10-18-2021, 07:07 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-24-2021, 11:04 AM by allbetsonjames. Edited 1 time in total.)
Ok then! Double media days are upon us! That means its time for me to start frantically writing an article with as many run on sentences as possible so that I can stack that word count and gain some sweet sweet cash to bank for my regression or my next player assuming I’m here long enough for that. Which of course is a long way of introducing seemingly the only article I write now a days – that being the best finishes of [insert season]!
So maybe its just me, but there seemed to be a lot of blowouts and lopsided games in Season 31. So much so that I struggled to find many games worth considering between weeks 3 and 11. Things did seem to pick up towards the end of the season, as evidenced by week 12, which had numerous contenders for the list, and several in a row between 12 and week 14. I omitted week 16 games as they are tainted and shall not be revisited!
Well let’s get started, shall we? As always, we’ll start with number five and work our way to the completely unbiased and peer-reviewed top-ranked finishes of season 31.
Top Finish – Number 5
Week 13 - Sarasota Sailfish (24) at Colorado Yeti (28)
Watch for Moose in Backfield
This was one of the season’s premier regular season battles. The Yeti, at 8-4, hosting the 7-5 Sarasota Sailfish. By no means juggernauts of our era, but with the parody seen in season 31, this was about as good as it got. The first half consisted of defensive stands, with both units holding their own. Chicago got on the board on its second drive with a 51 yard touchdown bomb, but no other points would go on the board for the rest of the half until late. With two minutes left, Caliban threw his second TD pass of the game to help the home team jump out to a 14 point lead. A sack and fumble 2 plays later saw Colorado punch in yet another TD exactly 1 minute later. Sarasota recovered enough to tack on a deep field goal at the end of the half, but the damage had been done, 21-3.
Coming out of the half, Sarasota began to right the ship, taking its opening drive for 3 points and then forcing and recovering a fumble on the Yeti opening drive. Despite the good start, Sarasota again is only able to hang 3 more on the board to make it 21-9. Nevertheless, the Yeti still haven’t found the ignition key coming out of the half. A 3-and-out saw Sarasota with that ball again nearing the end of the quarter. This time the ‘fish go for 7, as Mike Boss Jr tosses a 30 yard strike to James Angler for the big score. 21-16. But not only has Colorado not found the ignition, they’ve now locked themselves out of the car completely. 2 incompletions and a sack later saw the Yeti punt the ball away with 10 seconds left in the quarter. Too much time for the Sailfish – who weren’t going to let its 3rd quarter momentum go quite yet. Boss Jr to Kingston for an 86 yard touchdown and a 2 point conversion! 24 unanswered points!
The 4th quarter reverted to early-game, with the Yeti finally pushing back defensively. And then the offense does as well. Caliban sets up the Yeti via a 75 yard pitch and catch, topped with a 4 yard strike for the score to Maxwell. Somehow the Yeti now lead this game again, 28-24. Mike Boss begins to find his rhythm again and leads his fish down the field as time ticks. 7 minutes, 5 minutes, 3 minutes… Boss completes consecutive passes to the Colorado 8, and then 3 yard line. First and goal. 2:29 left. Surgery from the Sarasota quarterback. But then…questionable playcalling. Boss drops back and is hit and sacked by Melvin Murder-Moose for an 11 yard loss on first and goal from the 3! Disastrous! Both linebackers blitzed on the play expecting to stuff the run, but were left a free run at the QB on the pass. Boss couldn’t get the ball away in time. Still with plenty of time, Boss fires the next play to his running back, for zero yards. On the next two plays, Boss doesn’t even test the secondary, with passes short of the end zone, and a turnover on downs. The Yeti survive from a 1st and goal from the 3 thanks to Melvin Murder-Moose and some suspect play calling.
Top Finish – Number 4
Week 1 - Honolulu Hahalua (18) at New Orleans Second Line (14)
Historically (at least in my short tenure here), this has not been a matchup you bring your popcorn to. Nonetheless, these teams put out a fun product in the first week of Season 31. That isn’t to say it started off like that, but hey, it’s week 1. Cut the boys some slack!
As alluded to, the first quarter was a bit of a mess. The teams combined for a missed field goal, three sacks, three penalties, and five punts. Woof. The lone bright spot being Mike Rotchburns 44 yards rushing and a touchdown for New Orleans. The second quarter featured more of the same, with the Second Line crowd catching some more dopamine on a 3 yard TD toss from rookie QB ReallyInvisible to Spencer. 14-0. Honolulu would finally tally its first points of the season on a 23 yard field goal late in the third. For those counting at home, 14 punts, 10 penalties, and 6 sacks thru 3 quarters. A candidate to most certainly miss this list by a mile.
