Wraiths/Hawks Breakdown (Part Two)

SimmerDownBruhh · 06-29-2017, 12:47 AM

Two games down, two more to go!

We've just gone through weeks nine and ten in the Inaugural NSFL season and the push for a chance to take part in the NSFL playoffs got more interesting in the NSFC conference.

As we covered in part one of the Hawks/Wraiths tetralogy breakdown, these four games will play a huge part in who will be the two teams representing the NSFC.

It is also known that it could very well be these two teams that will battle it out for the Glacies Trophy. The conference is too close to call at this moment in time, unlike the ASFC who confirmed that the Arizona Outlaws just secured one of the four coveted playoff tickets five weeks before the regular season is over, this can go all of the way until the last week of the season.

But that's talk for another day, let's breakdown exactly what happened between the Hawks and Wraiths for games one and two going into the double header:

[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Week 9
Final Score:

Wraiths: 12
Hawks: 17[/div]

The Hawks edge out the victory with a game that went down to the wire. The defense stood true in Baltimore by not allowing one touchdown to the visiting Wraiths. Despite Kyubee throwing two interceptions and the less than three yards per carry in the run game, the two main stops on defense, where the Wraiths couldn't convert the stellar field position into six points, were two of the main turning points of the game.

Damien West, Cooper Christmas, and Gabriel Tenzini was on a mission to run through whatever the Wraiths wanted to do on defense and they did just that, combining for 21 catches, 211 yard receiving and one TD.

The late field goal from the Wraiths brought them within 5 points but the game management strategies didn't pay off for Wraiths. After an interception by Sinjin Flimjollywop, they couldn't continue the momentum to paydirt, only barely making it past midfield before late pickup Bert Metas seals the deal with a sack that essentially runs out the clock.

Archibald Booter has been a stellar pickup for the Wraiths, posting 100% for field goals this game. On the other side of the Special Teams, Turk Turkleton went two for three, missing a 47 yarder late in the second half, but overall a great day for him as well, making all of his extra points to go along with it.

The offensive line for both sides held up admirably, the Hawks winning this matchup allowing only three sacks in comparison to the Wraiths' QB, Chris Orosz, getting sacked five times. The pass rusher of the day will have to go to Bert Metas, who came into his new team and showed that he can fit perfectly into what the Hawks needed him to do. The Hawks also won the battle in who can stack more pancakes than IHOP. The Wraiths fell in that battle 21-15 where Jordan Weal let the way, snacking on a stack of five pancakes on his plate.

Sinjin Flimjollywop had the best all around game for a linebacker, getting a late 4th quarter INT that gave the Wraiths another shot to take the lead, a pass defense, a sack and four tackles.

This game tied the Hawks and the Wraiths at 4-5 and the Yeti now having a two game grip on the division, sitting at 6-3. Onto week number 10, where the home field switches over to Yellowknife.

[div align=\\\"center\\\"]Week 10
Final Score:

Hawks: 20
Wraiths: 40[/div]

I'm not sure what's in the home cooking when the Wraiths play at home, but it's definitely something that's worth checking out. If there is one thing they know how to do, it's how to secure a win on their home field. It had to be great to witness for the fans. This win pushes the Wraiths to have the best Home Field Record in the NSFL.

Alexandre LeClair came into the game with zero receiving touchdowns. With a huge turnaround, he found a way to get three in one game. Two of those came before the first quarter was over! The receiving trio of Josh Garden, Ricky Maddox and Alexandre LeClair dismantled the secondary of the Hawks, notching 18 receptions, 192 yards and three TDs between the three of them.

Defensively, the Wraiths made a big impact as well, the CB duo of Dermot Lavelle and Dirk Cutter showed why they are a force to be reckoned with, a combined total of five tackles, two passes defensed, and two interceptions. Dirk Cutter ends up taking one of those INTs to the house early in the fourth quarter. The Wraiths also led the sack battle, taking down Kyubee six times opposed to the Hawks bringing Orosz down four times.

Defensive Ends Jason Spearhead and Tyler Varga had similar stat lines, both making five tackles, three tackles for a loss of yardage and a sack. S2 Prospect, Isaiah McGinn is also proving his worth, adding an interception on the stat sheet, making sure that the scouts know how good he is by the time the S2 NSFL Draft comes around.

On the Special Teams side of things, Archibald Booter missed the extra point late in the second half, but I believe that shouldn't wash away the 55 yard field goal he knocked through before the first half was over. It looked like he could have hit 60 easy with that kick! Turk Turkleton also made his fair share of field goals as well, succeeding in both extra point attempts and making both a 47 yard and a 31 yard field goal in the second half.

The Offensive lines both made significant impacts but the Hawks once again edge out in the pancake stacking games, 24-18. Vincent Sharpei led all non-robot players with 5 pancakes with the maple syrup in his hand. What the Wraiths lacked in pancakes, they made up with allowing Bubba Nuck to post one of his better games this year, posting 107 rushing yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, averaging four yards a carry in the process.

With the tetralogy now split one game a piece, the Wraiths once again slides into the number two spot ahead of the Hawks. The Yeti, after starting the year winning six out of their first seven games, are currently on a three game losing streak. This late skid by Colorado has opened up the division once again.

If the Yeti don't solve their issues and take a hold of their spot, it can very well be the Hawks and Wraiths that will have a score to settle come playoff time. Only time will tell if that's the case but a great team like the Yeti can very well secure a spot in the upcoming weeks if they can dig deep and fix their issues.

Regardless of what's to come, it's been an amazing season up until this point, how it will all shape up remains to be seen but it's going to be a photo finish in the NSFC, which team has what it takes to unlock that CLUTCH button and press it? I'll be keeping my eyes peeled and watching which teams make the cut. I'll recommend that you do the same.

- Samuel Harrison