1. This week will see the S28 Ultimus and Ultimini races begin in earnest. How did each team arrive at the playoffs? Were there any dark horse teams that went unexpectedly far, or any presumptive favourites that fell flat? Who do you think will win the final? If you’re writing this after the finals were decided, were you surprised by the outcome?
I’m going to take a look at the London Royals path to the playoffs. The Royals ground their way to the Ultimini through a staunch defensive line and a superstar running back in Manhattan Project. Project had the second-most rushing yards in the DSFL whilst Glenn Smart got shit done on the defensive side of the ball with 11 sacks, good for second-best overall in the regular season.
The season started off with a home win against the Portland Pythons. The Royals edged out the Pythons in a close game 20-13. The game was won in the 4th quarter where two touchdowns from Hulkenvettel and Hunter helped to give the Royals the lead whilst the defense managed to shut out the Pythons. The game was pretty clean with no turnovers from either team, but the Royals managed to grind out the win and start the season off right.
Next up the Kansas City Coyotes came to London to see if they could bounce back from their season 27 Ultimini loss and losing their first game of the season. They could not. London put on a show destroying the Coyotes 41-10 intercepting the Coyotes 3 times. Whether it was Abed or Jaroppolo Jr. didn’t really matter, they both thought the Royals cornerbacks were their new receivers. Manhattan Project torched the defense as well putting up 138 yards and 3 touchdowns. Rip KC.
The Norfolk Seawolves were next up in what was soon becoming the fortress of London. It was another big win for the Royals, crushing the Seawolves 40-17 as the offense exploded once again. The ground game was unstoppable once again, but this time it was quarterback Arrow Jr. putting up insane numbers as he ran for 174 yards and 3 touchdowns. Two +70-yard touchdown runs helped London to a massive win and a performance from Arrow many Royals fans will never forget.
London now had to go on the road for the first time this season and found things tough over in Dallas. The Birddogs managing to defeat the Royals 35-24. The Dallas defence managed to slow down London causing three turnovers with one of them being a pick 6. Gaare had a huge game rushing for Dallas putting up 119 yards and 3 touchdowns. London would hope to bounce back with a win next week away to Tijuana.
The Luchadores proved tough opponent for the travelling Royals but the team from London managed to eek out a win, triumphing 21-20. In a closely fought battle London came away with the points thanks to a big fourth quarter where they converted a 2-point conversion to seal the victory.
Bondi Beach Buccaneers were the next team to visit London as the Royals hoped to maintain their strong early home form. The Buccaneers had other ideas though as the Royals secondary couldn’t cope with Ozymandias, Bronko and Funyuns. After a strong first quarter from the Royals, Bondi Beach managed to slow down the London offense holding them to a solitary field goal in the next three quarters.
At this stage of the season, the Royals were 4-2 with some huge wins under their belt. There was reason to be optimistic with a strong running game and defense helping them to set a good early pace. They would now make a real push for the playoffs by going on a nice run of games where they really start to click.
This started with a closely won game away to the Minnesota Grey Ducks. The Royals emerged victorious in a low scoring 17-12 game. It was a cagey affair, but Project managed 109 yards whilst Tapian Pete also put up 87 for a rushing total of 196-yards. The Royals could grind out results thanks to the strong running game whilst the defense could keep things tight by creating pressure. Smart got 2 sacks and a forced fumble in this game to help nullify any threat from the Grey Ducks offense.
In another closely fought shootout Royals overcame the Birddogs 47-42 to bring their record to 6-2. Both quarterbacks had huge games with Arrow Jr. having 3 touchdowns to 1 interception and Christ Jr. had 4 touchdowns to 1 interception. The Royals superior rushing game helped them to win out in the end putting up 183 yards whilst the Birddogs only managed 90. A great kicking game by Rainbow Dash also helped seal the win hitting 4 out of 5 field goals with one of them being a 52-yarder!
Next up the Kansas City Coyotes hosted the Royals once again as they looked to avenge their early season hammering. This time they put up a much better fight holding the Royals to 24 points, but it was not enough as they could only put up 21 points themselves. Abed threw 2 interceptions again in this game as the turnovers proved to be too costly. London was on a roll winning their fourth game in a row.
The next game was another closely fought battle, but the Royals continued their streak. Taking their 5th win in a row they beat the Tijuana Luchadores 28-27 with a last-second touchdown pass to running back Taipan Pete. This game had it all with 5 turnovers between the two teams and a huge rushing game from Jackson of the Luchadores putting up 191 yards. London ground out another result to make the playoffs seem more and more certain.
The Bondi Beach Buccaneers came to visit London in the next game. London was looking for payback after losing to the Buccaneers when they went to Bondi Beach. They found it, hammering them 41-14 to make it 6 games unbeaten. Taipan Pete carried on from his heroics in the last game with a 113-yard rushing total and 2 touchdowns. Project also put up 94 yards as the London ground game dominated once again.
The Portland Pythons then came along to bring the Royals back down to earth as they finally lost a game. London couldn’t keep up with Miles Weperom as he amassed 155 yards and 2 touchdowns in only 4 receptions. The big play machine helped the Pythons humble the Royals and ensure they refocused for the upcoming playoffs. Sitting at a 10-3 record the Royals could look forward to playoff football but had to win against Minnesota to ensure home-field advantage.
