Quote:Prompt: 2) This week will see the S24 Ultimus and Ultimini races begin in earnest. In 800 words or more, recount any of the previous playoff cycles of either league. How did each team arrive at the playoffs? Were there any dark horse or Cinderella teams that went unexpectedly far, or any presumptive favorites that fell flat? How did the title game play out, and which players made their mark on the field? Tell the story of those playoffs as completely as you can. Do not simply recount your own experience in those playoffs or that of a singular team.
This is a story about redemption. This is a story about how one team battled back from embarrassment and disgrace to capture Ultimus glory. How a team battled back and won their first, and to this date only, championship. How a team dominated in the regular season, but came close to losing it all in the final game. This is the story of the 2023-2024 Yellowknife Wraiths.
Founded in 2016 as one of the inaugural teams in the National Simulation Football League, the Wraiths were the first team from outside the United States. Stationed in the far north of the Northwest Territory, Canada, the Wraiths came out of the gate strong before faltering. However, after by 2019 the Wraiths were a perennial contender, winning the conference three out of five years.
They reached their first championship game in the 2019 season, playing in Ultimus Bowl IV against the Orange County Otters. For the Otters, it was also their first championship game, but certainly not their last. Playing in Santa Ana Stadium, the Otters won a close game 23-30. Despite the loss, hopes were high for the wraiths coming into the following year. They would again reach the pinnacle of the league, playing in Ultimus Bowl V, again versus the Otters in Santa Ana Stadium. This time, however, the score told a darker story. The Otters won the game in convincing fashion, with a final score of 26-15. The Otters would go on to play in two more consecutive championships, winning Ultimus Bowl VI against the Philadelphia Liberty before losing Ultimus Bowl VII to the Liberty the following year.
For the Wraiths, the road back to the championship was a long one. The following 2021 season after their second Ultimus Bowl loss to the Otters saw the Wraiths stumble to a 7-6-1 record in a rebuilding year and an early exit in the playoffs. The next year, however, the Wraiths surged to a 13-1 regular season record, before the Philadelphia Liberty shocked them in the conference championship. The final score, 40-31, and another difficult loss for Yellowknife.
About to embark on the eighth season of the league, the Yellowknife Wraiths had built a reputation of strong play up until the final moments. Difficult losses to the Otters and the Liberty had dented their reputation as a team who can win it all. Coming off the stunning loss the year before, many thought that the Wraiths may stumble out of the gate. After going 1-3 in their preseason games, prognosticators had their doubts that the Wraiths could put together another fine season and make a deep run. They were mistaken.
The Wraiths won their first six games in the league, including a road win over the defending champion Philadelphia Liberty. In week seven, they hosted their rival Orange County Otters, and lost in a difficult 38-21 contest. This game was built as a potential preview of the Ultimus Bowl, and the Wraiths found themselves still trailing their rivals. The Wraiths finished the season an impressive 11-3, including a second loss to the Otters and a crushing victory over the Liberty to end the season.
The first opponent for the Wraiths would be the Baltimore Hawks, who finished the season 7-7. The Wraiths won both games against the Hawks that year by a combined score of 61-52, so despite the differences in record the game was no sure thing. The Hawks jumped out to an early lead, moving the ball at will and holding the Wraiths' potent offense in check. At halftime, the score was 21-7 in favor of the Hawks. Early signs suggested that this was to be another early stumble and fall for the Wraiths, another potential upset. But if the Baltimore fans expected the Wraiths to fold, they were sorely mistaken.
The Wraiths quickly brought the lead down to only seven points after a Robby Rainey run with 11:23 left to play in the third quarter. The Hawks would add a field goal, but with another touchdown by the Wraiths at the end of the third, the fourth quarter began with a tie game, 24-24. From then on, it was Yellowknife's game as they finished the game 38-24. The Hawks, worn down and out of gas, were unable to keep up with the high powered Wraith offense, led by quarterback Mat Akselsen and running back Robby Rainey. The Wraiths had managed to do it, they once again reached the championship game. The only remaining question, who would be their opponent.
