#1 - 681 words
I am going to be honest here...since retiring my player last season, I have not been paying attention to the ISFL or any of the teams, results, standings, stats, or anything else this season. I didn't know what to expect come playoff time. All I know is that when I was paying attention, the meta teams that always seemed to be in the playoffs or contenders the last few seasons included Arizona, New York, Berlin, Sarasota, and Yellowknife. Orange County hadn't been to the playoffs or contending in a few seasons, and Baltimore was scraping the bottom of the barrel for many seasons. So, color me shocked when I saw what the final Ultimus matchup was this year. I had thought that I'd accidentally clicked on the S17 index as seeing a Baltimore versus Orange County Ultimus just felt like a blast from the past. It seemed like a very 'old school' playoff lineup in general.
Over the past several seasons or so I noticed that Baltimore had a lot of work to do before they would be contenders. But I also recognized that if they did everything right, they were going to become a very scary team for many seasons to come. Their playoff run didn't just start this season - this run was the embodiment of the common phrase 'Trust the Process', a process which began long before this season. There were many years in a row where Baltimore had the top draft pick, or sometimes multiple first round picks. With those picks, the Hawks were able to assemble a team of young, max earning, highly active players which have become the core of their team. Sure, they may have had losing seasons before this one, heck they had a hard time winning at all for a while, however this year was the year that it finally came together. Many of these young bucks came into their own as they hit their primes at just the right time, while other players provided a solid rotation that made their team a powerhouse. They were able to finally make a run, and when all was said and done they found themselves in the title game.
The Hawks opponents, on the other hand, the Orange County Otters, also had their own shares of struggles. Prior to the sim change, the Otters were the premier team of the ISFL. The cream of the crop. A dynasty that had gone unmatched. Then, after a change to the new sim, combined with some key front office members leaving the team, the Otters were left in a new realm that they were not used to. They slid back into irrelevancy for quite some time. They had some very OK teams, but hadn't made the playoffs since S26. This season was their first year back in the playoffs, and their competition was stiff. The Outlaws have been ruling over the ASFC for multiple years now, and were a roadblock for the Otters in their journey to get back to their former glory. Orange County was able to persevere through a tough game, making their first Ultimus in over 10 seasons.
Heading into this clash, it felt like two former powerhouses finally found their footing to make it back into relevancy in hopes to start new dynasties. Orange County jumped into a 24 point lead in the 1st quarter, making it look like it would be a blow out. However the Hawks finally woke up and answered back with 2 scores of their own in the 2nd. After a couple more scores by both teams, the Otters scored once more to seemingly put the game out of reach, with the score at 38-24 with 9 minutes left in the fourth. But, in classic Orange County fashion, they blew the lead as the Hawks came screeching back, tying the game at 38-38 before a Baltimore FG won the game as time expired in the most thrilling Ultimus game of all time. It was a shocking victory for the Hawks followed by much elation for fans of Baltimore. Will this be the start of a new dynasty?
I am going to be honest here...since retiring my player last season, I have not been paying attention to the ISFL or any of the teams, results, standings, stats, or anything else this season. I didn't know what to expect come playoff time. All I know is that when I was paying attention, the meta teams that always seemed to be in the playoffs or contenders the last few seasons included Arizona, New York, Berlin, Sarasota, and Yellowknife. Orange County hadn't been to the playoffs or contending in a few seasons, and Baltimore was scraping the bottom of the barrel for many seasons. So, color me shocked when I saw what the final Ultimus matchup was this year. I had thought that I'd accidentally clicked on the S17 index as seeing a Baltimore versus Orange County Ultimus just felt like a blast from the past. It seemed like a very 'old school' playoff lineup in general.
Over the past several seasons or so I noticed that Baltimore had a lot of work to do before they would be contenders. But I also recognized that if they did everything right, they were going to become a very scary team for many seasons to come. Their playoff run didn't just start this season - this run was the embodiment of the common phrase 'Trust the Process', a process which began long before this season. There were many years in a row where Baltimore had the top draft pick, or sometimes multiple first round picks. With those picks, the Hawks were able to assemble a team of young, max earning, highly active players which have become the core of their team. Sure, they may have had losing seasons before this one, heck they had a hard time winning at all for a while, however this year was the year that it finally came together. Many of these young bucks came into their own as they hit their primes at just the right time, while other players provided a solid rotation that made their team a powerhouse. They were able to finally make a run, and when all was said and done they found themselves in the title game.
The Hawks opponents, on the other hand, the Orange County Otters, also had their own shares of struggles. Prior to the sim change, the Otters were the premier team of the ISFL. The cream of the crop. A dynasty that had gone unmatched. Then, after a change to the new sim, combined with some key front office members leaving the team, the Otters were left in a new realm that they were not used to. They slid back into irrelevancy for quite some time. They had some very OK teams, but hadn't made the playoffs since S26. This season was their first year back in the playoffs, and their competition was stiff. The Outlaws have been ruling over the ASFC for multiple years now, and were a roadblock for the Otters in their journey to get back to their former glory. Orange County was able to persevere through a tough game, making their first Ultimus in over 10 seasons.
Heading into this clash, it felt like two former powerhouses finally found their footing to make it back into relevancy in hopes to start new dynasties. Orange County jumped into a 24 point lead in the 1st quarter, making it look like it would be a blow out. However the Hawks finally woke up and answered back with 2 scores of their own in the 2nd. After a couple more scores by both teams, the Otters scored once more to seemingly put the game out of reach, with the score at 38-24 with 9 minutes left in the fourth. But, in classic Orange County fashion, they blew the lead as the Hawks came screeching back, tying the game at 38-38 before a Baltimore FG won the game as time expired in the most thrilling Ultimus game of all time. It was a shocking victory for the Hawks followed by much elation for fans of Baltimore. Will this be the start of a new dynasty?