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+---- Thread: *DSFL Kansas City Coyotes Year Review (/showthread.php?tid=27242)
*DSFL Kansas City Coyotes Year Review - Alucas - 11-09-2020
Please don't be too harsh, I wrote some of these immediately after games and some later on - enjoy (if you can)
Week 1
Kansas City Coyotes vs. Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
Final Result - Coyotes 7 vs Buccaneers 33
In the first game of our season we had a tough match up against the Buccaneers. We came into the game with high hopes and motivation to pull out a good performance. However this was not meant to be our game, Myrtle Beach QB J Daytona had a great first game and put up 214 yards against us with two touchdowns. Meanwhile we struggled to gain traction offensively, after a reasonably close first quarter the Buccaneers turned on the burners giving themselves a 30 point lead and we didn't get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter. Someone must have greased up our ball as we fumbled the ball twice and had one pick go against us. Unfortunately these turnovers cost us the game and despite some great defensive performances such as the defensive player of the game - Tony Yeboah with 8 tackles and a sack we were not able to pull through. This was the first game of many for our defensive side and it was a tough start and a wake up call that we all needed to perform and continue to develop. Offensively we had a rough day but we knew we could bounce back in the next game with some good rookies ready to prove themselves. The bones of a good offense was there, we just needed to reduce our turnovers and become more effective at running the ball.
Week 2
Kansas City Coyotes vs. Norfolk Seawolves
Final Result - Coyotes 20 vs Buccaneers 7
On our second straight road game to start the season at our SFC friends the Norfolk Seawolves we knew that we needed to step up and provide a better result. It was slow going in the first quarter with some solid defense on both sides of the ball resulting in a slim 7-3 lead to the Seawolves. This would prove to be the theme of the day as both teams slugged it out in a reasonably low scoring affair. The Coyotes would take the lead late before the half from a nice 27 yar pass from our QB Matt Peterson which was a good feeling going into halftime. Third quarter was much more of the same with no scoring done by either side and finally a little bit of offense in the final quarter with a second score for Kitchens with his second rushing touchdown of the season to cap off his other first receiving touchdown he had in the first half. The Seawolves had a great rushing game from Mr Forty Two who had a touchdown and 88 yards, some good signs for the rookie. We managed to hold onto the ball this time around with no fumbles and just one pick going against us which helped give the defense some rest. Defensively we were held together by our line backers making some great performances. T Rose our star linebacker came away with 11 tackles with two tackles for a loss and even rookie linebacker A.J Lucas had 7 tackles, two for a loss and his first ever DSFL sack. Quick shoutout to the offensive line in this game only allowing 2 sacks and R Frost throwing down 5 pancakes, this allowed Kitchens and Hopkins to eat! With our record now at 1-1 we were feeling a bit more confident and heading into our first home game we knew we had a tough matchup next.
Week 3
Kansas City Coyotes vs. Portland Pythons
Final Result - Coyotes 12 vs Pythons 14
This was a fantastic game to spectate I am sure. Coming in against a divisional rival team we knew we needed to step up. It was a hotly contested start but we fell behind shortly in the first quarter and didn't provide a spark until late. Once again we had some good offensive performances, Hopkins went for 40 yards, Tutankhamun and Kitchens both around 50 yards rushing however we just couldn't punch it in, settling for field goals to keep us in striking distance. A shoutout to the Pythons running game, D. Pama went off with 113 yards on the ground including a 19 yard run and a touchdown to top it off. Defensively we had a reasonable showing, T. Rose leading the charge again with double digit tackles with a sack and that notoriously good rookie linebacker A.J Lucas with 9 tackles in support. We played a reasonable overall game however we were unable to overcome the Pythons. With one of the most exciting plays of the season so far our special teams punt returner Kitchens managed to return a 78 yard punt for a touchdown, we unfortunately couldn't punch in the two point conversion which meant a close loss. This would leave a bitter taste in our mouths as we tried to overcome what could have been. Our division has been tight so far and every win or loss counts. We would have a chance to move up the rankings in the next game against the Birddogs.
