Back and Better Than Ever
Bel Air Beardogs 32
Oakland Wizards 7
If one were to look at this game by splitting it in half, it would be a much different story than if you were to look at the whole body of work. The first half was a series of statements and answers. The Beardogs fired first with a 39 yard Black field goal which was answered on the next drive by Cody Wilson and Freddie Weathers, who connected 3 times on a drive for 41.5 yards, one of which being an 18.5 yard touchdown pass and catch.
The lead, recently claimed by Oakland, would be relinquished after a 6 and a half minute drive fueled by Bel Air's bruising ground attack with a few key throws included. The result was a Beard OG TD plunge and a Bel Air lead quickly reclaimed.
The Big Ticket and Deep Fried connected several times on the only other Bel Air drive in the 2nd which resulted in points, and the halftime score of 13 to 7 left the final decision very much in question.
As the 2nd half began, Bel Air stalled and left the door wide open for Oakland to get back into the game, though they were stuck deep in their own territory. They managed to claw their way up to mid field but an errant Cody Wilson pass served as Oakland's coffin, crafted by Cordell Walker in the form of a 54 yard interception return touchdown. Another interception by Alexander B. Reasonable served as the nail to Walker's coffin, resulting in the last Beardog touchdown.
The 2nd half proved less dramatic than the first, but Oakland wasn't out of this game until late in the 3rd when a mistake took them out of reach against our tough hometown defense. With only 3 games remaining in the regular season and a Las Vegas team bent on revenge after a few tough weeks, Bel Air still has a few tests before the postseason. If the defense can continue to show up in huge ways and the offense can arrive as they did in this game, Bel Air could be looking at home field in the first round and possibly throughout. But lets not get ahead of ourselves...
Around the League
Our comeback story, the Mist, hit something of a roadblock this week in the form of Spicewood. That left the door wide open for other teams on the comeback trail looking for big wins. Two took the stage: New Brunswick and Hartford, who both defeated their opponents in statement games with playoff implications. Hartford will more than likely end up on the outside looking in, but defeating the Sun Devils is definitly something to build on going into season 3. The n00bs, however, needed this win in a big way to strengthen their playoff dreams.
Las Vegas 10
New Brunswick 13
This was a game of statements and answers, each team attempting to one-up the other. The n00bs began the action with an opening drive Allison field goal that was answered with a Stunner first drive rushing touchdown. Score 7-3 Stunners end 1st. The 2nd quarter began in much the same manner, with New Brunswick making the statement in the form of a Colts Kid pass to Asanti Morgan resulting in a touchdown for the n00bs and a 10-7 lead. The answer? A Jackson field goal which tied the scored at 10 going into the half. The beginning of the 3rd would have seen points for the Stunners if their drive hadn't ended abruptly by a Larenz Tate interception on the n00b 13 yard line. The two teams would trade interceptions early in the 4th, the 2nd favoring the n00bs and would result in the deciding field goal. Definitly a game of statements and answers. You score, we score. You intercept a pass, we intercept a pass. Back and forth all game, and the decision was huge for the n00bs playoff dreams.
RGB 0
Great Plains 65
Now I'm no mind reader, but its pretty clear that the Reapers were angry going into this contest and poor RGB suffered for it. Two different Reaper quarterbacks had multi-touchdown games, one going for 100+ (Ortiz) the other going for 200+ (Fry) and Henriques the Englishman benefitted from both with 13 receptions for 110 and 3 touchdowns. All in all? 331 passing yards and 555 total yards for the Reapers on the way to a face smashing of the Berzerk who did very little berserking in this one, on their way to 47 total yards. Positives for RGB? Umm... at least they didn't lose a fumble and only threw one interception? Awooga broke a few tackles to probably avoid a negative yard game.
Scottsdale 20
Hartford 23
Hartford desperately needed to remove some of the water their sinking ship has been acquiring over the past 7 games, 6 of which being losses after a strong 4 and 1 start. Enter Scottsdale, who proved to be a perfectly acceptable bucket for said water removal. No one player truly dominated this game, it was a collective effort for both teams leading to a tie ballgame going into the 4th. Hartford was hiring heroes, and Tits McGhee filled the position in grand fashion with a 35 yard game winning field goal with 1 second remaining in the game. What started the drive, though, was a Martin Bonilla interception which crushed the Sun Devils last drive and put the Hellhounds in position for McGhee to win the game. Congratulations to Hartford is due, this was definitly the best game of the week from an excitement stand point.
Dallas 29
Chicago 0
Seeing 0 points for the Clams is nothing new. 7 of the 13 games they've played have ended with a goose egg on the Chicago scoreboard, and only once have they scored double digit points. Dallas had a Safety though, and thats just sweet so props to Zach Flugence who tackled Chicago fullback Big D in the endzone after a completed pass. Bizlop Styros put a lot of stats on the board solidifying Dallas's defensive effort with 6 tackles, one for a loss, a hurry, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection. Thats what we like to call a... pentagon of pain? 5 way threat works fine I guess, either way if there was a GLB Fantasy League Styros would have put up huges numbers for his owner this week.
