupy the heads of so many over the past two decades as the once-satellite campus of Aksum State and Northern Moravica universities have evolved from their minnow, tier-3 state to a highly-respectable A&M university with nationally competitive sporting teams and as of now, the BCSG national champions.

It's not something that just happens out of the blue, after all - you need genuine investment, time and money to prove so. Even on a well-built program you don't expect a single player to win your way into contention - St. Croix's madman Martin Yi-Brunot should prove you plenty, in any case - and everything takes time so that you aren't building sandcastles for no good. It's easy as that.

Bigger question now, one that perhaps fits the public better, is why Bolgatanga and not any other school? Over the years we've seen small, well-billed schools like Lake Alexandre State or Arlenia College, or small but highly-specialised schools like Hangaza and Moravica and Bunyoro A&Ms try to put together stronger, more widespread offerings to make up for their academic shortcomings (in highly-unreliable university rankings). But they rarely worked out to the favour of both university's academic stature and athletic profile - none of the five, let alone others, have really managed to hit the lines of expectations that Bolgatanga State would achieve in the last twenty years of school's ascent to international relevance.

There would be several reasons as to why Bolgatanga State succeeded where they didn't. First is the school's ability to attract high-profile investments under the Kabuye-Lutombo family's grip on the region. Now, this isn't to suggest that the other schools have failed to attract them, but we gotta consider how important of a role a 土豪 (local tycoon) plays in rural Banija, where there remains traces of long-gone aristocracy, agrarianism rules supreme and of course, political influence runs through bloc-wide interactions. Muteesa Lutombo's ability as the perennial powerbroker of the Banija's natural governing party, and his ties to Joongyeong no less, has played well here, and would only amplify further as Lutombos also shared a familial union with the fellow Aksum-Moravican powerweights Kabuye Family through now-Bolgatanga MP and Muteesa's successor Lawrence 'Lance' Lutombo's marriage to Lance's daughter, Amitava Kabuye.

For those who remember very well about the wedding, very few weddings in Banija, including royal weddings, have reached the scale of Kabuye-Lutombo wedding at the Herzegovina City Temple. It was held in the unusual afternoon day of January 2036, with light flurries of snow falling across the city in a holy miracle. The list of guests there alone were immaculate, which included the Queen Elisabeth, a personal friend of Lance Kabuye dating back to his Joonyeongite years, then-Quebecois Prime Minister Thierry Saganash and over 8,000 distinguished guests from all walks of life, throwing flower petals in celebration as the long-awaiting union of the Aksumian royalties would arrive.

In hindsight that ended up playing a bigger role than expected as to why Bolgatanga State would develop even further, as the familial union would help Muteesa turn around from conventional, one-size-fits-all investment to more sustained, passion-driven projects at the Bolgatanga State. People often forget that even as the collegiate starboy-turned-QFL star, Muteesa wasn't as held up on the idea of investing back to the universities. He just saw it as the next step to the life and was willing to mostly leave it behind. That was the same mentality that allowed him to be freed early and easily from the QFL, when he enlisted to the Felixian battlefields, and gifted him many opportunities.

It wouldn't be until his friend and in-law, Lance Kabuye, came up to him asking for support. Of course, by the time he took over for late Horace Browning Mr. Kabuye was already an up-and-coming head coach for Northern Moravica succeeding, whose final years as the Northern Moravica head coach weren't as splendid as his rise to the prominence. Everybody knew Lance, who had all the flair and the flash of the youth needed to become a coaching great, was very much a man his own. Even while he was a loyal second-in-command to Browning, he always planned out his life with meticulous preparation and the dexterity needed to avoid becoming a shell of himself post-retirement. He always invested, to the point where he would eventually co-own SFPL's Herzegovina Phoenix with Lutombo, held major stakes as an angel investor to medical startups, and of course found his ways to donate through the loopholes needed.

And that's where the persuasion part came in. Under the former Banijan tax code set in the 1950s, a half-dozen universities enjoyed tax-exempt status for donations. This included all three of Banija's service academies, Bunyoro A&M due to his historical significance in the Banijan weapons industries, Sankt-Adeheld for its extra-denominational status under negotiation with the Teus Catholic Church's Banijan Diocese, and of course, Bolgatanga State for its high-security status located in middle of a world-class nuclear deposit. While the donations themselves did not factor in majorly for the other schools, Bunyoro A&M's rise as a major sporting institution was first attributed to the past governors' political interests in the university and Sankt-Adeheld the spirit of international cooperation.

For Bolgatanga State, it was rarely used - the city and the university didn't see a particular need for upgrades. It did have a historic Bolgatanga Bowl, but the region's finest would end up going to major city schools (especially Aksum State and Northern Moravica) or even Quebec, so why would they stay home?

It was with that reversal of thought process that now-championship-coach Lance Kabuye managed to persuade his homie, as he suggested that the tax-exemption status would benefit not only those in the universities, but also those who had bankrolled Muteesa's rise to the power. By early 2040s, a decade after the Aksumite Royal Wedding, Muteesa was already grown familiar to the idea of expanding his legacy even further. He had previously failed once as an opposition leader, on a rather minor comedy of errors that got him to realise that he's perhaps better off as the eminense grise (or depending on whom, that flashy gentleman-hick on horseback), and decided that he needed an even more memorable legacy on an institution.

On what was a 20-year proposal that Lance, Muteesa and a half-dozen prominent businessmen had put together, the Brumbie Nation Plan was put into place. With the aims of putting together a Q£100 billion ($300 billion) fund that would tie into the university endowment, the BNP's intention was to expand the main campus, upgrade most faculties not just its bread and butter, and to spend great focus on building bridging programs to help establishing alumni across Banija and abroad. The last part was something that Bolgatanga State generally lacked due to its distance issues, so the great emphasis was placed on establishing year-round co-op programs that would not only help people to develop several years of work experience, but also to provide the university a better facade and network.

But then, there was also the question of recruiting. It's not easy, after all, to scout faculty into the uranium triangle or to improve student enrollment. Even with world-class facilities, generous funding packages and of course, co-op programs that could reach anywhere in Arrosia, the real BSU had to change its image. This was something that Lance and Muteesa, both being NMU and St. Croix grad (one of the least-known facts about Lance Kabuye was that he has a M.Th. at St. Croix, where he studied under the late Jean-Christophe Manigat), knew they had to play a game of catch-up. With academic reputation needed to improve recruiting expected to take some time, they were quick to decide that boosting the athletics program was the way to go.

But they needed the right man to do so, and that wasn't going to be an easy task.

[Chromatika]

Firehawks Narrowly Escape Cold Hill

For three Quarters of the matchup in Ranoria, the Mountain District University Firehawks looked outcoached, outmatched, and downright lost. It was only due to the forcing of two turnovers and the Buffalo committing two horrendous penalties that the Firehawks were down 16-9 entering the final frame; Berg had done well enough to lead three separate Field Goal drives - all beyond fifty yards - all the while being harried on almost every play, the Firehawks’ offensive line being thoroughly overwhelmed by the Buffalo pass rush. Mountain District was having problems putting together a drive with more than six plays in a row, their good plays coming in chunks instead.

Biting hard on a play-action pass was what led to the only touchdown being scored by Cold Hill; then, the Firehawks’ defense had settled down to force three Field Goals, but they were also having an issue getting to the Quarterback. They say that the worst combination in gridiron football is having pressure get to your Quarterback without being able to affect the opponent’s; if it wasn’t for Pona’s tipped interception and a forced fumble caused by Heidelberg, the Firehawks, being outgained by over 100 yards, would’ve been in a bigger hole.

Then, Swoosh finally came up with a solution - the inclusion of a sixth offensive lineman. Monte Canning, the Offensive Guard who has the best feet among the substitutes, lined up on either side of the tackle depending on the play. This made it so that there were enough bodies on the line to eat up the Buffalo’s pass rush, and Berg started to take apart the Buffalo defense with more regularity.

Looking off a Buffalo corner, he found Nora Fasuke on a flag route up the left side of the field for thirty-three yards. On the very next play, a deftly-called draw saw Andrew Kun Wa Lee take the ball eighteen yards to the Buffalo twelve yard line. Nicolas would not let the opportunity go to waste, scoring two plays later with Fauske and Solem running a combination route that left Colt Atreus wide open in the flat. The Firehawks had tied up the game.

Alrick Heidelberg had already made an impact on the game with two sacks, three tackles (including one for loss), and a forced fumble. With Isabelle Creer and Heidelberg switching sides almost at will, the duo continued to heap pressure on Kylan Bourne, forcing a three-and-out that gave the Firehawks the ball back with three minutes and twelve seconds remaining.

They would not give the ball back. Leaning on Kadindo and Kun Wa Lee, with timely throws from Berg, the Firehawks ate up two minutes and fifty-nine seconds, including the Buffalo burning all three of their timeouts, to march to the Cold Hill twenty-six yard line, Canning being on the field for every one of those snaps. No matter what Cold Hill tried, a six-man front - along with the Tight End chipping in when needed - gave Berg the time that he so desperately needed to do his magic.

Out came Sean Robinson, the Cardenaoan Kicker who had definitely proved his worth in the games against Bitternea. The snap was perfect, as was the hold. As the ball left Robinson’s foot, he raised his fist in triumph even before it split the uprights. Mountain District had defeated one of its biggest rivals - while maintaining the NSCF’s only undefeated record and proved to the naysayers that they may not dominate matches, but they were very good at the only thing that truly mattered - winning games.

“I was happy to be called in when they did,” commented Monte Canning afterwards regarding the surprising amount of usage he saw in the game, “We’ve run plenty of practices with me being out there, and when I saw that Nicolas was being harassed most of the game, I thought it was possible. I’m just happy that I was of help at all.”

“These are the kinds of games that remind you that gridiron football is such a team sport,” mused Head Coach Naia Curentino, “If we don’t have the defense force those turnovers, we lose this game. If we don’t have Monte ready to come in and play the role that we needed, we lose this game. If Nicolas doesn’t have a mentality of steel to shake off the rough early going and lock in in the Fourth Quarter, we lose this game. It’s this outlook and combination of players that we have that makes me think that we have a special, special team here.”

Mountain District returns home to the Firehawks’ Roost to round out their season - including a matchup against the University of Loyola-Istria Blue Thunder, a traditional rival that they’ve now defeated eight times in a row. Playing the Banijan school always seems to bring out the most in Naia Curentino, as they were her favorite team to root for before Mountain District started to have a gridiron football team.

“Theyr’e wounded, but they’re still extremely dangerous with all of the pedigree to boot,” explained Defensive Coordinator Isidora Noles, “We don’t overlook opponents, and with the postseason just around the corner, we have two more opportunities to try to get rid of bad mistakes while enforcing good habits before the playoffs come.”

11-0 is a very nice place to be - and it can be argued that the Firehawks haven’t played a perfect game in all three phases yet.

That alone should make their future opponents very, very nervous.

Comets Bury USC to Stake a Claim

Heading into Out-of-Conference play, the Chromia Central College University Comets were on a downturn. With a chance at the Horizon Conference Championship Game, the Comets had lost back-to-back games against the Drawkian schools in Cavsar and Drawk Corps to limp to the end of the Conference slate with a 7-3 record.

Knowing that they’d need to go 2-1 if not 3-0 to secure the at-large berth, the Comets headed to take on Université St. Croix in Quebec and Shingoryeo. The Comets then proceeded to put down an absolute beatdown, conceding only seven points en route to a 41-7 victory on the road.

Jakob Steelgarten, often harried through the two games against the Drawkian schools, was way more composed in the game against USC, the Comets using motion before the play often to take a sneak peak at what the defense was trying to do. Steelgarten went 20-of-28 for 261 yards and two touchdowns while adding 101 yards and another two scores on the ground to put together his best statistical performance of the season.

The stellar Yevdokiya Trokhymivna Doroshenko was his favorite target, catching 8 balls for 91 yards and a touchdown, while Jordan Kimmsler was the other touchdown target. Vatan Vural and Katriina Partanen combined to add a further 113 yards on the ground as the Comets managed almost 500 yards of offense.

Defensively, the vaunted secondary of CCCU did what they do against opponents, conceding only 150 yards through the air while snatching three interceptions. The Bleu et Blanc’s only touchdown came on the ground in the First Quarter, and when the Firehawks had a 17-7 lead at halftime, the game was all but over.

The win vaults the Comets into discussion for an at-large bid, with the understanding that a win against Alexandria will be all but needed, as Rinaldi Naval Academy will be a tough nut to crack to end the season.

“I’m glad that the things we worked on panned out on the field,” Steelgarten spoke regarding the adjustments made on offense from the Drawkian matchups, “We take a lot of pride in being able to change things on a week-by-week basis while playing well.”

Both CCCU matchups to end the season will be at home in front of the home crowd at Chromatik City Field in Chromia. The Comets are very excited to have the support of their faithful.

“It’s going to be an insane atmosphere knowing what’s on the line,” commented Wide Receiver Jordan Kimmsler, “We’ve heard about what things have been like in the past for the Firehawks, the Lava, and the Hellcats - and now we have a chance to show what the Comet faithful can be.”

Rested, Z’ai’ai Travel to Moravica

6-5, but with a win over Cavsar, the Hellcats look to finish the season strong with the last two matchups against the Cougars and the Ducks. They know that the Quarterback situation is fluid, and they know that the defense is a work in progress - but Zebediah Mercedes Smith IV and the rest of the squad know that there isn’t a better way of testing personnel than in actual games on the field.

“We’re not going to take this opportunity lightly,” promised the Head Coach, “We’re going to make the name of Z’ai’ai Institute of Technology proud and make it so that every team has to earn the win against us.”

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

The win - on the road! - against Rinaldi was a statement and a half. This BIU team might actually be THAT good. One win from two games on Kytlerian soil - one at the CBDN Bowl against UCP, one in Alaer against Prince Pieter's - will very likely be all that's needed to send the Herons into the playoffs, and nobody even inside the team planned on that. "Our aim coming in was to be bowl-eligible," acknowledged QB Thomas Dillehay, who has been part of a loaded first-year intake that has transformed the Herons from their two-win debut season with a hastily-assembled bodge job of a team. "And not all of us thought that was realistic, even in the room. The guys who were there last year, they often wondered if they could possibly step up enough to consistently compete at this level, because last year convinced them that they couldn't."

And yet, within broader Kytlerian popular conscience, the attention on BIU hasn't directly landed on the gridiron team. It's landed on Sóley. And the vector for doing so was the biggest Kytlerian international pop star.

Phillie Phanatique has history with half-overshadowing massive Kytlerian sporting achievements. But this time, the narratives of the nation's pop and sport stars have intertwined in a more mutually beneficial way than the former's tour reaching the Zube Olympic Stadium just as the national team were playing for the actual WBC title.

Travis Taylor - the former Green Machine slotback and current long-term partner of the woman whose non-stage name is Sophie Elphick - was watching College ShowCase from Cobden on a Saturday morning while Elphick was away in Santa Mordana recording new material for her impending fifth album. Listening to Sóley performing from the balcony over Margaret Square, his immediate reaction was to let Sophie know. "WTF HAVE YOU HEARD THIS?" was the message that hit her phone as she left her morning recording session.

"I haven't! Will do later for sure."

A few hours - and one BIU defeat - later, Sophie checked out the recording of Sóley's performance.

"I... Cannot do that with my voice OMG lmao that was INTENSE was not ready for that ending!! Who even is she?!?"

The next day - having actually looked up who she even is - she shared a clip of said ending to her many, many social media followers.

Sóley, over in Cobden, was now a bigger story than the team itself.

"I didn't see this coming even though I knew people on multiple... planets, I think?... would be watching," she laughed in a later interview. "Phillie Phanatique is literally someone I looked up to so much. Or down to, I guess, considering I'm so jealous of her low notes..."

