Week 2 is in the books!
Let's breakdown each game and highlight some outstanding performances.
San Jose Sabercats 27 (1-1)
Arizona Outlaws 19 (0-2)
San Jose righted the ship with a big win this week over the Outlaws. Despite being outgained, out first-downed, and out time-of-possessioned (that surely can't be a correct phrase, but we'll roll with it!), the Sabercats were able to finish off their drives in the endzone and send Arizona home with an 0-2 record. Arizona had to kick four field goals inside the 25 yard line and their sputtering offense was the story here. QB Jay Cue and the rest of the Outlaws don't have time for self-pity though, as a hungry Silverbacks team is next up. For San Jose, this was a near-must win and they got it done behind their solid two-headed rushing attack. They head to New Orleans next week for another big showdown.
Player of the Game: CB Rashad Hilliard @GotDatWeeFee- 6 tackles, INT, TD, PD
Stat of the Game: 7/14 vs. 3/12. Arizona only converted 3 of their 12 third downs, while the Sabercats were successful on half of their (7/14)
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Orange County Otters 31 (2-0)
New York Silverbacks 27 (0-2)
Things certainly got more than a little nervy for Orange County fans as New York raced out to a 14-3 first quarter lead and also took a short lead in the fourth quarter, before the Otters completed their comeback. Norfolk Seawolves legend Suleiman Ramza improved his record to 2-0 behind an incredible Week 2 performance. New York almost pulled off the major upset, but they can't dwell too long on this loss as a hungry Jay Cue & Co. will face off against them next week. It hasn't necessarily been pretty for the Otters, but they're 2-0 and looking like a strong contender. If Ramza and Nakamura can continue to gel, look out for the cuddly fur creatures from southern California.
Player of the Game: QB Suleiman Ramza @Blasoon- 20/31, 285 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT. I was tempted to go with Nakamura's three touchdowns here, but Ramza's improvement from week one and steady hand this week gives him the nod.
Stat of the Game: 595 combined passing yards in this game that will have both secondaries looking for answers next week.
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Honolulu Hahalua 55 (1-1)
New Orleans Second Line 27 (1-1)
Woo boy, this one was ugly. Honoulu stormed out to a 55-10 lead before New Orleans tacked on some garbage time points in by far the biggest blowout of the young season. The Hahalua offense simply could not be contained, as they converted 8/13 third downs, 431 total yards, and 13+ points in three of the four quarters. Not much else to say here about Honolulu except they have shaken off the Week 1 loss and are looking like a heavyweight contender. For New Orleans, they could never get anything going on the ground or through the air. They were constantly on the wrong side of the field position battle and this may be one of those game tapes that the Second Line simply throw away. Definitely one to forget.
Player of the Game: RB Ke'oke'o Kane-Maika'i @gucci- 186 total yards, 4 TD
Stat of the Game: 55 points scored by Honolulu was outstanding, but even more impressive was that they did it without scoring in the final 14 minutes of the game.
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Philadelphia Liberty 30 (1-1)
Austin Copperheads 27 (1-1)
Former Seawolves legend Jimi DeSoto @Jimi64 famously predicted this win for the Liberty and he was right on the money. The Liberty needed this dub and they fought for all 60 minutes to secure the victory. For Austin, this has to feel like a missed opportunity as they had multiple leads throughout the game. The Copperheads led by a touchdown with 12 minutes left in the game, but simply could not get any offense going after that point. Philly never led until Jake Fencik booted through the game-winning 32 yard field goal with less than thirty seconds left in the game, but that's all that mattered in the end. Huge win for Philly.
Player of the Game: QB Brock Phoenix @Leafs4ever - 16/31, 237 total yards, 3 TD, INT
Stat of the Game: Philadelphia only led for 29 seconds in this key win.
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Chicago Butchers 17 (2-0)
Colorado Yeti 6 (1-1)
This was a slugfest throughout as these two contenders went toe-to-toe for four quarters. The score was 7-6 until halfway through the final period when Chicago's offense finally scrapped together enough to bury the Yeti with 10 unanswered points. The two quarterbacks in this game combined for only 1 TD and 3 INT as neither could get into a rhythm. Some of that was due to the Butchers' defense constantly harassing Wolfie McDummy, as they totaled an incredible five sacks and numerous pressures and knockdowns. Chicago joins Orange County as the only undefeated teams still standing and are off to an incredible start here early on.
