Let's have a quick review from last week's games:
The Sydney Sea Wasps took their record to 7-0 as they faced the Intergalactic Sub-Mariners. The Sea Wasps were expected to win big (80-3) and did just that, 76-10. Sydney WR, Jamie Patterson, had an career type of day with 8 receptions and 229.5 yards for 2 TDs. Also, the famous Sydney HB, Jonathan Eivins, who is having a tremendous season, continued that trend with 29 rushes for 189 yards, 4 receptions for 27.5 yards, and 3 TDs. Finishing out the Sydney Trio was Smoke Rocks, QB, with a spectacular 19 of 21 (90.5% completion percentage) for 300 yards and 3 TDs. ISM did have one bright spot in the 3rd quarter as Kory Gillissie forced Jonathan Eivins to fumble which was recovered by Dempster Fox and returned for 25 yards. Six plays later, Rock Thorson completed a pass to I.C Weiner up the right side for 16.5 yd gain and a TD.
Apia Evil faced off against the Fiji Rage in a hard fought contest. The Evil jumped out to an early lead in this one, going up 28-7 by half time. They coasted the rest of the game until Fiji tried to stage a comeback in the 4th, scoring 14 late points to lead to the final score of 34-21. This is pretty close to expectations as Apia was expected to win 38-24. Big offensive day for the Evil racking up 451 total yards of offense, with HB, Jared Gonsalves, leading the way. But Fiji QB, Troy Murdough, had a great day as well with 26 of 42 passes for 195 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions. Fiji just fell behind early and could never fight their way back.
The Perth Pirates sailed against the DECATUR STALEYS last week. DECATUR was trying to right their ship which was listing quite heavily to port, while Perth’s juggernaut is sailing quite crisply towards port – the playoffs that is. A hard game to judge as the STALEYS will at some point snap out of it, but Perth was favored comfortably as the expected result was 52-30. And that is basically how the game played out with Perth winning 44-23. JT Sanders, Omega Man and Bo Berry all continued to have big games for Perth. For DECATUR, Rohn Jiggins had his steady, good day. All in all, Perth did what they should have done and DECATUR has to find a little easier opponent to start their winning ways against.
The Devonport Devils faced the Komodo Dragons in what looks like it was a landslide. Although, it wasn’t always that way. At the end of the 1st quarter, Komodo was leading 10-7 and were moving the ball pretty well. At the half, it was still a very tough fight as the Devils had taken the lead 21-16. But then the Devils attacked and made 4 interceptions in the 3rd quarter, three of them returned for TDs. The Devils also had their offense rolling for 14 more points, as Devonport put up 35 points in the 3rd and put this game away. The big players of the game were Devonport’s SS, Filthy Ramirez, with 2 picks, 1 for a TD, MLB, Crush Carter with a pick-6, and CB, Jordan Swift with a pick-6. HB Dalton Hill had another solid performance as did QB Michael “Buzz” Hamilton who threw 3 TDs. Devonport was picked to win by 4, 35-31, but the actual score was 70-26.
The Rochester Iroquois faced the Waikiki Wrecks and were expected to take care of them by a score of 30-23. However, Rochester has been following a pattern all season of keeping games close instead of putting opponents away. In this one, that came back to bite them. After the 1st, it was tied 14-14. At half, it was still tied, 14-14. After the 3rd, it was tied 28-28. Every time Rochester scored, Waikiki answered. Every time the Wrecks scored, the Iroquois answered. Then the 4th quarter hit and the wheels fell off of the wagon the Iroquois had stolen and been using all season. The Wrecks got a huge pass and then pounded it in to take the quick lead. The Iroquois offense sputtered on their next possession, but Waikiki didn’t and marched another TD in to go up by 14. Rochester prepared to mount their late comeback with just under 8 minutes left, but Waikiki player, “Blackout” Blake Williams intercepted the Butch Winnfield pass slamming the door on the comeback and securing the Waikiki upset.
The Samoa Savages were in a dog fight against An Album Cover last week. Samoa was picked to win by 18, 38-20; however, AAC had something to say about that. AAC led at the end of the 1st and still at the half. But them the Savages attacked the 3rd qtr with 10 offensive points and a pick-6 interception by Who else Mr. Interception to take a 10 point lead going into the 4th. But AAC didn’t give up making 2 TDs in the 4th, but Samoa answered with their own to keep a 3 point lead going into the last 2 minutes. AAC marched down the field to the 5.5 yard line with 40 seconds remaining. In an attempt to win the game, Brady Jess threw a pass, but “Glue Hands” Jackson stepped in with the play of the week on the 1 yard line and intercepted the pass and returned it 99 yards for the TD to snatch the comeback from AAC and to seal Samoa’s victory by 10, 41-31. Great game by both teams.
