1. The Season 48 Ultimus and Ultimini have officially come to an end. Congratulations to the the Portland Pythons and New Orleans Second Line 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?
While I’d love to say that Portland winning the Ultimini was the expected outcome from the start of the season, this ring comes from the culmination of a lot of work from a lot of different people, and without each and every one of the players and our war room, Portland may not have made the playoffs at all. The beginning of the season was tough to say the least, both for the team and myself as a player. I remember the very first game, I was super excited to embark on a new adventure with Portland. Riding the high of being a second overall pick, and meeting a lot of new faces, rookies and vets alike, made that first game pretty special for me. That sentiment was clearly spread among the locker room, with a lot of people chatting in our LR for that first game. Unfortunately, that excitement waned quickly in a game against Minnesota that got out of hand pretty quickly. Defense was letting up big plays, offense turned it over, nothing seemed to go right. A win the next week helped dull the pain, but I remember thinking that this season wouldn’t be easy. And it wasn’t, not by a long shot. Three more losses left us 1-4 after five games, and the very bottom of the league. We could see the improvement, though, as new rookies grinded the TPE to put our skill positions on par with the upper echelon of the DSFL. Pasta Rockmann came into his own quickly, putting aside the “limp pasta” jokes in the locker room and becoming a high quality leader on the offensive side of the ball. Harvin Marrison finally had some help, as Scott Wickerd began getting the TPE gains and became a reliable target for Pasta. In the backfield, JamesIsRunning Wilder quickly rose in TPE and Larton Hilnka added some of their own to join Gucci Gurley and become a hydra runningback core, with a recieving back threat in Gurley, a pure prodigy back in Wilder, and a power threat in Hilnka; it was hard for defenses to account for all three. On the defensive side, Rus got help in the front seven with J.C. Tomlinson being a big help to bolster the front of the Pythons’ defense. Edith Nickelback had some help, with a TPE buffer in Blitz McTackleton and a max earning safety in myself, Meguru Bachira. This all culminated in a resurgence in the locker room and on the field. The mood around gametime was always stellar going forward, as three straight wins meant Portland was back in the playoff race. But as is the story of the season, it was not going to be that easy. A game against Kansas City was important for both squads, as a win meant they were one step closer to passing Minnesota, who had been slipping in the previous weeks, leaving the second slot open in the playoffs as London would start to run away with the top overall seed. Unfortunately for me and my fellow snakes, this game was reminiscent of the early slate: Chunks of yardage given up on blown coverage through the air, running backs consistently breaking through the first line of defense and sometimes into the secondary. On the offensive side, the star players faltered. Marrison and Wickerd failed to get open consistently, and when they did, Pasta couldn’t seem to find them. The vaunted running back room, which had torn up the turf for the previous three weeks, couldn’t find their footing. A loss to KCC meant Portland was now 4-5, and our playoff hopes were hanging by a thread. But, over the rest of the way, Portland shifted into a new gear. Three wins in the next four games, including a beatdown of top seed London royals on their own turf, meant the final game of the regular season was simple: win, and you’re in. A rematch of the blowout to start the season, Portland vs Minnesota, with a ticket to the postseason on the line. Both sides had reason to be optimistic, the aforementioned week one blowout gave the Grey Ducks hope, but they were slipping in recent weeks. Ultimately, Portland has the better gameplan, and we are going to the postseason! Seeing this team rise from the ashes and make it to the playoffs was a big boon for the locker room, and we wanted to carry that momentum into the postseason. Against London in the semifinals, we knew it would be tough, taking on the top record in their venue. We also knew we had the formula to win, beating the Royals 24-3 the last time we faced off. It was that confidence that led us to a win, suffocating the London offense like a boa constrictor crushing its prey. The offense made enough plays to cruise to a victory, and the pythons slithered to the Ultimini. The trip to Florence was not just one filled with elation, it was one full of study. The players hit the books hard. Playing London was one thing, we had beaten them before, and we knew we could do it again. Norfolk would be a different story. The Seawolves had bested us in both matches during the regular season, and we knew finishing this story book season with a ring would require everyone to play at the best level we’ve ever played. I credit our win to our war room. They studied hard, and found the path to victory that lay hidden like a snake ready to strike. The game began as competitive as you’d hope for from a championship brawl. Both sides played well, trading blows and absorbing contact to fight to the half. But the difference was stamina. Norfolk, no doubt, fought hard to make it here. But the adversities that we faced and overcame made us strong. We would take over in the second half and never look back, beating Norfolk 42-20 to claim a championship and reach the pinnacle after a long and arduous season.
