We're back for some more football fun as we continue the dive into Cole Maxwell’s rookie year in the ISFL. Last post we left off with a very bitter defeat to the Yeti nemesis Yellowknife Wraiths where Cole put up some very uninspired statistics. Without too much fuss we’ll just go ahead and dive right back into the year where we left off with the next game the Yeti played.
Week 6 at Philadelphia Liberty (47-17 Win):
Not to take an embarrassing loss like that sitting down, Colorado was looking to enforce their will on their next opponent, and showed up big time against the Liberty, doling out a similar treatment to what they endured just one week prior. Cole’s first target comes on the first drive of the game, but is a misconnection between himself and Caliban, with the pass falling incomplete (9:51 Q1). On the next series Caliban again targets Cole, but this time his dropping issues resurface as the ball finds the turf after slipping through Cole’s fingers (4:51 Q1). The next series for Cole was a much more productive one, making his first catch for a 10 yard gain and first down (12:54 Q2). The very next play Caliban aims towards Cole again and the rookie makes the catch for 12 yards and another first down (12:08 Q2). Three plays later Cole receives the third down target and makes a 13 yard gain, but it isn’t enough to reach the first down (10:14 Q2). The next series, Cole again is Caliban’s third down target, but as he reaches out to try and pick up the first down the Liberty defenders knock the ball loose, but Cole is able to recover and ends with an 8 yard gain (6:56 Q2). The third quarter would not be kind to Cole, as his three targets resulted in zero catches, the first being a dropped pass (1:29 Q3), the second target one play later was broken up by a Liberty defender (1:22 Q3), and the third and final play of the third quarter resulted in another pass break up by a Liberty defensive back (0:01 Q3). The dry spell wouldn’t dissuade Caliban from targeting Cole on another third down later in the possession though, and Cole rewarded his trust with a 15 yard pickup and a first down (13:30 Q4). Cole’s last target of the game would come on the next possession of the game, resulting in an 8 yard pickup and another first down (3:47 Q4). Overall a great game for the Yeti and a solid outing for Cole, despite his two drops. A statline of 6 catches for 66 yards resulted in a Yeti blowout of the Liberty, and is probably what most would expect of a first year player.
Week 7 vs Baltimore Hawks (38-7 Win):
Confidence flying high after the bounce back game against the Liberty, the Yeti looked to add to the win column vs a still rebuilding Baltimore team. Cole would get off to a good start, converting the second third down of the game with his first catch, bringing in a 5 yard gain to convert (11:43 Q1). It would take awhile for another target, but Cole was again Caliban’s third down decision and created a 16 yard gain for another first down (11:59 Q2). Cole’s next target would be well defended though, and fall victim to a Hawk defender swatting the pass away (3:41 Q2). The first Colorado snap of the second half would look Cole’s way, and the rookie would make the reception for a 20 yard gain and first down (10:56 Q3). The very next play Caliban would again try Cole, however the pass would fall incomplete (9:57 Q3). On the following Yeti drive, Cole would again receive the first target, making a catch and 13 yard gain for another first down (3:57 Q3). A few plays later on third down Caliban would again find Cole for the conversion, with the rookie picking up 4 yards to make the first down (1:33 Q3). Two plays after that Cole would receive another look, make another catch for 5 yards, and bring in another first down (0:46 Q3) on his last target of the game. Another masterful game by the Yeti, not falling prey to a trap game and getting the job done. Similarly Cole got the job done, improving on his performance from the week before with 6 catches again for 63 yards, but importantly no drops this time around.
