1) Playoff Predictions, Reviews:
So here we (or I use this loosely as I was not part of the team the last few seasons because I am a rookie) were again, a conference championship game and where there had been what seemed like a curse against Yellowknife and facing off against our rival the Baltimore Hawks! The game started out with the defense of both teams doing well, getting to the quarterbacks and making Yellowknife only settle for field goals. Havran was sacked twice and intercepted once in the first quarter but these did not lead to any points. On the other side Bigsby had a costly interception before the end of the quarter and the Hawks capitalised by putting 7 points on the board. The second quarter was much of the same with teams trading punts and the only action was one good drive by Baltimore which put them in the lead 14-6 going into half-time. In the third quarter Yellowknife was able to capitalize on a Havran interception with a touchdown and added a field goal to put them up 15-14 with one tense quarter of action to go. The fourth quarter was all about the Wraiths defense, with rookie Virtanen sacking Havran on the first play of the quarter. Havran was intercepted twice during the fourth quarter, with one of them returned to the one yard line (and a follow up touchdown) and the other being a pick six. With the dominance of the Wraiths defense, they were able to shut out the Hawks offense in the final quarter and come away with a 29-14 win and move on to the Ultimus
12) Sit-down with a star, AJ Lattimer @TeyonSchavari
Q: So here you are after quite an amazing game and win against the Outlaws in the ASFC Championship games, what are your feelings and the feeling inside the locker room?
A: The adrenaline is still flowing from that game. The Outlaws are a great team and we knew it'd be close coming in. That game had me as anxious as I've ever been since coming into the league, and I'm glad we were able to come out with the win. The locker room went wild after a win like that, we're hyped to be in the Ultimus again and we all are excited for a shot to bring the trophy home for the second year in a row. Really fun win
Q: The Otters are unsurprisingly or maybe surprisingly in the Ultimus for the second straight year. Now up against the Yellowknife Wraiths, what are your thoughts on what the Otters need to do to win and what scares you the most on the Wraiths?
A: I'm excited to play against the Wraiths. This year its the two best teams going head to head so it will be a hard fought game. The Wraiths have the spookiest defense in the league, and for us to win we're going to have to take advantage of every opportunity and keep the ball out of their hands. Cooter and their offense can't be ignored either, so we have to work hard to make stops and try to force turnovers to give our offense the best chance to succeed.
Q: Talking about defense, you have recently switched over to cornerback when you previously were working down in the trenches as a defensive tackle. What were the reasons behind the decision and do you think it has helped the Otters?
A: There are many reasons, but the main one was I didn't feel that I was making a big enough impact for my team. Along with this, Showbiz is on his way out of the league and the rookies really needed a veteran presence in a defensive back. I felt that it was the best way to help the team as we have good pieces on the defensive line but were missing something at corner. I do think it has helped the otters - Thor is still holding down the defensive line, Lanzer is leading the linebackers, and now I can be the lockdown defender we needed in the defensive backfield. I'm happy with my decision and I believe the team has benefited as well
Q: Well that does sound like a good outcome for everyone on the team! Now final question, if there are any young Lattimer fans out there who might read this, and are looking to become the next big thing, any tips for them?
A: All I can say is follow your dreams, and be open to change. Everyone is afraid of change, that is normal, but sometimes you need that change to better yourself. Whether it being changing your major in college, changing cities, or changing positions in football like I did, no matter how big or small push past that fear of the unknown and make whatever changes you need to be a better you. That is the key to success
13) Sit-down with a fan:
Interview with a fan
14) That Magic Moment
Even with the Ultimus still to come, I definitely think one play and one moment from the NSFC Conference Championship game between the Baltimore Hawks and the Yellowknife Wraiths will be remembered for a long time, especially over here in Canada. The game had been an absolute slugfest with two great defenses going at each other and score was 15-14 going into the final quarter. The Wraiths had been able to turn an interception into a touchdown with a Morgan Marshall run into the end zone. With only a slim margin between the teams, Yellowknife put themselves in a bad position with a personal foul that led to them punting the ball back to Baltimore. The Hawks started with the ball on their own 25 yard line. After an incompletion to Espeeyeeseetee, Havran dropped back to pass on second down, looking for his trusty veteran tight end Verso D’Alto to move the chains and thought he had an easy throw. That is when Giannis Kroustis stepped in and intercepted the ball, put on the burners and wheeled into the endzone. Havran The whole Yellowknife bench erupted and ran to congratulate him and the entire crowd was jumping up and down. With under 6 minutes left in the game and a two touchdown lead, the place was ready for a party. The play was the final nail in the coffin for Baltimore and Yellowknife would move on to the Ultimus
So here we (or I use this loosely as I was not part of the team the last few seasons because I am a rookie) were again, a conference championship game and where there had been what seemed like a curse against Yellowknife and facing off against our rival the Baltimore Hawks! The game started out with the defense of both teams doing well, getting to the quarterbacks and making Yellowknife only settle for field goals. Havran was sacked twice and intercepted once in the first quarter but these did not lead to any points. On the other side Bigsby had a costly interception before the end of the quarter and the Hawks capitalised by putting 7 points on the board. The second quarter was much of the same with teams trading punts and the only action was one good drive by Baltimore which put them in the lead 14-6 going into half-time. In the third quarter Yellowknife was able to capitalize on a Havran interception with a touchdown and added a field goal to put them up 15-14 with one tense quarter of action to go. The fourth quarter was all about the Wraiths defense, with rookie Virtanen sacking Havran on the first play of the quarter. Havran was intercepted twice during the fourth quarter, with one of them returned to the one yard line (and a follow up touchdown) and the other being a pick six. With the dominance of the Wraiths defense, they were able to shut out the Hawks offense in the final quarter and come away with a 29-14 win and move on to the Ultimus
12) Sit-down with a star, AJ Lattimer @TeyonSchavari
Q: So here you are after quite an amazing game and win against the Outlaws in the ASFC Championship games, what are your feelings and the feeling inside the locker room?
