Tier 1: Long Form Tasks (Must be 600+ words)
Choose ONE for 10 TPE.
1. The Season 39 Ultimus and Ultimini have officially come to an end. Congratulations to the the Kansas City Coyotes and Yellowknife Wraiths for each winning their respective championships. How did each of the finalists in either the Ultimus or Ultimini arrive at the playoffs? Were there any teams that surprised or disappointed during the playoffs? Did the outcome of either championship game surprise you at all?
Starting with the Wraiths, just like the last couple of seasons Yellowknife's defense really showed. The last two seasons has statistically been two of the best defensive seasons of all time. The Wraiths allowed 221 points this season which for reference the next closest team was the Austin Copperheads with 319, almost 100 points more. Led by All Pro LBs Zephyr "Tater" GreyWolf and Jack McPherson and All Pro DE Dan Arnold, the Wraiths defense was the definition of and unmovable force, leading the league in sacks (63) and forced fumbles (24) while also being top 5 in INTs (17) and Passes Defended (104). The dominating play didn't stop in the playoffs either, averaging 18 points against during the 3 games of the playoffs, 3.6 sacks and 2.3 turnovers. The icing on this stifling defensive masterpiece was giving up only 6 points in the Ultimus game against the Austin Outlaws. The defense wasn't the only reason the Wraiths won the Ulitmus, its offense was second in the league in points scored with 510. The offense was led by All Pro's WR Bernd Brot, OL J.T Kurbis, and RB Kumquat Archipelago along with new 2nd year QB Adrian St. Christmas. While St. Christmas' stats were about middle of the league he kept the turnovers low while being able to put the ball in the endzone. Archipelago lead the league in rushing TDs (19) and was 5th in rushing yards. While the offense was very good in the regular season, they took it to another level in the playoffs averaging a staggering 42 points per game during the game. You don't need a historic defense when you have an offense that can outscore anyone but they have both. While Archipelago had a really good postseason, it was St. Christmas that drove the offense throwing for 11 TDs over the 3-game playoff run while only throwing one INT. Last but not least was our All Pro Kicker and Punter Double Doink who only missed 3 FGs all season with a long of 58 while downing 31 of their punts inside the 20. All of that combined into one of the most dominating seasons of all time by the Yellowknife Wraiths.
Down in the DSFL the Kansas City Coyotes won this season's Ultimini, and how they did it was pretty close to the Wraiths. They had the best defense in the DSFL only allowing 279 points which 11 less than the next closest team, while having the second-best offense in the league. However, unlike the Wraiths who had the best record in the league the Coyotes were tied for the 2nd best record because somehow Minnesota somehow managed to tie twice. The defense was anchored by two GM LBs Big Bad Wolf and Jimmy Crystal who were both top 5 in the league in tackles and Crystal being top 4 in tackles for loss. Rookie DE Alex Armstrong made an instant impact with 14 sacks (which was good enough for 3rd in the league) and 3 Forced Fumbles. Fellow rookie DE Ryan Lawrence also made an impact with 7 sacks 3 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries. Just like the Wraiths, the Coyotes are top 4 in all defensive categories except tackles and tackles for loss. The parallels between these two teams atleast defensively are very interesting. In the playoffs the defense could best be described as very solid but not flashy, limiting opponents to just over 20 points per game but only forcing 3 turnovers which all came during the Ultimini game and 5 sacks. Offensively Kansas City was built around the run game with RBs Sherwin Blue Jr and Blippy Shpoppy accounting 1894 rushing yards and 16 rushing TDs with Blue Jr accounting for most of them. Also have to give credit to QB Creg Jerrith IV while not eye-popping passing yards the 25 passing TDs to 8 INTS sure are. The 25 TDs were good enough for 3rd in the league and the 8 INTS is tied for 2nd lowest. He did a great job taking care of the ball and flinging TDs. The offense was a little more impressive than the defense during the playoffs scoring 31 and 44 points respectively. Surprisingly it was Shpoopy the backup RB who lead the team in TDs with 3 during the playoffs. There was no real standout during their Championship run just a rock-solid all-around team that kept up their really good play throughout the season.
(748 words)
Choose ONE for 10 TPE.
1. The Season 39 Ultimus and Ultimini have officially come to an end. Congratulations to the the Kansas City Coyotes and Yellowknife Wraiths for each winning their respective championships. How did each of the finalists in either the Ultimus or Ultimini arrive at the playoffs? Were there any teams that surprised or disappointed during the playoffs? Did the outcome of either championship game surprise you at all?