Week 4
Kansas City Coyotes vs. Dallas Birddogs
Final Result - Coyotes 34 vs Birddogs 17
Against one of our fellow dog teams, it was a battle of who is the bestest boy. Luckily for us it would be us who had the last bark. Today was a day for us that everything clicked. An early rushing touchdown for Tutankhamun capping off a good drive would lead to a lead we would not forfeit. We went on to score two more short rushing touchdowns from Kitchens in the second quarter and take a commanding 21-3 lead at halftime. Our backs had some great plays and came away with two picks and we had a solid even effort across the board. We had a reasonable third quarter with a quick score from a 9 yard pass and moved on to the final quarter up 28-10. Some solid defensive work in the fourth meant that we were never in danger of the Birddogs coming back and we walked away with the victory. Shout out to Birddogs line backer Richard Leaking who had a whopping 18 tackles, he really put in the work to try and slow us down. This was a solid victory for us and brought us up to 2-2 for the season. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
Week 5
Kansas City Coyotes vs. London Royals
Final Result - Coyotes 10 vs Birddogs 29
Back on the road again, this time probably a pretty decent amount of jet lag played into account as we went to London. This was a rough game for us as our offense didn't seem to click due to some good defense from the Royals. We were unable to put any offensive points on the board until the fourth quarter when we slotted home a field goal. Our defense played admirably and we had Peter Patterson with our first defensive touchdown of the season with a pick sick. Unfortunately this seemed to awaken the Royals and we got abit clapped after that. Our offense was pretty decent overall, we had a great game by Naught who had 81 yards and with our running games Kitchens still put up 73 yards, we just couldn't string enough good plays together to take home the win. Our defense was lead by Rose again with 12 tackles and for the first time in his career A.J Lucas hit double digits on the tackles with 10. We knew we would need to bounce back next game, despite another massive travel trip down to Tijuana we would need to come energized and ready to play.
Week 6
Kansas City Coyotes vs. Tijuana Luchadores
Final Result - Coyotes 16 vs Birddogs 10
After an exhaustingly long flight to Tijuana the team knew they needed to pull through. This ended up being another slog fest between some evenly matched teams. We struck early with a field goal and then traded scores after that we some short punch in runs by both teams. We could never seem to pull away and every time we managed to score, the Luchadores would be right back behind us. Luckily in the fourth quarter we were able to slot home a field goal with 4 minutes to go and then hold on to the lead with some solid defense to secure the win. We had an outstanding rush game from our pair of running backs, Tutankhamun with 80 yards and Kitchens with 94 yards. This was in no part possible without some solid offensive line work such as Quigley's five pancakes, squashing the defensive line! Controlling the running game was important to us to eat up some clock and secure the victory and we owe it to these guys. Defensively we again leaned on Rose with 11 tackles and a sack which earned him defensive player of the game. It was a decent effort across the board for the defense and Tony Yeboah managed to secure two sacks. This was a good way to wrap up the short road trip as we were then heading back home to Kansas City for a three game home stand.
Week 7
Kansas City Coyotes vs. Minnesota Grey Ducks
Final Result - Coyotes 24 vs Birddogs 7
Hitting the half way point of the season, we lined up against a division rival whos quack was mightier than its peck. We had a good game from our quarterback Matt Peterson, he slung for 168 yards and 2 touch downs. We were also again dominant on the ground with 47 rushing attempts and the pairing of Tutankhamun with 101 yards and Kitchens with 59 yards and a touchdown really dominated the ground. This helped us secure a critical time of possession stat where we held the ball in our hands for five minutes more than the Grey Ducks. Naught managed to secure 8 receptions for 104 yards, another great performance and we have seen over the last couple of weeks his numbers rise and rise which is a great sign for the rest of the season. Defensively we had a great showing from our star linebacker Rose, who came away with four tackles, two sacks and an amazing two interceptions. We had an even showing across the board elsewhere to ensure that we clamped down on the ducks to prevent them ever getting traction. This win was a great team effort and as always just giving some love to our offensive line, Stallworth2.0 came away with a whopping 8 pancakes.. enough to feed me on a Sunday morning! Great start to the home stand and next up we have the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers who we will be out for revenge against as they gave us quite the drubbing in the first game of the season.