Port Moresby Scallywags faced the Alaska Wild Whimps last week and rolled pretty easily. The Scallywags were favored by 14 (27-13) last week, but ran all over the Wild with 576 yards of total offense – that’s pretty offensive. And the score reflected it as the final was 43-10. There were big days by many Port Moresby players, but two stood out: FB dan csi with 7 rushes for 105 yards and a TD, and K Needmore Herb with 5 out of 5 FGs, one from 50+ yards. Of course, you do wonder why they had to kick 5 FGs against Alaska, but that’s another issue.
And finally, “The TOILET BOWL”. I almost missed the write-up on this one. Should I really waste the time? We’ll keep it short. The Tasmania Dragons take their first and only win of the season against the Redcliffe Sharks. The Dragons showed utter dominance by defeating the Sharks 45-17. It was like watching a fireworks show as Tasmania launched their assault on the Sharks to the tune of 487 total yards of offense. Big days by HB Red “GallopingGhost” Grange, WR Throw me the Darn Ball Already, and WR Droped Ball, with each scoring 2 TDs. QB Jesus H Christ also had a good day throwing for 2 TDs. But the most interesting one is QB Pick Me Lapham who threw half of his completions for TDs (3).
Now for the Game 8 Predictions...
Sydney Sea Wasps (7-0) vs Alaska Wild (1-6)
Sydney has another romp this week as they face the Alaska Weak. Not much to say about this other than another big day for the Sydney Trio. Sydney by 77, 83-6.
Apia Evil (7-0) vs Komodo Dragons (3-4)
Apia will face a good opponent in Komodo. Don’t be deceived by their 3-4 record as they have had a brutal schedule so far this season, having already faced 4 of the top 6 teams in Zeta and facing their fifth this week. Apia looks to keep rolling and should be able to take care of Komodo while they are down. Komodo looks to bounce back after the trouncing that they took at the hands of Devonport last week as they had 5 interceptions, 3 of them pick 6s. Barring a disaster like that, Komodo should make this a good game. With a little luck in their favor, they can surprise anyone in Zeta. Could they be the one’s to mess up the Evil’s perfect season? Probably not. Apia is not looking to be surprised; they are looking to roll – roll over the Dragons that is. Apia by 14, 34-20.
Perth Pirates (6-1) vs Tasmania Dragons (1-6)
Tasmania is feeling pretty bold after notching their first win and want to take down Perth in this contest. Ok, wake up Dragons! It’s back to your losing ways for the rest of the season! And Perth will remind you of that very quickly. The Pirates will sail on to victory number 7 without any effort as Perth wins by 77, 87-10.
Devonport Devils (6-1) vs Intergalactic Sub-Mariners (1-6)
Devonport is rolling; Intergalactic is not. This will be a simple blow-out as Devonport gets their 7th win and ISM gets their 7th loss. Devonport by 56, 70-14.
Waikiki Wrecks (6-1) vs Samoa Savages (5-2)
This will be a real battle this week. By defeating Rochester last week, Waikiki has put the bulls-eye on themselves for this game. Samoa knows that they have an outside shot at getting a home playoff game. One of the top 4 will have to stumble, but if they can take out Waikiki in this game, they’ll position themselves in #5 waiting to pounce. The Wrecks on the other hand say look, we have only lost one game and are tied for 3rd. We still don’t get any respect! Another convincing win against a really good team will vault them up in the talks of top 4. But, until then, I can only give Waikiki credit for one big win and that was last week. Samoa has at least taken on 3 good teams and won, although they haven’t been able to knock off one of the top teams. I think the strength of the Savages will prevail in this game, but not by much. If Waikiki comes out of this contest at 7-1, they will have my respect. Samoa by 4, 35-31.
Rochester Iroquois (5-2) vs Recliffe Sharks (0-7)
Rochester has the bye week this game… oh wait, they are playing a scrimmage game against the soon-to-be A team, Redcliffe Sharks. Nothing else to say. Rochester by 82, 92-10.
An Album Cover (3-4) vs Fiji Rage (2-5)
An Album Cover has earned my respect and better than the 3-4 would indicate. They are a team that cannot be taken lightly by anyone. Fiji has 5 losses, but look who they are to: Samoa, Sydney, Komodo, Devonport, and Apia. Can the Fiji defense stop AAC? Can the AAC defense stop Fiji? AAC has earned my respect and I give them the slight advantage. An Album Cover by 6, 30-24.
Port Moresby Scallyways (3-4) vs DECATUR STALEYS (2-5)
Based on the scouting report, these are two evenly matched teams. Port Moresby has the slightly better record. I think their offenses are fairly comparable, but I think the STALEYS defense is better. Therefore I am going out on a limb again (Chief Bootnaka don’t leave me hanging – and stop smokin’ whatever you have in that peace pipe) and pick DECATUR by 7, 27-20.