Starting with the Wraiths, just like the last couple of seasons Yellowknife's defense really showed. The last two seasons has statistically been two of the best defensive seasons of all time. The Wraiths allowed 221 points this season which for reference the next closest team was the Austin Copperheads with 319, almost 100 points more. Led by All Pro LBs Zephyr "Tater" GreyWolf and Jack McPherson and All Pro DE Dan Arnold, the Wraiths defense was the definition of and unmovable force, leading the league in sacks (63) and forced fumbles (24) while also being top 5 in INTs (17) and Passes Defended (104). The dominating play didn't stop in the playoffs either, averaging 18 points against during the 3 games of the playoffs, 3.6 sacks and 2.3 turnovers. The icing on this stifling defensive masterpiece was giving up only 6 points in the Ultimus game against the Austin Outlaws. The defense wasn't the only reason the Wraiths won the Ulitmus, its offense was second in the league in points scored with 510. The offense was led by All Pro's WR Bernd Brot, OL J.T Kurbis, and RB Kumquat Archipelago along with new 2nd year QB Adrian St. Christmas. While St. Christmas' stats were about middle of the league he kept the turnovers low while being able to put the ball in the endzone. Archipelago lead the league in rushing TDs (19) and was 5th in rushing yards. While the offense was very good in the regular season, they took it to another level in the playoffs averaging a staggering 42 points per game during the game. You don't need a historic defense when you have an offense that can outscore anyone but they have both. While Archipelago had a really good postseason, it was St. Christmas that drove the offense throwing for 11 TDs over the 3-game playoff run while only throwing one INT. Last but not least was our All Pro Kicker and Punter Double Doink who only missed 3 FGs all season with a long of 58 while downing 31 of their punts inside the 20. All of that combined into one of the most dominating seasons of all time by the Yellowknife Wraiths.
Down in the DSFL the Kansas City Coyotes won this season's Ultimini, and how they did it was pretty close to the Wraiths. They had the best defense in the DSFL only allowing 279 points which 11 less than the next closest team, while having the second-best offense in the league. However, unlike the Wraiths who had the best record in the league the Coyotes were tied for the 2nd best record because somehow Minnesota somehow managed to tie twice. The defense was anchored by two GM LBs Big Bad Wolf and Jimmy Crystal who were both top 5 in the league in tackles and Crystal being top 4 in tackles for loss. Rookie DE Alex Armstrong made an instant impact with 14 sacks (which was good enough for 3rd in the league) and 3 Forced Fumbles. Fellow rookie DE Ryan Lawrence also made an impact with 7 sacks 3 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries. Just like the Wraiths, the Coyotes are top 4 in all defensive categories except tackles and tackles for loss. The parallels between these two teams atleast defensively are very interesting. In the playoffs the defense could best be described as very solid but not flashy, limiting opponents to just over 20 points per game but only forcing 3 turnovers which all came during the Ultimini game and 5 sacks. Offensively Kansas City was built around the run game with RBs Sherwin Blue Jr and Blippy Shpoppy accounting 1894 rushing yards and 16 rushing TDs with Blue Jr accounting for most of them. Also have to give credit to QB Creg Jerrith IV while not eye-popping passing yards the 25 passing TDs to 8 INTS sure are. The 25 TDs were good enough for 3rd in the league and the 8 INTS is tied for 2nd lowest. He did a great job taking care of the ball and flinging TDs. The offense was a little more impressive than the defense during the playoffs scoring 31 and 44 points respectively. Surprisingly it was Shpoopy the backup RB who lead the team in TDs with 3 during the playoffs. There was no real standout during their Championship run just a rock-solid all-around team that kept up their really good play throughout the season.
(748 words)
Jayson Kearse - DE
S18 San Antonio Marshals
S19 - 21 Yellowknife Wraiths
S22 - S24 Honolulu Hahalula
S25 - S27 New York Silverbacks
Career Stats 132 Games | 329 Tackles | 76 Tackles For Loss| 43 Sacks | 5 FF | 4 FR | 1 Safety |
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Jay Spears - S
S30 - S31 Portland Pythons
S30 DSFL Safety of the Year/S30 DSFL Pro Bowler/S31 DSFL Pro Bowler
S32 - S41 Yellowknife Wraiths
S35 ISFL Pro Bowler
S39 Ultimus Winner
Career Stats 160 Games | 649 Tackles | 2 Tackles For Loss | 20 Sacks | 8 FF | 4 FR | 5 INT | 75 PDs | 1 Safety | 1 TD |
S18 San Antonio Marshals
S19 - 21 Yellowknife Wraiths
S22 - S24 Honolulu Hahalula
S25 - S27 New York Silverbacks
Career Stats 132 Games | 329 Tackles | 76 Tackles For Loss| 43 Sacks | 5 FF | 4 FR | 1 Safety |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jay Spears - S
S30 - S31 Portland Pythons
S30 DSFL Safety of the Year/S30 DSFL Pro Bowler/S31 DSFL Pro Bowler
S32 - S41 Yellowknife Wraiths
S35 ISFL Pro Bowler
S39 Ultimus Winner
Career Stats 160 Games | 649 Tackles | 2 Tackles For Loss | 20 Sacks | 8 FF | 4 FR | 5 INT | 75 PDs | 1 Safety | 1 TD |