The ASFC Championship Game was a clash between the New Orleans Second Line and the Orange County Otters. Both teams had a strong regular season, with the Second Line bringing a 9-5 record and the Otters coming in at 10-4. However, given the pedigree of Orange County, many analysts picked Orange County to win. The two teams split the seasons series, with New Orleans winning a 33-10 contest at home, before the Otters took revenge with a 27-26 win in Orange County. The championship game proved a tight contest between the two teams. By halftime, the score was 10-3 in favor of New Orleans, with the sole Orange County points coming from a field goal with four seconds left in the quarter. However, with 2:37 left in the fourth quarter, Erlich Burnsman ran it in for an Otters' touchdown, tying the game at 17. While some expected the Second Line to play for overtime, the team had other ideas. The Second Line drove the ball down the field methodically, scoring a field goal with 10 seconds left in the game by Peg Leg. The Otters were out of chances, and the Second Line secured their first berth in the Ultimus Bowl.
The stage was then set. The young, upstart Second Line team versus the tested but as of yet unsuccessful squad of the Wraiths. In the regular season the Wraiths dominated the Second Line with a combined score of 74-20 in their two wins. The championship game, hosted at the Burial Grounds in Yellowknife, would prove not to be quite so clean.
The game began with a sudden bang. While fans were still taking their seats, D. Evans of the Second Line took the opening kick off 87 yards and deep into Wraith territory. However, in a sign of things to come, New Orleans was unable to do much with the opportunity, opting for a 24 yard field goal. Peg Leg, the hero of the conference championship game, missed the kick and the game remained scoreless. The two teams then traded a series of punts, neither side able to gain ground until Peg Leg of the Second Line drew first blood with a 45 yard field goal with 4:46 to play in the first. Not to be outdone, the Wraiths went on a long drive, with Robby Rainey running it in for a touchdown with six seconds left in the quarter.
After punting on their opening drive of the second quarter, the Wraiths took the ball down the field off multiple long passes by Mat Akelsen before a Robby Rainey run brought the score to 14-3 at 7:36. Sensing the game was getting away from them, the Second Line battled back off a Borkus Maximus III pass to Dustin Evans for a touchdown, their first of the day. Going into halftime, the score was 14-10 in favor of the Wraiths, with some questioning if this would finally be the time that Yellowknife would go all the way.
In a reverse of the opening play of the game, this time the Wraiths benefited from a huge return. Dermot Lavelle returned the kick off 49 yards, deep into Second Line territory. Akelsen would only need three passes before finding Kennedy for 36 yards and the touchdown, making it 21-10 for the Wraiths. The teams would trade punts again, before Maximus III was intercepted by Dermot Lavelle deep in the Second Line part of the field. Unable to punch it in, the Wraiths settled for a 26 yard field goal with 4:47 to play in the third.
The fourth quarter saw the Wraiths control the game and the clock. And although the Second Line would add a field goal at 9:39 to make the score 24-13, they did not have enough time or strength to do more. Mat Akselsen was named as the Offensive Player of the Game, contributing 20/39 with 355 yards and one touchdown, no interceptions. Brian Mills of the Second Line was named Defensive Player of the Game, with 13 tackles and one sack. Other standouts for the Wraiths were wide receivers McPoyal and Kennedy, who combined for 12 receptions and 202 yards. For the Second Line, C. Law caught four balls for 110 yards, but it wasn't enough.
Finally, the Wraiths had met their lofty expectations and hoisted ultimate glory. The team that had so often faltered at the finish line, now was clearly the best team in the league. After numerous heart breaking losses that would have broken other teams, the Wraiths were able to rally back and capture the ultimate prize. The Second Line would go on to reach the new three Ultimus Bowl games, winning Ultimus Bowl IX and XI against the Baltimore Hawks. The Wraiths would not reach the pinnacle again till Ultimus Bowl XVIII, making the title game four years in a row. They would go on to lose those games, including a Ultimus Bowl VIII rematch against the Second Line at Ultimus Bowl XXI. However, the memory and achievement of the 2023 lives on in the hearts and minds of the people of Yellowknife, and the players who participated in the games.