I did a mix of #1 and #6 while exploring the story of how the Birddogs won the Ultimini. I hope it works for you guys cause I had a lot of fun looking at the stats and writing this up.
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Cinderella story. The 16th seed. David vs Goliath. The Miracle on Ice. Everyone loves an underdog story, let me explore one with you.
"Owen Farrell takes a knee, and that will run out the clock. Bondi Beach will fall to 6-8, and that means Dallas is headed to the playoffs."
A team under .500 sneaks into the DSFL playoffs by the skin of their teeth. They are pitted against the number one seed in the conference, the biggest success story in the league that season. In the DSFL North 6 wins and 8 losses was tied for last place. In the DSFL south, it was a playoff berth.
"Tijuana is coming off a fantastic season, they've been firing on all cylinders, by all accounts they're ready to take that momentum into the Ultimini. However standing in their way is a Dallas team who many consider to be the vast underDOGS, if you will."
The Birddogs were coming off a 5-9 season in 2048, and heading into 2049 they had mustered a league worst 249 points on offense the previous year. However Dallas would surprise many by winning 3 of their first 4. Yet their winning ways were short lived, they would quickly regress to the mean and finish the season a paltry 6-8. On the other sideline was a dominant 10-4 Luchadores team, who were the heavy betting favorites coming into the DSFL South Conference Championship.
"You know Rich, Dallas' offense led the league in points scored this season. But they are going up against an ELITE defense in the Luchadores."
Despite their mediocre record, Dallas had a high-powered offense in 2049. They scored a league leading 29.9 points per game! However for every step their offense took forwards, it seemed their defense took one step back. The Birddogs defense gave up 32.5 points per game, good for 2nd worst in the league, just ahead of a disappointing 2049 Norfolk squad. On the other side of the coin, the Luchadores defense had been lights out. Tijuana was allowing a league leading 19.9 points per game, and they didn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. But that all changed in the conference championship.
"Heading into halftime the Birddogs are nursing a 14-10 lead. Some costly errors by Tijuana and some opportunistic scoring by Dallas has been the story of the game so far."
The Birddogs were keeping this game surprisingly close, and even more shocking was that they were putting up a defensive showing rivaling that of Tijuana's. The Luchadores were struggling to move the ball on offense. Dallas Cornerback Cuttino Mobley was seemingly all over the field, breaking up 4 passes while also delivering 7 tackles and a pick 6 late in the 3rd quarter. Linebacker Regina Ferraro was right there with him, constantly stuffing running lanes, and delivering to the tune of 7 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and a pick six.
"Jones, drops back, surveys the field. He dumps it off to McTurtle. The ball is tipped! And Ferraro's going to grab it! She's racing down the sideline! 20, 10, 5, touchdown, Dallas!"
Tijuana would scratch and claw their way back into the game in the second half, rookie receiver Maximilian Hamilton would catch 2 TDs to bring the score to 28-25. With a last second FG by Aikeek Dafootbawl, the Luchadores would send the game into overtime. Dallas would win the coin toss, and they would get straight to work, grinding out an 8 minute ground and pound drive before finding 42 yards of lightning in a bottle.
"Marciano, steps into it. Pass is... CAUGHT! ARMSTRONG! SIDELINE! TOUCHDOWN! UNBELIEVABLE!"
This win would catapult the Birddogs into the Ultimini where they were set to face off against a formidable Minnesota Grey Ducks squad. The Grey Ducks were coming off a dominating 23-10 performance against Kansas City in the DSFL North Conference Championship, carried by 132 yards from RB Kawai Bartok. Was the Birddogs conference championship showing a fluke? Could they display the same defensive versatility when the pressure was at its highest?
"With the kickoff by Double Doink here we go for the 34th Ultimini Championship!"
In the Ultimini the Birddogs stepped on the gas and didn't let up. They had a 21-0 lead before Minnesota was finally able to put points on the board with a TD at the end of the first half. Dallas didn't look back, and would hold the Grey Ducks scoreless for the rest of the game while putting up 12 more points of their own. QB Christian Marciano had a standout game with 288 yards, 4 TDs, and a passer rating of 123.3. WRs Derrick Armstrong and Leek Mai-Heinous both had 100+ yard games, LMH pulled down 2 TDs and Armstrong tacked on another one. Meanwhile the defense played flawlessly, LB Sam Sung led the team with 7 tackles, while Regina Ferraro had a critical strip-sack and fumble recovery to stop any chance of Minnesota bringing the game back.
"Marciano kneels down, and the Dallas Birddogs are your S34 Ultimini Champions!"
Everything seemingly came together for Dallas during this run. Finishing 6-8 would have been tied for last in the DSFL North, but since they had the tie-breaker over the 6-8 Buccaneers, they snuck into the playoffs in the DSFL South. Not to mention that Bondi Beach lost a crucial win-and-your-in game in Week 14! The defense stepped up immensely against some fantastic offenses in the postseason, keeping them competitive against Tijuana and completely shutting down Minnesota in the Ultimini, after having allowed the second worst PPG during the regular season. Was this a miracle run? Perhaps, they certainly had a lot of things go in their favor at critical moments. It just goes to show that anything can happen in this league!
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To anyone who read all or some of this, thank you. My writing can be a little scatterbrained and all over the place at times, something I can definitely improve on in the future. But I thought this was a really intriguing story that some people might not have seen, so it was quite fun to flesh out. To any graders I hope the combination of #1 and #6 works for you guys! You're the best!