A: The adrenaline is still flowing from that game. The Outlaws are a great team and we knew it'd be close coming in. That game had me as anxious as I've ever been since coming into the league, and I'm glad we were able to come out with the win. The locker room went wild after a win like that, we're hyped to be in the Ultimus again and we all are excited for a shot to bring the trophy home for the second year in a row. Really fun win
Q: The Otters are unsurprisingly or maybe surprisingly in the Ultimus for the second straight year. Now up against the Yellowknife Wraiths, what are your thoughts on what the Otters need to do to win and what scares you the most on the Wraiths?
A: I'm excited to play against the Wraiths. This year its the two best teams going head to head so it will be a hard fought game. The Wraiths have the spookiest defense in the league, and for us to win we're going to have to take advantage of every opportunity and keep the ball out of their hands. Cooter and their offense can't be ignored either, so we have to work hard to make stops and try to force turnovers to give our offense the best chance to succeed.
Q: Talking about defense, you have recently switched over to cornerback when you previously were working down in the trenches as a defensive tackle. What were the reasons behind the decision and do you think it has helped the Otters?
A: There are many reasons, but the main one was I didn't feel that I was making a big enough impact for my team. Along with this, Showbiz is on his way out of the league and the rookies really needed a veteran presence in a defensive back. I felt that it was the best way to help the team as we have good pieces on the defensive line but were missing something at corner. I do think it has helped the otters - Thor is still holding down the defensive line, Lanzer is leading the linebackers, and now I can be the lockdown defender we needed in the defensive backfield. I'm happy with my decision and I believe the team has benefited as well
Q: Well that does sound like a good outcome for everyone on the team! Now final question, if there are any young Lattimer fans out there who might read this, and are looking to become the next big thing, any tips for them?
A: All I can say is follow your dreams, and be open to change. Everyone is afraid of change, that is normal, but sometimes you need that change to better yourself. Whether it being changing your major in college, changing cities, or changing positions in football like I did, no matter how big or small push past that fear of the unknown and make whatever changes you need to be a better you. That is the key to success
13) Sit-down with a fan:
Interview with a fan
14) That Magic Moment
Even with the Ultimus still to come, I definitely think one play and one moment from the NSFC Conference Championship game between the Baltimore Hawks and the Yellowknife Wraiths will be remembered for a long time, especially over here in Canada. The game had been an absolute slugfest with two great defenses going at each other and score was 15-14 going into the final quarter. The Wraiths had been able to turn an interception into a touchdown with a Morgan Marshall run into the end zone. With only a slim margin between the teams, Yellowknife put themselves in a bad position with a personal foul that led to them punting the ball back to Baltimore. The Hawks started with the ball on their own 25 yard line. After an incompletion to Espeeyeeseetee, Havran dropped back to pass on second down, looking for his trusty veteran tight end Verso D’Alto to move the chains and thought he had an easy throw. That is when Giannis Kroustis stepped in and intercepted the ball, put on the burners and wheeled into the endzone. Havran The whole Yellowknife bench erupted and ran to congratulate him and the entire crowd was jumping up and down. With under 6 minutes left in the game and a two touchdown lead, the place was ready for a party. The play was the final nail in the coffin for Baltimore and Yellowknife would move on to the Ultimus