They managed to beat them 23-16 giving them that all-important advantage and taking the season record to 11-3. The rest is history as they ploughed their way through the playoffs to bring home the Ultimini title.
I’m going to take a look at the London Royals path to the playoffs. The Royals ground their way to the Ultimini through a staunch defensive line and a superstar running back in Manhattan Project. Project had the second-most rushing yards in the DSFL whilst Glenn Smart got shit done on the defensive side of the ball with 11 sacks, good for second-best overall in the regular season.
The season started off with a home win against the Portland Pythons. The Royals edged out the Pythons in a close game 20-13. The game was won in the 4th quarter where two touchdowns from Hulkenvettel and Hunter helped to give the Royals the lead whilst the defense managed to shut out the Pythons. The game was pretty clean with no turnovers from either team, but the Royals managed to grind out the win and start the season off right.
Next up the Kansas City Coyotes came to London to see if they could bounce back from their season 27 Ultimini loss and losing their first game of the season. They could not. London put on a show destroying the Coyotes 41-10 intercepting the Coyotes 3 times. Whether it was Abed or Jaroppolo Jr. didn’t really matter, they both thought the Royals cornerbacks were their new receivers. Manhattan Project torched the defense as well putting up 138 yards and 3 touchdowns. Rip KC.
The Norfolk Seawolves were next up in what was soon becoming the fortress of London. It was another big win for the Royals, crushing the Seawolves 40-17 as the offense exploded once again. The ground game was unstoppable once again, but this time it was quarterback Arrow Jr. putting up insane numbers as he ran for 174 yards and 3 touchdowns. Two +70-yard touchdown runs helped London to a massive win and a performance from Arrow many Royals fans will never forget.
London now had to go on the road for the first time this season and found things tough over in Dallas. The Birddogs managing to defeat the Royals 35-24. The Dallas defence managed to slow down London causing three turnovers with one of them being a pick 6. Gaare had a huge game rushing for Dallas putting up 119 yards and 3 touchdowns. London would hope to bounce back with a win next week away to Tijuana.
The Luchadores proved tough opponent for the travelling Royals but the team from London managed to eek out a win, triumphing 21-20. In a closely fought battle London came away with the points thanks to a big fourth quarter where they converted a 2-point conversion to seal the victory.
Bondi Beach Buccaneers were the next team to visit London as the Royals hoped to maintain their strong early home form. The Buccaneers had other ideas though as the Royals secondary couldn’t cope with Ozymandias, Bronko and Funyuns. After a strong first quarter from the Royals, Bondi Beach managed to slow down the London offense holding them to a solitary field goal in the next three quarters.
At this stage of the season, the Royals were 4-2 with some huge wins under their belt. There was reason to be optimistic with a strong running game and defense helping them to set a good early pace. They would now make a real push for the playoffs by going on a nice run of games where they really start to click.
This started with a closely won game away to the Minnesota Grey Ducks. The Royals emerged victorious in a low scoring 17-12 game. It was a cagey affair, but Project managed 109 yards whilst Tapian Pete also put up 87 for a rushing total of 196-yards. The Royals could grind out results thanks to the strong running game whilst the defense could keep things tight by creating pressure. Smart got 2 sacks and a forced fumble in this game to help nullify any threat from the Grey Ducks offense.
In another closely fought shootout Royals overcame the Birddogs 47-42 to bring their record to 6-2. Both quarterbacks had huge games with Arrow Jr. having 3 touchdowns to 1 interception and Christ Jr. had 4 touchdowns to 1 interception. The Royals superior rushing game helped them to win out in the end putting up 183 yards whilst the Birddogs only managed 90. A great kicking game by Rainbow Dash also helped seal the win hitting 4 out of 5 field goals with one of them being a 52-yarder!
Next up the Kansas City Coyotes hosted the Royals once again as they looked to avenge their early season hammering. This time they put up a much better fight holding the Royals to 24 points, but it was not enough as they could only put up 21 points themselves. Abed threw 2 interceptions again in this game as the turnovers proved to be too costly. London was on a roll winning their fourth game in a row.
The next game was another closely fought battle, but the Royals continued their streak. Taking their 5th win in a row they beat the Tijuana Luchadores 28-27 with a last-second touchdown pass to running back Taipan Pete. This game had it all with 5 turnovers between the two teams and a huge rushing game from Jackson of the Luchadores putting up 191 yards. London ground out another result to make the playoffs seem more and more certain.
The Bondi Beach Buccaneers came to visit London in the next game. London was looking for payback after losing to the Buccaneers when they went to Bondi Beach. They found it, hammering them 41-14 to make it 6 games unbeaten. Taipan Pete carried on from his heroics in the last game with a 113-yard rushing total and 2 touchdowns. Project also put up 94 yards as the London ground game dominated once again.
The Portland Pythons then came along to bring the Royals back down to earth as they finally lost a game. London couldn’t keep up with Miles Weperom as he amassed 155 yards and 2 touchdowns in only 4 receptions. The big play machine helped the Pythons humble the Royals and ensure they refocused for the upcoming playoffs. Sitting at a 10-3 record the Royals could look forward to playoff football but had to win against Minnesota to ensure home-field advantage.
They managed to beat them 23-16 giving them that all-important advantage and taking the season record to 11-3. The rest is history as they ploughed their way through the playoffs to bring home the Ultimini title.