(966 words)
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Cinderella story. The 16th seed. David vs Goliath. The Miracle on Ice. Everyone loves an underdog story, let me explore one with you.
"Owen Farrell takes a knee, and that will run out the clock. Bondi Beach will fall to 6-8, and that means Dallas is headed to the playoffs."
A team under .500 sneaks into the DSFL playoffs by the skin of their teeth. They are pitted against the number one seed in the conference, the biggest success story in the league that season. In the DSFL North 6 wins and 8 losses was tied for last place. In the DSFL south, it was a playoff berth.
"Tijuana is coming off a fantastic season, they've been firing on all cylinders, by all accounts they're ready to take that momentum into the Ultimini. However standing in their way is a Dallas team who many consider to be the vast underDOGS, if you will."
The Birddogs were coming off a 5-9 season in 2048, and heading into 2049 they had mustered a league worst 249 points on offense the previous year. However Dallas would surprise many by winning 3 of their first 4. Yet their winning ways were short lived, they would quickly regress to the mean and finish the season a paltry 6-8. On the other sideline was a dominant 10-4 Luchadores team, who were the heavy betting favorites coming into the DSFL South Conference Championship.
"You know Rich, Dallas' offense led the league in points scored this season. But they are going up against an ELITE defense in the Luchadores."
Despite their mediocre record, Dallas had a high-powered offense in 2049. They scored a league leading 29.9 points per game! However for every step their offense took forwards, it seemed their defense took one step back. The Birddogs defense gave up 32.5 points per game, good for 2nd worst in the league, just ahead of a disappointing 2049 Norfolk squad. On the other side of the coin, the Luchadores defense had been lights out. Tijuana was allowing a league leading 19.9 points per game, and they didn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. But that all changed in the conference championship.
"Heading into halftime the Birddogs are nursing a 14-10 lead. Some costly errors by Tijuana and some opportunistic scoring by Dallas has been the story of the game so far."
The Birddogs were keeping this game surprisingly close, and even more shocking was that they were putting up a defensive showing rivaling that of Tijuana's. The Luchadores were struggling to move the ball on offense. Dallas Cornerback Cuttino Mobley was seemingly all over the field, breaking up 4 passes while also delivering 7 tackles and a pick 6 late in the 3rd quarter. Linebacker Regina Ferraro was right there with him, constantly stuffing running lanes, and delivering to the tune of 7 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and a pick six.
"Jones, drops back, surveys the field. He dumps it off to McTurtle. The ball is tipped! And Ferraro's going to grab it! She's racing down the sideline! 20, 10, 5, touchdown, Dallas!"
Tijuana would scratch and claw their way back into the game in the second half, rookie receiver Maximilian Hamilton would catch 2 TDs to bring the score to 28-25. With a last second FG by Aikeek Dafootbawl, the Luchadores would send the game into overtime. Dallas would win the coin toss, and they would get straight to work, grinding out an 8 minute ground and pound drive before finding 42 yards of lightning in a bottle.
"Marciano, steps into it. Pass is... CAUGHT! ARMSTRONG! SIDELINE! TOUCHDOWN! UNBELIEVABLE!"
This win would catapult the Birddogs into the Ultimini where they were set to face off against a formidable Minnesota Grey Ducks squad. The Grey Ducks were coming off a dominating 23-10 performance against Kansas City in the DSFL North Conference Championship, carried by 132 yards from RB Kawai Bartok. Was the Birddogs conference championship showing a fluke? Could they display the same defensive versatility when the pressure was at its highest?
"With the kickoff by Double Doink here we go for the 34th Ultimini Championship!"
In the Ultimini the Birddogs stepped on the gas and didn't let up. They had a 21-0 lead before Minnesota was finally able to put points on the board with a TD at the end of the first half. Dallas didn't look back, and would hold the Grey Ducks scoreless for the rest of the game while putting up 12 more points of their own. QB Christian Marciano had a standout game with 288 yards, 4 TDs, and a passer rating of 123.3. WRs Derrick Armstrong and Leek Mai-Heinous both had 100+ yard games, LMH pulled down 2 TDs and Armstrong tacked on another one. Meanwhile the defense played flawlessly, LB Sam Sung led the team with 7 tackles, while Regina Ferraro had a critical strip-sack and fumble recovery to stop any chance of Minnesota bringing the game back.
"Marciano kneels down, and the Dallas Birddogs are your S34 Ultimini Champions!"
Everything seemingly came together for Dallas during this run. Finishing 6-8 would have been tied for last in the DSFL North, but since they had the tie-breaker over the 6-8 Buccaneers, they snuck into the playoffs in the DSFL South. Not to mention that Bondi Beach lost a crucial win-and-your-in game in Week 14! The defense stepped up immensely against some fantastic offenses in the postseason, keeping them competitive against Tijuana and completely shutting down Minnesota in the Ultimini, after having allowed the second worst PPG during the regular season. Was this a miracle run? Perhaps, they certainly had a lot of things go in their favor at critical moments. It just goes to show that anything can happen in this league!
-
To anyone who read all or some of this, thank you. My writing can be a little scatterbrained and all over the place at times, something I can definitely improve on in the future. But I thought this was a really intriguing story that some people might not have seen, so it was quite fun to flesh out. To any graders I hope the combination of #1 and #6 works for you guys! You're the best!
(966 words)