Zeta Pre-season Power Rankings week7 recap, week 8 preview
This week I want to start the power rankings saying congrats to PowersConnection and the Vatican City guys, as they did a hell of a job preparing one of the most important games of the season and they knew exactly where to attack (and to defend) in order to be successful. Yes, they did it. So now, there is only one team who remains unbeaten on Zeta conference and that’s The Hague Pirates, an honor that they should retain until very late on the season as for now there are only a couple of teams that seem to be capable of upset them, and that’s still to be proven.
Back to the game, it was exactly what most people anticipated, a W-A-R with all letters and the full meaning of the word. The game started in a way that could have remember to the previous meeting between VCA and the Pirates, but it was the Bocs this time who took on the role of Mr.Takeaway with a INT early in the game when Vatican was approaching Iberian redzone. It was not only the interception but the following play which was exploited by the Bocs to send a long pass to their star WR Kelowna Madden for an 89 yds TD. The game started looking really good for the hopes of the Spaniards but Vatican is a team toughened by a thousand battles and they took good notes on their game against the Pirates that apply very well on this game.
The show just go own and Vatican started their recital with a n almost perfect drive that lead them to their first FG of the game and field goals were really decisive on this one.
After their first score, they had the first great defensive play of the game when their Special teams unit forced a fumble on Bocs returner Vanco Madden. However they couldn’t go far as the Bocs returned the gift on 3rd & 6 to force Vatican punt. The first quarter was almost finished with only 5 drives so far and high voltage on the field.
Second quarter started with a great effort from the Bocs to move the ball to their opponents 38, but their inability to convert on 3rd down situations was very costly as we will see later. Vatican tried to put another good drive rolling but this time the Bocs defense step up and close them down, that was the prelude for the second score of the game for the Spanish team, when his K Touchback King made a 41 yarder to put the 10-3 on the scoreboard… However the joy didn’t last long as Vatican wanted to keep the game close at all costs and scored their only TD of the game on their following drive after several good plays and some mistakes on the Bocs defense.
That drive put brought almost the end of the second and the expectation couldn’t be higher as both teams had 10 on the electronic at half-time.
After half-time the Vatican guys come to the field with bloodshot eyes and wanting to demonstrate that the win they slipped away against Hague was just a bad dream on their memory. That effort resulted on the second FG of the game and the beginning of the show by their Kicker Richie Folk who kick several times near or over midfield.
At this point the Bocs were very uncomfortable on the field; they had no feeling as the game was very jammed and Vatican was doing a great job keeping them out of rhythm. The third quarter came to an end with the score 13-10 for Vatican.
15 minutes still to play and a lot of things to be decided. The quarter starts with a 3rd & 2 for the Bocs on Vatican redzone, their first trip to the redzone since that early score from K.Madden and there it was Power Krieg to disrupt the screen play and tackle Castillo for a loss of 2 ½ that really kill all the momentum for the Bocs. They did tie the game though with an easy FG from 31 yds, but that was the key play of the game. I must confess that I’m a bit disappointed with that play as I don’t really understand why the hell the HB didn’t move towards the sideline but instead stay frozen within tackling distance… it’s another Bort’s mystery…
On the following drive, Vatican made a great job moving the ball on the air after a good kick return and Richie scored his second 50 yarder of the game in a crucial moment.
From that moment on, it was downhill for Vatican as the Bocs never find the way to put a consistent drive going and Vatican step up from a sack on 3rd & 8 to hit their third kick from midfield on the game. Then they moved the ball until the time run out to get a very important win in the hopes for the #1 seed.
It was a close game, decided by small things and that show that both teams are pretty even and that next time it could fall to whatever side, and after the battle, now Vatican will become the biggest supporter for the Bocs as they need the Iberian team to take a W from the Pirates if they want to have any hope to get the top seed for the playoffs.
And now, let’s see the rankings going into midseason.
-On a class of their own-
1.The Hague Pirates (7-0) W7
One more week and one more win… that seems to be the motto for the Pirates as week 7 let them as the only unbeaten team on Zeta. Will they be able to hold onto the pressure? With their upcoming schedule they better are, as other than 3 more W would mean a HUGE upset for them.
Next three: Nips, Warlords, Stallions
-Still thinking on the top seed-
2.Vatican City Apocalypse (6-1) W4
They couldn’t take revenge from the Pirates on their early confrontation but this time they didn’t want to let business for playoffs and show all their power in their game against the Bocs. There is no doubt that the Vatican City Apocalypse is a great team and a true contender for Zeta Championship this year.
Next three: Nuts, Bulls, London Storm
3.Iberian Bocs (6-1) L1
And it was 6 the far the Bocs could go. A great effort from the holy city guys send them to the third for now, but beware, because a win on the last week matchup against Hague could change everything in Zeta. Next few weeks should allow them to regroup and comeback ready for the week 16 decisive game.
Next three: London Storm, Manglers, Scourge
- Leading the chase -
4.Milano Mamertini (5-2) W3
No surprise this week and Milano keeps their nice streak going. They still have a few more games to increase their winning record before they face their ALL or NOTHING game of the season against the Dragons on week 11.
