1. The Season 40 Ultimus and Ultimini have officially come to an end. Congratulations to the the Bondi Beach Buccaneers and Arizona Outlaws 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?
Season 40 started off big for the Bondi Beach with a huge draft, put together by GMs Thor and Eric. With these picks the team seemed to be in a much better position then the previous year when the team only won 2 games. But right out of the gate the Buc had two quick losses and things seemed much the same. Then in week 3 vs an also much improved Portland squad the Bucs got their first win of the season 41-35 in Portland. The next week brought a home victory over London by 20 points and just like that the Bucs were trending up and back to .500. BBB would then rattle of three more wins beating KC, TJ, and Minn to cap off their 5 game winning streak. In week 8 the Seawooves came into Bondi Beach and dealt the Bucs a painful 21-20 loss beating the Bucs for the second time this season. Then a win vs Dallas had the Bucs back in the win column with Portland coming to town in week 10. The Pythons gave the Bucs all they could handle beating the home team 37-20 and putting the Bucs at 6-4 with 4 games remaining. The bucs though would rise to the occasion beating LON, KC, and TJ all for the second time this season putting BBB at 9-4 with a shot at the number one overall seed throughout the playoff. In a battle for the number one seed the Bucs in week 14 needed a loss from Norfolk who were playing the DSFL North Champion Pythons and needing a win over the Greyducks. The Pythons defeated the Seawooves so it came down to BBB beating the Ducks. Which didn't happen the ducks defense held the potent Buc offense to just 10 points and beat them 17-10. Which would send BBB to Norfolk for the conference championship game. Coming into the game Norfolk had already beaten Bondi Beach 2 times so the Bucs had a tough task ahead of them. Thew Bucs though were not daunted and came out firing and never let up in route to a 27-16 win to become the North Champions who would go on to face a team they had split regular season games with the Portland Pythons. In the Ultimini the Pythons came out firing with 14 first quarter points while the Bucs couldn't even get on the board. The second quarter held much of the same for BBB as they were held to just a field goal as Portland scored another touchdown to send it to the half with Portland on top 21-3. The third quarter was a mirror of the first with BBB scoring two touchdowns and the Bucs defense giving up no points. The fourth quarter start with the Pythons leading 21-16 and both teams struggling to find anything on offense. Until 3:47 left in the game Bondi Beach safety Amanda Hugandkiss came up with a huge interception and taking the ball down to the Portland 5 yard line where the very next play Smokin Jay hit Kairo Knight for a touchdown and a quick hit to Malik Jordan for the 2 point conversion and a 3 point lead. From there the Bucs defense held the Pythons out of range for even a feild goal and won the Ultimini.
Overall I think the Ultimini was a huge surprise around the league, after and offseason where both teams were in risk of being no more both teams drafted well and played well all season. The huge surprise was Bondi Beach though just one season after only winning two games end the next season tied for most wins in the league. With up and coming stars on both sides of the ball. A quarterback and receiving group that some weeks could not be stopped and 2 great running backs on offense. To a defense with great players at every level D-line, LBs, and secondary a squad that gave up the least points and caused the most turnovers. The team ended up with 12 DSFL probowlers and a few players in the running for end of the year awards. Also a team that would be well represented in the early rounds of the ISFL draft. In the end it was a great season for us and a great first season for me in the league.
(726 words)
Season 40 started off big for the Bondi Beach with a huge draft, put together by GMs Thor and Eric. With these picks the team seemed to be in a much better position then the previous year when the team only won 2 games. But right out of the gate the Buc had two quick losses and things seemed much the same. Then in week 3 vs an also much improved Portland squad the Bucs got their first win of the season 41-35 in Portland. The next week brought a home victory over London by 20 points and just like that the Bucs were trending up and back to .500. BBB would then rattle of three more wins beating KC, TJ, and Minn to cap off their 5 game winning streak. In week 8 the Seawooves came into Bondi Beach and dealt the Bucs a painful 21-20 loss beating the Bucs for the second time this season. Then a win vs Dallas had the Bucs back in the win column with Portland coming to town in week 10. The Pythons gave the Bucs all they could handle beating the home team 37-20 and putting the Bucs at 6-4 with 4 games remaining. The bucs though would rise to the occasion beating LON, KC, and TJ all for the second time this season putting BBB at 9-4 with a shot at the number one overall seed throughout the playoff. In a battle for the number one seed the Bucs in week 14 needed a loss from Norfolk who were playing the DSFL North Champion Pythons and needing a win over the Greyducks. The Pythons defeated the Seawooves so it came down to BBB beating the Ducks. Which didn't happen the ducks defense held the potent Buc offense to just 10 points and beat them 17-10. Which would send BBB to Norfolk for the conference championship game. Coming into the game Norfolk had already beaten Bondi Beach 2 times so the Bucs had a tough task ahead of them. Thew Bucs though were not daunted and came out firing and never let up in route to a 27-16 win to become the North Champions who would go on to face a team they had split regular season games with the Portland Pythons. In the Ultimini the Pythons came out firing with 14 first quarter points while the Bucs couldn't even get on the board. The second quarter held much of the same for BBB as they were held to just a field goal as Portland scored another touchdown to send it to the half with Portland on top 21-3. The third quarter was a mirror of the first with BBB scoring two touchdowns and the Bucs defense giving up no points. The fourth quarter start with the Pythons leading 21-16 and both teams struggling to find anything on offense. Until 3:47 left in the game Bondi Beach safety Amanda Hugandkiss came up with a huge interception and taking the ball down to the Portland 5 yard line where the very next play Smokin Jay hit Kairo Knight for a touchdown and a quick hit to Malik Jordan for the 2 point conversion and a 3 point lead. From there the Bucs defense held the Pythons out of range for even a feild goal and won the Ultimini.
Overall I think the Ultimini was a huge surprise around the league, after and offseason where both teams were in risk of being no more both teams drafted well and played well all season. The huge surprise was Bondi Beach though just one season after only winning two games end the next season tied for most wins in the league. With up and coming stars on both sides of the ball. A quarterback and receiving group that some weeks could not be stopped and 2 great running backs on offense. To a defense with great players at every level D-line, LBs, and secondary a squad that gave up the least points and caused the most turnovers. The team ended up with 12 DSFL probowlers and a few players in the running for end of the year awards. Also a team that would be well represented in the early rounds of the ISFL draft. In the end it was a great season for us and a great first season for me in the league.
(726 words)
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