The Sydney Sea Wasps took their record to 7-0 as they faced the Intergalactic Sub-Mariners. The Sea Wasps were expected to win big (80-3) and did just that, 76-10. Sydney WR, Jamie Patterson, had an career type of day with 8 receptions and 229.5 yards for 2 TDs. Also, the famous Sydney HB, Jonathan Eivins, who is having a tremendous season, continued that trend with 29 rushes for 189 yards, 4 receptions for 27.5 yards, and 3 TDs. Finishing out the Sydney Trio was Smoke Rocks, QB, with a spectacular 19 of 21 (90.5% completion percentage) for 300 yards and 3 TDs. ISM did have one bright spot in the 3rd quarter as Kory Gillissie forced Jonathan Eivins to fumble which was recovered by Dempster Fox and returned for 25 yards. Six plays later, Rock Thorson completed a pass to I.C Weiner up the right side for 16.5 yd gain and a TD.
Apia Evil faced off against the Fiji Rage in a hard fought contest. The Evil jumped out to an early lead in this one, going up 28-7 by half time. They coasted the rest of the game until Fiji tried to stage a comeback in the 4th, scoring 14 late points to lead to the final score of 34-21. This is pretty close to expectations as Apia was expected to win 38-24. Big offensive day for the Evil racking up 451 total yards of offense, with HB, Jared Gonsalves, leading the way. But Fiji QB, Troy Murdough, had a great day as well with 26 of 42 passes for 195 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions. Fiji just fell behind early and could never fight their way back.
The Perth Pirates sailed against the DECATUR STALEYS last week. DECATUR was trying to right their ship which was listing quite heavily to port, while Perth’s juggernaut is sailing quite crisply towards port – the playoffs that is. A hard game to judge as the STALEYS will at some point snap out of it, but Perth was favored comfortably as the expected result was 52-30. And that is basically how the game played out with Perth winning 44-23. JT Sanders, Omega Man and Bo Berry all continued to have big games for Perth. For DECATUR, Rohn Jiggins had his steady, good day. All in all, Perth did what they should have done and DECATUR has to find a little easier opponent to start their winning ways against.
The Devonport Devils faced the Komodo Dragons in what looks like it was a landslide. Although, it wasn’t always that way. At the end of the 1st quarter, Komodo was leading 10-7 and were moving the ball pretty well. At the half, it was still a very tough fight as the Devils had taken the lead 21-16. But then the Devils attacked and made 4 interceptions in the 3rd quarter, three of them returned for TDs. The Devils also had their offense rolling for 14 more points, as Devonport put up 35 points in the 3rd and put this game away. The big players of the game were Devonport’s SS, Filthy Ramirez, with 2 picks, 1 for a TD, MLB, Crush Carter with a pick-6, and CB, Jordan Swift with a pick-6. HB Dalton Hill had another solid performance as did QB Michael “Buzz” Hamilton who threw 3 TDs. Devonport was picked to win by 4, 35-31, but the actual score was 70-26.
The Rochester Iroquois faced the Waikiki Wrecks and were expected to take care of them by a score of 30-23. However, Rochester has been following a pattern all season of keeping games close instead of putting opponents away. In this one, that came back to bite them. After the 1st, it was tied 14-14. At half, it was still tied, 14-14. After the 3rd, it was tied 28-28. Every time Rochester scored, Waikiki answered. Every time the Wrecks scored, the Iroquois answered. Then the 4th quarter hit and the wheels fell off of the wagon the Iroquois had stolen and been using all season. The Wrecks got a huge pass and then pounded it in to take the quick lead. The Iroquois offense sputtered on their next possession, but Waikiki didn’t and marched another TD in to go up by 14. Rochester prepared to mount their late comeback with just under 8 minutes left, but Waikiki player, “Blackout” Blake Williams intercepted the Butch Winnfield pass slamming the door on the comeback and securing the Waikiki upset.
The Samoa Savages were in a dog fight against An Album Cover last week. Samoa was picked to win by 18, 38-20; however, AAC had something to say about that. AAC led at the end of the 1st and still at the half. But them the Savages attacked the 3rd qtr with 10 offensive points and a pick-6 interception by Who else Mr. Interception to take a 10 point lead going into the 4th. But AAC didn’t give up making 2 TDs in the 4th, but Samoa answered with their own to keep a 3 point lead going into the last 2 minutes. AAC marched down the field to the 5.5 yard line with 40 seconds remaining. In an attempt to win the game, Brady Jess threw a pass, but “Glue Hands” Jackson stepped in with the play of the week on the 1 yard line and intercepted the pass and returned it 99 yards for the TD to snatch the comeback from AAC and to seal Samoa’s victory by 10, 41-31. Great game by both teams.
