6. Write 600 words or more on something about anything in the league that interests you. It could be related to statistics, a league issue that you take seriously, or a niche part of history that doesn’t fit neatly into either of the above categories. This must be directly related to the league, so don’t wax 600 words about your team’s participation on a Werewolf server or something.
Since my time in joining the league, the Philadelphia Liberty have been in a sort of purgatory. Outside of one outlier season, the Philadelphia Liberty have always been considered either a breakout team candidate, or a team that is viewed as a free win. Sometimes both. But I am not going to talk about those seasons, and will instead talk about the outlier, the S32 season of the ISFL.
Now before we dive into the story of the S32 season the scene needs to be set. Before S31, the last time the Philadelphia Liberty had made the playoffs was in S23, where they went 9-7, and lost in the first round of the playoffs. After that, they had been consistently at the bottom of the standings in the NSFC, and failed to finish with a winning record, and had spent a combined total of 8 weeks above .500 from S24 to S31. Through 8 seasons, and 128 weeks, only 8 of them were spent with a winning record in Philadelphia. That is a depressingly low 6.25%.
But something changed for this S32 Philadelphia Liberty team. Maybe something in them snapped. In their first game of the season, they crushed their opponent the Yellowknife Wraiths 29-6. But to make things even crazier, their rookie kicker Ikick Ballz set a franchise record for longest successful field goal with a 59 yard attempt. After that game, everyone in the locker room was feeling cautiously optimistic. But surely the sim would kick us back down, right? After the second game, it was the first time since S14(!!) that Philadelphia had won back to back games to start the season, and was their best start by far since then. Philadelphia won 4 games straight to start the season, third best in franchise history.
Heading into the final weeks, it became clear that Philadelphia would make the playoffs, the only question was where would they be seeded. This question came down to the final week of the regular season, if they lost they would be the 2 seed, but if they won, they would be the 1 seed. With the second highest scoring offense in the league, and the second best scoring defense in the league, they would secure the 1 seed after crushing the Colorado Yeti 38-13, in a game where QB Ryan Negs completed 73% of his passes for 315 yards, and 3 TDs. And in winning this game, Philadelphia had not only secured the 1 seed, but had done it for the first time in franchise history, and had won the most games in a single season in franchise history.
Many franchise records were set this season, many of which still hold today. Ryan Negs set the franchise record for highest passer rating in a season. Ikick Ballz set the franchise record for longest field goal. Ikick Ballz also tied the franchise single season record for most field goals made from a distance of 50 or more yards. Jake Fencik set the franchise record for most receiving yards in a season. Xavier Walls tied the franchise single game record for most sacks in a game.
But for now, the stage has been set for the playoffs. The last time the Philadelphia Liberty had made the playoffs was in S23, and they lost in the first round to the Colorado Yeti. But this time, they were against the Yeti again, and this time, the result would be different. While not nearly as dominant of a win as the final week of the regular season, Philadelphia did manage to defeat the Colorado Yeti 30-23. From personal experience, the locker room went crazy. Optimism was high, and the locker room was very excited to see what would happen next week against the Berlin Fire Salamanders.
The next week happened, and the game started. But the Philadelphia offense was nowhere to be found. The second best scoring offense in the league was held to a season low 12 points (one of only two times they were held under 20), and lost the game. Since then, Philadelphia has yet to make the playoffs again.
Since my time in joining the league, the Philadelphia Liberty have been in a sort of purgatory. Outside of one outlier season, the Philadelphia Liberty have always been considered either a breakout team candidate, or a team that is viewed as a free win. Sometimes both. But I am not going to talk about those seasons, and will instead talk about the outlier, the S32 season of the ISFL.
Now before we dive into the story of the S32 season the scene needs to be set. Before S31, the last time the Philadelphia Liberty had made the playoffs was in S23, where they went 9-7, and lost in the first round of the playoffs. After that, they had been consistently at the bottom of the standings in the NSFC, and failed to finish with a winning record, and had spent a combined total of 8 weeks above .500 from S24 to S31. Through 8 seasons, and 128 weeks, only 8 of them were spent with a winning record in Philadelphia. That is a depressingly low 6.25%.
But something changed for this S32 Philadelphia Liberty team. Maybe something in them snapped. In their first game of the season, they crushed their opponent the Yellowknife Wraiths 29-6. But to make things even crazier, their rookie kicker Ikick Ballz set a franchise record for longest successful field goal with a 59 yard attempt. After that game, everyone in the locker room was feeling cautiously optimistic. But surely the sim would kick us back down, right? After the second game, it was the first time since S14(!!) that Philadelphia had won back to back games to start the season, and was their best start by far since then. Philadelphia won 4 games straight to start the season, third best in franchise history.
Heading into the final weeks, it became clear that Philadelphia would make the playoffs, the only question was where would they be seeded. This question came down to the final week of the regular season, if they lost they would be the 2 seed, but if they won, they would be the 1 seed. With the second highest scoring offense in the league, and the second best scoring defense in the league, they would secure the 1 seed after crushing the Colorado Yeti 38-13, in a game where QB Ryan Negs completed 73% of his passes for 315 yards, and 3 TDs. And in winning this game, Philadelphia had not only secured the 1 seed, but had done it for the first time in franchise history, and had won the most games in a single season in franchise history.
Many franchise records were set this season, many of which still hold today. Ryan Negs set the franchise record for highest passer rating in a season. Ikick Ballz set the franchise record for longest field goal. Ikick Ballz also tied the franchise single season record for most field goals made from a distance of 50 or more yards. Jake Fencik set the franchise record for most receiving yards in a season. Xavier Walls tied the franchise single game record for most sacks in a game.
But for now, the stage has been set for the playoffs. The last time the Philadelphia Liberty had made the playoffs was in S23, and they lost in the first round to the Colorado Yeti. But this time, they were against the Yeti again, and this time, the result would be different. While not nearly as dominant of a win as the final week of the regular season, Philadelphia did manage to defeat the Colorado Yeti 30-23. From personal experience, the locker room went crazy. Optimism was high, and the locker room was very excited to see what would happen next week against the Berlin Fire Salamanders.
The next week happened, and the game started. But the Philadelphia offense was nowhere to be found. The second best scoring offense in the league was held to a season low 12 points (one of only two times they were held under 20), and lost the game. Since then, Philadelphia has yet to make the playoffs again.