Portland 6
Waco 44
What do you think happens when you score double digit points in every quarter? I would say usually a win, and this was no exception. Waco put up 10 or more points in each of the 4 quarters, led by another 200+ 2 TD game by Laurie and a tandem 100+ rushing day for Waco's star backs, Zippit and Puck. Portland's Balzonia got in on the action in a losing effort with 13 receptions for 117.5 yards.
Spicewood 27
Grand Haven 3
The stage was set for a giant matchup. Grand Haven was at home with a restructured squad and all-time high team morale after grabbing 4 wins out of their last 7 games. Spicewood acted like the evil villain who seeks to crush and destroy all thats good in the world and derail the Grand Haven comeback train. I guess all stories don't have happy endings, because the Longhorns played out their evil schemes on the way to a decisive victory. The game itself was pretty cookie cutterish (yes, I made up another word). Huge total yard advantage and turnover differential to Spicewood coupled with effective running game led to a victory. Grand Haven can't throw 4 interceptions and win a game against a team like Spicewood, but they didn't just roll over either. All things considered, holding Spicewood to 29 at the end of this game could be considered a moral victory. JR West of Spicewood gets shout-outted to because of his 7 tackle, 2 for a loss, multi sack monster game.
Miami X
Ambridge Less than X (A lot less)
This is basically the jist of how Ambridge games go. Opponent shows up, sees Ambridge on the field, laughs, and then scores at least 30 points to the zero Ambridge will undoubtedly post. In this case it was 48 for the Cyclones to, you guessed it, 0 for Ambridge. I mean... Ambridge stats don't really count. Congratulations on your bye week win Miami, everyone gets one! (Except Ambridge)
Closing Statements
The degree of importance of New Brunswick's win is almost immeasurable. They effectively sealed a 10 and 6 record which will probably mean they avoid Waco or Bel Air in the first round of the playoffs. Great Plains, Waco, Spicewood, Bel Air, and Dallas all took care of business with only Oakland being left out of the "taking-care-of-business" party. All in all, at least in the opinion of this author, it seems as if the Western conference has gone into a lull as everyone awaits the playoffs. Don't worry, A7 faithful, the playoffs loom, only days away! Personally, I can't wait for week 16 so that East v West can take out our frustrations on each other in Civil War style chaos.
I apologize again to anyone who reads this article for missing last set of games. Everyone has emergencies right? My apologies
Bel Air Beardogs 32
Oakland Wizards 7
If one were to look at this game by splitting it in half, it would be a much different story than if you were to look at the whole body of work. The first half was a series of statements and answers. The Beardogs fired first with a 39 yard Black field goal which was answered on the next drive by Cody Wilson and Freddie Weathers, who connected 3 times on a drive for 41.5 yards, one of which being an 18.5 yard touchdown pass and catch.
The lead, recently claimed by Oakland, would be relinquished after a 6 and a half minute drive fueled by Bel Air's bruising ground attack with a few key throws included. The result was a Beard OG TD plunge and a Bel Air lead quickly reclaimed.
The Big Ticket and Deep Fried connected several times on the only other Bel Air drive in the 2nd which resulted in points, and the halftime score of 13 to 7 left the final decision very much in question.
As the 2nd half began, Bel Air stalled and left the door wide open for Oakland to get back into the game, though they were stuck deep in their own territory. They managed to claw their way up to mid field but an errant Cody Wilson pass served as Oakland's coffin, crafted by Cordell Walker in the form of a 54 yard interception return touchdown. Another interception by Alexander B. Reasonable served as the nail to Walker's coffin, resulting in the last Beardog touchdown.
The 2nd half proved less dramatic than the first, but Oakland wasn't out of this game until late in the 3rd when a mistake took them out of reach against our tough hometown defense. With only 3 games remaining in the regular season and a Las Vegas team bent on revenge after a few tough weeks, Bel Air still has a few tests before the postseason. If the defense can continue to show up in huge ways and the offense can arrive as they did in this game, Bel Air could be looking at home field in the first round and possibly throughout. But lets not get ahead of ourselves...
Around the League
Our comeback story, the Mist, hit something of a roadblock this week in the form of Spicewood. That left the door wide open for other teams on the comeback trail looking for big wins. Two took the stage: New Brunswick and Hartford, who both defeated their opponents in statement games with playoff implications. Hartford will more than likely end up on the outside looking in, but defeating the Sun Devils is definitly something to build on going into season 3. The n00bs, however, needed this win in a big way to strengthen their playoff dreams.