The two then exchanged amusing short videos that each gained viral traction - one of Sophie trying to squeak through the ending of Ascent, one of Sóley trying to croak through one particularly low section of a Phillie Phanatique song - and the two are now set to meet in person "somewhere on the Kytlerian mainland" next week, by which time BIU will be on its Christmas break and its gridiron team will be preparing for their game in Alaer. (With Sóley having grown up in Florley Garden City in the northeast of the country, and Sophie having done so the other side of Zube in the conservative-leaning Northern Downs, that somewhere is likely to be the capital. But both are deliberately staying quiet about that so they can control the attention a bit.)

In many ways, this is a dream scenario for the BIU program. Not only is the team outperforming expectations and gaining international attention, a chunk of that attention is still framed inexorably around a product of the actual academic side of a university that has steadfastly refused to compromise on their primary duty just because they happen to have a multiversal sports team now (with another to come courtesy of the NSCAA). Frankly, you sense that the administration - and the Dale-Mellor couple whose funding is still so central to the university - actively want people to care more about Sóley than Dillehay. But if the latter is the catalyst for people noticing the former, then the purpose of a BIU team existing in the first place is being met.

[Dhemixia]

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The Columbus Dominion(Est.1873)
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The UCP of the 30s

Schedule

*blue indicates home games
Week 1: @ Trent State W 45-16
Week 2: vs. Green City W 40-24
Week 3: @ Prince Pieter's L 19-21
Week 4: vs. Novaaria W 61-17
Week 5: @ Fusa College W 25-10
Week 6: @ Elite Eleven W 41-38
Week 7: vs. UNSJJSM W 48-37
Week 8: @ Nowa Kalanianska W 42-20
Week 9: vs. Mar Sara Tech W 29-16
Week 10: @ Raynor L 17-45
Week 11: vs. Rinaldi W 31-16
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CCG: vs. Rinaldi W 18-15
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Non-conference play
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: @ Bitternea
Week 13: vs. Fluff State

Way back before the season started, UCP decided to schedule an OOC game against a little-known school from a country not particularly known for its gridiron as a means of preparing for the game against Cold Hill to end the OOC slate. It'd be a quick and easy win, they said. It is anything but that. The Blue Jays, coming off a bye week in which they did absolutely zero practicing and collectively might have downed over a thousand dhiller lites, then have to drag themselves to The Kytler Peninsulae to play a 7-3 BIU. Entering NSCF 35, the Herons' second season, they'd collected a total of two conference wins. To say that's a fast rise through the ranks, regardless of the result of that CCG, would be a masisve understatement. That point leads me to a conjecture:

BIU is the UCP of the 30s.

You might be saying "I'm offended; it's an insult to compare a team to UCP!" or "Wasn't UCP the UCP of the 30s?", but I promise you this is going somewhere. On the latter point, yes and no, but for the sake of this article, we're saying it's a definitive no. Technically speaking, UCP's first season was in the 20s with NSCF 29, and we are taking that fact straight to the bank. On the former, that is true, but walk with me here. UCP is a team that went from 4-6 in season one to 7-3 with a Mineral title in season two. In their year two, BIU also improved to 7-3 and also took a spot in the Horizon title game on a tiebreaker. One of UCP's main colors is blue and their mascot is a bird, one of BIU's main colors is blue and their mascot is a bird. Both teams practically don't have head coaches (UCP wishes every day they didn't and acts like they don't), and both offenses are run by dual threat freaks of nature. Point being, these teams are pretty similar.

The only thing that sets these two teams apart is their style of play. Larry Cunningham quarterbacked the Jays to one of the most explosive offenses in NSCF this season, while BIU doesn't go as hard into offense and instead gets to have a defense that actually knows which endzone they're defending. It's not like that's a high bar in the slightest, but it's still one that most of the Blue Jays defense cannot clear. The result? Extremely stoppable force versus extremely movable object.

If this game isn't decided by the fans of both sides naming random WBC players the whole game, it's going to be a gritty, one-score battle in the trenches. That is exactly what UCP is abysmal at and does not want to happen. It's guaranteed to be an interesting ride the whole way.

[NSCF]

Out of Conference - MD13

Note: All games were scorinated by Chromatika, while all games involving Chromatika were scorinated by Quebec and Shingoryeo.

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Holland Tech (BAT) 50–9 Fusa University (AND)

Clermont University (DEL) 6–35 Richardson University (RAN)

St. Ivor Notre Dame (DEL) 21–17 University of Moravica (BNJ)

Cavsar University (DRK) 51–23 LeBois Santura University (CAD)

Elite Eleven University (EXI) 25–10 Cold Hill University (RAN)

University of Aberstadt (KAT) 0–0 Drawk Corps University (DRK) (22–14 OT)

Bitternea International University (KYP) 44–17 University of Columbus-Prairie (DHE)

Université du Saguenay (QUE) 24–27 Mar Sara Tech (VAL)

Prince Pieter's College (ROT) 17–29 SapphireCorp University (HKS)

Raynor University (VAL) 18–13 University of Nordhammer (NKR)

Rinaldi Naval Academy (VAL) 27–9 Aberstadt State University (KAT)

Northern Moravica University (BNJ) 38–20 Z'ai'ai Institute of Technology (CMT)

Mountain District University (CMT) 38–21 University of Loyola-Istria (BNJ)

Chromia Central College University (CMT) 27–23 Alexandria University (CAD)

[Drawkland]

DNSN's College ShowCase!
Fueled by sNAX

NSCF's new 'game of the week' pregame broadcast full of predictions, fan interactions, and just a bit of chalk talk! See this post and this post for context.

NSCF 35 Week 14: University of Columbus-Prairie @ Cold Hill University

"Well, we did it. We're finally at the end of our first season of College ShowCase action! I'll say on behalf of DNSN that we're all very pleased with the reaction ShowCase has received from across the world of NationStates College Football. Naturally we have to pull out the stops for the last matchup of this NSCF 35 regular season. There's just one campus among the major out-of-conference finales that we haven't yet visited. We'll be strapping on our parkas and taking the trip up north to Cold Hill!

We'll be seeing the Columbus-Prairie Blue Jays for the second time this season. The first time was their home match against Mar Sara, which UCP managed to win 29-16 to put themselves in the driver's seat of the Mineral Conference on the way to their third conference title. They'll be heading to play a Cold Hill team which somehow has not been featured on ShowCase at all this year! That fact alone was enough to justify our team travelling to Ranoria.

The Buffalo of Cold Hill (or Fluffalo of Fluff State if you're so inclined) managed to emerge as #1 in the 9-1 tiebreaker fracas of the rather top-heavy Big Eight. Unfortunately for them, they failed to seal the deal in the conference championship game, falling to their countrymen in Richardson. That title loss wasn't a killer, but two consecutive out-of-conference losses (including one to the Elite Eleven) has the Buffalo spiraling the bottom of the playoff picture. We don't expect Cold Hill to lose out of the playoffs entirely even if they can't beat UCP, but stranger things have happened.

Columbus-Prairie has their ticket punched already by virtue of their Mineral Conference title, but their whipping at the hands of BIU last week and the general unremarkability of their Mineral schedule has dropped them out of first-round bye territory in the current RTC rankings. Cold Hill is in a similar boat, but without the conference title to guarantee their entry one way or another. At #7 vs #8, this game is essentially playing for at least a home game in the first round of the playoffs, which is better than nothing.

In that way, the stakes for this matchup are essentially equal on both sides. A first round bye is out of reach barring some REALLY bizarre things happening elsewhere in the tournament. Ditto for falling out of playoff contention entirely, at least for Cold Hill. In any case, this is a game between two playoff teams to test their mettle. If you can't win this game, can you really expect to go on a deep run? We've got reigning DPOY Derek Boss taking on former OPOY Larry Cunningham. We've got NSCF blue bloods welcoming cobweb trophy case contenders into their house for a big game. We at ShowCase are more than ready to watch these squads throw down! You better be there."

- Rod Barringer, ShowCase host

[Valanora]

The Rockets were boarding a plane that would take them to Chromatika and where they would enter into a lion's den and look to do what no other team had managed to do all season, to give Mountain District a tally in the loss column. On paper, it seemed an impossible task that this version of the Rockets would be able to deal that much of a blow to this version of the Firehawks and yet very few people had given the Rockets any real chance to have overcome the Cougars of Northern Moravica two games ago. There was a bit of a difference between those two games though, the Rockets had been the home team against their Banija counterparts in that game compared to having to visit Mountain District's home stadium for the regular season finale. Northern Moravica despite being the holders of the competition were having a struggle of a season much like the Rockets were having, even if the Celestia was being held in far greater esteem than the Mineral, while Mountain District simply looked the part of a team that seemed destined to be playing for and perhaps even being crowned champions at the end of the season.

There was also the small matter that Raynor simply did not play very well on the road this season, while it was normal for the Rockets output to be poorer on the road than at home this season was even worse, especially with the embarrassing fashion of their loss at Tech in Week 2. With that in mind as well as memories of going into Felswyr and coming out on the wrong end of some very lopsided scores in the past. It has been games here against what most would consider the most complete and best team in the competition this season, at their home ground that has some of the worst memories and losses in the Rockets history. On the outside looking in to anyone with half a brain and an idea about how the sport worked, it had to seem like the outcome was already a foregone conclusion and that the Rockets were going to be dealt a loss and maybe even a hefty one at that once the scoreboard red zeros at the end of the fourth quarter. There was almost no hope whatsoever that the Rockets would have the wherewithal within them to overcome the best team in the NSCF, especially coming off an uninspiring performance against one of the worst teams in the competition this season.

Someone looking to defend the lapse in effort from the Rockets over the University of Nordhammer in the previous week might point out the emotional high that the team had been coming off the previous week with the late and much needed win over the Cougars. That win had enabled there to still be the most faint of hopes that the Rockets could overcome their atrocious conference record and some of the worst gridiron that the team has put up since first entering into this competition over two decades ago and still have a chance at the playoffs. The coaches though would have a hard disagreement about that, the team had been given an entire week to prepare for their opponents and while a day or two of celebrating might have made practice a bit more lax than normal, the rest of the week was as sharp as normal, the players as prepared as normal. The inconsistencies of the offense being the biggest red flag about the quality of the team this season deciding to flare up again against a team they had been expected to blow out was no doubt a point of frustration but there was nothing for it and a win was still a win regardless of how attractive the play was to earn it.

Earning their right to still have the chance to perform a miracle was no doubt what Andy Magnusson and the rest of the coaching staff would have been harping on about for the entire week leading up to this fixture. The team had won six straight games now after puttering out to a two and four record to have started the season, the painful losses against Green City, Rinaldi, and Prince Pieter's ever so fresh in the team's minds even if they were nearly two months removed for all occasions. When it looked the most dire and that the team would not even finish with a winning record, much less have a real chance of having a shot of some form of a postseason game, they dug in and overcome the challenges before them. They took the Blue Jays of UCP to the woodshed when they made their sole trip to the Empire this season and simply dismantled them as if they were not even there. Given Columbus-Priarie won the conference, it is quite the testament to how good the team can actually be when they are pulling together and actually playing up to the level of talent that are purported to have on the roster.

A Chromatik quarterback leading Raynor into Chromatika to take on a team that has traditionally had their number while having multiple players of importance from Raynor City starting for them. It is a story that writes itself, it is a story that is the headline for the diehard gridiron supporters here in the Empire. A seventh win in a row that would include a sweep of their out of conference slate that had looked rather formidable when the conference schedule ended and there would be difficulties in not giving Raynor a fair shake in in the playoffs. Jones and the rest of the offense are like as not to have a fire in their belly to make up for a performance against Nordhammer that looked like they lacked the killer instinct to actually finish of teams when the opportunity presented itself. Five trips to the red zone and yet all the scoring for the Rockets had been off the foot of their kicker in the game, scoring six field goals on nine possessions, paired with a good defensive effort to scrape by a truly bad team. It would have been eating at them for the entire week and now they had the chance to prove all the doubters wrong, to redeem themselves for the way last week and the season as a whole had gone. A win would be a capstone one a near miraculous comeback, defeat would be expected and send them to some bowl that they might be the favorites for. Rinaldi was joining them in Chromatika, a match at Chromia Central College University in what likely was a play-in game. Many eyes in the Empire would be having their gaze cast towards Chromatika and praying to whatever gods would listen to give their team the edge and a victory to send them into the playoffs, where anything could happen.

[Hooksland]

SAPPHIRECORP NEWS - PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION
Vol. I - NSCF 35 - Priority Coverage

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Merchants Eye Playoff Bid as They Route the Minutemen 29-17
McCarthy and friends were left stunned after a strong start from Prince Pieter's College, before securing a solid victory in the second half.

By Greg Starr | Out-of-Conference Week 2

A tale of two halves shocked Minutemen fans in the intimate atmosphere of the Polo Gounds' crowd of 11,200.

OESTERSTRAND - Earlier today, the Merchants secured their second out-of-conference victory against the Prince Pieter's College Minutemen, moving SapphireCorp up to #11 in international rankings, effectively meaning they are the second best team remaining without automatic admission to the playoffs currently. If the season were to end right now, the Merchants would have a good shot at making the playoffs with an at-large bid: They are not only part of the top three teams remaining by RTC ranking, but also one of the three remaining teams with a 9-3 record now, so, theoretically, the case for a Merchants playoff bid seems strong. But, the season is not over this week. Next week's game against #18 Drawk Corps University is looking to be incredibly important, then, as it may conclusively determine the fate of the Merchants with regard to the NSCF Playoffs.

The final score in Prince Pieter's small, hostile Polo Grounds does not do the game that played out today justice. The first half was all Minutemen, able to score consistently and punish the Merchants offense all half long. The second half, however, completely flipped the game as the Merchants seemed to wake up and dominate the field. The incredible comeback victory will no doubt remain in the minds of Merchants fans for weeks to come.

The Minutemen got the ball first, and got rolling immediately. Hungry for some vengeance against the runner-ups after the Celestia conference champions embarrassed them 39-6 last week, their opening drive plan appeared successful as their quarterback, Joren De Nooijer connected twice with fast slot receiver Jaco Bass right out of the gates. The drive would continue, methodically and confidentially, as the Minutemen strolled downfield, the Merchants defense looking sluggish to start the game. Fullback Pieter Spuyt would save the drive twice on third-and-shorts with clutch 3- and 4-yard dives, and before anyone could process it, the Minutemen found themselves knocking on the door of the Merchants endzone. They would make it all the way to the Merchants' 3 yard line before the SapphireCorp defense could finally stall them, forcing a needed incompletion on third down. Prince Pieter's was satisfied to take the guaranteed points, though, and freshman kicker Bert Putten sent the short field goal through the uprights, 3-0.

The Merchants would finally take the field to face the Minutemen's defense, a defense which was expected to give Russell Holland's unit some problems, but also one that was just blown out by a defensive-oriented team in the Ducks last week. The worries about performance against the defense would appear founded, though, as the Merchants quickly lost their possession to a three-and-out. The Minutemen would get the ball back and rive to around the 40 yard line before having to cough up the ball themselves. The Merchants' luck would not seem to improve, however, as they would only gain 17 before stalling once again. The rest of the 1st quarter played out very similarly, the Minutemen able to drive some and the Merchants unable, until the Minutemen sealed the deal on a good drive near the end of the 1st quarter. De Nooijer would scramble out of the pocket on a doomed second-and-eight pass attempt, rolling out past defenders into a small patch of open field gaining a total of 14 on the play before sliding. Two plays later, star runningback from Valanora Metheo Ingebrigsten burst through a hole on the right side for 9 yards, and suddenly the Minutemen were in the redzone again. De Nooijer finished the drive with poise, rolling right on a designed bootleg and delivering a soft touch pass to Saco Jenniskens on a quick slant at the 5-yard line. Jenniskens, the talented senior receiver, caught it cleanly and walked into the endzone untouched. Putten's extra point made it 10-0, ending the first half up two scores.