Port Moresby Scallywags faced the Alaska Wild Whimps last week and rolled pretty easily. The Scallywags were favored by 14 (27-13) last week, but ran all over the Wild with 576 yards of total offense – that’s pretty offensive. And the score reflected it as the final was 43-10. There were big days by many Port Moresby players, but two stood out: FB dan csi with 7 rushes for 105 yards and a TD, and K Needmore Herb with 5 out of 5 FGs, one from 50+ yards. Of course, you do wonder why they had to kick 5 FGs against Alaska, but that’s another issue.
And finally, “The TOILET BOWL”. I almost missed the write-up on this one. Should I really waste the time? We’ll keep it short. The Tasmania Dragons take their first and only win of the season against the Redcliffe Sharks. The Dragons showed utter dominance by defeating the Sharks 45-17. It was like watching a fireworks show as Tasmania launched their assault on the Sharks to the tune of 487 total yards of offense. Big days by HB Red “GallopingGhost” Grange, WR Throw me the Darn Ball Already, and WR Droped Ball, with each scoring 2 TDs. QB Jesus H Christ also had a good day throwing for 2 TDs. But the most interesting one is QB Pick Me Lapham who threw half of his completions for TDs (3).
Now for the Game 8 Predictions...
Sydney Sea Wasps (7-0) vs Alaska Wild (1-6)
Sydney has another romp this week as they face the Alaska Weak. Not much to say about this other than another big day for the Sydney Trio. Sydney by 77, 83-6.
Apia Evil (7-0) vs Komodo Dragons (3-4)
Apia will face a good opponent in Komodo. Don’t be deceived by their 3-4 record as they have had a brutal schedule so far this season, having already faced 4 of the top 6 teams in Zeta and facing their fifth this week. Apia looks to keep rolling and should be able to take care of Komodo while they are down. Komodo looks to bounce back after the trouncing that they took at the hands of Devonport last week as they had 5 interceptions, 3 of them pick 6s. Barring a disaster like that, Komodo should make this a good game. With a little luck in their favor, they can surprise anyone in Zeta. Could they be the one’s to mess up the Evil’s perfect season? Probably not. Apia is not looking to be surprised; they are looking to roll – roll over the Dragons that is. Apia by 14, 34-20.
Perth Pirates (6-1) vs Tasmania Dragons (1-6)
Tasmania is feeling pretty bold after notching their first win and want to take down Perth in this contest. Ok, wake up Dragons! It’s back to your losing ways for the rest of the season! And Perth will remind you of that very quickly. The Pirates will sail on to victory number 7 without any effort as Perth wins by 77, 87-10.
Devonport Devils (6-1) vs Intergalactic Sub-Mariners (1-6)
Devonport is rolling; Intergalactic is not. This will be a simple blow-out as Devonport gets their 7th win and ISM gets their 7th loss. Devonport by 56, 70-14.
Waikiki Wrecks (6-1) vs Samoa Savages (5-2)
This will be a real battle this week. By defeating Rochester last week, Waikiki has put the bulls-eye on themselves for this game. Samoa knows that they have an outside shot at getting a home playoff game. One of the top 4 will have to stumble, but if they can take out Waikiki in this game, they’ll position themselves in #5 waiting to pounce. The Wrecks on the other hand say look, we have only lost one game and are tied for 3rd. We still don’t get any respect! Another convincing win against a really good team will vault them up in the talks of top 4. But, until then, I can only give Waikiki credit for one big win and that was last week. Samoa has at least taken on 3 good teams and won, although they haven’t been able to knock off one of the top teams. I think the strength of the Savages will prevail in this game, but not by much. If Waikiki comes out of this contest at 7-1, they will have my respect. Samoa by 4, 35-31.
Rochester Iroquois (5-2) vs Recliffe Sharks (0-7)
Rochester has the bye week this game… oh wait, they are playing a scrimmage game against the soon-to-be A team, Redcliffe Sharks. Nothing else to say. Rochester by 82, 92-10.
An Album Cover (3-4) vs Fiji Rage (2-5)
An Album Cover has earned my respect and better than the 3-4 would indicate. They are a team that cannot be taken lightly by anyone. Fiji has 5 losses, but look who they are to: Samoa, Sydney, Komodo, Devonport, and Apia. Can the Fiji defense stop AAC? Can the AAC defense stop Fiji? AAC has earned my respect and I give them the slight advantage. An Album Cover by 6, 30-24.
Port Moresby Scallyways (3-4) vs DECATUR STALEYS (2-5)
Based on the scouting report, these are two evenly matched teams. Port Moresby has the slightly better record. I think their offenses are fairly comparable, but I think the STALEYS defense is better. Therefore I am going out on a limb again (Chief Bootnaka don’t leave me hanging – and stop smokin’ whatever you have in that peace pipe) and pick DECATUR by 7, 27-20.