Week 8
Kansas City Coyotes vs. Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
Final Result - Coyotes 20 vs Buccaneers 3
The Buccaneers came in hot, they have been playing incredibly well this season and lead the SFC. This was a game we needed to get our confidence back, they had taken us to town in the first game of the season and now it was time for some revenge. We fell behind early in the first quarter to a field goal...but that was it. In the second quarter we came to life, Peterson had one of his best games of the season with 237 yards and a touchdown and our running game was once again dominant. Kitchens with 78 yards and Tutankhamun with 83 and a touchdown. We once again dominated time of possession and held the ball for five minutes more than the Buccaneers, our defense then held solid when the Buccaneers had possession lead by defensive player of the game, A.J. Lucas with 8 tackles and a sack. He wasn't alone with providing solid defense, we had four sacks across four players and provided some solid overall defense to steal this game from the Buccaneers. Huge win for us at this point in the season and it shows that we have developed over the eight weeks. We needed to keep on our guard for our final game in the homestand next week against the Norfolk Seawolves.
Week 9
Kansas City Coyotes vs. Norfolk Seawolves
Final Result - Coyotes 23 vs Seawolves 3
Our final game of the homestand and we wanted to keep this streak alive, with this win we would have four straight and as you can see by the score, we managed to do so. Another dominating performance by our team overall and both our offense and defense are clicking well. For the second week in a row we managed to hold the opposition to just three points, maybe the best strategy it to let the opposition score a field goal early on and then pounce and never again let them score. We had a dominant running game with Tutankhamun dropping 110 yards and two touchdowns as well as Kitchens also nearly eclipsing the hundy with 91 yards. These two backs have been in tremendous form and work well with each other. I must tip my hat to Mr Forty-Two who is having a fantastic season and dropped 150 yards against us, as a defensive player this isn't a good sign but we managed to keep the Seawolves out of the endzone and that is the goal at the end of the day. Our defense was once again led by the magical Thomas Rose who had eight tackles and one sack. Judge turned out a nice nine tackle game and we really disrupted the oppositions rhythm with five sacks. This win also meant we wrapped up the series against the Seawolves as we have taken both games and its great for consistency. Four game run of wins has the team on a high and we seem in position to make a playoff push, I think we deserve to be there but with so many games left to go it will be a mission. Next we are off on another road trip with a trip to Portland to take on the Pythons.
Week 10
Kansas City Coyotes vs. Portland Pythons
Final Result - Coyotes 13 vs Pythons 31
Ouch, well we have been brought back down to reality here, after a close loss to the Pythons at the start of the season, we had a pretty bad loss here. We had a great start with a fantastic Wildstar punt return for 60 yards. This was one of the coolest plays I have witnessed this season and Derek Wildstar has become a pretty good staple on the special teams returning punts and kicks. Unfortunately after this we were shut down and we couldn't get our run game going, meanwhile the Pythons run game was going hard with both of their running backs getting over 100 yards each. Unfortunately we had been outclassed in this game and wouldn't be able to claw our way back. On the defensive size we put up some big numbers of tackles but this is probably a sign of how we didn't manage to control the game offensively. A nice moment for myself as A.J. Lucas took home defensive player of the game with 14 tackles with one for a loss. This shock to the system would have to help us remember to train hard and improve in the next crucial game against our rival doggy boys the Dallas Birddogs.
Week 11
Kansas City Coyotes vs. Dallas Birddogs
Final Result - Coyotes 27 vs Birddogs 14
We came into this matchup knowing that we had to make a good run now to make the playoffs and this was the launching pad that we needed. We had a solid game plan and despite going down 14 to three coming into the fourth quarter we never lost hope. This would lead to us having the best comeback of the year, some solid defense and some amazing offensive performances allowed us to smash in 24 unanswered points including a nice 64 yard touchdown run from King Tutankhamun. Our QB Matt Peterson threw in two touchdowns and we had solid production from our pair of backs. Meanwhile on defense we continued to have classy performances across the board, Wildstar had a good game and Yeboah recorded yet another sack. This game has given us a hope to make the playoffs but we know in the super competitive division of the NFC that we would still have a difficult task ahead. It also cemented that we were the best dogs as we managed to sweep the series, a small victory given the small sample size but hey, we will take it.
