10-30-2023, 06:10 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-01-2023, 08:45 AM by lemonoppy. Edited 2 times in total.)
ISFL Week 14 Preview
The ISFL season is well and truly getting to the business end, as teams have only three regular season matchups left on the schedule to attempt to walk away victorious and seal their position in the playoffs. While for many teams, their position is set, and their status as an outsider is all but confirmed, there are a number still fighting to get into the postseason and will put great importance on Week 14’s matchup. I’m going to talk a little bit about each of the games being played this week here, and will hopefully provide some additional excitement for those of you who might be following along. There’s plenty to get into in this week’s slate of ISFL football, so lets not waste any more time and dive straight into proceedings!
Honolulu Hahalua @ Arizona Outlaws
This is probably the game that stands out to me as the biggest matchup of all in Week 14, so why not start with the most exciting; if the ISFL had Prime Time games, this would probably be the undoubted candidate for this week. The Hahalua stand clear as the team with the best record in the ASFC at this moment in time, having won 10 of the 13 games they’ve played so far, and make the long trip to Arizona with clear intent to finish the season strongly and claim a first round bye in the playoffs. The Outlaws stand in their way however, who at 4th in the conference have a lot to play for in terms of both standings and pride, given the fact they are a on a 3 game losing streak going in as a team that has enjoyed great success in recent seasons.
It's hard to say for sure which team is the favourite, as home field advantage is undoubtedly a huge factor, but the Outlaws recent inability to win games can’t be ignored. Hawaii quarterback Nova Montagne has enjoyed a very impressive season so far, so it’ll be interesting to see how he matches up against an Arizona defense that has actually been surprisingly good given the team’s recent poor form. Whatever happens, it’s sure to be an interesting game and one with notable ramifications for the playoff picture in the ASFC; be sure to keep an eye on it tonight to see how it plays out!
Orange County Otters @ New Orleans Second Line
Another inter-ASFC matchup, this one between the Otters and the Second Line does not have the same level of playoff implication as the last one we looked at, but it should still be a fun one to follow nonetheless. The Otters have a 5-8 record for the season but are actually winners of 2 of their last 3, coming off a strong 31-17 win over the San Jose Sabercats last week in which their offense looked to really click as they put up an impressive number of points. They go up against a Second Line defense that has really struggled over the last month or so, allowing over 30 points in all of their last 4 games, including 59 when they hosted the Hahalua a few weeks back, and are averaging 34.7 points allowed across the season.
The Otters should go into this one with a fair bit of confidence that if they are able to replicate their offensive performance from a week ago that this should be a game that they have a very good chance of winning, but given the nature of the sport there could undoubtedly be something of a surprise here if the Second Line are able to get something going on offense themselves. As a neutral observer, games like this can be a lot of fun if they turn into something of a foot race, and I’ll be hoping to see a lot of points scored and an interesting and exciting game to watch.
Berlin Fire Salamanders @ Sarasota Sailfish
This is a game that’s going to have serious impact on the way that the playoff picture shapes up in the NSFC, and should be a lot of fun to keep an eye on. The Sailfish currently sit in 3rd place in the conference and thus in a playoff spot, but the Fire Salamanders are just win game behind them and sit in 4th. A win for Sarasota gives them a very high chance of making it into the playoffs, while a win for Berlin stops Sarasota in their tracks and ties the teams records.
Sarasota’s season has been one of two halves, having won just 2 of their first 7 games, they then went on to emerge victorious from 5 of their following 6 to propel themselves up the standings in the NSFC. Their offense has been propelled by strong play from quarterback Willier Miller and running back Ace Anderson to be one that’s been able to put up points, while their defense has been galvanised in the second half of the season and been highly effective at shutting down their opposition. Having beaten another conference rival that sits near them in the standings in Yellowknife a couple of weeks ago, I think the Sailfish will welcome the Fire Salamanders with confidence that they can deliver a result and push themselves into a position of being a favourite to make the playoffs with only a few games remaining.
On the other side of the coin, the Fire Salamanders are not in the best stretch of form, having lost 4 of their last 6. They’ve been overtaken in the standings by the Sailfish after a strong start to the season, and will see this as a key game to attempt to regain some form and get themselves back on track when it comes to fighting for their spot in the playoffs. Their defense has struggled in recent weeks and I would imagine the coaching staff will be challenging them to show up tonight and prove that they are a unit capable of helping to lead a team into the playoffs. It’s a tough game to predict, but given what’s at stake for both teams it should be a fun one to watch and see how it all shakes out!
Cape Town Crash @ Chicago Butchers
An inter-conference matchup that looks on paper as if it could be fairly one-sided could in fact serve to be an example of why any game in the ISFL is indeed very difficult to predict! First in the ASFC faces last as the Crash travel to Chicago, but a likely win should still be considered far from a foregone conclusion. The Cape Town Crash have enjoyed a fantastic season to date, winning 11 of the 13 games that they’ve played and averaging over 30 points per game on offense. They’re in good form on both sides of the ball and feature a likely MVP candidate at quarterback in Creg Jerrith IV. Basically, they’re a team that’s playing really good football and will undoubtedly strike fear in the hearts of any team that they go up against.