As if those numbers won’t enough, the two teams appeared to be trying to set some sort of records. Another sack, another penalty, and FIVE punts later, the score is still 14-3 and we’re under 5 minutes to play. The Hahalua defense, doing all it can to keep its offense in the game, forces a punt from the NOLA 6. A poor kick results in the offense starting from the NOLA 42. Finally, Christ Jr and friends take the wheel.Cobra Kai for 15 on the ground, followed by Christ Jr for the rest – including a 21 yard TD pass, finally wakes up the fans. They keep their offense on the field and Cobra Kai plunges in for 2. 14-10 NOLA with 3:05 to play. Surely enough time for another dozen punts ya? The Hahalua defense steps up again, as the NOLA offense, scared to turn the game over to its rookie QB, run the ball into the line of scrimmage 3 times and are forced to punt with just over 2 minutes. Starting from his own 25, apparently Christ Jr had had enough flirtation for the night. A 75 yard bomb down the sideline to Kendrick-Watts puts Honolulu up, 18-14. The Louisina crowd is stunned silent. 50 minutes of dead-on-arrival football from Honolulu erased in a minute and a half, along with the lead. NOLA, needing some life, again cannot move the football and turns it over on downs. But not to be a poor guest, Honolulu shanks the 42 yard field goal. This time QB IsHe ReallyInvisible is able to guide NOLA down the field 18 yards, spiking the ball along the way. But with only 4 seconds left at midfield after a completion, he has to take a quick snap and just checks it up to the sideline. It’s heading for the Captain, Bodenhamer, but it flies over his head incomplete. Game over. Honolulu absolutely steals a game on the road in week 1.
In retrospect, this game probably belongs no where near a ‘best of’ list, but I’ve gone too far and I didn’t dig deep enough. So this is all you get, kids.
Top Finish – Number 3
Week 2 - New York Silverbacks (24) at San Jose Sabercats (19)
Saved by a Crook
Two rivals in the ASFC who finished with identical records. This game lived up to the billing. New York came out with guns blazing, scoring the first two touchdowns of the game. Not to be outdone, the Sabercats scored the next 10 to punch back. Still, a Howitzer 37 yard throw to Radetzky put the Silverbacks commandingly ahead heading into the half at 21-10.
Things appeared to be heading further south for San Jose, as their opening second half drive resulted in a quick punt, but its defense was up to the task and then some coming out of the locker room. After the Silverbacks tried unsuccessfully to give itself some breathing room with two run plays, defensive end Red Arrow Jr fires out of his stance and blindsides Sam Howitzer in the end zone for an 11 yard safety! Bold move by the New York offense to call a deep drop for their star quarterback, and it backfires. While the Sabercats offense continues to sputter, the sack on Howitzer seems to have reenergized the defense, as they hold NY off the scoring sheet for the remainder of the quarter. An early 4th quarter drive for NY finally nets pay-dirt, in the form of a short field goal. Not much going on for them, but at 24-12, they’re still in the drivers seat – particularly after trading punts with San Jose and winding the clock.
Finally, with 7 minutes to go, rookie QB McKyle and co. begin to put something together. What resulted next was a 15-play, 77 yard drive ending in a Zack Crossley two yard TD snatch. 24-19. But too little, too late? With 1:17 on the clock, the Sabercats line up for the onside kick. McDairmid tops the ball to the left. It takes one wicked bounce and screams into the NY front line – bouncing off a knee pad and loose at the 49. Rookie Gibson dives on it and he’s got it for the onside recovery! San Jose ball with just over a minute. McKyle with a big 20 yard too to Campbell to get the team inside the 30. With 47 seconds to go, the rookie QB takes a sack from Hank Winchester and is forced to burn a timeout. Facing a 3rd and 17, McKyle hits Crossley for 13 yards – another timeout. Then, on 4th and 4, the rookie shines agaim, hitting Jamar Lackson for 8 yards and another first down. Tick tick! With under 30 seconds and no timeouts, the rookie needs to make another play – now from the NY 24. He looks to Crossley. Fires. And it is…picked off by Crooks at the 15 yard line. Lesean Crooks with a great play with his back near the end zone to seal the game. The rookie QB’s heroic effort falls just short and the Silverbacks escape with a road win.
