The Dresden Docket reports...
The Dresden Warlords' amazing inaugural season came to a sudden stop today just one game short of the league championship, when the Dublin Irishmen eked out a 17-12 win in the Alpha Conference title game.
Dresden's defense managed to start off well, forcing Dublin to punt on their game-opening series.
The Warlords took advantage of their first possession, driving more than 60 yards on 10 plays, but the drive sputtered inside the 20, leaving Dresden to settle for a field goal.
The Warlords' defense held Dublin in check the whole first-half, highlighted by a jarring hit by defensive end Ben "Sack Master" Sanderson's on Dublin's star halfback Flazenbock Nordstrom, forcing a fumble and setting up one of Dresden's two second-quarter field goals.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12880602
Linebacker Kevin "Hitman" Taylor also forced a Nordstrom fumble in the first half, but Dublin was able to recover that.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12880602
Defensive end Stone "Sack Master" Wall, already a candidate for Defensive MVP, was able to get to Dublin's QB twice in the first-quarter, including a big sack on a 4th down.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12880636
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12880692
Heading into halftime, Dresden led 9-0. But Dublin turned it on in the third-quarter, scoring two straight touchdowns and eliminating the Warlords' rushing attack.
Dresden's defense came out in the fourth-quarter swinging, as Kevin "Hitman" Taylor intercepted Dublin's A1ex Roberts, the conference's top-rated passer, and set up another field goal, to bring the game within 2 points with less than 10 minutes left on the clock.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12883340
But Dublin was able to move the ball in the end, driving down for a 6-minute, 12-play drive that ended with a 44.5-yard field goal.
Yet, Dresden was still very much alive. With 80 yards between them and paydirt, the Warlords' two-headed passing attack when into action. QBs Joti Vyin and Tavares 'Drop Da Bomb' Erasmus led the way, driving down to Dublin's 17-yard-line with just less than a minute left. But in the end, Dublin came up with a huge stop on 4th and 7 to clinch the game.
After the final whistle, much of the hostility that filled the league forums seemed to be pushed aside.
valakar, who was in the middle of the most intense pregame arguments and the agent of three of Dresden's top players, extended his congratulations to Dublin.
"[Good game] to you, as well," valakar wrote to the Irishmen in the league forum. "[It] was a defensive battle, that is for sure. Not much offense on either side really. We had more total yards, but you had the important stat of more total points."
That was the fewest points any team has held Dublin's offense to since week two and the fewest they scored in a win. Dresden had more than 300 yards passing and more total yards, 290.5 to 330.5.
"It was a close, hard fought game, and really shows the competitiveness of the Alpha Conference," cherrie, the owner of the Irishmen, told the Dresden Docket. "While [Zeta Conference champs Bjelasnica] Red Star seems to be happy not to have competition, Dublin is happy to have had competition. To us, it makes the GAME more fun and interesting."
There is strong possibility both Dresden and Dublin will be promoted to the Western Europe A #6 League, but that will be determined in the coming days.
"Dresden is a great team," cherrie added, "and I'm afraid we will probably be seeing them more next season in A#6, as with 3 CPU teams, they may well promote some of the teams that would not be promoted."
Dresden awarded its offensive game ball goes to QB Tavares 'Drop Da Bomb' Erasmus. His passing yards came from screens and throwing down field. He also dealt very well with a lot of pressure. He had game highs in passing yards (177.5), completions (16), completion percentage (72.7) and yards per attempt (8.1).
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12880823
Today's Warlords defensive game ball went to Ben "Sack Master" Sanderson. He had a sack, four tackles and a hurry, but his hustle and hard hitting forced a fumble that nearly won the game for Dresden.
Dresden's special teams game ball for special teams was awarded to to Chris "CP3" Paul, who had all Dresden's points today. He nailed four field goals on four tries, including two from beyond 40 yards.
A Dresden game ball also went to the team's game MVP -- WR Corey Breaker. His 13 catches for 156 yards are new team records. He was a reliable target all day, on the edges and over the middle. He accounted for 47 percent of our offense today.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12880185
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12880849
There were several other notable Warlords performances today.
WR Percival "Perry" Cox grabbed 9 catches for 106 yards; QB Joti Vyin went 14/25 for 139.5 yards; offensive tackle John Fina had a game-high 8 pancakes; LB Manny Erwin Jr. had a team-record 12 tackles, SS Flea Johnson had 7; DE Stone "Sack Master" Wall furthered his bid for Defensive MVP with 3 sacks, 2 hurries and 5 tackles, 2 of which were for losses; LB Jan I'tor had 5 tackles; Kevin "Hitman" Taylor's interception and forced fumble almost earned him a game ball; and punter Scoota JR. kept us in good field position all day with 3 boots for 127 yards and an impressive 42.3-yard-per punt average.
Other highlights for Dresden today:
With the fate of the season hanging in the balance, QB Joti Vyin dropped back on 4th and 15 down by 5 with less than two minutes left. He hit Corey Breaker over the middle for 25.5 yards and a huge first down.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12884705
DE Ben "Sack Master" Sanderson forced what could have been the biggest fumble of the year with a wicked hit on Flazenbock Nordstrom, one of the best half backs in the league. DT lenn "Swamp Thing" Dorsey dove on the ball, giving Dresden prime field position that directly led to Dresden points.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12881199
Boxscore: http://goallineblitz.com/game/game.pl?game_id=287588
Play by Play: http://goallineblitz.com/game/game.pl?game_id=287588&mode=pbp
Dublin now will play the Zeta Conference champs Bjelasnica Red Star Saturday for the League Championship.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/compare_teams.pl?team1=6244&team2=6251
The Dresden Warlords' amazing inaugural season came to a sudden stop today just one game short of the league championship, when the Dublin Irishmen eked out a 17-12 win in the Alpha Conference title game.