The news would not get better for the Merchants yet, tough, as their first two 2nd quarter possessions were forgettable. McCarthy was sacked by Cade Knust on the first drive, the powerful sophomore from Cardenao timing his rush perfectly off the edge, and the Merchants punted yet again. On their second drive, McCarthy managed a couple of completions to Hartman and Flanagan, but the Merchants could not sustain anything, and a third-down incompletion intended for Jackson was well defended by cornerback Tjebbe Winker, ending their threat. Meanwhile, the Minutemen were growing bolder. De Nooijer found Jenniskens again, this time for a big 23-yard gain, starting their drive off strong. It would not slow down, either, as Ingebrigsten would secure another 8 on the next play, plus another 7 two plays later. Three more completions to Minutemen receivers would push the Minutemen all the way to the Merchants' 7 yard line, and they were determined to extend their lead by 7. It would happen, too, as De Nooijer handed off to Ingebrigtsen on a counter play, and he hit the hole, absorbed contact from Hernandez at the second level, spun free, and powered ahead for a 7-yard touchdown run. The SapphireCorp sideline looked grimly silent. The remainder of the 2nd quarter was mercifully short for SapphireCorp fans. McCarthy completed a pair of passes to keep a drive alive, but nothing came of it, and the teams went to halftime with the Minutemen holding their commanding 17-point lead.

The Merchants received the ball to start the second half, and from the very first snap, everything was different. McCarthy, who had spent much of the first half rushing her reads and forcing throws into coverage, was suddenly calm and decisive. She completed quick passes to Hartman for 8 and Carey for 6, establishing rhythm. Warner picked up 5 tough yards on the ground to move the chains. McCarthy then connected with Jackson on the edge of the field, who shook off her defender and managed to grab 18 yards on the play, bringing the Merchants to the Minutemen's 38 yard line, which, surprisingly, already made this drive SapphireCorp's best of the game so far. On second-and-ten from the 38, McCarthy dropped back, looked left, and found Warner bolting out of the backfield on a wheel route. Warner caught the ball at the 30, made a defender miss with a sharp cut, and drove forward all the way to the 8 yard line before being brought down, a whopping 30-yard gain. The very next play, McCarthy hit Warner again, this time on a quick out to the right, and he powered through a tackle attempt at the goal line for an 8-yard receiving touchdown. The Merchants' sideline erupted having finally scored their first points, and Grant wasn't finished, wanting to make a statement. Grant sent down the order to go for two and the offense returned to the field. The two extra points would mean the Merchants would only be down three field goals, and it seemed logical to give the Merchants' that option considering the Minutemen's defensive performance in the first half. McCarthy took the shotgun snap, faked a handoff to Hodges, and delivered a quick dart to Jackson in the flat. Jackson caught it in stride and broke the plane, proving Grant's bid successful, and the score was now 17-8.

The Merchants' defense, which had struggled all first half to contain de Nooijer and Ingebrigtsen, came out transformed as well. Deshpande, who had been held largely in check during the first two quarters, exploded off the line on Prince Pieter's first possession of the half and buried De Nooijer for a 7-yard sack. The Minutemen went three-and-out for their first time all game, and the Merchants had the ball right back. The momentum kept building, too, as McCarthy found Flanagan on a quick 8-yard gain that ballooned into a monster 41-yard gain as he stiff-armed his defender and found a clear path ahead of him. After an incompletion on the next play, Warner took the ball and gained 10 to set the Merchants up at the 11 yard line, still giving them the possibility of another set of downs if they were to reach the 1 yard line. That would not be necessary, however, as the seldom-targeted freshman Marshall Jara would come down with a catch on the next play before spinning around and diving into the endzone, pushing the Merchants' score higher. The scoreboard now read 17-15, the Merchants shredding the Minutemen's 17-point lead to just 2 in only 5 minutes of game time in the second half.

The arena had gone quiet. The Minutemen needed to respond to save their lead, and De Nooijer, who had been so sharp in the first half, tried to do too much. On the first play of Prince Pieter's next drive, he would pull outside on a designed QB-run to grab 8 yards. Ingebrigsten would grab the remaining two plus an extra 5 on the next play, and the Minutemen seemed capable on their second drive of the half. But then, De Nooijer dropped back looking for Stijn Mentzel on a crosser over the middle. But Carmine Cobb, who had been sitting in a zone underneath, read De Nooijer's eyes the entire way. Cobb jumped the route, snagged the pass cleanly, and took off, sliding over to the left sideline. He made it 39 yards before being pushed out of bounds at the Prince Pieter's 3 yard line, so close to taking it back to the house. From there, it did not take much for Warner to push through the Minutemen's defensive front for 3 more yards to secure another touchdown, this time on the ground. All of the sudden, the Merchants were up in a big way, leading 22-17 halfway through the 3rd after accumulating 22 unanswered points.

The rest of the 3rd quarter was painful in a different way for the Minutemen, as they cobbled together halfway-decent drives before stumbling and stalling, ending up seemingly just wasting their own time. The Merchants would not score again in the quarter, though they did have another promising drive that would cross midfield, though Smiley ended up being wide right on the long field goal it resulted in. The 4th quarter would begin with the ball in the hands of the Minutemen who were orchestrating another halfway-productive drive. They would find themselves reaching the Merchants' 37 yard line for a big third down, before Deshpande would break through for another sack, sending them back to the 42, and making their possible field goal look more challenging. Indeed, it was, as Putten ended up being wide left on his attempt, failing to cut the Merchants' lead any smaller. The Merchants, back with the ball, continued to be in lead-protecting mode, running with Warner and Hodges often and aggressively. It worked a little too well for them, at least in the eyes of the trailing Minutemen, as the Merchants marched consistently forward until they found themselves just outside of the Minutemen's redzone. After a couple more attempts from Warner would fail to produce more than 5 yards, McCarthy dropped back to throw, eyeing a quick pass to Hartman. Hartman, however, would catch the pass and break out past the edge, suddenly undefended and with a straight shot at the endzone. He would find it and tack on another 6 points to the Merchants' score, with Smiley adding the PAT to make it 29-17. The Merchants' defense successfully locked it down from there, and the clock ran out on a Prince Pieter's drive at the end of the game, capped off with another sack on De Nooijer, this time from Seth Day.

McCarthy's final stat line, 26/39 for 308 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions, tells only part of the story. Her first-half numbers were ugly: 8/17 for 72 yards and no points. Her second-half numbers, on the other hand, were incredible: 18/22 for 236 yards, three touchdowns, zero turnovers, and a two-point conversion pass. That kind of half-to-half transformation does not happen by accident. Whatever Coach Grant and the rest of the Merchants staff devised at halftime, McCarthy and the squad seemed to have internalized it completely.

Warner was immense in the second half as well, finishing with 78 yards on 22 carries and a rushing touchdown, adding 4 receptions for 38 yards, including the 8-yard receiving score that kickstarted the comeback. Hartman was reliable, as he's proven to be all season, with 6 catches for 72 yards and the late touchdown. And Jara's 4 catches for 48 yards and one touchdown was a quiet but impressive performance, signalling that the freshman seems to be developing into a legitimate weapon. Jackson did not score a touchdown this game, but still played at a high caliber, picking up a couple big plays and securing the two-pointer.

Defensively, Cobb's interception was the headline, but the entire unit deserves credit for a second-half shutout against a Minutemen offense that had put up 17 points in the first 30 minutes. Deshpande's 2 sacks continued what has been an extraordinary season for her. Day added a sack of his own, and Hernandez was everywhere with 8 tackles and a critical pass breakup. Redshirted sophomore Amanda Richardson also recorded 7 tackles and 2 pass deflections on the game, in perhaps her best performance on the season.

After the game, Coach Grant would once again offer a comment reflecting on the game and looking forward to the next:

To go into halftime down 17, in someone else's stadium, against a well-coached team that was playing with a chip on their shoulder after a big loss, and to come out and score 29 straight? That's character. That's who we are... I told the guys at halftime that we were beating ourselves. Prince Pieter's wasn't doing anything we hadn't prepared for. We just weren't executing. Sometimes the best halftime adjustment is simply reminding your players that they're better than what they're showing, and moving everyone to our secondary gameplan that we had prepared for a scenario just like this one. Everyone put their whole life out there in the second half, and they really proved themselves out there today... Despite the performance, we're going to have to learn from this game and make sure it doesn't have to come to this again. Drawk Corps is coming to Sapphire City, and what they did against Aberstadt earlier today, taking them to overtime, holding them to a 0-0 draw in regulation, when Aberstadt just dropped 39 on Prince Pieter's, that tells you everything you need to know about the kind of team we're about to face. They're physical, they are disciplined, and they are going to bring a fight. We need to be ready from the opening snap, not just after halftime. We've got to be ready.

The Merchants' regular-season finale against Drawk Corps University at XtraCola Stadium next week has all the ingredients of an instant classic, and the stakes could not be higher.

The Corps (7-5, 7-3 in the Horizon Conference) entered the out-of-conference schedule ranked high in the Horizon conference and #17 internationally, but dropped to #18 after an agonizing overtime loss to the University of Aberstadt earlier today. The game was a 0-0 draw through regulation that Aberstadt won 22-14 in overtime, and, obviously from the score, it was a brutal slugfest that perfectly illustrates what the Corps are all about. They are physical and disciplined, both on offense and defense. They like to terrorize opposing quarterbacks with immense blitz packages and oppressive man coverage, and their defense is highly efficient at both. Their offense is steady and intimidating, with a run- and play-action-heavy offense that controls tempo and avoids mistakes. The Corps do not beat themselves. For the Merchants (9-3, 7-3 in the Celestia conference, CCG loss), who have climbed to #11 after their win over Prince Pieter's, next week represents the final opportunity to make their case for the postseason. Whether that means a playoff berth through the at-large committee-selection process, or a trip to the Cannabiscorp Pioneer Bowl as one of the top two newcomer programs not in the playoffs, a convincing win over the Corps would be an exclamation point on what has already been a remarkable debut NSCF season. There is also the Aberstadt factor. The Ducks-the team that has squashed the Merchants twice, and the only team to hold the Merchants without a touchdown this season-have now beaten both Prince Pieter's (39-6) and Drawk Corps (22-14 3OT) in consecutive weeks. That the Corps were able to take Aberstadt to three overtimes in a scoreless regulation game, when the Ducks had been thoroughly deconstructing teams throughout the entire second half of this season (the Merchants included), speaks to their quality. It means the Merchants will need to be at their offensive best to put points on the board against what projects to be the most stingy defense they've faced since the conference championship game.

It will be the Merchants' final game of the regular season, and the last chance for the Sapphire City faithful to watch this team before the postseason picture becomes clear. The game will be covered live by SapphireCorp News, and, as always, a post-game breakdown will be uploaded afterwards for all of our loyal subscribers.

1st Quarter

PPC: Putten 20-yd FG — PPC 3, SCU 0
PPC: Jenniskens 5-yd pass from De Nooijer (Putten kick) — PPC 10, SCU 0

2nd Quarter

PPC: Ingebrigsten 7-yd run (Putten kick) — PPC 17, SCU 0

3rd Quarter

SCU: Warner 8-yd pass from McCarthy (2-point conversion good - Jackson pass from McCarthy) — PPC 17, SCU 8
SCU: Jara 11-yd pass from McCarthy (Smiley kick) — PPC 17, SCU 15
SCU: De Nooijer INTERCEPTED by Cobb (24-yd return) — PPC 17, SCU 15
SCU: Warner 3-yd run (Smiley kick) — SCU 22, PPC 17

4th Quarter

SCU: Hartman 19-yd pass from McCarthy (Smiley kick) — SCU 29, PPC 17

FINAL: SCU 29, PPC 17

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SapphireCorp News -- NSCF 35

[Katzeburg]

(OOC Note - The proposed accommodation image has been generated by AI, the rest of the flyer designed by a sleep-deprived talentless hack (me))

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Sicko's delight as Ducks knock off Corps, but Swans fall to Midshipmen

By Daniel Coleman, The Aberstadtian Sports

With the penultimate OOC games in the books, both the University of Aberstadt Ducks and Aberstadt State University Swans attempted to pad their resume against opposition both with aims of making the cut for the playoffs, but the two fixtures ended up proving you'll never know what you'd get on any given weekend.

Fans who headed on down to Seecester Stadium could have been forgiven for thinking that they'd see points in regulation time between the University of Aberstadt and Drawk Corps University, But that would be farther from the truth, as the Ducks and Corps would play out one of the most bizarre games in recent memory.

Neither side would break their respective duck to get on the scoreboard in the first quarter, nor would they in the second, third, or even fourth quarter - the game resembling the metaphorical equivalent of watching paint dry as for four quarters, the sides would follow the same game plan each and every single time - The Ducks collect the ball, fail to advance 10 yards, punt for distance. The Corps collect the ball, fail to advance 10 yards, punt for distance. The Ducks collect the ball, fail to advance 10 yards, punt for distance. The Corps collect the ball, fail to advance 10 yards, punt for distance. The Ducks collect the ball, fail to advance 10 yards, punt for distance. The Corps collect the ball, fail to advance 10 yards, punt for distance.

Not even rare moments of actual gameplay breaking out could dampen the crowd's spirits, so ravenous they were to see one of the finest defensive games in recent memory - The Ducks would only secure a second first down on a drive twice in regulation time, both times off a QB Wright Hafner handoff to RB Padrig Martin for minimal yard gains.

But come overtime, the game would suddenly explode into life - as if someone had politely nudged both coaches with a reminder that there needs to be some points to get the game finalised. The Ducks would finally break the double egg on the scoreboard through their explosive RB - Martin making a bursting 23-yard run to finally give the hosts the lead, only for the Corps to level things back up off their first overtime drive through QB Dak Waterman Jr. finding WR Colby Armstrong in the endzone before putting the pressure back on the Ducks with a second touchdown of their own - Waterman flicking a pass to RB Haden Ellington to force the Ducks into a do-or-die drive.

But the Ducks would rise up to the occasion - WR Beck Oliverson getting a hand to a bullet pass from Hafner in the endzone to score a 13-yard passing touchdown and lock things up at 14-14 following the single point conversion. With the momentum swinging their way, the Ducks would retake the lead off the next drive - Martin storming over for his second overtime touchdown of the afternoon, before the Ducks would go for a two point conversion to potentially pile the pressure on. The call would be a good one; Hafner handing the ball off to FB Billie Glass to bounce into the endzone and make it a 22-14 ballgame.

With one chance to drive back into the game, the Ducks defence would again show why they are one of the top performers at this level - DE Thad Sadler sneaking past the line to sack Waterman off the first down, before two incomplete passes would force the Corps to go for it on the fourth; a bursting run from Ellington not enough however - the junior stopped a yard short of the chains by LB Vincent Paris to secure the win for the Ducks.

"I have to say, I'm glad a lot of you are still here after how that game shook out in regulation time," UoA head coach Geraint Short told media after the game. "We were like a couple of stubborn donkeys unable to get past each other on a narrow bridge and refusing to move during regulation - but then overtime hits and it's suddenly like both of us had somewhere to be! I know I did; apparently it's a big reveal on Paint Drying tonight but I think I'm gonna have to catch up after the fact now.

"It was a thing of beauty though wasn't it? Two sides spending their day not wanting to give an inch to the other - that's what Katzeburgian gridiron is all about, and respect to our Drawkian friends, they understood the assignment like a freshman that's top of the class. But that overtime session was like the dam finally breaking - our boys found a new level that I didn't even know was accessible, and believe me, I'm gonna ask them for the cheat code to get us there once we head into the playoffs.

"We're building a bit of a run here and we're hoping we can see out the OOC slate against Z'ai'ai to keep nudging that momentum in the right direction heading into the playoffs - we're on the cusp of locking up a first round bye, which would be a huge achievement for this program, and we just need to make sure that's us on the stage this time next week accepting it with both hands and a big smile.

