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AO Bowl Roster/RP Thread

Posted: Apr 7 2006, 12:56 AM

Suns Win Nail-biter, Still Best in West

Myrtannia 33, Milchama 30

ANDESTRANNE, Nedalia - By now, fans are used to seeing the Myrtannia Suns (4-0) win games through controlling the skies. Three teams had fallen victim to the aerial assault going into today's game at Parkston Field: Krytenia, ASMV, and most recently Nojika. The Suns were confident about the game, riding this three game winning streak, and rightfully so - no one had been able to stop them so far, and the opponent was 1-2. However, the gritty Milchama Warriors didn't intend to make it easy for the Suns to keep their prized unbeaten record. A Myrtannia win would lock up an elimination round spot for the Suns; a loss at this stage could destablize the team.

"We got ahead of ourselves, looking forward to the Lamoni game. Milchama didn't seem to be as much of a threat as we'd thought, at first anyway. They sure showed us differently," FS Felton Gjesdal told reporters after the game.

Things started off promisingly for Myrtannia, as they took the opening kickoff back to their own 34 from the endzone. The Suns wasted no time marching down the field, befuddling the Warriors' defense with their passing offense. A 66 yard drive later, and the Suns got on the scoreboard first with a 13-yard pass from Korey Cellupica to Shon Bagu, who made a tremendous diving catch for the TD in the endzone. Ha Esoimeme fulfilled her duty by nailing the EP, putting the Suns up 7-0 in the first. But the Warriors wouldn't go away that easily.

Milchama came right back near the end of the first quarter to score via their running game, and soon they tied things up at 7-7. Not to be outdone, Myrtannia came right back on their next possession and Cellupica found a wide open Zeluma Curleyhair for the Suns' longest TD pass to date - 69 yards down the field. Another Esoimeme kick made it 14-7 Suns. Once again the Warriors came back, tying the game at 14 all on another rushing TD. Then came an unexpected error by the Suns.

On a trick play, RB Leif Gonzalez threw a bad pass that got picked off by the Warriors, who eagerly took it all the way back for a TD. At the break, the tally was surprisingly Milchama up by a TD, 14-21. Coach Hong Beebout had a long lecture with the Suns, who seemed to come out in the second half with more energy than they'd shown in the first. Milchama started the half off with the ball, but an errant pass by Max Mallard found its way into the hands of Suns CB Toney Netrosio, who returned the favor by running it all the way to the end zone. Ha's kick made it 21-21.

From that point on, Myrtannia held the Warriors to three field goals, the defense once again stepping up to the task. For the Suns, it was Leif Gonzalez who would lead the way to victory, as he took the ball on nearly all the plays on Myrtannia's first fourth quarter drive. The drive was capped with a 24 yard TD run by Gonzalez, who danced around the Milchaman defenders with amazing grace. Esoimeme took the honor of kicking the EP to make it 28-27.

Myrtannia scored again after a pick by Gaylord Ochalek, which set up a 37 yard FG by Ha Esoimeme that made it 31-27. After Milchama scored on their next drive with a field goal of their own, it was a tenuous 31-30 Suns lead. With not much time left, the Warriors tried an onside kick, which they recovered. However, Netrosio made another pick, and was almost about to score when a Warriors player forced a fumble near the goal line, and another Milchaman recovered it just in bounds. Luck ran out on the next play, though, as Suns MLB Wally Delbo surge forward and took Mallard down for the Suns' second safety of the AO Bowl.

Time expired right as he made the tackle, and the final score stood at 33-30 in favor of the still unbeaten Suns. A close but exciting game, and ultimately a successful effort by the Suns. Once again, the solid Suns offensive line allowed no sacks of Korey Cellupica, and generally gave him enough time to find his recievers. Now secure with a playoff spot and first place in the Western Conference (with one game remaining in the RR stage, all the other teams have at least two losses in the West, making the Suns #1 by default), Myrtannia looks forward to their final Round Robin stage game. While it might not seem to mean much, the Suns are determined once again not to let their guard down.

"They (Lamoni) picked up a big win today, and they're definitely going to be hungry for another victory to sew up a playoff spot. I'd guess they have us pegged for an upset - we just have to do our best to not let that happen. Not at this stage," Coach Beebout commented, "We want to keep this momentum going and carry it over into the elimination stage. So we're taking the Hawks dead seriously, as if we were both 4-0, and battling for the top spot. If they want a fight, we'll give them one. We're determined not to lose this one."