While I’d love to say that Portland winning the Ultimini was the expected outcome from the start of the season, this ring comes from the culmination of a lot of work from a lot of different people, and without each and every one of the players and our war room, Portland may not have made the playoffs at all. The beginning of the season was tough to say the least, both for the team and myself as a player. I remember the very first game, I was super excited to embark on a new adventure with Portland. Riding the high of being a second overall pick, and meeting a lot of new faces, rookies and vets alike, made that first game pretty special for me. That sentiment was clearly spread among the locker room, with a lot of people chatting in our LR for that first game. Unfortunately, that excitement waned quickly in a game against Minnesota that got out of hand pretty quickly. Defense was letting up big plays, offense turned it over, nothing seemed to go right. A win the next week helped dull the pain, but I remember thinking that this season wouldn’t be easy. And it wasn’t, not by a long shot. Three more losses left us 1-4 after five games, and the very bottom of the league. We could see the improvement, though, as new rookies grinded the TPE to put our skill positions on par with the upper echelon of the DSFL. Pasta Rockmann came into his own quickly, putting aside the “limp pasta” jokes in the locker room and becoming a high quality leader on the offensive side of the ball. Harvin Marrison finally had some help, as Scott Wickerd began getting the TPE gains and became a reliable target for Pasta. In the backfield, JamesIsRunning Wilder quickly rose in TPE and Larton Hilnka added some of their own to join Gucci Gurley and become a hydra runningback core, with a recieving back threat in Gurley, a pure prodigy back in Wilder, and a power threat in Hilnka; it was hard for defenses to account for all three. On the defensive side, Rus got help in the front seven with J.C. Tomlinson being a big help to bolster the front of the Pythons’ defense. Edith Nickelback had some help, with a TPE buffer in Blitz McTackleton and a max earning safety in myself, Meguru Bachira. This all culminated in a resurgence in the locker room and on the field. The mood around gametime was always stellar going forward, as three straight wins meant Portland was back in the playoff race. But as is the story of the season, it was not going to be that easy. A game against Kansas City was important for both squads, as a win meant they were one step closer to passing Minnesota, who had been slipping in the previous weeks, leaving the second slot open in the playoffs as London would start to run away with the top overall seed. Unfortunately for me and my fellow snakes, this game was reminiscent of the early slate: Chunks of yardage given up on blown coverage through the air, running backs consistently breaking through the first line of defense and sometimes into the secondary. On the offensive side, the star players faltered. Marrison and Wickerd failed to get open consistently, and when they did, Pasta couldn’t seem to find them. The vaunted running back room, which had torn up the turf for the previous three weeks, couldn’t find their footing. A loss to KCC meant Portland was now 4-5, and our playoff hopes were hanging by a thread. But, over the rest of the way, Portland shifted into a new gear. Three wins in the next four games, including a beatdown of top seed London royals on their own turf, meant the final game of the regular season was simple: win, and you’re in. A rematch of the blowout to start the season, Portland vs Minnesota, with a ticket to the postseason on the line. Both sides had reason to be optimistic, the aforementioned week one blowout gave the Grey Ducks hope, but they were slipping in recent weeks. Ultimately, Portland has the better gameplan, and we are going to the postseason! Seeing this team rise from the ashes and make it to the playoffs was a big boon for the locker room, and we wanted to carry that momentum into the postseason. Against London in the semifinals, we knew it would be tough, taking on the top record in their venue. We also knew we had the formula to win, beating the Royals 24-3 the last time we faced off. It was that confidence that led us to a win, suffocating the London offense like a boa constrictor crushing its prey. The offense made enough plays to cruise to a victory, and the pythons slithered to the Ultimini. The trip to Florence was not just one filled with elation, it was one full of study. The players hit the books hard. Playing London was one thing, we had beaten them before, and we knew we could do it again. Norfolk would be a different story. The Seawolves had bested us in both matches during the regular season, and we knew finishing this story book season with a ring would require everyone to play at the best level we’ve ever played. I credit our win to our war room. They studied hard, and found the path to victory that lay hidden like a snake ready to strike. The game began as competitive as you’d hope for from a championship brawl. Both sides played well, trading blows and absorbing contact to fight to the half. But the difference was stamina. Norfolk, no doubt, fought hard to make it here. But the adversities that we faced and overcame made us strong. We would take over in the second half and never look back, beating Norfolk 42-20 to claim a championship and reach the pinnacle after a long and arduous season.
![[Image: yaboiknuckles.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/yaboiknuckles.gif)