"This is a big couple of weeks for the school - both in terms of how this program fares against the best of the best, but also for the student body to vote on some campus developments and how they want to shape this great school for the future. Now I know that there are some rumours amongst the press that I've apparently threatened to quit my job should the vote pass, but let me tell you that none of this is for right now. Right now, all I'm focused on, and all the school is focused on, is ending our regular season on a high with a win over Z'ai'ai and heading into the playoffs with our heads held high."

The Ducks will end their regular season against a 6-6 Z'ai'ai program who are hoping to build their claim for a bowl spot with a win, while the stakes are much higher for the Ducks - a win likely to be enough to secure them a top four ranking and a bye through the first round of the playoffs. Should they lose to the Hellcats, they risk being jumped by Mar Sara Tech and BIU for the last two byes, potentially throwing the side into the first round mix against programs like UCP, LeBois, or even a Celestia rematch against NMU or SapphireCorp.

The outcome is a lot neater for their up-river rivals Aberstadt State University, who look set to fight for a top 20 finish after collapsing to a 27-9 loss to Rinaldi Naval Academy. The Swans were never at the races against the Midshipmen, who stormed to a handy 14-3 lead midway through the second quarter - RB Sander Blom running in for two touchdowns either side of the first quarter siren to push the Midshipmen well past K Willie Schroter's first quarter field goal.

QB Bert Robertson would cut the Swans gap to five early in the third quarter after a deep throw down the left flank found WR Adam Styles for a 37-yard passing touchdown, but Schroter would miss the conversion, keeping the scores at 14-9. From there the Midshipmen would choke the game out - QB Andreas Aas handing the ball off to FB Andre Erlandsen in the final minute of the third quarter to score their third of the afternoon to stretch the lead to 21-9.

Blom would wrap up his own dominant afternoon for the Midshipmen late in the fourth quarter with his third touchdown - a smashing run down the left hand side of the field - to secure the win for the Vanorians despite the missed conversion attempt, with the Swans struggling in the execution of their attacking gameplan, with freshman QB Robertson struggling in particular, throwing 8/18 and giving the Midshipmen three free interceptions across the afternoon.

"Credit to the Midshipmen, but they had our number from the get-go out there," ASU head coach Thomas Cartwright told media. "They hit us early and hit us hard, and we never really woke up to meet their level, and that really stings given how close the teams are in terms of the rankings. Rinaldi represent the exact type of team we want to be performing against at this stage of the season, and they played us off the park.

"It's a crowded midfield at the moment heading into the final OOC game this season and while I'm overly happy where we are at - a 6-6 record is nothing to scoff at in our first season at this level - we want to finish on a high to try and stake a claim for a bowl spot and even though we're ending the season in front of our home fans against a side which has struggled so far this season - we can't take anything fore granted. We'll be hitting the tapes hard over the course of the week and trying to figure out where and how we can push an advantage on the Acolytes."

The Swans end their regular season with a clash against the 2-9 St. Ivor Notre Dame at Aberstadt Stadium, hoping to end with a winning record for the first time at NSCF level. The Acolytes are 1-0 in their OOC slate however; knocking off the University of Moravica 21-17 at home in their only game to date; meaning any expectations of a free win need to be discarded if the Swans want to mount a late charge for a solid bowl invite.

[Chromatika]

Players
A snapshot from three players in Week 13 Action

Isabelle Creer

Everything felt a bit different when you knew it was your Senior year in an established outfit like the Mountain District University Firehawks. Isabelle had grown up in Alnio watching the days of Kadesh Odika and Sarai Gwenderyn. She was on the roster as the team suffered through the years with Nicole Estera at the helm. She saw Freya Odinsdóttir come and go, and when it became clear that they were going to start four Freshmen on defense this season, she knew her role would shift.

It's a new era in the history of the Firehawks. There are only two Chromatik starters on offense, and she is the only Chromatik starter on defense. It's not that they don't have good Chromatik players - a lot of the depth is from Chromatika - but the Firehawks have devoted themselves to winning so much that they aren't afraid of offering lots and lots of scholarships. This makes it so that putting together a locker room is one of the most important things to do, and that's where Isabelle comes in.

She may not be as good as Alrick Heidelberg, her Ranorian counterpart that lines up on the opposite side of her, is. She doesn't command as much respect as Archer Allen and Ayla Schröder, the two Outside Linebackers. However, Isabelle's presence and her voice in the locker room is one of the biggest reasons why this defense has come together. She's the one that's given Olander Wilk the platform the Freshman needs to become the leader he's supposed to be. She's the one making sure their heads are still in the game when the opponent punches them in the mouth.

She's also played rather well on the field. Sure, Heidelberg is the calling card of the defense this season, but Isabelle has fifty-two tackles, including eleven tackles for a loss, eight sacks, and two forced fumbles. Add in the number of times she's freed up Heidelberg, and her value has been immense.

Take the game against Loyola-Istria, for example. The Blue Thunder managed to score twenty-one points on the Firehawks, but the Mountain District defense did force three turnovers, including a sack-fumble by Isabelle on Leslie Allin. Nicolas Berg was 25-of-31 for 341 yards and five scores, and that was that.

It is true that they are undefeated, even though not too many wins have been dominant. This win over the Blue Thunder after handing the Buffalo? The Firehawks faithful are starting to get on board this team as being a team that just figures out ways to win - whether it be by pinpoint passing, some decent running from the backs, or the defense doing as much as they have been.

Isabelle couldn't care less. She knows her role on the team - that of a leader who holds down the fort as one of the rare Chromatik starters that keep the team from being disconnected from the campus. Add the fact that she's a Senior and one of the loudest voices in the locker room, and Isabelle meets the exact definition of a player whose value is far greater than what shows upon in the box score.

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Anders Coin

Stepping into this season with the Hellcats, Anders Coin knew that his role was about to shift dramatically. Saralynn Pomme was gone, and with it being Darius Hollilday's final year, they really needed Coin to step up as that X-receiver who could stretch the field. He took to the offseason with a lot of urgency, got into the best shape of his playing career, and hit the year hard, making sure that he was exactly where Holliday needed him.

Things worked out, but then didn't. Darius's throws kept being just out of the reach for Anders. He stayed after practice to do extra reps with Darius week after week, trying to work on their chemistry to make sure that he would be able to contribute. Things started to look up, and then disaster struck.

Darius Holliday broke his collarbone and was out for the season. A week later, Henriette Deshe became out of commission. Suddenly, Anders was stuck with trying to figure out how to play with a Kevin Carlson on his first start. The team shifted to be more of a running type to lean on Carlson's mobility, along with a defense that had to have a lead to get pressure on the opposition. Anders had to pivot once again to trying to learn how to block and take his opportunities when it came to play-action throws.

It took all that was in Anders to not be a downer in the locker room. He didn't complain to anyone, neither did he make life miserable for Kevin. It wasn't the young Quarterback's fault that they were where they were - it was just a season from hell, and when Anders had come in to replace Pomme as the team's X-receiver, he wasn't planning on this.

He had nine catches for 111 yards and two scores in the loss to Northern Moravica - especially so when Carlson was made to throw with the Cougars taking an early lead. He has been a soldier through and through, the consummate teammate who puts the team ahead of individual glory.

Such a shame regarding the way the season has gone - but there is no denying that Coin has established himself as a true X-receiver who was just undone by the circumstances regarding the team around him.

All that was left was one game to determine if they would finish better than .500 - and against an upstart team at that.

---

Nera Pinston

They say that the first season of your collegiate career is always the most memorable. Throw in the fact that it's the very first season of your school's history as part of the NSCF, and there was a considerable buzz around campus regarding what this team could do at the highest level of collegiate gridiron in the multiverse.

Enter Nera Pinston. From Staramara, Urrhed Island, Nera is a yard-after-catch specialist who does his best work in space, often times with blockers in front of him. Soft-spoken, easily coachable, and likeable, Pinston is quick enough that he's been used on end-arounds for the Comets at times, to mixed success. In the beginning of the year, the Comets mostly used him on called wide receiver screens; however, as Steelgarten and Veran have gone deep in their bag, they've started to use him in combination with other wide receivers on wheel routes and slants to make sure that he can just get the ball, as his unique blend of quickness and agility made it so that you just had to give him the ball.

Eventually, Nera will have to work on being able to run different route combinations so that he can get the ball in his hands more often. For now, though, what they're doing is working. Pinston is now touching the ball more than five times a game, and this added dimension to Jordan Kimmsler and Yevdokiya Trokhymivna Doroshenko has started to truly shine for a Comets team regaining their stride.

After losing to Cavsar and Drawk Corps to miss out on the Horizon Conference Championship Game, the Comets have now won back-to-back games against St. Croix and Alexandria University. Alexandria out of Cardenao had enough offense to score twenty-three on the vaunted Comets' secondary, making it so that Steelgarten and the Comets had to take to the field with 4 minutes left, down three.

In that game-winning drive, Steelgarten found Pinston on three different occasions, including the game-winning touchdown on a sneaky wheel route to the left side disguised by a trips formation. The throw was perfect with the catch being made in stride, and Pinston ran away from the linebacker before he could be tackled to put away the game instead of the Comets tying it up on a Field Goal and heading to overtime. CCCU had its ninth win of the year, making it very possible to gain an at-large berth if they win their final game of the Out-of-Conference slate, at home against a Rinaldi team that is on the same trajectory as them - year one, reaching for the postseason, nothing to lose.

Good thing that the Comets have unlocked how to properly utilize Pinston - and look ready to do so more times in a game than before.

All good things when you have everything in the world to play for in the final game of the regular season, on Senior Night at that.

[Dhemixia]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Columbus Dominion(Est.1873)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas went Dillehaywire

Schedule

*blue indicates home games
Week 1: @ Trent State W 45-16
Week 2: vs. Green City W 40-24
Week 3: @ Prince Pieter's L 19-21
Week 4: vs. Novaaria W 61-17
Week 5: @ Fusa College W 25-10
Week 6: @ Elite Eleven W 41-38
Week 7: vs. UNSJJSM W 48-37
Week 8: @ Nowa Kalanianska W 42-20
Week 9: vs. Mar Sara Tech W 29-16
Week 10: @ Raynor L 17-45
Week 11: vs. Rinaldi W 31-16
------------
CCG: vs. Rinaldi W 18-15
------------
Non-conference play
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: @ Bitternea
Week 13: vs. Fluff State

As it turns out, you generally want to have your defense consciously know which endzone they're supposed to be defending in a game where you can't permanently be on offense. That's how the Jays have won all year, they just harass you on offense in an effort to make you forget that they don't have a defense. That's why they averaged a 40-burger on offense. That's also why they averaged allowing three scores a game. The only way UCP is allowed to win a game is by outrunning their defensive problems and continually scooping out dirt from the passing well that's been dry for three quarters. Against BIU, the bucket broke in the first quarter. Be it because they got complacent, they knew the outcome of that game didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, or just plain shock and awe, but both sides of the ball utterly collapsed. My theory is that the defense didn't know quarterbacks can come in left-handed flavor and just thought he was out there to run the ball the whole game, but that's complete speculation at best. I don't think even the defense knows the true cause.

Regardless, the Jays aren't in all that much danger. Having won their third Mineral title, the trophy of which was quickly discarded so as to continue suggesting that their case was empty, UC-Prairie is guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. They're no longer fighting for their lives to extend their season, but then again, Craig Kelly doesn't understand the concept of resting your starters in games that don't matter. For better or for worse, Larry Cunningham has taken the wheel for the rest of the season. Sure, seeding does still play a role in these games, UCP dropped from a bye to the #7, but when was the last time a seed was actually relevant in a UCP playoff game? #1 seed? They still got blown out by MDU. #4? Blown out by Cavsar. #10? Disintegrated by Saguenay. Point being, the seed is irrelevant. Bye or not, home game or away, the Jays are trapped in an endless cycle of playoff failure. They could beat CHU by 45 for all I care and they'd still find a way to lose to the ghost of Bobby Dials. The Telephoneoperator comes for us all eventually.

The good news? UC-Prairie is undefeated when ShowCase is at their campus. The bad news: UC-Prairie is undefeated when ShowCase is at their campus. Turns out, Rod Barringer was given some bad information, and long story short, they pulled up to Cold Hill when the game's in Columbus. Worse news, Derek Boss already gave one Dhemixian a lifetime dose of CTE this season (he'd already been exposed to five before that point), and he now gets to run rampant against an offensive line comprised of sawdust, rat poison, and a dream. If that's not a disaster waiting to happen, I don't know what is. The UCP sideline's gonna need a lot of glue next week.

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

Clituleng Giisost Stadium, Alaer. 54,000-odd expected in - the first few rows down the sideline of this 56,984-seater soccer-specific stadium would be covered up by tarp, but the game sold out every seat that was made available. An air of anticipation around what has become the latest remarkable Kytlerian sporting success story, a deferred Beginner Breakout in that the throwaway two-win first season was essentially not even one that was intended to happen.

But for many thousands heading to Alaer both with and without game tickets, that story was an unwanted one, and their consequences were feared.

The main road linking Alaer with Borlfield - capital of the state of Varn, the heartland of Kytlerian gridiron and right-wing extremism alike - was logjammed for hours before the planned 11:33am kickoff. A suspicious package was found inside an industrial building on the southern edge of Varn that backs onto the southbound carriageway by a concerned employee ending his night shift at 6am, and emergency services were required to close the road for several hours as a precaution. There was no immediate suspicion of terrorism - and the road reopened around 9am as the Explosives Unit of Varn State Police confirmed that the package was "not a viable device" - but queues in the meantime built up to drastic levels. What would normally be a 40-minute drive was now going to be... not that.

Locals from Alaer - along with many of the actual BIU students, many of whom had returned to family homes across the Kytlerian mainland following the end of the first semester - had no such problems, allowing them to arrive at "the G" in the morning without fuss. But as the Varnian travellers trickled in, some of them turned out to be out for trouble. Some of it was innocuous good trouble - many wore orange in support of Prince Pieter's College, BIU's opponents on the day and symbol of a New Rotterdam elite that retained an absolute monarchy until recently. The group of Cornham Harvesters fans chanting "hey hey Dillehay, why did you betray?" - aimed at BIU QB Thomas Dillehay, the Harvesters' first overall pick in the last KLoG draft who chose to play for the Herons and get his degree first - may have fallen into that category too, for all its vitriol. (Its existence also cut to the heart of the matter for many Varnians - "their" players in "their" league, for all that KLoG is nominally the Kytlerian League of Gridiron and many of its teams are not in fact Varnian, were playing for the Herons instead of the teams that drafted them.) But some of it was clearly not good trouble. There were fists. There were (mostly orange) flares - something that has long been taboo in Kytlerian sport for safety reasons. And there was one attempt to hijack a van - the commercial version of the same vehicle used in MPV form as the BIU Safety Bus, as it happened - that was stopped only when two police officers dragged the would-be terrorist out of the van after he had already broken into it. The man showed no remorse. "I knew I could remove so many threats to society at once," said the actual threat to society - whose name was not reported because he doesn't even deserve the infamy - after being arrested. "Unfortunately they got me. But I make no apologies for trying to save us from the scourge of RPDs."

As Kytlerian television broke into their regular Saturday morning schedules - cartoons, cookery shows, the Shiny Season Sprint Duathlon in Kytler Bay City - to report on the increasingly violent scenes in Alaer (and the resultant delay to the kickoff), the True Varnians - a far-right anti-RPD party that split from the broader separatist Varnian National Party after they softened on being far-right and anti-RPD themselves - issued what was, strictly speaking, a denial of responsibility.

"Our party did not plan any of the action that has taken place in Alaer this morning," it read. "True Varnian patriots do not need politicians to guide them to do the right thing."

