Task 1:
The Portland Pythons journey to the Ultimini began with the draft. Picking in the second spot, the Pythons grabbed a pair of starting safeties in rounds 1 (Jamie Orion) and 4 (Felix Waterman) as well as a cornerback in round 3 (Xavier Moreno). Together this rookie trio combined for 37 pass deflections, 7 interceptions, 6 recovered fumbles, 7 sacks, a safety, and a defensive touchdown. The Pythons also got a huge steal in round 6 with lineman turned linebacker Thor Dangerson, who led the team with 101 tackles, 13 TFL, and 11 sacks. On the other side of the ball they added receivers in rounds 2 (Jordan Bamford) and 5 (Mattrim Cauthon) who together contributed 1,010 yards and 7 touchdowns on 82 catches. They also snagged kicker Unuway Jepthat in round 9 who led the league with 115 total points. For perspective, 3 of these rookies (Dangerson, Orion, and Bamford) would go on to be 1st round picks in the ISFL.
This influx of talent would propel the team to an 11-3 record, the best in the DSFL that season. Portland averaged a staggering 31.8 points per game, a full 4.5 better than 2nd place (Tijuana Luchadores). MOP Jay Cue III loved to spread the ball around; though Portland didn’t have a receiver in the top 10 in receiving yards, they did own 12th-14th place inclusive! In the backfield, Eldroh Kove and Sean Aldrich ended 6th and 7th in the league in rushing yards. This balanced attack proved difficult to stop; the London Royals were the only team able to hold the Pythons under 30 points (though London still lost both games with identical 24-17 scores).
The playoffs proved to be more of the same, as the Pythons forced 5 total turnovers and outscored their opposition 64-24 in two games. Sam Mercury’s 105 yards were the biggest two-game total among the Portland receivers, and he snagged 2 of Cue’s 3 TD passes as well. The Kansas City Coyotes kept things relatively close in the North semifinal, as Lenard McRobinson broke away for a 41-yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter to cut the lead to 7. But the Pythons grip was too tight, and they shut out the Coyotes in the final period to secure the win. In the 1st quarter of the Ultimini, Felix Waterman took an interception return 24 yards to the house as the Pythons grabbed the momentum early. The team would pile on 3 touchdowns in the final 3 minutes of the half, building up a 33-0 lead and coasting to the championship.
The biggest surprise in the postseason came in the South semifinal, when Tijuana upset the Dallas Birddogs 21-16. While Dallas had cooled off a bit since their red hot 4-0 start, they still had the best record in the South and had swept Tijuana in the regular season (admittedly in a pair of one-score games). Tijuana had a prolific offense but their defense had given up nearly 24 points per game in the regular season. But they came up with a huge pick-six early in the 1st quarter to take an early lead, and by the 4th quarter they had built that advantage up to 21-2. The Birddogs piled on the passing yards in the final period, and even managed to claw to within a score after a pair of long touchdown passes care of Octavion Speedings. But the Luchadores hung on and punched their ticket to the Ultimini, despite being outgained 433-261 on the day.
The DSFL had its share of highs and lows for the Pythons this year, but still saw them raising the trophy at season’s end. A balanced offense and an aggressive young defense combined to form a winning combination as the team shook off its recent misfortunes and claimed the title.
The Portland Pythons journey to the Ultimini began with the draft. Picking in the second spot, the Pythons grabbed a pair of starting safeties in rounds 1 (Jamie Orion) and 4 (Felix Waterman) as well as a cornerback in round 3 (Xavier Moreno). Together this rookie trio combined for 37 pass deflections, 7 interceptions, 6 recovered fumbles, 7 sacks, a safety, and a defensive touchdown. The Pythons also got a huge steal in round 6 with lineman turned linebacker Thor Dangerson, who led the team with 101 tackles, 13 TFL, and 11 sacks. On the other side of the ball they added receivers in rounds 2 (Jordan Bamford) and 5 (Mattrim Cauthon) who together contributed 1,010 yards and 7 touchdowns on 82 catches. They also snagged kicker Unuway Jepthat in round 9 who led the league with 115 total points. For perspective, 3 of these rookies (Dangerson, Orion, and Bamford) would go on to be 1st round picks in the ISFL.
This influx of talent would propel the team to an 11-3 record, the best in the DSFL that season. Portland averaged a staggering 31.8 points per game, a full 4.5 better than 2nd place (Tijuana Luchadores). MOP Jay Cue III loved to spread the ball around; though Portland didn’t have a receiver in the top 10 in receiving yards, they did own 12th-14th place inclusive! In the backfield, Eldroh Kove and Sean Aldrich ended 6th and 7th in the league in rushing yards. This balanced attack proved difficult to stop; the London Royals were the only team able to hold the Pythons under 30 points (though London still lost both games with identical 24-17 scores).
The playoffs proved to be more of the same, as the Pythons forced 5 total turnovers and outscored their opposition 64-24 in two games. Sam Mercury’s 105 yards were the biggest two-game total among the Portland receivers, and he snagged 2 of Cue’s 3 TD passes as well. The Kansas City Coyotes kept things relatively close in the North semifinal, as Lenard McRobinson broke away for a 41-yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter to cut the lead to 7. But the Pythons grip was too tight, and they shut out the Coyotes in the final period to secure the win. In the 1st quarter of the Ultimini, Felix Waterman took an interception return 24 yards to the house as the Pythons grabbed the momentum early. The team would pile on 3 touchdowns in the final 3 minutes of the half, building up a 33-0 lead and coasting to the championship.
The biggest surprise in the postseason came in the South semifinal, when Tijuana upset the Dallas Birddogs 21-16. While Dallas had cooled off a bit since their red hot 4-0 start, they still had the best record in the South and had swept Tijuana in the regular season (admittedly in a pair of one-score games). Tijuana had a prolific offense but their defense had given up nearly 24 points per game in the regular season. But they came up with a huge pick-six early in the 1st quarter to take an early lead, and by the 4th quarter they had built that advantage up to 21-2. The Birddogs piled on the passing yards in the final period, and even managed to claw to within a score after a pair of long touchdown passes care of Octavion Speedings. But the Luchadores hung on and punched their ticket to the Ultimini, despite being outgained 433-261 on the day.
The DSFL had its share of highs and lows for the Pythons this year, but still saw them raising the trophy at season’s end. A balanced offense and an aggressive young defense combined to form a winning combination as the team shook off its recent misfortunes and claimed the title.