The Hawks (2-2) are coming off a win over the disintegrating ASMV Smashmouth, who lost their third in a row. Ever since losing to the Suns, the Smashmouth simply haven't been the team that won on Matchday One. Lamoni needs a win to gaurantee a spot in the elimination round, but will face a tough battle against the dominant Suns.

Tune in on the Fifth and final round robin matchday of AO Bowl II, for the regional gridball war: Lamoni Hawks v. Myrtannia Suns. All the inter regional action, only on Myrtannia's sports authority, AIR 4.

The stats for today:
QB Korey Cellupica (246 yards passing, 2 TD)
RB Leif Gonzalez (99 yards rushing, 1 TD, 0/1 passing, 1 INT)
WR Shon Bagu (95 yards recieving, 1 TD)
WR Zeluma Curleyhair (110 yards recieving, 1 TD)
WR Warner Bretano (41 yards recieving)
K Ha Esoimeme (37 yard FG, 4/4 EP)
CB Gaylord Ochalek (1 INT, 9 tackles)
CB Toney Netrosio (2 INT, 1 TD, 11 tackles)
MLB Wally Delbo (10 tackles, 1 sack for safety)

This post has been edited by Myrtannia on Apr 7 2006, 01:01 AM

Myrtannia

Experienced Senator

Posts: 362

Posted: Apr 7 2006, 09:51 PM

Hawks fly to victory

The Hawks seemed to regain their footing when they took on the ailing ASMV Smashmouth; winning 30-12. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 0-12, and it was evident that the Lamonian Rushing strategy was not working. When Lamoni started to throw the ball in the second quarter, it was as if they could do no wrong; scoring 30 points by the end of the game. This seems to be the tale of two Lamonian teams. One not doing so well, and the other one who was on cloud nine.

Lamoni faces Myrtannia (after defeating their AOCAF team 3-0, in related news) in a game that will determine if the Hawks move on to the next round. We know that the Lamonian players will be revved up for the game, and it will be up to Myrtannia to try to stop us. The only problem? They might have better luck in that here than in the AOCAF.

Lamoni

Democratic Maniac

Posts: 1952

Posted: Apr 10 2006, 12:33 AM

Suns Scorch Hawks; Myrtannia Advance to Knockouts Undefeated

Myrtannia 40, Lamoni 29

DALUTHA. Nedalia - The sting of Myrtannia's loss in the AO Championship of Curling still fresh in their minds, the orange and blue faithful needed a reason to cheer. Going into the final matchday of AO Bowl II, the Suns were unbeaten at 4-0, and destined to qualify for the knockout round. However, their opponent was hungry for victory - a win would have likely secured a playoff spot, or at least gotten them a winning record. It was a gridball war between the Lamoni Hawks - veterans of AO Bowl I - and the newcomer, offensive minded attack of the Myrtannia Suns. Though the nations are friends in the political arena, the battle for gridball supremacy was something else entirely.

The Hawks came off of a win over the defensive minded ASMV Smashmouth, coming back from a 12 point defecit to win impressivley 30-12. Lamoni looked confident as they strode out onto the field, and with good reason - Lamonian teams traditionally have gotten the better of Myrtannian teams, most recently in AOCAF XIII in which the Hawks beat the Dryads 3-0. However, the Suns charged onto the field intending to prove that the gridball edition of Myrtannian sports was different. This time, it was.

"We're not out of the woods yet - Lamoni can and will give us problems out there today," Coach Hong Beebout told reporters before the coin toss.

Lamoni won the toss, and didn't waste the advantage of having the ball first. Unlike in their win against ASMV, the Hawks took to the air on their first drive, and marched down the field not unlike Myrtannia has so many times during the AO Bowl. Hawks QB Jeffery Blum found an open reciever in the end zone, and wasted no time hitting him for the game's first TD. Halfway into the first, it was Lamoni 7, Myrtannia 0.

However, the Suns didn't intend to let the Hawks have full control of the skies. On their first drive, Myrtannia launched a full-out assault from the 20 and never looked back. Korey Cellupica, as usual these days, found his recievers when he needed to, and threw his way down the field. Finally, the Suns capped the drive with a 15 yard TD pass from Cellupica to Warner Brentano, followed by the Esoimeme kick. The score was 7-7. Lamoni, however, didn't intend to go quietly into the night.