In a nation that, especially after the Flight 134 tragedy, seemed to have overcome this threat to unity - hence the VNP moderating in the first place, seeing where the wind had blown - this was met with deafening diplomatic disdain. At 11:33am - when the game was meant to have started, though it had now been delayed provisionally to 12:15pm - PM Alice Mulholland-Pearce, whose Workers' Party lead a left-leaning coalition government, addressed the nation with a fire she had never previously shown. "I utterly condemn the wretched violence that is taking place around the Clituleng Giisost Stadium this morning," she began. "It is already obvious that this has been caused by Varnian extremists seeking to undermine the peaceful right of Kytlerians across our Federal Republic to watch their sporting representatives face other teams from across the multiverse. And even if the True Varnian party did, indeed, not organise this apparent act of terrorism, that does not free them entirely of responsibility - their rhetoric even in this notional denial was of explicit support for the violence, and as such they must be treated as what we call stochastic terrorists, for even if they are not attacking with weapons themselves they are attacking with words and in doing so providing others with implicit permission to attack with weapons themselves. And these stochastic terrorists are to be treated the same way as actual attackers - that is to say, to be held in utter contempt."

Another True Varnian statement was issued on social media minutes later. "We did it. We've got rent-free space in Dopey Alice's empty head."

Rapid response units from elsewhere in the country - including the Paramilitary Guard in Bravin - largely defused the situation and allowed for the game to ultimately start at 12:35pm. But it would later be discovered that the Paramilitary Guard response was delayed by internal saboteurs who supported the anti-RPD cause, and one rogue member was even seen (in full khaki uniform!) throwing a flare himself. With a federal election due to be called in the next six months as it was, this game had inadvertently bought half-buried tensions well and truly to the forefront. And even those Varnians who didn't cause too much trouble and did get into the stadium - 120 people were arrested and didn't - often continued with their hostility to BIU and, by implication, the mere idea of international representation in Kytlerian sport generally and university gridiron in particular.

Following the coin toss, BIU received the opening kickoff - well, technically they didn't because it flew out of the back of the endzone for a touchback - and a wall of boos greeted the arrival of the offense, with the noise continuing as they lined up ready for the game's first snap. There weren't actually that many fans from New Rotterdam City in the stadium, but it still felt like a Prince Pieter's home game at that moment.

[Elitexis]

ELITEXIS ORIGINS

Location: outside Sadeg, Drawkland
Time: approx. 3 years before NSCF 35

The whiteboard in the war room had been updated. Callagard the Drawkionel was crossed out alongside Ellzidan and Kanyo. Malicoll and Iarocav were circled. The Elite Eleven now knew those latter two opponents were standing between them and the potential financial freedom of their hypothetical micronation.

Now the key was figuring out who the Elite were going to send to face them. Septimus Xander, with his ability to turn into a full sized dragon, was locked in for one of those spots. It was perhaps a little unfair for him to bring magical megafauna into the equation in a supposed hand-to-hand combat situation, but it would also be dumb to not use that asset to your advantage.

Unfortunately only one of the Elite had a truly gamebreaking ability when it came to fighting. Each of them were physically gifted in addition to decades of athletic training, but this was all for the benefit of sport. None of the Elite were military men in their prime. Even if they were, they were born in the age of firearms and artillery. Hand-to-hand combat by the sword was simply not found. The only time they'd received such training was at Ellzidan's hand prior to their trip to the maze to try for immortality in the first place. It'd been a long time since then.

"So we all know that Malicoll is the weaker fighter between them. Still very good in her own right, and we can assume all the Drawkionels will practice enough to knock the rust off once we declare our intent to secede using the act," Elias Keys provided a bit of a rundown to the assembled Elite in the war room.

"Her main value as a Drawkionel has been her mind," Ross Hunter agreed. "She can fight, but between her and Iarocav, we all know Iarocav is the one with more combat experience."

"Ellzidan will make it clear what capabilities I have." Septimus mumbled from one end of the table. "She'll absolutely deride me for bringing the dragon but she wouldn't be foolish enough to not prepare the Drawkionels for it."

"Yes, just as we expect." Jaxon Madison nodded. "Malicoll being less likely to win in a fight, they'll essentially sacrifice her to the dragon. So we've got to find somebody that can take down Iarocav in a fight."

"Iarocav, the trained soldier."

"Iarocav, who's like two thousand years old."

"Iarocav, whose body count is even bigger than Roger's. But like the other kind-"

"Fuck off, man." Roger Apollo put an end to the riffing.

"So who among us stands the best chance of beating that guy?" Jaxon put the group back on track.

"I think the bigger issue is that even once we pick our champion, how are they going to train?" Craig Bakker pointed out, ever the pessimist. "We aren't great fighters. Even if we all train, we'll never provide a good enough opponent to truly simulate taking on Iarocav."

"We could ask Ellzidan maybe?" Elias floated, with probably a bit too much hope in his voice.

"Not a chance." Septimus replied flatly. "I'm honestly shocked she didn't get suspicious when I probed for the dragon thing this weekend. Maybe she did and I just didn't notice. Either way, there's no way we'll be able to send somebody to Elstrund and innocently ask for hand-to-hand combat training. She'd figure it out before we'd have enough time to get good."

"What about Lerocav?" Ross suggested.

"That has a little more potential," Nicholas Kingston chimed in. "He's the one that gave us the hint for this idea in the first place, right? If he's not able to train us then he could at least find somebody better."

"A good place to start. Let's return to the main task at hand. Who is our champion?" Jaxon repeated.

"Shut up man. We all know it's gonna be you." Mike Rodney said, but it wasn't with any vitriol. There were some murmurs and chuckles of assent.

"It doesn't have to be!" Jaxon insisted immediately. "Richard is tough as a boulder. Dominic is a two-time Olympic gold medalist."

"I don't see Iarocav strapping on gloves for all the marbles," Dominic replied gently. "I'd be useless in a fight with weapons."

"Richard would get outfoxed in six seconds." Trevor Garnet grinned. "No chance."

"Hey!" Richard replied indignantly. "I'd last 7 seconds. At LEAST!"

"6 or 7?"

"So there's nobody else that wants the job, huh?" Jaxon interrupted to keep the group from spiraling off topic again. He twisted his lip, examining the men before him. He wasn't a mind reader, but seeing the emotions rolling off of everybody, he could tell there weren't going to be any takers.

"You're the captain." Mike said simply. "That's your duty."

"You're all a bunch of pussies." Jaxon muttered, but he couldn't help but break into a smile. They were right. He knew that it would come down to him, as much as he hoped it wouldn't. There's no way he'd tell anybody this, but from his own skin he saw the faint yellow tinge of fear. "But I'll be there. I guess I'll try to set up something with Lerocav this week. It's time we start the true preparations now."

"Yes sir!" Somebody shouted from the fray, and it drew a raucous cry from the rest of the Elite. The dream of Elitexis seemed that much closer.

---

3 years and a great many stab wounds later ...

The game against Richardson started the Elite's season. Even though they were vastly underprepared for a blue blood of that caliber and mostly operating on a tricky intramural-level playbook, the Eleven found their way into overtime against a multi-time NSCF champion school. They proceeded to lose the game on a turnover after miraculously holding the Governors to a field goal in the first overtime period.

This game against Cold Hill was going to be a big deal. At 5-6, the chances of the Elite making a bowl game mostly hinged on winning one of their final two games. Their ridiculous strength of schedule could only carry them so far. At some point you actually need to win games. And if they were going to get into the Pioneer Bowl specifically for first-time schools, they'd definitely need a win and perhaps some luck elsewhere.

The Buffalo weren't going to be an easy win. However, playing in the increasingly familiar confines of the Elite Bowl, this would be their best chance. Mar Sara Tech on the road was the last matchup awaiting the Navy Dragons, so it was Beat The Buffalo or Bust. However, beyond the fact that the Elite had worked tirelessly to assemble a playbook that resembled Real Football, they also had a strategy.

"The Cold Hill defense runs through Derek Boss," Jaxon Madison explained while showing some film of Boss absolutely terrorizing some poor bastards throughout this season. "He's not the only good player on that defense, but when he's on his game, the whole unit plays better. However, he's not used to playing against Drawkians. Certainly not grown men."

"So you're saying that we hit back." Richard Hanson nodded in understanding with an almost psychotic grin growing on his face.

"Funny you're the one to speak up there," Jaxon responded with a grin of his own. "You're exactly the freak I had in mind."

The play finally came up at the end of the first half. Cold Hill was leading 7-3, and despite the low score, it felt like the Buffalo were dominating. This was the second drive that the Elite actually got into the red zone. Their previous trip ended in a failed fourth down goal line conversion, stuffed by none other than Derek Boss plugging the gap before Roger Apollo could sneak through.

This time, the Elite were ready. They got the play they wanted. Just inside the 10 yard line, Richard Hanson and Nicholas Kingston swapped spots on the line of scrimmage. Now Nick was in the left tackle position, and Richard technically lined up as a tight end. Derek Boss took notice. He crept closer to that side of the field, correctly predicting a pass to Richard who normally just blocked most of the game. Jaxon fired it on a sort of spot route, and Richard slipped between the zones in the Cold Hill defense to attack the goal line.

Only one person stood in Richard's way. That would be Derek Boss. Perhaps Boss should've taken advice from Kaiser Belfort, though, who would've told him "stay the fuck away from Richard Hanson." Boss tried to go low, and instead Richard ran him over like a 400 car freight train at full throttle. You could count on one hand the number of times Derek Boss has been flattened in a football game. This was one of them.

Richard Hanson crossed the plane and put the Elite ahead for the first time in the ballgame. Halftime came shortly thereafter, and from then the Elite managed to lock down everything. The offense moved more efficiently, the defense didn't let Cold Hill back into the red zone for the rest of the game. Even though it wasn't really a blowout, it was obvious that the Elite had control of the ballgame.

The killing blow came later in the fourth quarter. It was still a one-score game, but the Elite had driven into field goal range. A two score lead at this point would potentially be enough to escape with a win. Jaxon dialed up a halfback screen to Roger Apollo on third and medium when Cold Hill sent a blitz. Unfortunately for the Buffalo, that blitz came from the same side that the screen was running, so Apollo's convoy had nearly free reign up the right side.

Naturally, once the blockers got engaged, the only person left with a play on the ballcarrier was Derek Boss. Maybe it was frustration at being punked earlier, perhaps it was the belief that he could easily shut down the smaller Roger Apollo, but Boss went for it. The young Drawkian went down to stop Roger in his tracks ... but the immortal went up. The hurdle was clean, with Roger kicking his feet up to avoid any contact from Boss at all. The half-stumbling run was uninterrupted from there to the end zone, putting the Elite up by two touchdowns.

"Pioneer Bowl Or Bust!" Roger yelled into the nearest broadcast camera in celebration. The Elite decided to clown around and go for two (which succeeded thanks to a clever RPO drawn up by Jaxon), and that would be enough for the Elite Eleven to capture the win.

Now at 6-6, a bowl game appearance is practically assured (especially with #4 ranked Mar Sara Tech boosting their strength of schedule yet again). However, with 4 teams in play for the Pioneer Bowl and the chance of 2 getting into the playoffs being far from guaranteed, the Elite will still need help to get to Iqaluit. Whether they can help themselves and upset the Raiders, benefit from Aberstadt State losing at home, or see both SapphireCorp and CCCU sneak into the playoffs, it all remains to be seen.

[Ranoria]

Rivalry Week Outside The Horizon


Shots from the last Rebel's Cannon Bowl

The Governors and Blue Thunder have become one of the most storied rivalries in NSCF history. With its conception in NSCF 17, it's now a rivalry that's existed for more than half of international college football's existence. The two teams have played twenty times now in those seasons - including two playoff matchups - and the Governors have the lead at 12-8, but most recently the Blue Thunder have had the edge with a win in NSCF 34.

"This is the most important game of our season," head coach Kasen Harrowitz said going in, "It's a clash of philosophies, finesse against power, discipline against hype, rigorous training against talent. And we will come out on top, as per usual, in Dietrich Stadium."

Bold words from a head coach who's started to adopt the more Ranorian mindset of talking smack about his opponent in recent years. The team will likely lean on their superstar, Vincent Hwang-Dalbec, who's pushing nearly fifteen hundred yards with sixteen scores on the ground alone - almost more production than their quarterback has had through the air.

Meanwhile the Buffalo will have one final push against the Blue Jays to improve their playoff seeding, themselves leaning on a passing attack powered by gunslinger quarterback Kylan Bourne and his top receivers Pokey Wilson and Ignace Rouse-Juruni. They lean on the team's physical advantages and play into them hard - but the Blue Jays have an equally talented passer under center, at least if the allegations of Craig Kelly's incompetence are true. (They are). Larry Cunningham - the quarterback who led UCP to yet another Mineral Conference championship - might just be Larry CunningHIM after all. Who else is leading an offense that good with a broom calling plays. (and selecting starting quarterbacks)

Unfortunately for him, Derek Boss is roaming the secondary, so for all of his cunning and it factor, he's probably about to get treated like Cyborg Dhomas's favorite sock would be if a man found any other single, unmatched sock laying around.

[NSCF]

Out of Conference - MD14

Note: All games were scorinated by Chromatika, while all games involving Chromatika were scorinated by Quebec and Shingoryeo.

---

University of Aberstadt (KAT) 19–17 Z'ai'ai Institute of Technology (CMT)

Bitternea International University (KYP) 13–27 Prince Pieter's College (ROT)

Holland Tech (BAT) 17–34 Cavsar University (DRK)

University of Moravica (BNJ) 33–29 Zaidi Zuria Technical University (HOD)

LeBois Santura University (CAD) 16–34 Northern Moravica University (BNJ)

SapphireCorp University (HKS) 48–6 Drawk Corps University (DRK)

Aberstadt State University (KAT) 3–3 St. Ivor Notre Dame (DEL) (6–9 OT)

University of Columbus-Prairie (DHE) 37–46 Cold Hill University (RAN)

Richardson University (RAN) 30–26 University of Loyola-Istria (BNJ)

University of Novaaria (SNE) 34–27 University of Nordhammer (NKR)

Mar Sara Tech (VAL) 30–14 Elite Eleven University (EXI)

Chromia Central College University (CMT) 38–23 Rinaldi Naval Academy (VAL)

Mountain District University (CMT) 17–27 Raynor University (VAL)

[NSCF]

The regular season is over! Congrats to the four conference champs. Those schools have qualified automatically for the NSCF 34 Playoffs:

Big 8: Richardson University (RAN)
Celestia: University of Aberstadt (KAT)
Horizon: Mountain District University (CMT)
Mineral: University of Columbus-Prairie (DHE)

The RTC points (current version, that is proposed by SNL) proposal, which was run in a long-term effort to replace the OSPI, will take an effect for this cycle as well.

As for the other seven places, five will be allotted to the teams with the highest remaining RTCs. As per the seeding spreadsheet, these are:

Big Eight: Cold Hill University (RAN)
Celestia: SapphireCorp University (HKS)
Horizon: Cavsar University (DRK)
Horizon: Chromia Central College University (CMT)
Mineral: Mar Sara Tech (VAL)

The remaining three Playoff spots will be voted on at-large by the NSCF Committee. I will telegram NSCF Committee members to ask for their nominations. The final 12-team Playoff field should be finalised by 8:59 p.m. Pacific Time this Tuesday (LA-Vancouver Time).

The match-ups for bowl games will also be announced then. Ultimately, this will give everyone two days to RP before the postseason begins on the 19th of March. Good luck to all competing schools.

For this cycle, the list of active members are: Banija, Cardenao, Chromatika, Dhemixia, Drawkland, New Tamarind, Quebec and Shingoryeo, Ranoria, TJUN-ia, Valanora

[NSCF]

The results for NSCF Committee voting is here. The votes for the three playoff spots are as follows:

Northern Moravica University (BNJ): 6
LeBois Santura University (CAD): 3
Bitternea International University (KYP): 6
Prince Pieter's College (ROT): 1
Raynor University (VAL): 3
Rinaldi Naval Academy (VAL): 5

NSCF 35 PLAYOFFS - First Round

Per updates here, which were passed at the end of the cycle without amendment, CCCU and SapphireCorp, as well as Bitternea International and Rinaldi Naval were flipped to avoid a first-round conference rematch.