Week 8 at Austin Copperheads (34-31 Win):
Colorado would come to Texas next, facing a, pun very much intended, snakebit Copperhead team. Austin was on a 6 game winless streak, but put up a fighting effort in each of them. This week would be no different, as Austin still couldn’t pull off the win, but gave the Yeti one hell of a fight. As is quickly becoming a tradition, Caliban searches for Cole on the first Yeti snap of the game, finding the receiver for a 7 yard gain (9:43 Q1). On the next series Cole would be Caliban’s third down target, but the usual problem surfaces yet again and Cole drops the pass as it hits his hands (4:30 Q1). The next series goes much better for Cole, as he catches his next target for an 11 yard gain and a first down (2:51 Q1). A penalty on Cole nullifies what would be the next play, but the rookie makes up for it by, on the next official play, hauling in a 61 yard touchdown (2:17 Q1). Almost a whole quarter goes by without impact from Cole, and his next target is the broken up by a Copperhead defender (3:23 Q2). Just three plays later though Cole makes another big play, finding himself wide open for the 32 yard touchdown, his second of the day (2:00 Q2). There wouldn’t be a streak of big plays however, as Cole’s next target again fell to the ground as he continued his rookie season struggles with dropped passes (12:48 Q3). Cole would bounce back though, and his next target would result in a 17 yard gain and a first down (10:10 Q3). Two plays later Caliban would again find Cole for a 17 yard gain and another first down (8:28 Q3). The 17 yard gain streak would end at two as the next target would be knocked away by a great play on the ball by a Copperhead defender (6:05 Q4). Caliban wouldn’t stand for that though, as he targeted Cole again the very next play for an 11 yard gain and another first down (5:46 Q4). Cole’s last pass of the game would end on a sour note however, as he had his third drop of the game (3:02 Q4). Overall a good win for the Yeti and a breakout game for Cole, amassing an impressive 7 catches for a season high 156 yards and two touchdowns. Turns out the Texas boy really likes playing in his home state! It wasn’t a perfect game however, as Cole also put in a season high 3 dropped passes.
Week 9 vs Arizona Outlaws (32-19 Win):
Riding on a three game win streak, the Yeti came prepared for a battle with arguably the best team in the ISFL, the Arizona Outlaws boasting a 6-2 record. Surprisingly this game was won by a larger margin than the Yeti’s contests against Sarasota, Honolulu, and Austin combined, but that just goes to show you that anything can happen any given week. As opposed to the previous week, it took until the second offensive snap for Cole to receive his first target, although the Outlaw defender would be in good position and bat away the pass (14:12 Q1). Cole’s next target would come just two plays later on third down, with Cole picking up 8 yards and falling just short of reaching the first down marker (13:44 Q1). On the next series Cole would get back to back looks, making a 27 yard catch and run for a first down on the first of his targets (9:13 Q1) and a modest 9 yard gain the play after (8:17 Q1). The first play of the next series would also target Cole, resulting in another 9 yard gain (6:54 Q1). For the last play of the first quarter, Cole reels in another catch for a 9 yard gain, his third straight reception of that distance (0:06 Q1). Surprise surprise, Cole’s next catch also comes at a 9 yard gain, but has the added benefit of also creating a new set of downs for the Yeti offensense (8:53 Q2). The very next play Cole ends his 9 yard gain streak with a completion of only 3 yards, and manages to recover his own fumble (8:08 Q2). With time winding down in the half, the Yeti start a two minute drill with the first play targeting Cole, who once again suffers at the hands of his drop issues (1:33 Q2). Cole has a quiet third quarter with two targets on back to back plays that are both defended and broken up by Outlaw defenders (7:55 Q3/ 7:46 Q3). He starts to get things going again in the fourth quarter, as his next target results in an 11 yard gain and first down (11:40 Q4). The very next play Cole is again targeted but another Outlaw defender is able to put himself between Cole and the ball and break up the pass mid flight (10:54 Q4). On his last target of the afternoon, Cole breaks off his biggest play of the year with a 62 yard catch and run to put the Yeti inside the red zone with a first down (3:54 Q4). To put together a solid win against a great opponent is always desired, but to also have played well is a real bonus. Cole put up a solid outing with 6 catches for 147 yards, although the one damper on the day was his single dropped pass.
Week 10 vs Yellowknife Wraiths (38-24 Win):
Revenge is on the menu this week as the Yeti host their league bullies the Yellowknife Wraiths. Colorado just defeated the league’s best team to extend their win streak and don’t look to see it end just yet as the Yeti take an early lead in the game and never let go, for their first win over the Wraiths in far too long. Cole’s first target comes about two thirds of the way through the first quarter, where he connects with Caliban for a 6 yard gain and a first down inside the Wraith ten yard line (4:51 Q1). Three plays later on third and goal Caliban once again looks Cole’s direction, but a stellar play by the Wraith defender is made and the pass is broken up (2:54 Q1), with the Yeti settling for a field goal. There isn’t any action in the second quarter for the rookie, but Cole’s next target falls to the turf incomplete (7:15 Q3). On a third down during the next series Cole is able to explode for a 35 yard gain and a first down (3:40 Q3). The very next play Cole makes another reception, this time for 9 yards (2:51 Q3). For his lone target in the fourth quarter, Cole is able to make the Caliban pass count, as he takes the catch down the field for a 39 yard gain (12:39 Q4). While Cole didn’t put up stellar numbers this week, it was a solid outing with 4 catches for 89 yards, but more importantly the team continued its win streak with a solid victory over the Wraiths.
