Tier 1 Task 1:
Season 46 in the ISFL saw Arizona claim its (rightful?) place as Ultimus champs following a couple of disappointing campaigns that saw Baltimore and Austin claim the trophy. It certainly wasn't a cakewalk, however, and we'll briefly cover how both Ultimus participants made it to their respective positions.
Yellowknife:
Entering the season, the Wraiths were not seen by many to be a slam dunk playoff team, but following a 3-0 start to the season they were showing positive signs of improvement. The momentum was disrupted by eventual division champs Baltimore, who were in the middle of an impressive streak of their own, and the Wraiths struggled to find consistency afterwards, alternating wins and losses that featured some dispiriting close losses where the margin of victory was only a matter of 2-4 points. Towards the end of the season, the Wraiths found themselves locked in a struggle with Cape Town and Chicago to cross the line into the playoffs, dropping both games versus CTC to make things a little too exciting. Tough matchups versus Baltimore and Arizona saw them almost fall out of the race, but when the dust settled, the Wraiths found themselves 8-8 and locked in to a first round playoff matchup versus the Sailfish.
Arizona:
Following a busy offseason, Arizona entered the regular season with a win-now mentality, but after three games found themselves at 2-1 with a tough loss to S45 champs Austin. Following a little bit of navel-gazing and some strategic adjustments, the team managed to post five straight Ws, although as the streak continued, their ability to close out games versus weak opponents started to waver somewhat (vs NOLA, Colorado). The mid point of the season saw the team briefly alternate between wins and losses, featuring a blowout 47-21 loss to divisional rivals Orange County and a close loss to the plucky Sailfish. Although a divisional first place finish seemed not unreasonable, Arizona had its sights set on first overall, and against some stiff opposition managed to close out the season with 5 wins (Austin and Yellowknife in particular, the latter of which was a two point W), pipping Baltimore for first overall with a 13-3 record. While the team remained fairly middle of the pack statistically, the team featured top tier offensive performers, with Benji Aguilera and Danny Nedelko hovering around the top of their respective fields in WR and RB respectively.
Playoffs - Yellowknife:
In their quarterfinal matchup versus Sarasota, the Wraiths knew they were in tough, but their defence fought furiously to limit the Sailfish offence in the first half of the game, which featured a totally scoreless second quarter. After taking a brief lead in the 3rd, two straight Sailfish TDs had them on the ropes by the middle of the 4th quarter, but a key TD by Jimmy Ryder and a successful 2 point conversion set the scene for some playoff magic, with Zenzeroni Xystarch launching a 59 yard field goal to tie the game with 3 minutes left. The magic didn't run out there however, as Xystarch etched himself into Wraiths lore by scoring the game winning field goal at the 13:08 mark, putting them through to the next round.
In the semifinals, the Wraiths faced division winners Baltimore which, on paper, appeared to favour the Hawks, who raced out to a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter. The offence then dried up for them, allowing the Wraiths to gradually mount a comeback over an offensively sparse second and third quarters. Baltimore was not going to go quietly, and, thanks to some heroics topped off by Shane Turnbull's thrilling touchdown just before the two minute warning, saw the game tied at the end of regulation. Yellowknife was not to be denied, however, as playoff hero Jimmy Ryder delivered the killing blow at the 5:49 mark with a one yard TD to win the game, setting up a date with Arizona in the Ultimus.
Playoffs - Arizona:
In their first round matchup versus the Sabrecats, the Outlaws raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter that they would not get close to relinquishing, limiting the Cats to a single field goal. This dominating win helped end any conversation about playoff choking. There really isn't much else to say!
In the second round, Arizona faced divisional arch-rival Austin who had provided one of their three regular season losses, but same as in the quarterfinals, the Outlaws again dominated the game early, building a 31-0 lead by the tail end of the 3rd quarter. A career performance by yours truly gave little chance for Austin to mount an effective comeback, and despite a pair of late TDs, Arizona won the game handily by a score of 38-17, punching their ticket to the finals with the upset winner of the NSFC, Yellowknife.
Ultimus:
With two dominating wins, things were looking like they were on cruise control for the Outlaws, but they ran into a literal wall in Yellowknife. Completely stymied by the Wraiths D, Arizona found themselves down by two field goals by the middle of the second quarter, but to their credit did an excellent job in preventing any touchdowns against. It seemed as if no-one might ever score again when yours truly broke through with a nice 69 yard TD on an amazing pass by Winters. With the Arizona D exerting its will, Thomas Sutha provided the spark Arizona was looking for with a TD of his own early in the 4th, and despite a series of heart-dropping fumbles (including a last minute one by yours truly), the Outlaws held on for the shockingly low-scoring 14-6 Ultimus win.
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A great deal of credit must go to the Wraiths for salvaging a very up and down season with a series of thrilling playoff games that brought them very close to an incredible upset versus the two best teams in the league. It's always exciting to see an underdog break through, but on a personal level, it was even more exciting to be on an Ultimus winner and actually contribute (although I will endeavor to contribute fewer fumbles next playoffs!). I'd like to thank my teammates and management for giving me a chance and believing in me, and can't wait to see what the future holds!