Top Finish – Number 2
Week 14 - Orange County Otters (22) at Arizona Outlaws (19)
A Kick in the Nuts
There’s something off about seeing the Otters at the bottom of the standings, as these are two teams you expect to be on this list, especially when they’ve gone into extra time in search of a winner. Yep, the only overtime game on the list. Well despite the mismatch on paper and having lost 9 of its last 10, the Otters really came to play. After fighting through an early interception and a 3-nill deficit, Ramza and company respond with an 11 yard TD pass to pull ahead, 7-3. The teams then trade big plays, with interceptions going in both directions and a field goal for each side. 10-6 Otters. Both defenses continue to assert themselves as the third quarter ends with only two Outlaws field goals. But enough to push the home team ahead, 12-10.
Coming out of the lockers, the OCO squad shows more grit, matching the Outlaws 2 field goals with a pair of their own. Still showing no signs of letting up, the two opposing defenses then force more punts, and the clock ticks down to the final few minutes of the game. Trailing 16-12, the Outlaws take the ball and are in desperation mode. Arizona opens up the playbook and lets Charlamagne Cortez cook. He throws the ball on 8 straight plays for 44 yards. After clocking the ball one, he then hits Deadly Memes in the end zone for a 2 yard TD. 19-16 with 42 second.
But the kick does not go according to plan. Eugene Smoothie takes the ball out of the endzone, hits a seam, and flies down the sideline for a 41 yard return. 36 seconds left. Ramza takes the snap, looks, and hits Owen Holloway for 14 yards. Timeout with 25 seconds. Not willing to risk a disaster, the Otters trot out its kicker, Dallas Dole. From 61 yards. Holder takes the snap, the kick is on its way….and it’s good! Dead center with plenty of leg! What a kick! The two teams go into the end of regulation tied at 19.
As excited as the fans were watching the fourth quarter heroics, the OT put them back in their seats for a bit. Back-to-back-to-back punts had the timeclock own at 2:31. Were we going to see a tie? Well not on Cortez’s watch. Another unleashing of the veteran QB had the Outlaws moving. 10 plays and 24 yards later, with clock spikes included, had the Outlaws with a 4th and 8 at its own 38. But instead of kicking away, the Outlaws decide to go for it. What a call! Cortez looks left, fires, and it is incomplete! He lead his receiver Darren Pama too much. Turnover. With 51 seconds, Ramza strikes thrice for 15 yards. With 23 seconds left, Dole trots back out. This time from 39 and for the win. And it’s another no doubter! Dole nails the kick and the Otters rush the field! 2 massive kicks from the OCO kicker, the last of which resulting from one of the most questionable calls we’ve seen. Not sure what the Arizona coaching staff was thinking. This one is gonna hurt, deep in those loins.
Top Finish – Number 1
Week 12 - Chicago Butchers (19) at Philadelphia Liberty (20)
4th and No Big Deal
Ok so this is going to be short and sweet as I’ve run out of time and I’m giving this number one spot to my own team. Cuz its my birthday and I’ll cry if I want to. Although the bias is strong in this one, this game definitely deserves to be on this list. Especially since, as always, we Liberty got simmed to death after our strong spot. No playoffs yet again for this scrappy bunch.
Despite being in control for most of the game, the Liberty found themselves trailing heading into the fourth at 19-14. Things didn’t appear to be heading towards anything of note, as the two teams amasse 6 consecutive punts in the quarter. How was there even any time left for anything else? Well there wasn’t much, but with 2:20 to go, the Liberty gave it a shot. Ryan Negs began to cook on this drive, with consecutive first down completions to move the chains; however, facing a 3rd and 10, pesky and talented linebacker Wasrabi Gleel found his way into the backfield and dragged Negs down for a 6 yard loss. After burning a timeout, Philly faced a 4th and 16 at its own 26 and only 1:34 remaining. I mentioned that the life deflated out of the Liberty playoff aspirations later in the season, but it felt like pure magic in the air on the next play. Ryan Negs took the snap, make his reads, stepped up in the pocket, and delivered an absolute dart to wr Killian Chambers, who brought down the toss and wasn’t brought down himself until he scampere 53 yards downfield. After a spike and an incompletion, Negs delivered again, this time on third and 10 to Jake Fencik for 13 yards, And with only 39 seconds left, tossed a jump ball up to Killian Chambers, who outmuscled his man and came down with the pinpoint toss for a 6 yard touchdown. Unbelievable. But just in case Philly fans dared celebrate a bit too soon, Butchers QB Oles Jr found his wr LordreSombre for 51 yards with only 13 seconds on the clock – but thankfully captain Jimmy Desoto chased him down at the 27, with zeros showing on the clock. Heart attacks a plenty for those in the stands and watching at home, but the score sheet just says W- Liberty. A gutsy win in a season that was a roller coaster, to say the least
(2777 words)
So maybe its just me, but there seemed to be a lot of blowouts and lopsided games in Season 31. So much so that I struggled to find many games worth considering between weeks 3 and 11. Things did seem to pick up towards the end of the season, as evidenced by week 12, which had numerous contenders for the list, and several in a row between 12 and week 14. I omitted week 16 games as they are tainted and shall not be revisited!