* For the first round, NMU-CCCU and BIU-Cold Hill will be scorinated will be scorinated by Quebec and Shingoryeo, while UCP-SapphireCorp and Rinaldi Naval-Cavsar will be scorinated by Chromatika. See you everybody in 48 hours' time!

Top Half
_#9Northern Moravica University (BNJ) @ Chromia Central College University* (CMT)_#8
Winner plays #1 Mountain District University (CMT)
_#12Bitternea International University* (KYP) @ Cold Hill University* (RAN)_#5
Winner plays #4 Mar Sara Tech (VAL)

Bottom Half
_#10University of Columbus-Prairie (DHE) @ SapphireCorp University (HKS)*_#7
Winner plays #2 Richardson University (RAN)
_#11Rinaldi Naval Academy* (VAL)@ Cavsar University (DRK)_#6
Winner plays #3 University of Aberstadt (KAT)

[NSCF]

Bowl Games

For this NSCF, I have received six bowl games. All six are approved, which covered all bowl-eligible teams.

As a reminder, the bowl games will be scorinated at the same time as the first round NSCF Playoff games above (Thursday), though they may ICly have taken place before. It will be scorinated with the first round of playoffs.

The Cannabiscorp Pioneer Bowl
(EXI) Elite Eleven University vs. Aberstadt State University (KAT)
Best newcomer teams not in Playoffs
Iqaluit Stadium, Iqaluit, Quebec and Shingoryeo

The Drawk Bowl
(CAD) LeBois Santura University vs. Université du Saguenay (GEX)
Top non-playoff team from Big Eight Conference vs. Top non-playoff team from Celestia Conference.
Corps University Hub, Drawk City, Drawkland

The Karmin-Falce Bowl
(VAL) Raynor University vs. Université St. Croix (QUE)
Highest points scored vs. Highest point difference.
Karmin Falce Superdome, Ranoria City, Ranoria

The Mugisha III Memorial Bowl
(DRK) Drawk Corps University vs. University of Loyola-Istria (BNJ)
Top non-playoff team from Horizon Conference vs. Top non-playoff team from Celestia Conference.
Stadium of Restoration, Busukuma, Banija

The Valhalla Bowl
(ROT) Prince Pieter's College vs. University of Raukieff (TMN)
Best remaining Mineral team vs. Best-Remaining Big Eight team
Vahalla Falls, Raynor City, Valanora

The Jaguar Bowl
(TJU) Trent State University vs. Z'ai'ai Institute of Technology (CMT)
Best remaining Mineral team vs. At-Large
Field of Dreams in The Gardens, New Washington, TJUN-ia

[TJUN-ia]

Trent State University (TJU) 19–39 Aberstadt State University (KAT)

What an atmosphere for this game, huh?
It was Senior Day, meaning that 9 players would be playing at The Horseshoe for the final time.
The Champions of the Celestia, the Aberstadt State Ducks were in town.
As was "DNSN's College ShowCase!" for the very first time on TJUN-ian soil.
It was simply a passionate build...which led into a crazy game.
Robin DeMarcus tried to keep up, but Bert Robertson was simply the better man.
Simple as that.

So TSU ends up at 6-5, but Bowl Eligible at least.
They will travel across the moat to New Washington for the Jaguar Bowl, taking on Z'ai'ai from Chromatika.
Can they end on a high?

---

SCHEDULE (MINERAL Conference + 3 Non-Conference)
Week 1: vs Columbus-Prairie (DHE) L 16-45 (0-1)
Week 2: @UNSJJSM (UNC) W 37-27 (1-1)
Week 3: vs Nowa Kalanianska (UNC) W 23-22 (2-1)
Week 4: @Mar Sara Tech (VAL) L 22-39 (2-2)
Week 5: vs Raynor (VAL) - Homecoming L 19-60 (2-3)
Week 6: @Rinaldi Naval (VAL) L 13-53 (2-4)
Week 7: BYE
Week 8: vs Green City (TJU) - Earth Trophy XX W 43-17 (3-4)
Week 9: @Prince Pieter's College (ROT) W 27-12 (4-4)
Week 10: vs Novaaria (SNE) W 33-28 (5-4)
Week 11: @Fusa College (AMN) W 43-19 (6-4)
Week 12: Conference Championship Week
---------------------Non-Conference---------------------
Week 13: vs Aberstadt State (KAT/Celestia) - Senior Day L 19-39 (6-5)
Week 14: OPEN
Week 15: OPEN
Jaguar Bowl: vs Z'ai'ai I. T. (CMT/Horizon)

SCHEDULE (MINERAL Conference + 3 Non-Conf)
Week 1: vs Fusa College (AMN) W 46-20 (1-0)
Week 2: @Columbus-Prsairie (DHE) L 24-40 (1-1)
Week 3: vs UNSJJSM (UNC) - Homecoming L 22-30 (1-2)
Week 4: @Nowa Kalanianska (UNC) L 31-36 (1-3)
Week 5: vs Mar Sara Tech (VAL) L 6-34 (1-4)
Week 6: @Raynor (VAL) W 26-20 OT (2-4)
Week 7: vs Rinaldi Naval (VAL) L 23-40 (2-5)
Week 8: vs @Trent State (TJU) - Earth Trophy XX L 17-43 (2-6)
Week 9: @Elite Eleven (EXI/Ind.) L 13-54 (2-7)
Week 10: vs Prince Pieter's College (ROT) - Senior Day L 29-32 OT (2-8)
Week 11: @Novaaria (SNE) W 38-17 (3-8)
Week 12: Conference Championship Week
---------------------Non-Conference---------------------
Week 13: BYE
Week 14: OPEN
Week 15: OPEN

[Valanora]

Andy Magnusson was not sitting in the film study room with the rest of the coaching staff and most of the players as they were getting ready to watch the selection show for the playoffs. Though the team had pulled off what seemed to have been a minor miracle in sweeping their out of conference slate, including defeating the number one ranked and only unbeaten team, he was afraid that those casting votes were not going to dig deeper than what the computers told them. The computers said that victories over UCP, Mountain District, and Northern Moravica did not make up for a two home losses to teams that the computers thought were some of the worst in the competition. Good wins did not matter as much as bad losses and that was exactly what all the computer projections were saying, that the victories that the Rockets had managed to achieve where nowhere near impressive enough to overcome the pair of upsets at home, even if one had been in overtime. With the intense level of competition for the coveted last three spots in the field, the Rockets were on the outside looking in and hoping for voters who looked beyond records, beyond what the computers said.

Instead of being with the rest of the team, he was simply on the computer and going through the game footage from the trip to Chromatika for the third time since the game had finished. It still felt surreal that the Rockets had gone into Chromatika and did what no other team had been able to do all season and come away with a victory against the Firehawks. It had taken a near perfect game from the team to overcome their quite talented hosts, with Jones having to improvise on the fly more than a few times when the play call would get busted by the elite defense of the home team. That improvisation was something that had been missing in the first half of the season, maybe the team had rushed her back from her wrist injury a week or two too soon and her play might have suffered as a result. The last two months of the season she had been everything that the team had been hoping for and then some, even in the games where it did not go as well like two weeks ago against Nordhammer. While a statline of eighteen of twenty-four for two hundred twelve yards and a solitary touchdown pass was not the most impressive, her ability to extend drives and get the team over the finish line was exactly what the team had needed.

Exemplary game management from the quarterback aside, the coach was also impressed by the growth of the defense over the course of the season and finally was at its best here when the team needed them the most. Smothering the options for Nicolas Berg throughout the game, forcing the sophmore from Raynor City to progress through his reads and giving the rushers more time to add even more pressure and get to him. A team as good as the Firehawks can not be totally contained though and on three occasions they managed push through the resistance being put up by the Rockets defensive unit to the tune of two touchdowns and a field goal. Yet it was not enough with how good the offense had played, leaning more heavily upon the two headed running attack of Tobias Svendsen and Kassoum Sakho more than normal and perhaps that had caught the Chromatik defense off guard. A twenty-seven to seventeen victory in Felswyr was going to be a feather in the cap of the team regardless of how the voting outcome would fall and Andy was going to be proud of his young men and women regardless for doing what had seemed almost impossible at the mid point of the season.

Seven straight wins heading into the postseason was going to be quite the amount of momentum on the Rockets side regardless of if the team was preparing for a first round date in the playoffs or for if the team was going to be resigned to a bowl game. There was part of the coach that was hoping that if the team was destined for a bowl instead of the playoffs that Valhalla would get first choice and get to take them as the best Mineral team not in the field, it would be a home bowl game. He knew there was one other Mineral tie in and would rather not travel to TJUN-ia again, not when there was the opportunity to be at home for a bowl game and get treated with all the lavishes that the bowl committee tossed at the participants. While it was not quite as exciting as going to other nations and sampling their culture in the week heading up to the bowl game, there was just a certain appeal about getting a postseason game at home, regardless of how significant or not that it would end up being in the grand scheme of things, it was still a chance to have one last parade in front of the home support if nothing else.

As he exited out of the film footage from the week before, he heard groans and more than a few expletives coming from down the hall from his office and even before he checked the website he knew what was the cause. The voting committee had done exactly as he had thought that they might, in a a comparison between themselves, Northern Moravica, LeBois, Bitternea, and Rinaldi, the Rockets were one of the two on the outside looking in when it all shook out. There was a part of him that felt a certain amount of anger himself, as with Northern Moravica's inclusion the Rockets had defeated over a quarter of the playoff field and it still had not been enough to convince the voters that they were worth giving a berth to. Even more, they were not being granted the home bowl game either but instead were having to ship out to Ranoria to face Université St. Croix from Quebec. If there was a blessing to that, it was that the game was going to be played in a dome and not an open field stadium, dealing with Ranorian winters was bad enough when they shared a conference or met in the postseason. Tech getting a bye to the Quarters and Rinaldi sneaking their way in, both of which were a surprise, did mean the Empire was going to have plenty of representation in the field. He hoped that they would give the rest of the field hell, now that the Rockets were not going to be given the chance, Vanorian pride was on the line and that would always bring some sympathy from him, as he would watch on with glee.

[Katzeburg]

(OOC Note - The proposed accommodation image has been generated by AI, the rest of the paper has been slapped together by a sleep-deprived talentless hack (me))

---

Swans heading to Pioneer Bowl as Ducks have nervous wait for playoff opponent

By Daniel Coleman, The Aberstadtian Sports

Aberstadt State University will be looking to go one better than their down-river rivals as they head to Quebec and Shingoryeo to take part in this season's Cannabiscorp Pioneer Bowl - aiming to become the first Katzeburgian program to win a bowl game.

The Swans snuck into the Bowl arguably by the skin of their teeth as the side fell to a 9-6 2OT loss to Delaclava school St. Ivor Notre Dame at Aberstadt Stadium to end their regular season with a 6-7 record. The final game started off brightly for the Swans, with the side taking an early lead off the first drive with a 39-yard field goal from K Willie Schroter; hometown fans hoping it would be the first of many points as the Swans looked to get past a side with a 2-9 record with relative ease.

But that would be all she wrote for the Swans in regulation time, as the hosts looked out of form and like the Katzeburgian national teams of only a few years ago - aimless, inaccurate, and barely having an understanding of just what a football was. Attacking drives were soaked up with ease by the visitors, as the Swans only registered a handful of multiple-first-down drives in the opening half. Freshman QB Bert Robertson struggled to connect his efforts with his receivers while players like Adam Styles and Leslie Rosenberger instead opted to run away from passes rather than attempt to collect them.

But the Acolytes would be just as ineffective going down the field; despite some solid defensive plays - notably a powerful sack from DT Kord Paden which would lead to an interception the very next play by LB Ocean Findley - the Swans didn't need to do much to keep their slim lead aloft until the final quarter of regulation, with the Acolytes barely looking like they would trouble the scoreboard as down after down would go back and forth between the two teams in the middle of the park.

While supporters may have been content to some degree with a win which looked more akin to an average KNL fixture than a NSCF game - the Acolytes decided they weren't just finished with their season yet. Finally breaking onto the scoreboard deep in the fourth quarter, K Sean Byrne would tie things up with just over a minute to play with a 35-yard field goal and give the travelling support at least something to celebrate after close to four quarters of barely engaging football.

With overtime beckoning, the Swans would try to use their last drive to force a win, but Robertson would again show why he isn't ready for absolute primetime - throwing a deep interception with seconds on the clock to round out the game. But as the overtime period would force another Katzeburgian program into life the weekend prior (UoA in their shootout OT win over Drawk Corps), fans would also see the pressure of overtime spark some life into the tie.

Schroter would strike first, restoring the lead for the Swans with a simple yet effective 22-yard field goal to push the scores to 6-3; only for the Acolytes to return fire with a 21-yard Byrne field goal to wrap things back up. The shoe would quickly be on the other foot, as Byrne converted once more from 24 yards to force the Swans into a do-or-die final drive. Robertson's first play would be incomplete - a 15-yard pass to Rosenberger just missing the hands of the receiver. His second - a handoff to RB Charly Siegel - would see progress, but the burly senior would only manage a six yard run.

The third play would again fall on Robertson's arm - but this time his intended target of Styles would be caught napping down the left flank; a throw all too easily dealt with by Matt Nixon in the Acolytes backfield. Throwing the playbook out the window; ASU head coach Thomas Cartwright told the team to go for it on the fourth; and while Siegel would again produce another bursting hand-off run, he would only manage five yards - a step too short and three points off the pace.

"We didn't perform anywhere near the standard we wanted to out there this afternoon, and it's quite disappointing," Cartwright told media after the game. "To struggle like that on our own turf against a side which took a lot of the season to get going is not a great look - whether it's a case of fatigue or just a bad day at the office is yet to be seen. We'll sit down next week and review all we can; that's the only way we'll get better.

"It's not my place to criticise players specifically out here in front of you lot, but there are some faces in that locker room who know they had to do a lot better. But these boys are young, they've got a couple more years of growth and development, and they'll learn from these mistakes. If we do end up making a game like the Pioneer Bowl, it will be a bit of a let off and we'll need to up our game as there's a lot of new programs who have come in and excelled this season."

Thankfully, the side will be heading to Quebec and Shingoryeo for the Pioneer Bowl as one of the two best non-playoff programs in their first season, alongside the independent Elite Eleven University, securing the spot after fellow Celestia newbies SapphireCorp decided to just skip bowls entirely and reach the playoffs in their first season, alongside Rinaldi Naval Academy, who punched their ticket with one of the three at-large bids.

With the Swans now taking on an EXI side who also went 6-7 but with a significantly tougher run of games, ASU are aiming to avoid being the second Katzeburgian side in two seasons to lose the Pioneer Bowl. The University of Aberstadt Ducks also reached the Pioneer Bowl last season in their first run at NSCF level, but went down to Ranorian school the University of Dietrich 27-13.

But some will say a year can make a wave of difference, and for the Ducks - 12 months after crashing out of the Pioneer Bowl they are heading into the NSCF playoffs as the third seed overall; bypassing the first round and awaiting the winner of the clash between Rinaldi and Drawkian school Cavsar University.

The Ducks punched their bye ticket with a nervy final day win over Chromatik school Z'ai'ai Institute of Tech in front of a capacity Seecester Stadium crowd, coming back from 14-0 down to snatch a dramatic 19-17 win. With the Hellcats looking to play spoiler and secure a solid bowl invite of their own, the side came out with force; doing what many sides have failed to do at Seecester this season and snatch a touchdown early against a strong Ducks defence.