Season 46 in the ISFL saw Arizona claim its (rightful?) place as Ultimus champs following a couple of disappointing campaigns that saw Baltimore and Austin claim the trophy. It certainly wasn't a cakewalk, however, and we'll briefly cover how both Ultimus participants made it to their respective positions.
Yellowknife:
Entering the season, the Wraiths were not seen by many to be a slam dunk playoff team, but following a 3-0 start to the season they were showing positive signs of improvement. The momentum was disrupted by eventual division champs Baltimore, who were in the middle of an impressive streak of their own, and the Wraiths struggled to find consistency afterwards, alternating wins and losses that featured some dispiriting close losses where the margin of victory was only a matter of 2-4 points. Towards the end of the season, the Wraiths found themselves locked in a struggle with Cape Town and Chicago to cross the line into the playoffs, dropping both games versus CTC to make things a little too exciting. Tough matchups versus Baltimore and Arizona saw them almost fall out of the race, but when the dust settled, the Wraiths found themselves 8-8 and locked in to a first round playoff matchup versus the Sailfish.
Arizona:
Following a busy offseason, Arizona entered the regular season with a win-now mentality, but after three games found themselves at 2-1 with a tough loss to S45 champs Austin. Following a little bit of navel-gazing and some strategic adjustments, the team managed to post five straight Ws, although as the streak continued, their ability to close out games versus weak opponents started to waver somewhat (vs NOLA, Colorado). The mid point of the season saw the team briefly alternate between wins and losses, featuring a blowout 47-21 loss to divisional rivals Orange County and a close loss to the plucky Sailfish. Although a divisional first place finish seemed not unreasonable, Arizona had its sights set on first overall, and against some stiff opposition managed to close out the season with 5 wins (Austin and Yellowknife in particular, the latter of which was a two point W), pipping Baltimore for first overall with a 13-3 record. While the team remained fairly middle of the pack statistically, the team featured top tier offensive performers, with Benji Aguilera and Danny Nedelko hovering around the top of their respective fields in WR and RB respectively.
Playoffs - Yellowknife:
In their quarterfinal matchup versus Sarasota, the Wraiths knew they were in tough, but their defence fought furiously to limit the Sailfish offence in the first half of the game, which featured a totally scoreless second quarter. After taking a brief lead in the 3rd, two straight Sailfish TDs had them on the ropes by the middle of the 4th quarter, but a key TD by Jimmy Ryder and a successful 2 point conversion set the scene for some playoff magic, with Zenzeroni Xystarch launching a 59 yard field goal to tie the game with 3 minutes left. The magic didn't run out there however, as Xystarch etched himself into Wraiths lore by scoring the game winning field goal at the 13:08 mark, putting them through to the next round.
In the semifinals, the Wraiths faced division winners Baltimore which, on paper, appeared to favour the Hawks, who raced out to a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter. The offence then dried up for them, allowing the Wraiths to gradually mount a comeback over an offensively sparse second and third quarters. Baltimore was not going to go quietly, and, thanks to some heroics topped off by Shane Turnbull's thrilling touchdown just before the two minute warning, saw the game tied at the end of regulation. Yellowknife was not to be denied, however, as playoff hero Jimmy Ryder delivered the killing blow at the 5:49 mark with a one yard TD to win the game, setting up a date with Arizona in the Ultimus.
Playoffs - Arizona:
In their first round matchup versus the Sabrecats, the Outlaws raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter that they would not get close to relinquishing, limiting the Cats to a single field goal. This dominating win helped end any conversation about playoff choking. There really isn't much else to say!
In the second round, Arizona faced divisional arch-rival Austin who had provided one of their three regular season losses, but same as in the quarterfinals, the Outlaws again dominated the game early, building a 31-0 lead by the tail end of the 3rd quarter. A career performance by yours truly gave little chance for Austin to mount an effective comeback, and despite a pair of late TDs, Arizona won the game handily by a score of 38-17, punching their ticket to the finals with the upset winner of the NSFC, Yellowknife.
Ultimus:
With two dominating wins, things were looking like they were on cruise control for the Outlaws, but they ran into a literal wall in Yellowknife. Completely stymied by the Wraiths D, Arizona found themselves down by two field goals by the middle of the second quarter, but to their credit did an excellent job in preventing any touchdowns against. It seemed as if no-one might ever score again when yours truly broke through with a nice 69 yard TD on an amazing pass by Winters. With the Arizona D exerting its will, Thomas Sutha provided the spark Arizona was looking for with a TD of his own early in the 4th, and despite a series of heart-dropping fumbles (including a last minute one by yours truly), the Outlaws held on for the shockingly low-scoring 14-6 Ultimus win.
---
A great deal of credit must go to the Wraiths for salvaging a very up and down season with a series of thrilling playoff games that brought them very close to an incredible upset versus the two best teams in the league. It's always exciting to see an underdog break through, but on a personal level, it was even more exciting to be on an Ultimus winner and actually contribute (although I will endeavor to contribute fewer fumbles next playoffs!). I'd like to thank my teammates and management for giving me a chance and believing in me, and can't wait to see what the future holds!