The Hawks charged right back down the field, through the air again, and again found their way into the end zone. This time, however, the touchdown was scored on the ground from inside the 5 yard line. Going into the second, it was the Hawks up 14-7, but that was exactly when the Suns kicked into gear.

To start things off, the Suns torched the Hawks through the air again, this time driving the ball 83 yards down the field. Korey Cellupica found Shon Bagu in the endzone, tossed it in from the 10, and the Suns soon found themselves tied with Lamoni. Next came what might be the turning point of the game. Lamoni attempted to get another TD, but found themselves hindered by the Myrtannian secondary finally waking up. A few passes that were batted down could easily have been interceptions, but Lamoni's luck held. The Hawks were able to scavange a field goal out of the affair, putting themselves up 17-14.

Myrtannia once again used its offensive prowess to get past the Hawks, this time on a remarkable 45 yard pass from Cellupica to Curleyhair for the score. Zeluma cut through the tackling attempts of Lamoni defenders, on her way to yet another touchdown. After Esoimeme's EP kick, the Suns hald bolted to a 21-17 lead; they would not trail again.

What happened next to the Hawks was the big stop that helped the Suns keep the lead in Myrtannian hands. A pass by Lamoni's Blum was picked off by Gaylord Ochalek, who took the ball all the way back to the Hawks' 8 yard line. Myrtannia scored on the next play as Leif Gonzalez punched it in for the TD, putting the Suns ahead 28-17. From there, the Suns were almost on cruise control.

They held Lamoni to another field goal before the half ended, and found themselves up 28-20 at the break. Despite the lead, the Suns maintained the attack in the second half, making sure the Hawks couldn't sneak in a TD and 2-point conversion to tie it all up. In the third, the Suns kept it on the ground, and Leif Gonzalez was only too happy to take the lead. Smashing through Lamoni's defense, he had two big first downs in a row before finding a big opening. On first and ten, Gonzalez found a hole, charged through, and broke a 53 yard run for the touchdown, which was followed again by a Ha Esoimeme extra point. By midway through the third, it was 35-20 in favor of the Suns.

"At that point, we figured we had their number," Gonzalez confided with the Myrtannian media, "But they still had fight left in them - Lamoni doesn't go down that easily."

Indeed, the Hawks stormed back, this time by resuming the rushing attack, and managing to find their way into the red zone. Finally, the Hawks scored through the air again, but astoundingly missed the extra point. This made it 35-26 going into the fourth. Myrtannia was the next to score, driving into Lamoni territory again through the air, and capping the drive with a 29 yard Esoimeme field goal. With the score 38-26, the Hawks kept coming, despite the Suns' efforts to stop them.

A spirited drive by Lamoni nearly scored a TD on a long pass, but the reciever was ruled out of boudns, and a replay confirmed that he was indeed out of play when he made the catch, if just barely. Out of choices, the Hawks kicked a 55 yard field goal to make it 38-29. On the kickoff that followed, the Hawks got an onside kick working - though the Suns initially recovered it, and nearly scored a touchdown when Wally Delbo decided to try and run up the score. Lamoni took him down, forced a fumble, and recovered the ball on their own 3.

Then, for the third time in the AO Bowl, and the second game in a row, Delbo made a huge play. Bursting through a hole in the Lamoni OL, he took down Jeffery Blum for the sack and safety, aided by fellow LB Franklyn Lunderman. After taking a fair catch on the free kick, the Suns just ran out the clock, then quietly celebrated their latest win. Shaking hands with the Lamonian players, the Suns showed gret sportsmanship on their way to the locker rooms.

"There was no reason to celebrate like madmen - this' just the end of the Round Robin. The games that count are up next. One loss and these five wins don't mean squat," Korey Cellupica said, "If we get cocky, we'll go down like the curling team did. That lesson's far too fresh in our memories to let it happen again."

With the win, the Suns improved to 5-0, clinched the Western Conference round robin title, and advanced to the AO Bowl's final four - the semi-finals knockout round. Their first task is a daunting one - find a way to beat the soaring Nedalia squad, winners of four straight after an opening day loss to Sarzonia, as well as being AO Bowl II's host nation. Nedalia have a very impressive offense, which has torched opposing defenses all tournament long, including most recently a 48-43 nailbiter win over Bettia.