QB Kevin Carlson was at the heart of the early strike - forcing the Ducks to stutter their defensive movements ever so slightly out of step to force a simple handoff across to the right to WR Anders Coin, quickly turning on the after-burners as they set off down the right flank and into the endzone for a 17-yard touchdown to give the visitors a lead after just five minutes. Conversely, the Ducks would fail to get firing at first, with QB Wright Hafner throwing some sloppy passes which would cause concern before a final effort picked off by S Ruwon Ittiti gave home fans some serious worries that they could be watching a bloodbath in the making.

Those fears took a step closer to reality early in the second quarter, as the Hellcats would again offset the Ducks defence with another staggered play and clever route running - Carlson letting Kim Ga-Byun take the plaudits for a simple hitting of the gap to break into a wider open field down the left flank before cutting inside between LB Vincent Paris and S Max McGregor for the side's second touchdown of the game. It was a comfortable lead for the Hellcats, and one which heading into the half-time siren the Ducks didn't even look like challenging, as Hafner again struggled to find gaps in the field for passing - relying on an increasingly tired RB Padrig Martin to gain minimal yards.

But whatever UoA head coach Geraint Short told the side at half-time proved to be a shot in the arm for the hosts, as the Ducks would come out swinging in the third period. Like a handful of games before, it would be the stellar defence which would get the crowd going - DT Will Spellmeyer breaking through the line for a huge hit on Carlson to start the third period and let the fans know that the Ducks weren't asleep any more. Hafner, now with the look of a man cool and in control, would help the Ducks crash into the endzone two drives later - a huge deep-field pass which found WR Beck Oliverson leading into the QB sneaking past the line himself to spark hopes of a comeback. Sensing the side needed to go hard or go home, Short ordered a two point conversion attempt - which was easily ratified by Martin thundering over the line.

14-8. The Hellcats would find a bit of breathing room on the edge of the third quarter siren, as K Victoria Anderson converted from 41 yards to push the lead back to nine points heading into the final stretch. But the Ducks were far from finished - Martin again proving instrumental in an early fourth quarter drive; a 22-yard run putting the side in a prime position to topple into the endzone as Hafner found WR Arlen Ferber with a bullet pass from 10 yards. Needing to rack up points and quickly, Short would order another two point attempt, and Martin would again be the man to deliver; despite DT Ludomir Raczynski putting up a good challenge, Martin would do just enough to push past and cross the line to cut the deficit to a single point.

Moments later, Carlson would come within inches of winning it for the Hellcats - opting to break from the regular running playbook to direct a looping pass towards Coin, but the ball would just go over their head despite the WR being in open space - but it wasn't to be, the Ducks getting one last drive to push for a late winner. With time not on their side, the hosts went aggressive in their pushing, Hafner opting for quick passes out wide to try and move the chains down the field. It would work to some extent - but with seconds barely left on the clock, it would fall on freshman K Ronald Appleton to try and steal the win from 47 yards.

The snap would be short and sharp. Appleton's run up surprisingly slow and methodical. But the result would be all that mattered - the freshman's effort pinging off the right side of the post to count to snatch the win and complete a perfect OOC slate from the Aberstadt school.

"I think anyone on that sideline would have told you, the second Ronald took that kick - well, my heart was like a truck with a popped wheel in a traffic jam. It was frozen solid," UoA head coach Geraint Short told media after the game. "Seeing it bounce off the upright and count... it was like popping a balloon full of pressure, and the crowd felt it as well.

"Full credit to Ronald - that was a heck of a position to put a freshman kicker with no time on the clock and kicking for a playoff bye, but he had more steel in him than the steelworks over in Stoneturm and showed a coldness in him beyond his years with that kick. I'll have to go track him down once we're all done here as I think we'll need some of that ice in his veins to cool the rest of us down after that heated end to the game!

"Z'ai'ai are a great program and the fact that they wanted to take us on again after the blast we had last season is a testament to their program - I'm just glad this time we were able to take the win, even if they made us work for every single point on that scoreboard. 12-2 is a record we never would have even thought would be achievable at the start of this season, but to reach the end of OOC with that and the golden ticket of a first round bye puts tears in my eyes.

"It feels like this season has been something really special and I'm so proud of the progress our squad has made, not just on field as players, but off the field as people who care. People who want what's best for each other and the school itself. And that belief and care has bled through to those fans out there, cheering and backing us every step of the way. It's a special feeling being able to lead that squad out there each and every single week - and even though every game for us now is another final ahead of us; I'm gonna go and enjoy whatever time I've got left with this squad.

"That week off is a gift from the cosmos and we're going to treat it like we would if it was the prettiest girl in the world. Yeah, of course we're going to have a nice time with it and have one heck of a date, but we're also going to show just why we're good enough for her so when she comes to town to meet my parents and all our fans out there - she's knows just what she's getting into. Rinaldi and Cavasr are quality programs from countries with long prestigious histories in this sport. No matter who we get we're gonna have a tough time - but we're up for the task."

The Ducks will host the winner of the 9-4 Rinaldi (#13) and 10-3 Cavsar (#6) in the quarterfinal in what will also be the first ever Katzeburgian appearance in the playoffs. With the program now only two wins from a NSCF Championship Game, is it too early to start to believe in the Ducks?

The answer.... is yes.

[Chromatika]

Chromia Central College Enter Playoffs on Three-Game Winning Streak

It is now a story that’s become almost moot. Chromia Central College University, fresh off of back-to-back losses to Drawkian opposition, dashing a Conference Championship Game berth, needing to create some noise in the Out-of-Conference Schedule to make the playoffs, knowing that the ideas that they’d had up to this point on the offensive side needed some work.

Since then?

41-7 on the road at St. Croix. 27-23 at home against Alexandria. 38-23 at home against Rinaldi Naval Academy. Three matchups, three victories, and the #8 seed heading in the NSCF Playoffs in their inaugural season. The Comets are rolling, and they are a home win over Northern Moravica University away from heading to Felswyr in a return of The Clash that would have generational repercussions. What has worked for this team, and how can they utilize the new strengths to make some noise in the postseason?

Jakob Steelgarten has found a new gear when it comes to running the offense of the Comets. With the vaunted secondary starting to struggle at times - conceding 23 points each to Alexandria and Rinaldi suggest that they will not be as bulletproof in the postseason, either - the Comets needed to find new ways to generate on the offensive side of the ball. Whether it be utilizing a sixth offensive lineman or getting Nera Pinston more involved on screens and passes that allow the speedster to thrive, the new wrinkles presented by the Comets have been highly effective in the Out-of-Conference matches as they’ve scored 104 points in 3 games after averaging 25 points a game in the Conference slate.

“We’ve hit a new gear,” announced Steelgarten after the Rinaldi victory, “We’re seeing the field in a new light, and I’ve become far more comfortable dealing with the modifications that defenses are throwing at us. I think we’re playing at a high level, and it’s been a joy to see the team grow alongside me.”

With the game being moved to the Henza Centre in Dre’a instead of the usual confines of the Chromatik City Field, it is expected that a lot of the Chromatik gridiron elite will be in attendance; the Comets will have to navigate the pressure that the public has placed upon them as they try to handle the Cougars of Northern Moravica, a team that successfully defeated Z’ai’ai Institute of Technology in a prior matchup against a Chromatik team this Out-of-Conference slate. Amy Skylar is a Quarterback who’s very used to playing in Chromatika, and the Junior from Staramara would love nothing more than to make her homecoming a dismal one for the home fans.

The Comets will continue to do what’s worked for them so much this season - play suffocating coverage, inviting the run that they try to stop with their front seven, have Steelgarten figure out the defense as the game goes on with help from an excellent offensive staff, and not commit turnovers, knowing that a moment will come in the game where they will have the opportunity to take over the flow - all they have to do is make the most of that moment when it arrives. Not many thought they’d be at the place that they are now - ready to prove that their inaugural season isn’t just a feel-good story during the regular season, but that they are a threat to the title itself.

Step one is taking care of business against Northern Moravica at home. If they really wanted that coveted second shot at their hated rival, this victory was a must.

Z'ai'ai Called Out for Accepting Bowl Bid

Zebediah Mercedes Sherman IV was unapologetic in the press-conference before The Jaguar Bowl as questions were hurled at him regarding the Hellcats' attendance in a Bowl Game after going 6-7 in the regular season.

"We earned the right to be here by winning the games we won and playing a lot of quality opponents," the Head Coach of Z'ai'ai Institute of Technology explained, "And given the young state of our program, there is no reason for us to turn down opportunities to play in more meaningful games. They invited us, and we'd be hard pressed to not attend."

It can be argued that it was not Sherman's fault that the Hellcats' season went to hell. They lost two games to their domestic rivals, lost their first and second string Quarterback, and still managed to take a game off of Cavsar. They weren't particularly competitive against Northern Moravica, but did hold Aberstadt to nineteen points, losing narrowly in the closing seconds.

It's not often that NSCF invites a team under .500, but they invited two teams that fit that category this year - the Hellcats and Aberstadt State. The Hellcats' opponents will be Trent State University, a team that went 6-5 - and whoever wins this matchup will have a modicum of momentum heading into next season, while the loser will know that this season was truly, truly lost.

For Kevin Carlson specifically, this will be the last chance for him to prove that there is a future of Hellcat football with him at the helm. If he doesn't show out, the Hellcats will have to go and get a new Quarterback - and he will be back on the bench.

It may not be the most glamorous position, but Sherman has done the right thing by accepting the Bowl Game berth - and the consequences of the result will be far-reaching in the history of Hellcats gridiron.

Three Things: Mountain District after First Defeat

Mountain District lost their first game of the year, 17-27, on Senior Night to the Raynor University Rockets. The Firehawks' bid for a perfect regular season ended - making it so that they will still never have a perfect regular season. Not that that will matter, of course, if they win the entire thing - so here are three things that they will need to adjust as the #1 seed in the NSCF Playoffs.

First, there is the play of the linebacking corps. Olander Wilk has stepped up to be the young leader that the Vanorian was expected to become, and Stephon Hunter is a good player along side him; Archer Allen and Ayla Schröder are the lifeblood of the linebacking unit, both being Seniors who are very good at the specific role they are meant to play. Allen tackles and hits very hard, while Ayla covers well. The issue has become that opposing teams have figured out where each one is, and they are throwing at Archer while running at Ayla. The Firehawks have tried to pivot by putting safeties or cornerbacks in the appropriate spots to help, but the way that Raynor was able to exploit the specific matchups made it very hard to overcome. It's not that Allen and Schröder are completely horrible at the other aspect of the game, but when Wilk and Hunter aren't the type to completely take over games, the net result is that there are a handful of plays a game where it becomes a glaring weakness.

Secondly, is there more that this team can get out of the combination of Muhoozi Kadindo and Andrew Kun Wa Lee? They are decent runners out of the backfield, but neither of them are particularly good at catching the ball - and the pass blocking leaves a lot to be desired. If Nicolas Berg is to take a next step going forward in the years to come, the Firehawks will need to get a more well-rounded running back in the future. What can they do with Kadindo and Kun Wa Lee in the postseason? Motion and two-back sets seem to be the right options to add to the arsenal - anything to allow Berg to have more flexibility in finding his duo of Solem and Knight in advantageous positions. Will this lack of a true well-rounded back be the Firehawks' undoing?

Finally, the Firehawks need to take more risks. Risk is almost considered a swear by most Chromatik sportspeople - by nature, Chromatik athletes like sure things that have been practiced over and over again, things that can be counted upon when pressure hits. Chromatika has often relied on creative, risk-taking players instead of risky plays. That is not working with Nicolas Berg. If there is a country who is as conservative as Chromatika is in sporting mentality, it's Valanora - and Berg, being the mobile pocket passer he is, embodies that fully. Having him with the Firehawks staff has led to tremendous efficiency, but there is no element of risk or flair that can throw off the opposition.

Of course, if it doesn't end up working when Mountain District decides to take that risk, there will be a lot of talk about whether it should've been attempted at all. However, that's better than not trying and sticking to something that you know you can do to a level when you know that your opposition has figured it out. The other two schools, Z'ai'ai and Chromia, have people on the staff that aren't afraid of those risks. Head Coach Zebediah Sherman is the epitome of a risk-taking Chromatik, while Jakob Steelgarten has true freedom to audible to whatever he wants. Mountain District has never asked Nicolas to do that, and Nicolas himself has never asked for the opportunity to do that.

If Mountain District is to cash in on their #1 billing and win the title, they may have to inject that risk and creativity in some way, shape or form in the games to come. That is simply what you have to be willing to do when you get to games where the margins between teams become razor thin.

Can they, and do it properly?

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

Mission accomplished for the True Varnians.

BIU suffered a beating that knocked them from potentially getting a bye to potentially missing the playoffs altogether - their fate left hanging in the hands of what was sure to be a divided committee vote for the final three spots in the bracket. There would be no playoff game in the CBDN Bowl, a statement that would have felt like the most obvious thing imaginable four months ago and now suddenly feels like a disappointment for the growing Herons fanbase.

And their agenda was back in the spotlight in a way it hadn't been for years. Sure, it was being framed mostly negatively, but it was there. The anti-RPD, pro-isolation argument could not be ignored anymore. If this was a fringe, it was a mighty loud and disruptive one that had plenty of willing "freedom" fighters. Freedom from the tyranny of (erm) being able to represent your country - or a higher educational institution within it, though the whole "higher education" bit was probably part of the thing to oppose for some of this lot - in the sport you love and have international-level talent in. And if there's one thing this BIU run has shown, it's that this motley crew of mostly-Kytlerian players have international-level talent, to the point that they'll likely replace the current flop national team generation as soon as it's possible for them to do so and the consensus will be that it was too late.

Alice Mulholland-Pearce has called a late winter election. (OOC: obviously time dilation is a mess to the point that I literally killed my entire soccer NT in large part as a way to not think about it for one generation. But assuming an RL-like CFB schedule, we're in December now and the election would take place during NSCAA season. How that ties into the WC/WBC is another matter...) She believes that public revulsion against the events in Alaer will inspire people to once more vote for her Workers' Party and allied parties that would keep out a centre-right National Unity Party opposition whose legacy of delivering the Isolation last time they were in government has stuck in the minds of many older Kytlerians in particular. And trying to win an election as a centre-right party when you're struggling with older voters is like trying to beat this BIU team when you're struggling with run defense.

But the NUP's monopoly on the Kytlerian centre-right, which frankly held up longer than it should have done in anything resembling a proportional electoral system - and this country does, indeed, have something resembling a proportional electoral system. (Two-thirds of representatives are elected to single-member seats and one-third to multi-member seats, with ranked-choice voting in effect for both.) The old arch-conservative Morality Party, which died as the NUP all but absorbed it in the era of the Thomas Anderson government responsible for the Isolation, has effectively been reborn as the explicitly anti-RPD Just Say No Party. Meanwhile, the gaping void for a genuinely centrist Kytlerian party has been filled after a group of NUP moderates left the party to form the Party of Kytlerian Progress, built around both social and economic liberalism. "We do not trust the Workers' Party to provide economic freedom and we do not trust the NUP to provide social freedom," leader Alexandra Eisma argued, pitching the PKP explicitly as a potential electoral kingmaker that would shift either of the two main parties in their direction and in particular seeking votes from those who don't necessarily agree with the left-leaning Workers' Party but are fearful that the next NUP government would be beholden to the party's Andersonian wing after all.

If new NUP leader Edward Eidinow is to fulfil his ambition to become Prime Minister, he will need to define - under pressure from both Just Say No on one side and the PKP on the other - what his party is actually for at this point. Fail to do that, and some wonder if the NUP will even exist in the medium term.

These Herons don't have that problem; they know exactly what they're for, a team ready to try and triple-option your defense into oblivion and then send an ever-changing cast of big units on the other side of the ball. But depending on what happens in the campaign, they too might have to worry about being dragged kicking and screaming out of existence.

