04-07-2022, 06:54 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-11-2022, 09:47 AM by Crunk. Edited 1 time in total.)
Best Finish of Season 34 - ISFL
Week 8
Baltimore (41) at New Orleans (35) – OT
Ok I know so many of you viewing this article right now are punching the air and screaming: “Only ONE game?!?!? Where is my top-5 countdown with my honorary mention game!? What am I supposed to do with the 20 minutes I carved out specifically for this article!?” Well sorry to tell you but this is all you get. Maybe cuz I’m sitting on a decent little stack of cash already, or maybe its because I’ve checked out a bit this year due to regression, or maybe I just don’t feel like writing 4,000 words ok!? Regardless, we’re going to keep it to one game as THE best game this year. My apologies.
I gotta say it was a bit difficult to make this decision. But not because there were a ton of good finishes to choose from. Originally when I considered potentially writing a top-5 finishes list, I had trouble filling the slots. Sure there were plenty of good games to choose from, but this article is about the best finishes, and after a few season’s worth of these lists, a 47 yard field goal with 8 seconds left or a game winning touchdown drive with 2:15 left in the fourth just doesn’t cut it anymore. Add to that, the league had a crazy 3 ties this year. That’s 3 games that could’ve had some epic finishes that just….ran out of steam. There’s also the very real fact that I only did 10 minutes of research before starting this article, so I probably (definitely) missed a few things. But one thing that’s for sure is the game between the Hawks and Second Line in Week 8 was a slugfest, and that’s the game I decided to dig into.
Well talk about a relatively uninspiring matchup going in to the game. New Orleans entered Week 8 in a bit of a free fall. The Second Line finished Season 33 in dead last at 3-13, then improbably started Season 34 winning 3 of its first 4 games, prior to the 3-game losing streak it was currently on. So while its 3-4 record wasn’t pretty, NOLA had already come a long way since last year. It was a bit of an inverse situation for Baltimore, who entered S34 as the defending Ultimus Champions. Unfortunately the Ultimus hangover is real, as the Hawks never even got out of bed for Season 34. They lost 5 straight games out of the gate and had just managed to squeeze out its first two wins of the season heading into this Week 8 matchup. So here we are, a combined 5 wins for two teams unlikely to sniff the playoffs. Of course, we were on the cusp of greatness.
The game started off well for Baltimore, as they drove down the field in 6 plays and capped the drive with a 17-yard TD run by stud RB Busch Goose. The Hawks defense would step up early as well, recording two sacks and forcing a punt. With the NOLA offense struggling, its defense would kickstart things with a Jonathan Shuffleboard interception which handed its offense the ball at the BAL 12 yard line. QB IsHe ReallyInvisible would tie the game at the end of the first quarter with a 1-yard TD sneak.
After the mistake INT from Gimmy Jaroppolo lead to a NOLA TD, IsHe ReallyInvisible would return the favor early in the second, as he would cough up the ball after being sacked. BAL DT Will Smyth wasn’t content with the sack itself, as he’d pick up the ball and rumble 21 yards to set up his offense inside the 10 yard line. From there Jaroppolo would hit King for a 9-yard TD pass.
While both team’s defenses were the early stars of this contest, the two quarterbacks would collect themselves to make a lasting imprint on this game – at least through regulation time. ReallyInvisible would go on to rush for 25 yards and pass for 53 yards and a TD in the quarter, while Jaroppolo would toss for 75 yards and two TD’s. 21-14, Baltimore at the half.