Next three: Knights, Nips, Warlords
5.Dublin Dragons (5-2) W5
One more week they remain as the true sensation of the year with an impressive 5-0 comeback after their early losses to Wingmen and Vatican. They seem to be the most dangerous contender out of the top3 for now and probably the only team that can really upset any of the Big-3. If they do, they could even dream to host their first playoff game at home on WEA5.
Next three: Warlords, Stallions, Bulls
- Save the season with a post-season game -
6.Bologna Nips (5-2) L1
The Nips faced their first true hard game of the season and I must confess that they did a hell of a job keeping it close. I would have expected Dublin taking it for a bigger distance considering how well they are doing lately but Bologna is determined to be against my predictions and they stay one more week in a comfortable position to make the playoffs.
Next three: Pirates, Milano, Legends
7.Pamplona Bulls (5-2) W1
Bulls are another team with a clear idea on their mind this season. They won’t probably beat any of the big “Barriques” of the league but they haven’t failed to a single a game in which they were supposed to win. Their key game for the rest of the season seems to be that week15 matchup against the Scourge. If they can take the W, they have a lot of tickets to get their post-season place.
Next three: Stallions, Vatican City, Dragons
8.Blackpool Scourge (3-4) L2
The Scourge are saved by the bell because their fellow mates from Bastogne have had an even worse schedule than them on their first year in the A level. They can still save the season with two matchups that are vital for them against the two teams that are on the same business, Bastogne and Pamplona. If they can make both games, they surely get in. If they get on Bastogne, they have a lot of probabilities, but if they fail on both…
Next three: Legends, Snakes, Bocs
- Saying “Thanks Bort for the schedule” -
9.Bastogne Nuts (2-5) L2
There is still one for these guys before they can make a breath of relief. This week they host Vatican to end the worst midseason schedule you can imagine. On the other hand, it means that they look to the next 8 games with great expectations as they will be playing all the teams from “their league”. True that their loss against the Bulls has put them on a difficult situation in an event of a possible three or four team tie but they still have a chance as I think the cut will be 8-8 this year.
Next three: Vatican City, London Storm, Manglers
NOTE ON THE PREDICTIONS: I do not use any of the league projectors, so this is my prediction based purely on observation.
PS – I have bad news guys, as I will be taken a course outside working hours and I don’t know if I will have enough time to make the power rankings… This week you may have noticed that I couldn’t go into much detailed as I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to watch film tape and write more accurate comments.
Anyway, I have enjoyed a lot sharing this with all of you and I promise to keep it going as far as I can.
Enjoy!
This week I want to start the power rankings saying congrats to PowersConnection and the Vatican City guys, as they did a hell of a job preparing one of the most important games of the season and they knew exactly where to attack (and to defend) in order to be successful. Yes, they did it. So now, there is only one team who remains unbeaten on Zeta conference and that’s The Hague Pirates, an honor that they should retain until very late on the season as for now there are only a couple of teams that seem to be capable of upset them, and that’s still to be proven.
Back to the game, it was exactly what most people anticipated, a W-A-R with all letters and the full meaning of the word. The game started in a way that could have remember to the previous meeting between VCA and the Pirates, but it was the Bocs this time who took on the role of Mr.Takeaway with a INT early in the game when Vatican was approaching Iberian redzone. It was not only the interception but the following play which was exploited by the Bocs to send a long pass to their star WR Kelowna Madden for an 89 yds TD. The game started looking really good for the hopes of the Spaniards but Vatican is a team toughened by a thousand battles and they took good notes on their game against the Pirates that apply very well on this game.
The show just go own and Vatican started their recital with a n almost perfect drive that lead them to their first FG of the game and field goals were really decisive on this one.
After their first score, they had the first great defensive play of the game when their Special teams unit forced a fumble on Bocs returner Vanco Madden. However they couldn’t go far as the Bocs returned the gift on 3rd & 6 to force Vatican punt. The first quarter was almost finished with only 5 drives so far and high voltage on the field.
Second quarter started with a great effort from the Bocs to move the ball to their opponents 38, but their inability to convert on 3rd down situations was very costly as we will see later. Vatican tried to put another good drive rolling but this time the Bocs defense step up and close them down, that was the prelude for the second score of the game for the Spanish team, when his K Touchback King made a 41 yarder to put the 10-3 on the scoreboard… However the joy didn’t last long as Vatican wanted to keep the game close at all costs and scored their only TD of the game on their following drive after several good plays and some mistakes on the Bocs defense.
That drive put brought almost the end of the second and the expectation couldn’t be higher as both teams had 10 on the electronic at half-time.
After half-time the Vatican guys come to the field with bloodshot eyes and wanting to demonstrate that the win they slipped away against Hague was just a bad dream on their memory. That effort resulted on the second FG of the game and the beginning of the show by their Kicker Richie Folk who kick several times near or over midfield.
At this point the Bocs were very uncomfortable on the field; they had no feeling as the game was very jammed and Vatican was doing a great job keeping them out of rhythm. The third quarter came to an end with the score 13-10 for Vatican.