Week 12
Kansas City Coyotes vs. London Royals
Final Result - Coyotes 21 vs Royals 31
We knew the Royals would be a tough matchup, we had unfortunately gone down to them in week 5 and it had been a good game but the result didn't go our way. Unfortunately this was more of the same. The game followed a similar pattern to our previous matchup against the Birddogs. We went down by 31 points going into the half, an almost unsurmountable lead. Despite the challenge we had just came off a big comeback last week and knew that we could do it if we tried. We made a solid effort in the third and chipped back witha field goal and touchdown to claw back slightly into the game. In the fourth we continued to clamp down on defense resulting in a safety, crucial when every point counts and our offense got it going. However we ran out of time and could only gather 21 points. It was against a tough defense of the Royals that we played, we struggled with turnovers and that was to be our downfall. The offense was not all to blame as the Royals running backs again dominated us with both backs with over 100 yards a piece. A silver lining on the defensive side was Yeboah with another multi sack game and a shout out to Morrisey for the safety. This put a dint in our playoff run but with an even division we knew we could still claw our way back in.
Week 13
Kansas City Coyotes vs. Tijuana Luchadores
Final Result - Coyotes 17 vs Luchadores 7
This was a game where we could really cement our chance to make the playoffs and unfortunately we whiffed on it. This one really hurt as we knew that we could beat the Luchadores like we did all the way back in week six. However credit is due to the them as they out played us in a close game. This was a defensive slog and resulted in a massive time of possession difference but unfortunately tilted towards the Luchadores, and when I say tilted.. I mean like.. titled. 41 minutes to 19 minutes in favour of them. This made it so hard for our offense to get going and tired out defense out. Once again we had our star return man, Derek Wildstar make a wild play, a 69 (nice) yard punt return which gave us a shot to even the score however we couldn't capitalize on the momentum and it just wasn't meant to be. A shout out to Mills of the Luchadores who really shouldered the load with 28 carries and 146 yards, an insane performance. We had a solid performance on defense with Rose dropping 11 tackles and two sacks, once again Yeboah had another, someone to watch out for in the future. This loss meant that it would come down to the last game of the season to determine if we would be playoff bound or just couch bound. We had a tough matchup against the Grey Ducks and essentially the winner would go through to the playoffs. We knew we would need to put in a hard week of training and go for it.
Week 14
Kansas City Coyotes vs. Minnesota Grey Ducks
Final Result - Coyotes 21 vs Grey Ducks 26
Ahem. Shit.
Well, this game didn't play out like we wanted it too but I will do a review nonetheless. We went in knowing that we needed to get a win here and have the results go our way for us to lock a berth in the playoffs. It started well with us leading by two touchdowns but the Grey Ducks bit back like we were some soggy bread and scored twice to bring it to a 14-10 half time score. We went in to half time and had a rousing speech from our captains about digging in however its effect was short lived as we managed to score quickly but then succumbed to the pressure of the ducks and they scored a couple of times and ended up winning. Peterson had a game of Jekyll and Hyde where he managed to throw some decent numbers but also turned it over twice, he ended up with an interesting 69.6 (nice) rating, but we couldn't get over that final hump and secure the win. Defensively we were solid across the board, led by rookie A.J. Lucas's 9 tackles and Judge and Patterson's picks. We performed admirably however we went down and with other results going against us we don't qualify for the playoffs.
It has been a season to remember for myself as my rookie debut here with the Coyotes and I just want to thank our team and captains as well as the GM's, they did a great job and we put up a good effort. Of course it is disappointing to not make the playoffs but we had such a competitive an even division that I have no doubt that we will make it next year. If you have come this far and read this, thanks for taking the time!
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3637 WordsRE: DSFL Kansas City Coyotes Year Review - GlimsTC - 11-09-2020
A great recap of the games and a bit about the storylines going into them! And a damn good job of securing the money bag with this one, haha