Las Vegas 10
New Brunswick 13
This was a game of statements and answers, each team attempting to one-up the other. The n00bs began the action with an opening drive Allison field goal that was answered with a Stunner first drive rushing touchdown. Score 7-3 Stunners end 1st. The 2nd quarter began in much the same manner, with New Brunswick making the statement in the form of a Colts Kid pass to Asanti Morgan resulting in a touchdown for the n00bs and a 10-7 lead. The answer? A Jackson field goal which tied the scored at 10 going into the half. The beginning of the 3rd would have seen points for the Stunners if their drive hadn't ended abruptly by a Larenz Tate interception on the n00b 13 yard line. The two teams would trade interceptions early in the 4th, the 2nd favoring the n00bs and would result in the deciding field goal. Definitly a game of statements and answers. You score, we score. You intercept a pass, we intercept a pass. Back and forth all game, and the decision was huge for the n00bs playoff dreams.
RGB 0
Great Plains 65
Now I'm no mind reader, but its pretty clear that the Reapers were angry going into this contest and poor RGB suffered for it. Two different Reaper quarterbacks had multi-touchdown games, one going for 100+ (Ortiz) the other going for 200+ (Fry) and Henriques the Englishman benefitted from both with 13 receptions for 110 and 3 touchdowns. All in all? 331 passing yards and 555 total yards for the Reapers on the way to a face smashing of the Berzerk who did very little berserking in this one, on their way to 47 total yards. Positives for RGB? Umm... at least they didn't lose a fumble and only threw one interception? Awooga broke a few tackles to probably avoid a negative yard game.
Scottsdale 20
Hartford 23
Hartford desperately needed to remove some of the water their sinking ship has been acquiring over the past 7 games, 6 of which being losses after a strong 4 and 1 start. Enter Scottsdale, who proved to be a perfectly acceptable bucket for said water removal. No one player truly dominated this game, it was a collective effort for both teams leading to a tie ballgame going into the 4th. Hartford was hiring heroes, and Tits McGhee filled the position in grand fashion with a 35 yard game winning field goal with 1 second remaining in the game. What started the drive, though, was a Martin Bonilla interception which crushed the Sun Devils last drive and put the Hellhounds in position for McGhee to win the game. Congratulations to Hartford is due, this was definitly the best game of the week from an excitement stand point.
Dallas 29
Chicago 0
Seeing 0 points for the Clams is nothing new. 7 of the 13 games they've played have ended with a goose egg on the Chicago scoreboard, and only once have they scored double digit points. Dallas had a Safety though, and thats just sweet so props to Zach Flugence who tackled Chicago fullback Big D in the endzone after a completed pass. Bizlop Styros put a lot of stats on the board solidifying Dallas's defensive effort with 6 tackles, one for a loss, a hurry, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection. Thats what we like to call a... pentagon of pain? 5 way threat works fine I guess, either way if there was a GLB Fantasy League Styros would have put up huges numbers for his owner this week.
Portland 6
Waco 44
What do you think happens when you score double digit points in every quarter? I would say usually a win, and this was no exception. Waco put up 10 or more points in each of the 4 quarters, led by another 200+ 2 TD game by Laurie and a tandem 100+ rushing day for Waco's star backs, Zippit and Puck. Portland's Balzonia got in on the action in a losing effort with 13 receptions for 117.5 yards.
Spicewood 27
Grand Haven 3
The stage was set for a giant matchup. Grand Haven was at home with a restructured squad and all-time high team morale after grabbing 4 wins out of their last 7 games. Spicewood acted like the evil villain who seeks to crush and destroy all thats good in the world and derail the Grand Haven comeback train. I guess all stories don't have happy endings, because the Longhorns played out their evil schemes on the way to a decisive victory. The game itself was pretty cookie cutterish (yes, I made up another word). Huge total yard advantage and turnover differential to Spicewood coupled with effective running game led to a victory. Grand Haven can't throw 4 interceptions and win a game against a team like Spicewood, but they didn't just roll over either. All things considered, holding Spicewood to 29 at the end of this game could be considered a moral victory. JR West of Spicewood gets shout-outted to because of his 7 tackle, 2 for a loss, multi sack monster game.
Miami X
Ambridge Less than X (A lot less)
This is basically the jist of how Ambridge games go. Opponent shows up, sees Ambridge on the field, laughs, and then scores at least 30 points to the zero Ambridge will undoubtedly post. In this case it was 48 for the Cyclones to, you guessed it, 0 for Ambridge. I mean... Ambridge stats don't really count. Congratulations on your bye week win Miami, everyone gets one! (Except Ambridge)
Closing Statements
The degree of importance of New Brunswick's win is almost immeasurable. They effectively sealed a 10 and 6 record which will probably mean they avoid Waco or Bel Air in the first round of the playoffs. Great Plains, Waco, Spicewood, Bel Air, and Dallas all took care of business with only Oakland being left out of the "taking-care-of-business" party. All in all, at least in the opinion of this author, it seems as if the Western conference has gone into a lull as everyone awaits the playoffs. Don't worry, A7 faithful, the playoffs loom, only days away! Personally, I can't wait for week 16 so that East v West can take out our frustrations on each other in Civil War style chaos.
I apologize again to anyone who reads this article for missing last set of games. Everyone has emergencies right? My apologies