15 minutes still to play and a lot of things to be decided. The quarter starts with a 3rd & 2 for the Bocs on Vatican redzone, their first trip to the redzone since that early score from K.Madden and there it was Power Krieg to disrupt the screen play and tackle Castillo for a loss of 2 ½ that really kill all the momentum for the Bocs. They did tie the game though with an easy FG from 31 yds, but that was the key play of the game. I must confess that I’m a bit disappointed with that play as I don’t really understand why the hell the HB didn’t move towards the sideline but instead stay frozen within tackling distance… it’s another Bort’s mystery…
On the following drive, Vatican made a great job moving the ball on the air after a good kick return and Richie scored his second 50 yarder of the game in a crucial moment.
From that moment on, it was downhill for Vatican as the Bocs never find the way to put a consistent drive going and Vatican step up from a sack on 3rd & 8 to hit their third kick from midfield on the game. Then they moved the ball until the time run out to get a very important win in the hopes for the #1 seed.
It was a close game, decided by small things and that show that both teams are pretty even and that next time it could fall to whatever side, and after the battle, now Vatican will become the biggest supporter for the Bocs as they need the Iberian team to take a W from the Pirates if they want to have any hope to get the top seed for the playoffs.
And now, let’s see the rankings going into midseason.
-On a class of their own-
1.The Hague Pirates (7-0) W7
One more week and one more win… that seems to be the motto for the Pirates as week 7 let them as the only unbeaten team on Zeta. Will they be able to hold onto the pressure? With their upcoming schedule they better are, as other than 3 more W would mean a HUGE upset for them.
Next three: Nips, Warlords, Stallions
-Still thinking on the top seed-
2.Vatican City Apocalypse (6-1) W4
They couldn’t take revenge from the Pirates on their early confrontation but this time they didn’t want to let business for playoffs and show all their power in their game against the Bocs. There is no doubt that the Vatican City Apocalypse is a great team and a true contender for Zeta Championship this year.
Next three: Nuts, Bulls, London Storm
3.Iberian Bocs (6-1) L1
And it was 6 the far the Bocs could go. A great effort from the holy city guys send them to the third for now, but beware, because a win on the last week matchup against Hague could change everything in Zeta. Next few weeks should allow them to regroup and comeback ready for the week 16 decisive game.
Next three: London Storm, Manglers, Scourge
- Leading the chase -
4.Milano Mamertini (5-2) W3
No surprise this week and Milano keeps their nice streak going. They still have a few more games to increase their winning record before they face their ALL or NOTHING game of the season against the Dragons on week 11.
Next three: Knights, Nips, Warlords
5.Dublin Dragons (5-2) W5
One more week they remain as the true sensation of the year with an impressive 5-0 comeback after their early losses to Wingmen and Vatican. They seem to be the most dangerous contender out of the top3 for now and probably the only team that can really upset any of the Big-3. If they do, they could even dream to host their first playoff game at home on WEA5.
Next three: Warlords, Stallions, Bulls
- Save the season with a post-season game -
6.Bologna Nips (5-2) L1
The Nips faced their first true hard game of the season and I must confess that they did a hell of a job keeping it close. I would have expected Dublin taking it for a bigger distance considering how well they are doing lately but Bologna is determined to be against my predictions and they stay one more week in a comfortable position to make the playoffs.
Next three: Pirates, Milano, Legends
7.Pamplona Bulls (5-2) W1
Bulls are another team with a clear idea on their mind this season. They won’t probably beat any of the big “Barriques” of the league but they haven’t failed to a single a game in which they were supposed to win. Their key game for the rest of the season seems to be that week15 matchup against the Scourge. If they can take the W, they have a lot of tickets to get their post-season place.
Next three: Stallions, Vatican City, Dragons
8.Blackpool Scourge (3-4) L2
The Scourge are saved by the bell because their fellow mates from Bastogne have had an even worse schedule than them on their first year in the A level. They can still save the season with two matchups that are vital for them against the two teams that are on the same business, Bastogne and Pamplona. If they can make both games, they surely get in. If they get on Bastogne, they have a lot of probabilities, but if they fail on both…
Next three: Legends, Snakes, Bocs
- Saying “Thanks Bort for the schedule” -
9.Bastogne Nuts (2-5) L2
There is still one for these guys before they can make a breath of relief. This week they host Vatican to end the worst midseason schedule you can imagine. On the other hand, it means that they look to the next 8 games with great expectations as they will be playing all the teams from “their league”. True that their loss against the Bulls has put them on a difficult situation in an event of a possible three or four team tie but they still have a chance as I think the cut will be 8-8 this year.
Next three: Vatican City, London Storm, Manglers
NOTE ON THE PREDICTIONS: I do not use any of the league projectors, so this is my prediction based purely on observation.
PS – I have bad news guys, as I will be taken a course outside working hours and I don’t know if I will have enough time to make the power rankings… This week you may have noticed that I couldn’t go into much detailed as I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to watch film tape and write more accurate comments.
Anyway, I have enjoyed a lot sharing this with all of you and I promise to keep it going as far as I can.
Enjoy!