The third quarter saw things settle down a bit, with the only score coming with under a minute left. The defenses made a mess of things coming out of the locker room as we would witness three 3-and-outs and a 2-play fumble turnover in the first 4 drives. After witnessing the first 1st down of the quarter, we were awarded with another punt, followed by another 3-and-out. Finally, with 2 minutes left in the drive, the offenses started to adjust to what they were seeing defensively. From his own 5-yard line, ReallyInvisible would rip off a 95-yard drive, complete with 78 yards through the air and 10 on the ground. The Stig chalked up a 32-yard catch and 7 yards on the ground, including the lone TD of the quarter. A counter punch was thrown by Jaroppolo in the fourth, as he would throw for 40 yards and a TD to Busch Goose to retake a 7-point lead. After the team’s exchanged punts, ReallyInvisible would show his dual-threat capacity again – as he would scamper for 15 on first down, and follow that up with a 29-yard surgical strike to Squidward Tentacles for a touchdown. 28-all with 6 minutes left. Jaroppolo and Goose would falter again and concede a punt to NOLA with 3:30 left. A few short runs and dump-offs by NOLA would be aided by 3 Baltimore penalties for 18 yards to get them in scoring range. Baltimore stud defenders Big Slammu, Will Smyth, and Derek Wildstar are the guilty parties. From there, ReallyInvisible slices through the Hawks defense on the ground for 11 yards and a touchdown to make it 35-28 with 1:17 left. The crazy Second Line fans go wild! At least for a minute or two. The ensuing kickoff would be zipped out by Busch Goose for a huge 37 yard return to set up his offense near the 40 yard line. However, after a couple less-than-ideal looks, it was quickly 3rd and 4 with 1:05 left for Baltimore. The NOLA defense had really turned up, having allowed points in only 1 of Baltimore’s last 5 drives. The crowd is LOUD, looking for just 1 or two more plays to end the game. Using a silent count, Jaroppolo takes the snap out of the gun – but the snap is low! Jaroppolo nearly loses it, but he recovers and continues his drop. The line creates time and space. He looks left. He throws left. There is a wide out and a tight end running the same route! What a jumble. But the Hawks secondary is mired in confusion. Both defenders get caught looking underneath where Dante King had run an out. But the ball sails over the top where TE Lenard Graf had continued downfield. CB De’Aaron Harper is caught out of position and is in chase mode! Graf is down to the 20…the 10…Harper catches him and tries to punch the ball loose from behind…but Graf holds on and crashes into the end zone….touchdown! A 56 yard TD on 3rd and 4 with only 30 seconds left! Unbelievable. Harper and fellow CB Mark Goodhead are seen pointing and gesticulating at each other after the play after the terrible mix-up. A stunned NOLA offense would take the field and play out the time in regulation. We’re headed to overtime.
The Second Line would lose the toss and kick to Baltimore to start extra time. A largely silent crowd watches a Jaroppolo and company take the field, but, on 2nd and 10 the Hawks QB is sacked by Vincent Jones Jr, his second of the game. He’s mobbed by teammates and the crowd re-awakens An incompletion on 3rd and 16 forces a punt back to the home team. A short punt followed by an 11-yard return by Tentacles has things looking rosey for NOLA. 1st and 10 from the Baltimore 41, needing just a field goal to win. After an incompletion on first down, ReallyInvisible drops on second down, looks to his left, and fires a dart towards TE Rex Crenshaw. Look out! CB and Captain Lip Gallagher reads the slant and jumps the route…he’s got it! Intercepted by the veteran defender! ReallyInvisible grabs his helmet in disbelief! NOLA needed maybe 10 total yards to set up for a game winning field goal. Instead it’s first and 10, Baltimore. Jaroppolo goes right to work, hitting King and Parker on back-to-back plays for 15 yards. On second and 10 Baltimore brings in a heavy set, showing run. Jaroppolo takes the snap and fakes it to the back. It’s play action. But only 2-recievers in route. Jaroppolo hangs in the pocket…he’s got DT LeBong Simwell bearing down on him…but he’s waited just long enough for Captain WR Preston Parker to drop a double-move on DB De’Aaron Harper! Jaroppolo launches the deep slant-and-go….it’s perfect! Right into Parker’s bread basket at the 10….Harper reaches out but can’t get a hold of Parker…touchdown Baltimore! The game winner! The NOLA faithful have their heart broken twice! Poor De’Aaron Harper goes down to one knee. The easy scapegoat, Harper was left on an island with one of the league’s best veteran receivers. Fair or not, he’d be under the microscope after this game. A thrilling game and a crushing loss for the Second Line, who would finish just a game and a half out of 2nd in the ASFC.
The box score was something to witness as well. Jaroppolo would finish with 368 and 5 TDs, all to different receivers. King with 121 rushing and receiving yards. Linebackers Slammu and Sheriff Woody with 10+ tackles, a tackle for loss, and a sack, each. For NOLA, ReallyInvisible would finish with 286 passing, 99 rushing, and 4 TDs. Jones with 10 tackles and two sacks. Plays being made all over the field. An absolute blast of a game to watch, with a matching box score. If only we got to witness one of these teams one more time at least in the playoffs.