Player of the Game: S Hamish MacAndrew @IthicaHawk - 10 tackles, 1 sack
Stat of the Game: Colorado was only 3/13 on third downs in this game.
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Sarasota Sailfish 10 (1-1)
Berlin Fire Salamanders 6 (1-1)
It wasn't pretty, but Sarasota got the all important win. Berlin was just a play or two away from starting 2-0 and taking the ISFL football community by storm, but this performance raised more than a few eyebrows. Sarasota has high hopes for the season and if they are going to come close to achieving those goals, they'll need better offensive play across the board. On the defensive side of the ball, the Sailfish were fantastic and the main reason why Sarasota isn't sitting here at 0-2. 219 yards and zero offensive touchdowns won't get it done moving forward, but I'm sure the Sailfish will improve this week at practice.
Player of the Game: RB Raphtalia Chan @Frostbite- 111 yards from scrimmage, 71 yard punt return TD
Stat of the Game: 0 offensive touchdowns in this defensive battle.
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Yellowknife Wraiths 23 (1-1)
Baltimore Hawks 6 (1-1)
That's more like it from Yellowknife. After a tough week one loss, they got back in the win column with a strong four-quarter performance against Baltimore. The Hawks never led and really never had a chance after Yellowknife got out to a 10 point lead with 14:09 left in the second quarter. The Wraith defense was the definition of "bend, don't break" in this one, as they gave up 392 total yards but kept Baltimore out of the endzone. Chika Fujiwara threw for over 300 yards, but was forced to throw into tight windows thanks to the Yellowknife defense. Each teams now stands 1-1 with a crucial game coming up for both.
Player of the Game: LB Brach Thomaslacher @RDBSouthPaw - 9 tackles, 2 PD, 1 INT, TD
Stat of the Game: Baltimore finished with 100 penalty yards and constantly shot themselves in the foot.
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Previous weeks:
Week 1 Recap
Let's breakdown each game and highlight some outstanding performances.
San Jose Sabercats 27 (1-1)
Arizona Outlaws 19 (0-2)
San Jose righted the ship with a big win this week over the Outlaws. Despite being outgained, out first-downed, and out time-of-possessioned (that surely can't be a correct phrase, but we'll roll with it!), the Sabercats were able to finish off their drives in the endzone and send Arizona home with an 0-2 record. Arizona had to kick four field goals inside the 25 yard line and their sputtering offense was the story here. QB Jay Cue and the rest of the Outlaws don't have time for self-pity though, as a hungry Silverbacks team is next up. For San Jose, this was a near-must win and they got it done behind their solid two-headed rushing attack. They head to New Orleans next week for another big showdown.
Player of the Game: CB Rashad Hilliard @GotDatWeeFee- 6 tackles, INT, TD, PD
Stat of the Game: 7/14 vs. 3/12. Arizona only converted 3 of their 12 third downs, while the Sabercats were successful on half of their (7/14)
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Orange County Otters 31 (2-0)
New York Silverbacks 27 (0-2)
Things certainly got more than a little nervy for Orange County fans as New York raced out to a 14-3 first quarter lead and also took a short lead in the fourth quarter, before the Otters completed their comeback. Norfolk Seawolves legend Suleiman Ramza improved his record to 2-0 behind an incredible Week 2 performance. New York almost pulled off the major upset, but they can't dwell too long on this loss as a hungry Jay Cue & Co. will face off against them next week. It hasn't necessarily been pretty for the Otters, but they're 2-0 and looking like a strong contender. If Ramza and Nakamura can continue to gel, look out for the cuddly fur creatures from southern California.
Player of the Game: QB Suleiman Ramza @Blasoon- 20/31, 285 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT. I was tempted to go with Nakamura's three touchdowns here, but Ramza's improvement from week one and steady hand this week gives him the nod.
Stat of the Game: 595 combined passing yards in this game that will have both secondaries looking for answers next week.