Dresden's defense managed to start off well, forcing Dublin to punt on their game-opening series.
The Warlords took advantage of their first possession, driving more than 60 yards on 10 plays, but the drive sputtered inside the 20, leaving Dresden to settle for a field goal.
The Warlords' defense held Dublin in check the whole first-half, highlighted by a jarring hit by defensive end Ben "Sack Master" Sanderson's on Dublin's star halfback Flazenbock Nordstrom, forcing a fumble and setting up one of Dresden's two second-quarter field goals.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12880602
Linebacker Kevin "Hitman" Taylor also forced a Nordstrom fumble in the first half, but Dublin was able to recover that.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12880602
Defensive end Stone "Sack Master" Wall, already a candidate for Defensive MVP, was able to get to Dublin's QB twice in the first-quarter, including a big sack on a 4th down.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12880636
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12880692
Heading into halftime, Dresden led 9-0. But Dublin turned it on in the third-quarter, scoring two straight touchdowns and eliminating the Warlords' rushing attack.
Dresden's defense came out in the fourth-quarter swinging, as Kevin "Hitman" Taylor intercepted Dublin's A1ex Roberts, the conference's top-rated passer, and set up another field goal, to bring the game within 2 points with less than 10 minutes left on the clock.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12883340
But Dublin was able to move the ball in the end, driving down for a 6-minute, 12-play drive that ended with a 44.5-yard field goal.
Yet, Dresden was still very much alive. With 80 yards between them and paydirt, the Warlords' two-headed passing attack when into action. QBs Joti Vyin and Tavares 'Drop Da Bomb' Erasmus led the way, driving down to Dublin's 17-yard-line with just less than a minute left. But in the end, Dublin came up with a huge stop on 4th and 7 to clinch the game.
After the final whistle, much of the hostility that filled the league forums seemed to be pushed aside.
valakar, who was in the middle of the most intense pregame arguments and the agent of three of Dresden's top players, extended his congratulations to Dublin.
"[Good game] to you, as well," valakar wrote to the Irishmen in the league forum. "[It] was a defensive battle, that is for sure. Not much offense on either side really. We had more total yards, but you had the important stat of more total points."
That was the fewest points any team has held Dublin's offense to since week two and the fewest they scored in a win. Dresden had more than 300 yards passing and more total yards, 290.5 to 330.5.
"It was a close, hard fought game, and really shows the competitiveness of the Alpha Conference," cherrie, the owner of the Irishmen, told the Dresden Docket. "While [Zeta Conference champs Bjelasnica] Red Star seems to be happy not to have competition, Dublin is happy to have had competition. To us, it makes the GAME more fun and interesting."
There is strong possibility both Dresden and Dublin will be promoted to the Western Europe A #6 League, but that will be determined in the coming days.
"Dresden is a great team," cherrie added, "and I'm afraid we will probably be seeing them more next season in A#6, as with 3 CPU teams, they may well promote some of the teams that would not be promoted."
Dresden awarded its offensive game ball goes to QB Tavares 'Drop Da Bomb' Erasmus. His passing yards came from screens and throwing down field. He also dealt very well with a lot of pressure. He had game highs in passing yards (177.5), completions (16), completion percentage (72.7) and yards per attempt (8.1).
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12880823
Today's Warlords defensive game ball went to Ben "Sack Master" Sanderson. He had a sack, four tackles and a hurry, but his hustle and hard hitting forced a fumble that nearly won the game for Dresden.
Dresden's special teams game ball for special teams was awarded to to Chris "CP3" Paul, who had all Dresden's points today. He nailed four field goals on four tries, including two from beyond 40 yards.
A Dresden game ball also went to the team's game MVP -- WR Corey Breaker. His 13 catches for 156 yards are new team records. He was a reliable target all day, on the edges and over the middle. He accounted for 47 percent of our offense today.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12880185
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12880849
There were several other notable Warlords performances today.
WR Percival "Perry" Cox grabbed 9 catches for 106 yards; QB Joti Vyin went 14/25 for 139.5 yards; offensive tackle John Fina had a game-high 8 pancakes; LB Manny Erwin Jr. had a team-record 12 tackles, SS Flea Johnson had 7; DE Stone "Sack Master" Wall furthered his bid for Defensive MVP with 3 sacks, 2 hurries and 5 tackles, 2 of which were for losses; LB Jan I'tor had 5 tackles; Kevin "Hitman" Taylor's interception and forced fumble almost earned him a game ball; and punter Scoota JR. kept us in good field position all day with 3 boots for 127 yards and an impressive 42.3-yard-per punt average.
Other highlights for Dresden today:
With the fate of the season hanging in the balance, QB Joti Vyin dropped back on 4th and 15 down by 5 with less than two minutes left. He hit Corey Breaker over the middle for 25.5 yards and a huge first down.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12884705
DE Ben "Sack Master" Sanderson forced what could have been the biggest fumble of the year with a wicked hit on Flazenbock Nordstrom, one of the best half backs in the league. DT lenn "Swamp Thing" Dorsey dove on the ball, giving Dresden prime field position that directly led to Dresden points.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=287588&pbp_id=12881199
Boxscore: http://goallineblitz.com/game/game.pl?game_id=287588
Play by Play: http://goallineblitz.com/game/game.pl?game_id=287588&mode=pbp
Dublin now will play the Zeta Conference champs Bjelasnica Red Star Saturday for the League Championship.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/compare_teams.pl?team1=6244&team2=6251