Week 11 vs Philadelphia Liberty (19-13 Win):
Coming off back to back big games, the Yeti looked to avoid the upset against a 4-6 Philly team on their own small win streak. Colorado is able to rally after an early deficit to keep their playoff hopes and current win streak alive. A rough start to the day for Cole mimics the Yeti’s own fate, as his first target comes late in the first quarter and results in another dropped pass for the rookie (1:11 Q1). His next target also falls incomplete (15:00 Q2), but the next play Cole is able to make a reception on his second straight target for 5 yards (14:49 Q2). On the next series Caliban finds Cole on a third down for a gain of 12 yards and a first down (9:09 Q2). As the Yeti start to pick things up, Cole makes a big play with a 41 yard play on third down to bring up a new set of downs for the Yeti offense (3:57 Q2). Cole receives back to back targets on the next possession, the first being a completion for 15 yards and a first down (0:46 Q2) and the second being a humble gain of just 2 yards (0:30 Q2). The third quarter stated off promising for Cole, taking in a 5 yard completion (4:02 Q3), but then went very flat with four straight incompletions to close out the quarter, with a pass broken up by the Liberty defender (3:18 Q3), another dropped pass (2:25 Q3), a regular incompletion (2:01 Q3), and finally another pass defence from Philly (0:28 Q3). The fourth started on a sour note as well, with Cole’s first two targets being broken up by Liberty defenders (12:43 Q4/ 11:01 Q4), but picked up as he ended the day with two more catches, the first being an 18 yard gain and a first down (6:38 Q4) and the second a 5 yard gain (2:07 Q4). Another close win for the Yeti that could have been much more comfortable with a better performance by the rookie. Although a quick stat check of 8 catches for 103 yards appears good, the two dropped passes really hindered the team and could have helped a lot this game, granted it still hasn’t cost the team a win.
This is where we’ll stop again before getting into the home stretch of the season and into the playoff game. Cole is really stepping up more in this section, putting together some pretty big games for the Yeti and making a mark on the league in only his first season. He’s experienced a few drops and more than a couple opportunities taken away from playmaking defenders, but for now he continues to contribute to the team almost every week, even leading the team one week in receiving yards. We’ll find out if Cole can take that next step as the season closes to become even more of an impact player and a consistent threat to the opposing defenses on the next and final post of the series, but until then enjoy the 1.5x media and get as many pieces in before midnight as you can!
Week 6 at Philadelphia Liberty (47-17 Win):
Not to take an embarrassing loss like that sitting down, Colorado was looking to enforce their will on their next opponent, and showed up big time against the Liberty, doling out a similar treatment to what they endured just one week prior. Cole’s first target comes on the first drive of the game, but is a misconnection between himself and Caliban, with the pass falling incomplete (9:51 Q1). On the next series Caliban again targets Cole, but this time his dropping issues resurface as the ball finds the turf after slipping through Cole’s fingers (4:51 Q1). The next series for Cole was a much more productive one, making his first catch for a 10 yard gain and first down (12:54 Q2). The very next play Caliban aims towards Cole again and the rookie makes the catch for 12 yards and another first down (12:08 Q2). Three plays later Cole receives the third down target and makes a 13 yard gain, but it isn’t enough to reach the first down (10:14 Q2). The next series, Cole again is Caliban’s third down target, but as he reaches out to try and pick up the first down the Liberty defenders knock the ball loose, but Cole is able to recover and ends with an 8 yard gain (6:56 Q2). The third quarter would not be kind to Cole, as his three targets resulted in zero catches, the first being a dropped pass (1:29 Q3), the second target one play later was broken up by a Liberty defender (1:22 Q3), and the third and final play of the third quarter resulted in another pass break up by a Liberty defensive back (0:01 Q3). The dry spell wouldn’t dissuade Caliban from targeting Cole on another third down later in the possession though, and Cole rewarded his trust with a 15 yard pickup and a first down (13:30 Q4). Cole’s last target of the game would come on the next possession of the game, resulting in an 8 yard pickup and another first down (3:47 Q4). Overall a great game for the Yeti and a solid outing for Cole, despite his two drops. A statline of 6 catches for 66 yards resulted in a Yeti blowout of the Liberty, and is probably what most would expect of a first year player.