Good luck to all teams heading into the playoffs and the upcoming draftees. I’ll see you all in Season 35.
(1,715 words)
Week 8
Baltimore (41) at New Orleans (35) – OT
Ok I know so many of you viewing this article right now are punching the air and screaming: “Only ONE game?!?!? Where is my top-5 countdown with my honorary mention game!? What am I supposed to do with the 20 minutes I carved out specifically for this article!?” Well sorry to tell you but this is all you get. Maybe cuz I’m sitting on a decent little stack of cash already, or maybe its because I’ve checked out a bit this year due to regression, or maybe I just don’t feel like writing 4,000 words ok!? Regardless, we’re going to keep it to one game as THE best game this year. My apologies.
I gotta say it was a bit difficult to make this decision. But not because there were a ton of good finishes to choose from. Originally when I considered potentially writing a top-5 finishes list, I had trouble filling the slots. Sure there were plenty of good games to choose from, but this article is about the best finishes, and after a few season’s worth of these lists, a 47 yard field goal with 8 seconds left or a game winning touchdown drive with 2:15 left in the fourth just doesn’t cut it anymore. Add to that, the league had a crazy 3 ties this year. That’s 3 games that could’ve had some epic finishes that just….ran out of steam. There’s also the very real fact that I only did 10 minutes of research before starting this article, so I probably (definitely) missed a few things. But one thing that’s for sure is the game between the Hawks and Second Line in Week 8 was a slugfest, and that’s the game I decided to dig into.
Well talk about a relatively uninspiring matchup going in to the game. New Orleans entered Week 8 in a bit of a free fall. The Second Line finished Season 33 in dead last at 3-13, then improbably started Season 34 winning 3 of its first 4 games, prior to the 3-game losing streak it was currently on. So while its 3-4 record wasn’t pretty, NOLA had already come a long way since last year. It was a bit of an inverse situation for Baltimore, who entered S34 as the defending Ultimus Champions. Unfortunately the Ultimus hangover is real, as the Hawks never even got out of bed for Season 34. They lost 5 straight games out of the gate and had just managed to squeeze out its first two wins of the season heading into this Week 8 matchup. So here we are, a combined 5 wins for two teams unlikely to sniff the playoffs. Of course, we were on the cusp of greatness.
The game started off well for Baltimore, as they drove down the field in 6 plays and capped the drive with a 17-yard TD run by stud RB Busch Goose. The Hawks defense would step up early as well, recording two sacks and forcing a punt. With the NOLA offense struggling, its defense would kickstart things with a Jonathan Shuffleboard interception which handed its offense the ball at the BAL 12 yard line. QB IsHe ReallyInvisible would tie the game at the end of the first quarter with a 1-yard TD sneak.
After the mistake INT from Gimmy Jaroppolo lead to a NOLA TD, IsHe ReallyInvisible would return the favor early in the second, as he would cough up the ball after being sacked. BAL DT Will Smyth wasn’t content with the sack itself, as he’d pick up the ball and rumble 21 yards to set up his offense inside the 10 yard line. From there Jaroppolo would hit King for a 9-yard TD pass.
While both team’s defenses were the early stars of this contest, the two quarterbacks would collect themselves to make a lasting imprint on this game – at least through regulation time. ReallyInvisible would go on to rush for 25 yards and pass for 53 yards and a TD in the quarter, while Jaroppolo would toss for 75 yards and two TD’s. 21-14, Baltimore at the half.