They go up against the Chicago Butchers, a team that has really not enjoyed the season so far. Winning just 3 of their 13 games puts them a long way out of contention for any postseason opportunities and will likely have some involved with the team already looking ahead to the offseason and S45 to follow. They’ve lost their last 3, but will be hoping that playing at home in front of their loyal and passionate fans will drive them on to pull off the upset against a team that looks difficult to stop.
I’m a big believer in “any given Sunday”, and think it could be a fun twist in the tale of this week’s games to see the Butchers pull of the shock upset, but it might be a little tricky to imagine given the recent evidence we have to look at and the way that things stack up on paper.
San Jose Sabercats @ Baltimore Hawks
Another game that might be a likely candidate on paper for a blowout loss, I’m going to propose that maybe the Sabercats travelling to Baltimore with nothing to lose could be exactly what they need to pull off a (very) shocking upset. The Sabercats boast the worst record in the league at the time of writing, having only won 2 games all season and being on a very painful 9 game losing streak. Their defense is allowing over 30 points per game and their offense is scoring just over 20, which is not really the mark of a team that is likely to be going places. I do think however, that being written off against any team, even one as good as Baltimore, might be premature as they showed some promise early in the season and may yet still be able to return to the level of performance they showed in the initial games they played.
This will prove easier said than done however, as their opponents in Baltimore have really found their groove in recent weeks. Winning their last four games, one of which included a strong victory over the Crash in Cape Town, the Hawks are probably the team in the best form of any and in facing the team in the worst form, will likely be fairly confident that they’ll be walking away from this one with another victory to their name. Their offense has put up 31.5 points per game, and appears to have really found its groove. Their 10-3 record is tied for second best in the league, and they’ll be surely hoping to round out the season strongly in the final 3 games they play.
I’m sure the Hawks will be confident going into this one that it’s a game they’re more than capable of winning by a big margin, and I think it would be tough to disagree. Maybe as neutral observers we can hope that it’s at least competitive?
Austin Copperheads @ New York Silverbacks
I said earlier that the Outlaws hosting the Hahalua would be the Prime Time game of this week, but the Copperheads and Silverbacks might have something to say about that given the implications this matchup will have on the standings in the ASFC. 2nd faces 3rd, with just one win separating the two, and with home field advantage in the playoffs at stake, this could be a huge game in deciding how things shake out.
The Silverbacks have enjoyed a very good season and sit at 8-5, but last week’s loss on the road at Honolulu will undoubtedly have been a painful setback in the chase for the highest possible seeding. Their offense will be looking to make a statement comeback against the Copperheads, and running back Frank Dux, who leads the entire league in rushing yards, will undoubtedly be heavily featured in their gameplan. Their defense has held up fairly well on the whole, allowing 23.4 yards per game, and it will need to be on the money against a Copperheads offense that has really found its feet in recent weeks.
Austin have been the winner of their last 5 games and have managed to score over 30 points in all of them (their last loss even saw them score over 40 as they came out on the losing end of a shootout in Baltimore). They’ve got some great talent on offense, including receiver Dolores Bickerman, but have done a great job of finding different ways to score, and pose something of a matchup nightmare for nearly any team in the league. The form they’ve shown in recent weeks will definitely be giving the Silverbacks coaches some headaches going into the game, and I’m very excited to see how things play out with so much riding on the performances that these teams give in this one.
Yellowknife Wraiths @ Colorado Yeti
A matchup between two teams in the NSFC who would desperately like to build some momentum, this one could certainly have some level of playoff implication going forward, as the Yellowknife Wraiths travel to Colorado to take on the Yeti.
Yellowknife haven’t had the best run of late, but managed to snap a 3 game losing streak last week with a big home win over the Arizona Outlaws. They currently sit in the 5th place spot of the NSFC, but given the proximity of the teams in the conference they’re just one win behind 3rd place, meaning their playoff hopes could very much still be alive with a win this week.
Their opponents here are the Colorado Yeti, a team who is probably resigned to missing out on the postseason at the time of writing. Their season record sits at 4-9, and after firing out of the blocks at the start of the season with wins in their first two games, their record in the following 11 games of 2-9 has really not lived up to the potential they showed early. They’ll be hoping that a game at home against a conference rival will fire up the team to deliver the best level of performance possible, and I think as a team they’re definitely capable of emerging victorious if they’re able to find their rhythm early on.
With just two weeks to be played following this one, all of the matchups we’ve looked at have some level of implication on how things will play out in the bigger picture, and it’s definitely going to be exciting to follow along with and see what shakes out once the dust settles on all of this week’s games. I’ll be hoping for some competitive games and maybe even a couple of upsets along the way to keep things interesting, and with what we’ve seen so far this season it’s definitely fair to say that anything is possible!
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