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+---- Thread: *Myrtle Beach's S22 (Part 2 of 2) (/showthread.php?tid=22422)
*Myrtle Beach's S22 (Part 2 of 2) - Gwdjohnson - 05-25-2020
Defending Ultimini champions Myrtle Beach Buccaneers did not enjoy the best first half of the S22 seasons, as they went 3-4, losing consecutive matches in game weeks 5, 6 and 7. Aiming to bounce back in the second half of the season so that they can make the playoffs, here is how the rest of the season, games 8-14, played out. Part one of the season can be found right here.
Game 8 vs
- 16-13 WMyrtle Beach bounced back from their 3 game losing skid to jump back to a .500 win percentage and season sweep Portland with a narrow 16-13 victory in the Buccaneers home arena. They had a tremendous first half that saw all 16 of their points on the game scored, with Solarin scoring 3 field goals while running back Nick Ayers tallied another touchdown. The second half was a different story, as the Pythons fought back with 10 unanswered points to make it 16-13, but it was too little, too late, as that would be how the game ended. It was a massive result for Myrtle Beach after losing three in a row, and now back to a 4-4 record, they would hope to build off the combo breaking result.
Game 9 @
- 25-20 LThis game was a tale of two halves for sure, as in the first half everything was going very smoothly for Myrtle Beach, and then from there they lost control of the match and their winning position as a result. Things got off to a great start, as a couple field goals from Solarin plus a short rushing touchdown from 3 Jeffrey set a good early tone at 13-3 going into halftime. However, the Buccaneers totally lost the plot in the third quarter, as midway through, Bobby Broomski scored a field goal, followed by an almost immediate safety conceded by Chris Ramos to bring the score within 5. A few minutes later, Broomski scored another field goal, and running back Bob Murphy scored to suddenly flip the script to a Dallas advantage. Things went from bad to worse when Kichwa Jones scored a short run to bring the deficit to 12, and although Nick Ayers managed to bring the score within 5 with a touchdown of his own late on, Myrtle Beach would lose 25-20, and fall to a 4-5 record.
Game 10 vs
- 17-14 LVery similarly to their previous game against Dallas, the Buccaneers lost out at home to Tijuana, as they were once again punished for their inability to see out a winning halftime position. Things got off to a fantastic start, when despite conceding the first points of the game, a Luchadores field goal from Jacob Small, Myrtle Beach responded with a pair of short touchdowns by Nick Ayers to make it 14-3 at the half. However, it was only downhill from there, as after a couple more field goals by Small to make it 14-10, Chris Ramos made a major mistake in throwing a horrible pick to Literally Just A Hexagon, who ran it all the way into the end zone from there for a 48 yard interception return touchdown, which ended up being the only further points scored that game. The game concluded 17-14 for Tijuana, and things just kept looking worse and worse for the defending champs, who fell to a 4-6 record after this result.
Game 11 @
- 31-13 WWith a second convincing win this season against Kansas City, the Buccaneers broke their trend of throwing away winning positions in this match. It was once again a dream start for Myrtle Beach, as within the first few minutes Chris Ramos managed to take a QB rush 92 yards for a touchdown to open the game's scoring. After a field goal was scored by Kansas City's Karmichael Hunt, Leeroy Jenkins proceeded to somehow outdo Ramos' TD rush for a whopping 99-yard kickoff return touchdown to make the score 14-3 in just the first quarter. The scoring didn't end there, though, as late on in the quarter Garfield Despacito Jr. made his first TD catch in many weeks to give the Buccaneers a 21-3 advantage. Going into the second half with a 21-6 scoreline, Myrtle Beach this time followed through on their advantage by adding onto it with a short touchdown by James Angler, followed by a field goal from Solarin. Andrew Nova scored a big 83-yard touchdown run midway through the 4th quarter for the Coyotes, but it was too little, too late, as the Buccaneers took this one 31-13 for their record to improve to 5-6, and put them back in the push for a playoff spot late on in the season.
Game 12 vs
- 36-21 WA trend in this second half of the season has been strong first halves for Myrtle Beach, and it continued to be the case when they hosted the London Royals in matchweek 12, as they improved to two wins in a row to push their record back to break even. Things got off to a great start early in the first half, as Nick Ayers scored a rushing touchdown in the first couple minutes, and then under a minute and a half later Colby Jack got tackled for a safety to make it 9-0. In the second quarter, Solarin booted a couple field goals, and Despacito Jr. made a short catch for his second touchdown in as many games, to send the Buccaneers into the second half with a commanding 22-0 lead. Susan Cash Jr. got a TD on the board to stop the Royals from being blanked, but Jenkins and Clark Boyd made a couple touchdown receptions to make the score lopsided enough at 36-7. Donatello Arrabiata scored two touchdowns in the final quarter, showing still that Myrtle Beach have some discomfort late in games despite the huge offensive showing, but it was nonetheless a massive 36-21 win for the Buccaneers, who improved to a 6-6 record, and started looking like major competitors for a postseason spot in a contentious division.
Game 13 @
- 17-13 WIn a very tightly, contested match that could have gone either way, Myrtle Beach got a massive result in Minnesota that saw them improve to above .500 for the first time since the early portion of the season, and set the stage for a massive week 14. Minnesota led the first quarter after running back Jamar Lackson canceled out a Solarin field goal to make it 7-3, but it was a tied game at the half. Despacito Jr. got a touchdown catch for the third game in a row, followed by a field goal from the Birddogs' Phillip Stein for a 10-10 game going into the third quarter. Stein scored another field goal to give Minnesota an early three point lead in the second half, but later on in the quarter 3 Jeffrey managed to pierce the Birddogs defense to score a rushing touchdown, and make it 17-13. Myrtle Beach then managed to put the Minnesota offense on lockdown in the final frame of the match, and the game concluded with the Buccaneers narrowly taking it. This result put them up to a record of 7-6, and set the stage for what was going to be a thrilling week 14 match against the Seawolves. The Buccaneers would have to win this one to be able to make the playoffs, and with their performances at the end of the season, they seemed ready to.
Game 14 vs
- 27-24 LIn what was the grandstand finish to Myrtle Beach's season that everyone expected, an epic contest between the Buccaneers and Seawolves saw Norfolk unfortunately emerge as the victors after an incredibly tight match that required overtime to decide. For once in this second half of the season, it was Myrtle Beach who had the awful start to their match, as after Sidekickieboy Bauer scored a field goal early on, two consecutive interception return touchdowns were scored for Norfolk by DB Jadakiss and Thubba Bumper for a 17-0 first quarter scoreline. Ayers scored a run to make it 17-7 at halftime, and that marked a big comeback momentum swing for the Buccaneers. Clark Boyd and James Angler made a couple big touchdown catches to shift the game to Myrtle Beach's advantage, although Tequila Sunrise gave the lead back to Norfolk with a big catching touchdown to make it 24-21 going into the fourth quarter. Kal Solarin scored an early 35 yard field goal to make it 24-24, and from there no offense could solve the other's defense, making OT how the game would be decided. After an overtime where no one could find a way through, it was heartbreak for Myrtle Beach when Bauer converted a field goal with just over 3 minutes left to win it for the Seawolves, sealing last place in the division for the Buccaneers.
All in all, Myrtle Beach did absolutely have a season that fell short of expectations, coming last in their division with a 7-7 record, after their championship run last season, but the team showed many encouraging stretches of performance over the season, and after an offseason to regroup and refocus, the Buccaneers will be more than ready to get back to the top in S23.
Code:
About 1550 words, ready for grading