Week 7 vs Baltimore Hawks (38-7 Win):
Confidence flying high after the bounce back game against the Liberty, the Yeti looked to add to the win column vs a still rebuilding Baltimore team. Cole would get off to a good start, converting the second third down of the game with his first catch, bringing in a 5 yard gain to convert (11:43 Q1). It would take awhile for another target, but Cole was again Caliban’s third down decision and created a 16 yard gain for another first down (11:59 Q2). Cole’s next target would be well defended though, and fall victim to a Hawk defender swatting the pass away (3:41 Q2). The first Colorado snap of the second half would look Cole’s way, and the rookie would make the reception for a 20 yard gain and first down (10:56 Q3). The very next play Caliban would again try Cole, however the pass would fall incomplete (9:57 Q3). On the following Yeti drive, Cole would again receive the first target, making a catch and 13 yard gain for another first down (3:57 Q3). A few plays later on third down Caliban would again find Cole for the conversion, with the rookie picking up 4 yards to make the first down (1:33 Q3). Two plays after that Cole would receive another look, make another catch for 5 yards, and bring in another first down (0:46 Q3) on his last target of the game. Another masterful game by the Yeti, not falling prey to a trap game and getting the job done. Similarly Cole got the job done, improving on his performance from the week before with 6 catches again for 63 yards, but importantly no drops this time around.
Week 8 at Austin Copperheads (34-31 Win):
Colorado would come to Texas next, facing a, pun very much intended, snakebit Copperhead team. Austin was on a 6 game winless streak, but put up a fighting effort in each of them. This week would be no different, as Austin still couldn’t pull off the win, but gave the Yeti one hell of a fight. As is quickly becoming a tradition, Caliban searches for Cole on the first Yeti snap of the game, finding the receiver for a 7 yard gain (9:43 Q1). On the next series Cole would be Caliban’s third down target, but the usual problem surfaces yet again and Cole drops the pass as it hits his hands (4:30 Q1). The next series goes much better for Cole, as he catches his next target for an 11 yard gain and a first down (2:51 Q1). A penalty on Cole nullifies what would be the next play, but the rookie makes up for it by, on the next official play, hauling in a 61 yard touchdown (2:17 Q1). Almost a whole quarter goes by without impact from Cole, and his next target is the broken up by a Copperhead defender (3:23 Q2). Just three plays later though Cole makes another big play, finding himself wide open for the 32 yard touchdown, his second of the day (2:00 Q2). There wouldn’t be a streak of big plays however, as Cole’s next target again fell to the ground as he continued his rookie season struggles with dropped passes (12:48 Q3). Cole would bounce back though, and his next target would result in a 17 yard gain and a first down (10:10 Q3). Two plays later Caliban would again find Cole for a 17 yard gain and another first down (8:28 Q3). The 17 yard gain streak would end at two as the next target would be knocked away by a great play on the ball by a Copperhead defender (6:05 Q4). Caliban wouldn’t stand for that though, as he targeted Cole again the very next play for an 11 yard gain and another first down (5:46 Q4). Cole’s last pass of the game would end on a sour note however, as he had his third drop of the game (3:02 Q4). Overall a good win for the Yeti and a breakout game for Cole, amassing an impressive 7 catches for a season high 156 yards and two touchdowns. Turns out the Texas boy really likes playing in his home state! It wasn’t a perfect game however, as Cole also put in a season high 3 dropped passes.
Week 9 vs Arizona Outlaws (32-19 Win):
Riding on a three game win streak, the Yeti came prepared for a battle with arguably the best team in the ISFL, the Arizona Outlaws boasting a 6-2 record. Surprisingly this game was won by a larger margin than the Yeti’s contests against Sarasota, Honolulu, and Austin combined, but that just goes to show you that anything can happen any given week. As opposed to the previous week, it took until the second offensive snap for Cole to receive his first target, although the Outlaw defender would be in good position and bat away the pass (14:12 Q1). Cole’s next target would come just two plays later on third down, with Cole picking up 8 yards and falling just short of reaching the first down marker (13:44 Q1). On the next series Cole would get back to back looks, making a 27 yard catch and run for a first down on the first of his targets (9:13 Q1) and a modest 9 yard gain the play after (8:17 Q1). The first play of the next series would also target Cole, resulting in another 9 yard gain (6:54 Q1). For the last play of the first quarter, Cole reels in another catch for a 9 yard gain, his third straight reception of that distance (0:06 Q1). Surprise surprise, Cole’s next catch also comes at a 9 yard gain, but has the added benefit of also creating a new set of downs for the Yeti offensense (8:53 Q2). The very next play Cole ends his 9 yard gain streak with a completion of only 3 yards, and manages to recover his own fumble (8:08 Q2). With time winding down in the half, the Yeti start a two minute drill with the first play targeting Cole, who once again suffers at the hands of his drop issues (1:33 Q2). Cole has a quiet third quarter with two targets on back to back plays that are both defended and broken up by Outlaw defenders (7:55 Q3/ 7:46 Q3). He starts to get things going again in the fourth quarter, as his next target results in an 11 yard gain and first down (11:40 Q4). The very next play Cole is again targeted but another Outlaw defender is able to put himself between Cole and the ball and break up the pass mid flight (10:54 Q4). On his last target of the afternoon, Cole breaks off his biggest play of the year with a 62 yard catch and run to put the Yeti inside the red zone with a first down (3:54 Q4). To put together a solid win against a great opponent is always desired, but to also have played well is a real bonus. Cole put up a solid outing with 6 catches for 147 yards, although the one damper on the day was his single dropped pass.