The third quarter saw things settle down a bit, with the only score coming with under a minute left. The defenses made a mess of things coming out of the locker room as we would witness three 3-and-outs and a 2-play fumble turnover in the first 4 drives. After witnessing the first 1st down of the quarter, we were awarded with another punt, followed by another 3-and-out. Finally, with 2 minutes left in the drive, the offenses started to adjust to what they were seeing defensively. From his own 5-yard line, ReallyInvisible would rip off a 95-yard drive, complete with 78 yards through the air and 10 on the ground. The Stig chalked up a 32-yard catch and 7 yards on the ground, including the lone TD of the quarter. A counter punch was thrown by Jaroppolo in the fourth, as he would throw for 40 yards and a TD to Busch Goose to retake a 7-point lead. After the team’s exchanged punts, ReallyInvisible would show his dual-threat capacity again – as he would scamper for 15 on first down, and follow that up with a 29-yard surgical strike to Squidward Tentacles for a touchdown. 28-all with 6 minutes left. Jaroppolo and Goose would falter again and concede a punt to NOLA with 3:30 left. A few short runs and dump-offs by NOLA would be aided by 3 Baltimore penalties for 18 yards to get them in scoring range. Baltimore stud defenders Big Slammu, Will Smyth, and Derek Wildstar are the guilty parties. From there, ReallyInvisible slices through the Hawks defense on the ground for 11 yards and a touchdown to make it 35-28 with 1:17 left. The crazy Second Line fans go wild! At least for a minute or two. The ensuing kickoff would be zipped out by Busch Goose for a huge 37 yard return to set up his offense near the 40 yard line. However, after a couple less-than-ideal looks, it was quickly 3rd and 4 with 1:05 left for Baltimore. The NOLA defense had really turned up, having allowed points in only 1 of Baltimore’s last 5 drives. The crowd is LOUD, looking for just 1 or two more plays to end the game. Using a silent count, Jaroppolo takes the snap out of the gun – but the snap is low! Jaroppolo nearly loses it, but he recovers and continues his drop. The line creates time and space. He looks left. He throws left. There is a wide out and a tight end running the same route! What a jumble. But the Hawks secondary is mired in confusion. Both defenders get caught looking underneath where Dante King had run an out. But the ball sails over the top where TE Lenard Graf had continued downfield. CB De’Aaron Harper is caught out of position and is in chase mode! Graf is down to the 20…the 10…Harper catches him and tries to punch the ball loose from behind…but Graf holds on and crashes into the end zone….touchdown! A 56 yard TD on 3rd and 4 with only 30 seconds left! Unbelievable. Harper and fellow CB Mark Goodhead are seen pointing and gesticulating at each other after the play after the terrible mix-up. A stunned NOLA offense would take the field and play out the time in regulation. We’re headed to overtime.
The Second Line would lose the toss and kick to Baltimore to start extra time. A largely silent crowd watches a Jaroppolo and company take the field, but, on 2nd and 10 the Hawks QB is sacked by Vincent Jones Jr, his second of the game. He’s mobbed by teammates and the crowd re-awakens An incompletion on 3rd and 16 forces a punt back to the home team. A short punt followed by an 11-yard return by Tentacles has things looking rosey for NOLA. 1st and 10 from the Baltimore 41, needing just a field goal to win. After an incompletion on first down, ReallyInvisible drops on second down, looks to his left, and fires a dart towards TE Rex Crenshaw. Look out! CB and Captain Lip Gallagher reads the slant and jumps the route…he’s got it! Intercepted by the veteran defender! ReallyInvisible grabs his helmet in disbelief! NOLA needed maybe 10 total yards to set up for a game winning field goal. Instead it’s first and 10, Baltimore. Jaroppolo goes right to work, hitting King and Parker on back-to-back plays for 15 yards. On second and 10 Baltimore brings in a heavy set, showing run. Jaroppolo takes the snap and fakes it to the back. It’s play action. But only 2-recievers in route. Jaroppolo hangs in the pocket…he’s got DT LeBong Simwell bearing down on him…but he’s waited just long enough for Captain WR Preston Parker to drop a double-move on DB De’Aaron Harper! Jaroppolo launches the deep slant-and-go….it’s perfect! Right into Parker’s bread basket at the 10….Harper reaches out but can’t get a hold of Parker…touchdown Baltimore! The game winner! The NOLA faithful have their heart broken twice! Poor De’Aaron Harper goes down to one knee. The easy scapegoat, Harper was left on an island with one of the league’s best veteran receivers. Fair or not, he’d be under the microscope after this game. A thrilling game and a crushing loss for the Second Line, who would finish just a game and a half out of 2nd in the ASFC.
The box score was something to witness as well. Jaroppolo would finish with 368 and 5 TDs, all to different receivers. King with 121 rushing and receiving yards. Linebackers Slammu and Sheriff Woody with 10+ tackles, a tackle for loss, and a sack, each. For NOLA, ReallyInvisible would finish with 286 passing, 99 rushing, and 4 TDs. Jones with 10 tackles and two sacks. Plays being made all over the field. An absolute blast of a game to watch, with a matching box score. If only we got to witness one of these teams one more time at least in the playoffs.
Good luck to all teams heading into the playoffs and the upcoming draftees. I’ll see you all in Season 35.
(1,715 words)