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Honolulu Hahalua 55 (1-1)
New Orleans Second Line 27 (1-1)
Woo boy, this one was ugly. Honoulu stormed out to a 55-10 lead before New Orleans tacked on some garbage time points in by far the biggest blowout of the young season. The Hahalua offense simply could not be contained, as they converted 8/13 third downs, 431 total yards, and 13+ points in three of the four quarters. Not much else to say here about Honolulu except they have shaken off the Week 1 loss and are looking like a heavyweight contender. For New Orleans, they could never get anything going on the ground or through the air. They were constantly on the wrong side of the field position battle and this may be one of those game tapes that the Second Line simply throw away. Definitely one to forget.
Player of the Game: RB Ke'oke'o Kane-Maika'i @gucci- 186 total yards, 4 TD
Stat of the Game: 55 points scored by Honolulu was outstanding, but even more impressive was that they did it without scoring in the final 14 minutes of the game.
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Philadelphia Liberty 30 (1-1)
Austin Copperheads 27 (1-1)
Former Seawolves legend Jimi DeSoto @Jimi64 famously predicted this win for the Liberty and he was right on the money. The Liberty needed this dub and they fought for all 60 minutes to secure the victory. For Austin, this has to feel like a missed opportunity as they had multiple leads throughout the game. The Copperheads led by a touchdown with 12 minutes left in the game, but simply could not get any offense going after that point. Philly never led until Jake Fencik booted through the game-winning 32 yard field goal with less than thirty seconds left in the game, but that's all that mattered in the end. Huge win for Philly.
Player of the Game: QB Brock Phoenix @Leafs4ever - 16/31, 237 total yards, 3 TD, INT
Stat of the Game: Philadelphia only led for 29 seconds in this key win.
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Chicago Butchers 17 (2-0)
Colorado Yeti 6 (1-1)
This was a slugfest throughout as these two contenders went toe-to-toe for four quarters. The score was 7-6 until halfway through the final period when Chicago's offense finally scrapped together enough to bury the Yeti with 10 unanswered points. The two quarterbacks in this game combined for only 1 TD and 3 INT as neither could get into a rhythm. Some of that was due to the Butchers' defense constantly harassing Wolfie McDummy, as they totaled an incredible five sacks and numerous pressures and knockdowns. Chicago joins Orange County as the only undefeated teams still standing and are off to an incredible start here early on.
Player of the Game: S Hamish MacAndrew @IthicaHawk - 10 tackles, 1 sack
Stat of the Game: Colorado was only 3/13 on third downs in this game.
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Sarasota Sailfish 10 (1-1)
Berlin Fire Salamanders 6 (1-1)
It wasn't pretty, but Sarasota got the all important win. Berlin was just a play or two away from starting 2-0 and taking the ISFL football community by storm, but this performance raised more than a few eyebrows. Sarasota has high hopes for the season and if they are going to come close to achieving those goals, they'll need better offensive play across the board. On the defensive side of the ball, the Sailfish were fantastic and the main reason why Sarasota isn't sitting here at 0-2. 219 yards and zero offensive touchdowns won't get it done moving forward, but I'm sure the Sailfish will improve this week at practice.
Player of the Game: RB Raphtalia Chan @Frostbite- 111 yards from scrimmage, 71 yard punt return TD
Stat of the Game: 0 offensive touchdowns in this defensive battle.
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Yellowknife Wraiths 23 (1-1)
Baltimore Hawks 6 (1-1)
That's more like it from Yellowknife. After a tough week one loss, they got back in the win column with a strong four-quarter performance against Baltimore. The Hawks never led and really never had a chance after Yellowknife got out to a 10 point lead with 14:09 left in the second quarter. The Wraith defense was the definition of "bend, don't break" in this one, as they gave up 392 total yards but kept Baltimore out of the endzone. Chika Fujiwara threw for over 300 yards, but was forced to throw into tight windows thanks to the Yellowknife defense. Each teams now stands 1-1 with a crucial game coming up for both.
Player of the Game: LB Brach Thomaslacher @RDBSouthPaw - 9 tackles, 2 PD, 1 INT, TD
Stat of the Game: Baltimore finished with 100 penalty yards and constantly shot themselves in the foot.
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Previous weeks:
Week 1 Recap