But that's a later problem. Now, they have the happier problem of working out how they can freeze out Cold Hill.

There's history of a Kytlerian gridiron team playing their first playoff game in Ranoria and winning against all logic...

[Dhemixia]

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The Columbus Dominion(Est.1873)
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Least predictable UCP late-season collapse:

Schedule

*blue indicates home games
Week 1: @ Trent State W 45-16
Week 2: vs. Green City W 40-24
Week 3: @ Prince Pieter's L 19-21
Week 4: vs. Novaaria W 61-17
Week 5: @ Fusa College W 25-10
Week 6: @ Elite Eleven W 41-38
Week 7: vs. UNSJJSM W 48-37
Week 8: @ Nowa Kalanianska W 42-20
Week 9: vs. Mar Sara Tech W 29-16
Week 10: @ Raynor L 17-45
Week 11: vs. Rinaldi W 31-16
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CCG: vs. Rinaldi W 18-15
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Non-conference play
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: @ Bitternea L 17-44
Week 13: vs. Fluff State L 37-46
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PLAYOFFS
R1: @ SapphireCorp

You ever wonder when a program is officially doomed? No, really, there's only one true winner at the end of every NSCF cycle. For the other 11 playoff teams, something went wrong somewhere. Sadeg State was doomed ever since Brooklyn Beck touched a Skyhawk uniform and lost to UCP, Cavsar was done ever since its inception (ignore NSCF 34 that wasn't a real cycle trust me on this one), Richardson usually is gone by the first quarter of a playoff game, but you really never know with UCP. Now, you do kinda know, considering the Jays are relatively predictable as to when they blow it, but the fun part is actually how they blow it. They've choked in more ways than run plays in Craig Kelly's playbook, and yet somehow, they've managed to win a playoff game. Then again, the STU team they beat doesn't even compete in NSCF anymore, but I digress.

The point is, UC-Prairie will lose to SapphireCorp. The signs are all here, winning a CCG, losing to CHU (again), just generally being home merchants, but most of all, the fact that they're the University of Columbus-Prairie. Only the Blue Jays would find a way to be a 10 seed after winning a conference championship, and only they can find a way to lose every single playoff game they've played as a lower seed. Credit to the Merchants, their maiden NSCF voyage is about all you can ask for from a new program, and they deserve a playoff win to help jumpstart their future. It's not like either team that wins this game will actually go on to win in the second round at Richardson (unless Richardson blows another one, which is actually pretty likely now that I think about it), but a mere playoff win is consolation enough for either side.

It would be moderately funny if the only two Dhemixian starting Quarterbacks in NSCF just so happened to match up against each other in the playoffs, with one very obviously throwing the ball more than the other, but Craig Kelly's going to find a way to get back to Ashialand as soon as possible. The Crairg Raid already does a pretty good job at eliminating any chances of a UCP win, but one thing it somehow doesn't do is eliminate scoring. Quite the opposite, in fact. The Jays averaged 35 on offense this season while running it en route to an 8-2 conference record and the conference title. The problem is that it doesn't eliminate scoring. The Jays managed to have a +135 PD in-conference whilst also allowing over three scores a game. That's pretty objectively Not Good.

Craig Kelly is trying to win games with half of a football team.

On paper, you should not be able to win a game without a defense. In practice, paper doesn't know ball like Craig Kelly does. For the Jays to win this game, they need the offensive line to do anything but make your eyes bleed every time you try to watch. That's a pretty hard task for a line essentially made of rat poison, the hopes and dreams of an unemployed man, and seventy tons of pure nitroglycerin. I'm convinced that a line composed of elementary schoolers could easily complete that task, but here we are.

[Hooksland]

SAPPHIRECORP NEWS - PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION
Vol. I - NSCF 35 - Priority Coverage

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The Merchants are Playoff Bound!
A monstrous 48-6 dismantling of the Corps locks SapphireCorp in as the #7 seed in the NSCF 35 playoffs.

By Sherri Frost | Out-of-Conference Week 3

Louise Jackson showed why she was selected as Celestia's #1 receiver, with three touchdowns .

SAPPHIRE CITY - Today the Merchants orchestrated a domineering win in their last regular-season game against the Drawk Corps University Corps. Played at home in XtraCola stadium, fans got to witness three quarters of a Merchants offense that is truly looking elite heading into the postseason. Speaking of the postseason, the win secures a spot for SapphireCorp in the playoffs, the Merchants locking in the #8 seed off of their RTC ranking. Their #8 ranking would change to #7, swapping positions with fellow newcomers Chromia Central College University, to avoid playing an in-conference game in the first round of the playoffs against Northern Moravica University. Either way, despite their position as the lowest-ranked team that was automatically admitted due to RTC rankings, SapphireCorp will actually host their first round playoff game, welcoming the University of Columbus-Prairie Blue Jays to XtraCola next week.

The game against the Corps would begin fast, and it would not slow down. The Merchants received the ball first, expecting to need to struggle for each and every yard against a tough Corps defense, but their game plan looked to chug along just fine on their first drive. Whatever Grant and Holland had designed and prioritized leading up to this game seemed to be proving very productive, which was a welcome sight. After the painfully unproductive 17-0 first half against the Minutemen last week, this is exactly what Grant was hoping to achieve in this game, promising to be ready from the first snap. The first snap, as it would turn out, would be a nice outside throw to Donovan Hartman, immediately a gain of 16 for the Merchants. In the early game, McCarthy appeared very weary of the Corps' linebackers, a unit that has proved incredibly disruptive in the past, so she mostly stuck to exploiting mismatches between the Corps' corners and Merchants' receivers, and got the ball out on tosses to Warner to switch it up every so often to avoid the intimidating Corps trenches. It was working well, too, as the Merchants moved almost entirely unimpeded deep into Corps territory, before McCarthy would finally let one rip deep over the middle for Jackson to snag out of the air on a jump just outside of the endzone. She came down just barely inside of the endzone, contorting expertly to push the ball past the plane, resulting in a 24-yard touchdown.

It next became apparent that Luca May had planned well too, even borrowing some tactics from the elite University of Aberstadt playbook that had held the Corps to 0 in regulation last week, as the Corps attempted their first drive. While the sheer size and strength of the Corps' offensive line-and, frankly, all of their players-looked like an impossible challenge on paper, May had devised a way to use the Corps' size against them. Instead of power, this game the defense would be focused on agility. Luckily for May, Deshpande and Day were both scary fast off the line, and they were able to use that to their full advantage. Miraculously working through and around the big Drawk guards and tackles, the Merchants' defense was able to apply considerable pressure to quarterback Dak Waterman Jr. all game, making his job very tough. Their first drive would end in a three-and-out, and the ball came back to the Merchants. The rest of the 1st quarter went fairly slowly, but the Merchants dominated the time, the Corps only having possession for 4:33 the entire first quarter. In that time, they would manage a few first downs off of their strong runningback Haden Ellington, but no points. The Merchants would tack on another three off of a 42-yard Smiley field goal around the middle of the quarter.

The 2nd quarter is when the Merchants started to really pull away, learning more of what they were going to be able to get away with in this matchup. Their first drive would end in an 18-yard pass to Flanagan for a touchdown after McCarthy went 6/6 on the drive. The Corps would come back on offense to manage about 23 total yard of offense before having to face another third-and-ten, and, after having to make a hurried decision to get the ball out due to ensuing pressure, Waterman Jr. would throw slightly behind receiver Shawn Mercado, enough that Hernandez was able to lock on and steal the ball for an interception, returning the ball 12 yards before being brought down. After McCarthy's first pass attempt would be swatted down by defensive lineman Dean Hart, she would get the ball back out to Jackson who had a step on her assigned corner, and she absolutely took off after making the catch, dodging a downfield safety to lunge all the way back into the endzone for another touchdown, 35 yards. The score was now 24-0 just about 5 minutes into the 2nd quarter, and the home crowd was eating it up. To their credit, the Corps defense would step up throughout the remainder of the quarter, stifling the Merchants on the rest of their first half drives, including a massive sack on McCarthy that forced the Merchants out of field goal range near the end of the half. The Corps would muster a successful two-minute drill in their final drive, but time was not on their side, and they had to take a long field goal after failing to find a big play to end the half. Kicker Ross Johnson was able to, seemingly easily, knock the 46-yarder through, and the Corps had their first points on the board, ending the first half 24-3.

The Corps, desperate to try and wrangle this game back into a more physical, advantageous game for themselves, tried to better establish the run to open the second half, and hopefully score quickly while doing so. If they wanted a way back into the game, they were going to need to start dictating the tempo. While they managed to successfully gain two more first downs on the back of Ellington, they were unfortunately not able to change the pace of the game. They would end up having to punt yet again, giving the ball back to the hot Merchants. McCarthy wasted no time to start the second half, either, finding Hartman for a quick 10 as he dived forward, then Jackson for 16 as she shook free up the middle, and Warner got back to work on the ground, picking up chunks of 5 and 6 at a time, elusively finding lanes on the outside keep the momentum up. The drive culminated in a stunning Warner touchdown, a daring 4-yard plunge up the middle on 3rd-and-goal, where he literally vaulted over a Corps linebacker who had fallen over after a downfield block and crossed the plane in the air.

The score was now 31-3, and still, the Merchants were not done. Not long into the Corps' next possession, Waterman Jr. dropped back looking for a receiver, but the pocket again collapsed around him. Under pressure from Day and Deshpande, he tried to quickly pull back his arm to attempt a throw, but Deshpande knocked it loose form his hands, and Day, trailing the play, fell on the loose fumble at the Corps' 28. It was the second turnover forced by the Merchants' defense, and it gave McCarthy another short field to work with. Two quick completions to Warner and Carey would move the ball to the 8-yard line, and then McCarthy went right back to Jackson. On 1st-and-goal, she faked the handoff to Warner, rolled right, and found Jackson cutting across the back of the endzone. Jackson caught it cleanly for her third touchdown of the game, a hat trick. XtraCola erupted as the score ballooned to 38-3, and Jackson spiked the ball before raising three fingers to the crowd with a wide grin as she jogged back to the sideline.

The Corps, on the other hand, were still having a very tough time getting anything going. Waterman Jr. was able to get the ball out to Colby Armstrong for a nice gain of 17 yards, their longest play of the night, but it would be fruitless as his next three pass attempts would all fail. SapphireCorp still had more juice left in their tank, though, and McCarthy would orchestrate one more methodical march, moving the ball 65 yards in eight plays and culminating in a gorgeous 16-yard touchdown pass to Hartman, who ran a sharp corner route to the back-left of the endzone and made the catch while somehow keeping both feet in bounds. 45-3, and the third quarter ended. That was enough for Grant, who now sent the order to pull the starters for the final quarter. McCarthy jogged to the sideline, pulled off her helmet, and celebrated with Jackson. Her final stats for her final regular-season game: 29/36, 362 yards, five touchdowns, zero interceptions.

It was the first time Grant has pulled his starters all season, but it was clear that with a win, the Merchants had a very high chance of making the playoffs. Up six touchdowns, it looked to be the smart move to preserve the main squad as much as possible. The Corps, tired after painstaking drives against the aggressive Merchants defense and relentless Merchants offense, would still struggle to add to their score any more, only coming away with three more points after another Johnson field goal. The Merchants' B team offense would struggle a little more than their defense, also only coming away with three points in the quarter, after backup sophomore quarterback Nathaniel Key managed to slip a 20-yarder to Jara, setting Smiley up in field goal range. The game would end 48-6, and the Merchants were playoff bound.

Maria McCarthy, as stated, played in top form this game, adding to her collection of five-touchdown performances. Her efficiency was remarkable, completing over 75% of her passes and averaging just about 10 yards per attempt. Something, clearly, has clicked for her since her two interceptions in the Celestia conference championship game. Louise Jackson also had a particularly incredible day, securing 10 catches for 155 yards and three-touchdowns, the most dominant receiving display by any Merchant this season. Warner continued to be a versatile workhorse for the team with 78 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown, grinding out tough yardage around the big Corps defenders all night. His ability to wear down the Corps' defense opened up the passing game in a way that made McCarthy's job easier. He also added 3 receptions for 28 yards.

Despite the incredible offensive performance by the Merchants today, the defense really was the star. Deshpande finished with 2 sacks and was virtually unblockable all afternoon. Hernandez's interception was the highlight, but her 6 tackles and consistent coverage were just as important. Day's fumble recovery in the third quarter snuffed out any remaining hope of a Corps comeback. The Merchants were successfully able to control the narrative of this game, and without the defense's staunch stand it would not have been possible.

Grant was unabashedly smiling during our post-game interview with him:

Three weeks ago, I stood at a podium in Busukuma and told the media that Geraint Short and his staff out-schemed us. That loss taught us something. It taught us that good enough is not good enough at this level, and that preparation is the only currency that matters in this sport. What you saw today was the product of that lesson. Every single person in this program, from the coaching staff to the players to the support staff, took that loss to heart and decided, collectively, to respond. I think we've really shown that we can grow, that we're not just here for fun. And now... a playoff berth. I couldn't be more proud of this group, really, I couldn't. We're going to be coming into the playoffs ready and excited, and whoever we're up against better look out for us.

We now know who the Merchants will be playing in the first round of the playoffs, the #10-seeded University of Columbus-Prairie Blue Jays, the Mineral Conference champions. The Blue Jays won the Mineral Conference with an 8-2 record before defeating Rinaldi Naval Academy 18-15 in overtime in the CCG. Since then, however, the Blue Jays have had very poor luck in nonconference play, falling to #10, and even losing their homefield advantage to the Merchants, a team that lost their CCG. The Blue Jays and Larry Cunningham, their incredibly talented quarterback who defines their offense, will be looking to improve their 1-5 record in the playoffs in the coming matchup. Meanwhile, the Merchants will be looking to manage their first playoff victory, which would be an astounding achievement for the first-year team. XtraCola Stadium will be hosting its first-ever playoff game, and, if the atmosphere today is any indication, the Blue Jays will be walking into a hostile environment. This will be the biggest game in the brief history of SapphireCorp University NSCF football, and tickets are looking to be immensely expensive. If the Merchants advance, they would face the #2-seeded Richardson University, who earned their seed through a dominant Big Eight Conference campaign. That is a bridge to cross if and when we reach it, but many are already theorizing about the matchup.

For now, the Merchants will savor what they've accomplished. Ten wins in their first-ever NSCF season, a perfect out-of-conference record, and a playoff berth earned on merit; whatever happens next, this season has already exceeded every reasonable expectation. SapphireCorp News will have complete coverage of the Merchants' first-ever playoff game, so make sure to stay subscribed.

1st Quarter

SCU: Jackson 24-yd pass from McCarthy (Smiley kick) — SCU 7, DCU 0
SCU: Smiley 42-yd FG — SCU 10, DCU 0

2nd Quarter

SCU: Flanagan 18-yd pass from McCarthy (Smiley kick) — SCU 17, DCU 0
SCU: Waterman Jr. INTERCEPTED by Hernandez (12-yd return) — SCU 17, DCU 0
SCU: Jackson 35-yd pass from McCarthy (Smiley kick) — SCU 24, DCU 0
DCU: Johnson 46-yd FG — SCU 24, DCU 3

3rd Quarter

SCU: Warner 4-yd run (Smiley kick) — SCU 31, DCU 3
SCU: Waterman Jr. FUMBLE recovered by Day (no return) — SCU 31, DCU 3
SCU: Jackson 8-yd pass from McCarthy (Smiley kick) — SCU 38, DCU 3
SCU: Hartman 16-yd pass from McCarthy (Smiley kick) — SCU 45, DCU 3

4th Quarter

DCU: Johnson 39-yd FG — SCU 45, DCU 6
SCU: Smiley 33-yd FG — SCU 48, DCU 6

FINAL: SCU 48, DCU 6

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SapphireCorp News -- NSCF 35