1. The Season 50 Ultimus and Ultimini have officially come to an end. Congratulations to the the Bondi Beach Buccaneers and Baltimore Hawks 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?
Defense wins championships.
The Baltimore Hawks and the Bondi Beach Buccaneers took completely different paths but both ended their journey with the Trophy of Champions.
The Hawks took over the Pineapple Haters and Ketchup Enthusiasts Conference as the number one seed and tied with the Honolulu Hahalua with the best record in the entire ISFL. They were consistent by going with identical 6-2 records at home and on the road. The Hawks proved the old saying "defense wins championships" to be true as they allowed the fewest points in the ISFL with the second best rushing defense in the league.
Following a humiliating 45-17 loss at home to the Sarasota Sailfish, the Hawks rolled off seven wins (including the playoffs) in a row to become the S50 Ultimus Champions. They allowed under 20 points in four of those seven games and in 10 total games (including playoffs) of the season.
The Hawks went the entire season without suffering back-to-back losses and always had at least two wins in between losses.
The Hawks playoff road was a struggle as they were forced to face teams that had beaten them in the regular season. The Hawks avenged a Week One loss by knocking off the Yellowknife Wraiths 21-18 in the Quarterfinals. Wolfie McDummy Jr connected woth Anakin Skywalker on a 21 yard touchdown pass with just a minute and 50 seconds left in the game to pull out the win.
In the Semifinals, the Hawks had to face the same Sailfish that had blown them out in Week 12. The Hawks built a 34-16 lead and then had to survive a furious Sarasota rally to hang on to win 34-31.
The Ultimus Championship Game was another hard-fought contest for the Hawks as the New York Silverbacks took a 27-24 lead with 12:39 left in the game. But the Hawks, losers of the previous two Ultrimus Championship Games, would not be denied. Skywalker scored on a one-yard run with 4:20 to go in the game to put the Hawks up for good. Master Chief added a 39-yard field goal with just over a minute and a half left to provide the final points.
For the Bondi Beach Buccaneers, they entered the DSFL playoffs with an 8-6 record, the worst record among the four playoff teams. While the Hawks were the top favorites to win the Ultimus Championship, the Buccaneers were the longest of longshots to take home the Ultimini.
But that is exactly what happened when they took a page out of the Hawks playbook and held both their playoff opponents under 20 points.
After starting the season 3-3, the BBB became an inconsistent team in putting wins together, followed by losing streaks as the would fall from 5-1 to 8-6, losing three of their last four regular season games.
However, the Buccaneers resembled the Hawks in having tough defense, finishing second in the DSFL in points allowed as well as rushing yards allowed.
In the 16-14 win over the Dallas Birddogs in the Semifinals, the Buccaneers held Dallas to just 51 yards rushing for the game and leaned on the leg of Jack Wolf's three field goals to make the difference in the game.
Then, in the Ultimini Championship Game, the Buccaneers had to overcome the defending Ultimini Champions and a team that had beaten them twice in the regular season. But, again, the BBB defense rose to the occasion, allowing just 44 yards rushing and forcing four turnovers in the commanding 27-14 victory that saw Bondi Beach take the lead for good late in the second quarter.
Though they both took different paths to reach the championship, both Baltimore and Bondi let it be known that defense still wins championships.
(621 words)
Defense wins championships.
The Baltimore Hawks and the Bondi Beach Buccaneers took completely different paths but both ended their journey with the Trophy of Champions.
The Hawks took over the Pineapple Haters and Ketchup Enthusiasts Conference as the number one seed and tied with the Honolulu Hahalua with the best record in the entire ISFL. They were consistent by going with identical 6-2 records at home and on the road. The Hawks proved the old saying "defense wins championships" to be true as they allowed the fewest points in the ISFL with the second best rushing defense in the league.
Following a humiliating 45-17 loss at home to the Sarasota Sailfish, the Hawks rolled off seven wins (including the playoffs) in a row to become the S50 Ultimus Champions. They allowed under 20 points in four of those seven games and in 10 total games (including playoffs) of the season.
The Hawks went the entire season without suffering back-to-back losses and always had at least two wins in between losses.
The Hawks playoff road was a struggle as they were forced to face teams that had beaten them in the regular season. The Hawks avenged a Week One loss by knocking off the Yellowknife Wraiths 21-18 in the Quarterfinals. Wolfie McDummy Jr connected woth Anakin Skywalker on a 21 yard touchdown pass with just a minute and 50 seconds left in the game to pull out the win.
In the Semifinals, the Hawks had to face the same Sailfish that had blown them out in Week 12. The Hawks built a 34-16 lead and then had to survive a furious Sarasota rally to hang on to win 34-31.
The Ultimus Championship Game was another hard-fought contest for the Hawks as the New York Silverbacks took a 27-24 lead with 12:39 left in the game. But the Hawks, losers of the previous two Ultrimus Championship Games, would not be denied. Skywalker scored on a one-yard run with 4:20 to go in the game to put the Hawks up for good. Master Chief added a 39-yard field goal with just over a minute and a half left to provide the final points.
For the Bondi Beach Buccaneers, they entered the DSFL playoffs with an 8-6 record, the worst record among the four playoff teams. While the Hawks were the top favorites to win the Ultimus Championship, the Buccaneers were the longest of longshots to take home the Ultimini.
But that is exactly what happened when they took a page out of the Hawks playbook and held both their playoff opponents under 20 points.
After starting the season 3-3, the BBB became an inconsistent team in putting wins together, followed by losing streaks as the would fall from 5-1 to 8-6, losing three of their last four regular season games.
However, the Buccaneers resembled the Hawks in having tough defense, finishing second in the DSFL in points allowed as well as rushing yards allowed.
In the 16-14 win over the Dallas Birddogs in the Semifinals, the Buccaneers held Dallas to just 51 yards rushing for the game and leaned on the leg of Jack Wolf's three field goals to make the difference in the game.
Then, in the Ultimini Championship Game, the Buccaneers had to overcome the defending Ultimini Champions and a team that had beaten them twice in the regular season. But, again, the BBB defense rose to the occasion, allowing just 44 yards rushing and forcing four turnovers in the commanding 27-14 victory that saw Bondi Beach take the lead for good late in the second quarter.
Though they both took different paths to reach the championship, both Baltimore and Bondi let it be known that defense still wins championships.
(621 words)