"They're tough, and they're playing at home. We've got a heck of job in this game if we want to win it, but we're going to keep our cool out there. We're not going to suffer the same fate as our country's curling team," Zeluma Curleyhair stated, "One game at a time, one play at a time. That's how to beat Nedalia - if we get to thinking too much about the big picture, we're likely to get skewered. 5-0 means nothing at this point."

Will the Suns continue their dominant run, or will Nedalia thrill the home crowds by advancing to their first AO Bowl title game? History seems to favor the Suns. In AO Bowl I, the only unbeaten team after the RR stage was Space Union - the eventual champion. Myrtannia has defeated teams much like Nedalia's already - the offensive-heavy teams, most recently Lamoni. However, the Suns figure they're more an underdog - their opponent is strong and at home. The Suns will work their very hardest to take things one play at a time, and to play as a team to take the win. One thing is for certain - the Suns carry on their backs the hopes of a nation, clamoring for a big win. It will surely be a battle on the field to determine who moves on.

In other news, Krytenia locked up the last elimination round bid with a win, and will face Pacitalia in the other semi-final matchup.

The stats for the Myrtannia v. Lamoni matchup:
QB Korey Cellupica (310 yards passing, 3 TD, 0 INT)
RB Leif Gonzalez (100 yards rushing, 1 TD)
WR Warner Brentano (100 yards recieving, 1 TD)
WR Shon Bagu (100 yards recieving, 1 TD)
WR Zeluma Curleyhair (110 yards recieving, 1 TD)
MLB Wally Delbo (13 tackles, 1 sack for safety)
CB Gaylord Ochalek (1 INT)
K Ha Esoimeme (4/4 EP, 29 yd. FG)

Myrtannia

Experienced Senator

Posts: 362

Posted: Apr 10 2006, 01:25 PM

Least in the east? No way!
Pacitalian gridball team goes 4-1 to clinch tops in eastern conference

SOMEWHERE IN NEDALIAAAAAAAAA.... (PSN) -- Pacitalian gridball hopes were slim to nil at the start of the tournament but suddenly the squad finds itself directly in the semifinals after a brilliant round-robin performance that saw it go 4-1, knock off rivals Sarzonia, Space Union, Bettia and Oliverry and lose gracefully to Nedalia in game two and clinch that vaunted playoff berth.

Sorino Zunga went 158-247 over the five games with 3 INTs and 1,082 yards passing, including a remarkable 418 during the 47-31 win over Bettia. In fact, Zunga's play was still so good that his worst performance was a respectable 198 yards in the 46-33 loss to Nedalia in game 2. Tommaso Benficalzo currently holds an AO Bowl record with 17 TD receptions in the five games.

Pacitalia moves on to face Krytenia in the semifinal and with a win will be one step closer to their first AO Bowl championship victory.

Pacitalia

The best place on earth.

Posts: 505

Posted: Apr 13 2006, 12:43 PM

Bad Call Costs Suns Game

In a close matchup in AO Bowl II, the undefeated Myrtannia Suns almost pulled out the biggest win in the country's history - that would gaurantee them a spot in a regional championship game. Yet, Nedalia's offense was potent enough to get past Myrtannia's defense, and keep things interesting. Korey Cellupica dominated through the air as always for Myrtannia, but he host nation pulled ahead 40-32 late in the game.

Then, the Suns marched right back down the field and got a pass into the endzone for what appeared to be a Shon Bagu touchdown. However, for some inexplicable reason, the referees called it offensive pass interference, and took the score away from the Suns. A touchdown and 2 point conversion would have tied the game and given Myrtannia a chance. A replay revealed there should not have been any penalty, but the referees strangely stood by their call. Obscene chants amounting to 'bovine dung' rang out from the Myrtannia fans for the rest of the game.

"We were robbed, that's all I can fathom at this stage," Wally Delbo commented, "That was a touchdown, everybody knew it, and the refs are in fact blind. Or biased. Or something like that."

Yet despite the loss, Myrtannia's accomplishments in their first AO Bowl appearance were many - most safetys recorded, amongst others, and going unbeaten to reach to semis in its first appearance. Despite this, however, it is hard to be satisfied with the turn of events. In every sporting even in which Myrtannian teams have started off well, they have lost just one game away from the title game.

For now, the word Myrtannia might be synonymus in the sporting world with either 'choke' or 'failure'.