Week 10 vs Yellowknife Wraiths (38-24 Win):
Revenge is on the menu this week as the Yeti host their league bullies the Yellowknife Wraiths. Colorado just defeated the league’s best team to extend their win streak and don’t look to see it end just yet as the Yeti take an early lead in the game and never let go, for their first win over the Wraiths in far too long. Cole’s first target comes about two thirds of the way through the first quarter, where he connects with Caliban for a 6 yard gain and a first down inside the Wraith ten yard line (4:51 Q1). Three plays later on third and goal Caliban once again looks Cole’s direction, but a stellar play by the Wraith defender is made and the pass is broken up (2:54 Q1), with the Yeti settling for a field goal. There isn’t any action in the second quarter for the rookie, but Cole’s next target falls to the turf incomplete (7:15 Q3). On a third down during the next series Cole is able to explode for a 35 yard gain and a first down (3:40 Q3). The very next play Cole makes another reception, this time for 9 yards (2:51 Q3). For his lone target in the fourth quarter, Cole is able to make the Caliban pass count, as he takes the catch down the field for a 39 yard gain (12:39 Q4). While Cole didn’t put up stellar numbers this week, it was a solid outing with 4 catches for 89 yards, but more importantly the team continued its win streak with a solid victory over the Wraiths.
Week 11 vs Philadelphia Liberty (19-13 Win):
Coming off back to back big games, the Yeti looked to avoid the upset against a 4-6 Philly team on their own small win streak. Colorado is able to rally after an early deficit to keep their playoff hopes and current win streak alive. A rough start to the day for Cole mimics the Yeti’s own fate, as his first target comes late in the first quarter and results in another dropped pass for the rookie (1:11 Q1). His next target also falls incomplete (15:00 Q2), but the next play Cole is able to make a reception on his second straight target for 5 yards (14:49 Q2). On the next series Caliban finds Cole on a third down for a gain of 12 yards and a first down (9:09 Q2). As the Yeti start to pick things up, Cole makes a big play with a 41 yard play on third down to bring up a new set of downs for the Yeti offense (3:57 Q2). Cole receives back to back targets on the next possession, the first being a completion for 15 yards and a first down (0:46 Q2) and the second being a humble gain of just 2 yards (0:30 Q2). The third quarter stated off promising for Cole, taking in a 5 yard completion (4:02 Q3), but then went very flat with four straight incompletions to close out the quarter, with a pass broken up by the Liberty defender (3:18 Q3), another dropped pass (2:25 Q3), a regular incompletion (2:01 Q3), and finally another pass defence from Philly (0:28 Q3). The fourth started on a sour note as well, with Cole’s first two targets being broken up by Liberty defenders (12:43 Q4/ 11:01 Q4), but picked up as he ended the day with two more catches, the first being an 18 yard gain and a first down (6:38 Q4) and the second a 5 yard gain (2:07 Q4). Another close win for the Yeti that could have been much more comfortable with a better performance by the rookie. Although a quick stat check of 8 catches for 103 yards appears good, the two dropped passes really hindered the team and could have helped a lot this game, granted it still hasn’t cost the team a win.
This is where we’ll stop again before getting into the home stretch of the season and into the playoff game. Cole is really stepping up more in this section, putting together some pretty big games for the Yeti and making a mark on the league in only his first season. He’s experienced a few drops and more than a couple opportunities taken away from playmaking defenders, but for now he continues to contribute to the team almost every week, even leading the team one week in receiving yards. We’ll find out if Cole can take that next step as the season closes to become even more of an impact player and a consistent threat to the opposing defenses on the next and final post of the series, but until then enjoy the 1.5x media and get as many pieces in before midnight as you can!