Well let’s get started, shall we? As always, we’ll start with number five and work our way to the completely unbiased and peer-reviewed top-ranked finishes of season 31.
Top Finish – Number 5
Week 13 - Sarasota Sailfish (24) at Colorado Yeti (28)
Watch for Moose in Backfield
This was one of the season’s premier regular season battles. The Yeti, at 8-4, hosting the 7-5 Sarasota Sailfish. By no means juggernauts of our era, but with the parody seen in season 31, this was about as good as it got. The first half consisted of defensive stands, with both units holding their own. Chicago got on the board on its second drive with a 51 yard touchdown bomb, but no other points would go on the board for the rest of the half until late. With two minutes left, Caliban threw his second TD pass of the game to help the home team jump out to a 14 point lead. A sack and fumble 2 plays later saw Colorado punch in yet another TD exactly 1 minute later. Sarasota recovered enough to tack on a deep field goal at the end of the half, but the damage had been done, 21-3.
Coming out of the half, Sarasota began to right the ship, taking its opening drive for 3 points and then forcing and recovering a fumble on the Yeti opening drive. Despite the good start, Sarasota again is only able to hang 3 more on the board to make it 21-9. Nevertheless, the Yeti still haven’t found the ignition key coming out of the half. A 3-and-out saw Sarasota with that ball again nearing the end of the quarter. This time the ‘fish go for 7, as Mike Boss Jr tosses a 30 yard strike to James Angler for the big score. 21-16. But not only has Colorado not found the ignition, they’ve now locked themselves out of the car completely. 2 incompletions and a sack later saw the Yeti punt the ball away with 10 seconds left in the quarter. Too much time for the Sailfish – who weren’t going to let its 3rd quarter momentum go quite yet. Boss Jr to Kingston for an 86 yard touchdown and a 2 point conversion! 24 unanswered points!
The 4th quarter reverted to early-game, with the Yeti finally pushing back defensively. And then the offense does as well. Caliban sets up the Yeti via a 75 yard pitch and catch, topped with a 4 yard strike for the score to Maxwell. Somehow the Yeti now lead this game again, 28-24. Mike Boss begins to find his rhythm again and leads his fish down the field as time ticks. 7 minutes, 5 minutes, 3 minutes… Boss completes consecutive passes to the Colorado 8, and then 3 yard line. First and goal. 2:29 left. Surgery from the Sarasota quarterback. But then…questionable playcalling. Boss drops back and is hit and sacked by Melvin Murder-Moose for an 11 yard loss on first and goal from the 3! Disastrous! Both linebackers blitzed on the play expecting to stuff the run, but were left a free run at the QB on the pass. Boss couldn’t get the ball away in time. Still with plenty of time, Boss fires the next play to his running back, for zero yards. On the next two plays, Boss doesn’t even test the secondary, with passes short of the end zone, and a turnover on downs. The Yeti survive from a 1st and goal from the 3 thanks to Melvin Murder-Moose and some suspect play calling.
Top Finish – Number 4
Week 1 - Honolulu Hahalua (18) at New Orleans Second Line (14)
Historically (at least in my short tenure here), this has not been a matchup you bring your popcorn to. Nonetheless, these teams put out a fun product in the first week of Season 31. That isn’t to say it started off like that, but hey, it’s week 1. Cut the boys some slack!
As alluded to, the first quarter was a bit of a mess. The teams combined for a missed field goal, three sacks, three penalties, and five punts. Woof. The lone bright spot being Mike Rotchburns 44 yards rushing and a touchdown for New Orleans. The second quarter featured more of the same, with the Second Line crowd catching some more dopamine on a 3 yard TD toss from rookie QB ReallyInvisible to Spencer. 14-0. Honolulu would finally tally its first points of the season on a 23 yard field goal late in the third. For those counting at home, 14 punts, 10 penalties, and 6 sacks thru 3 quarters. A candidate to most certainly miss this list by a mile.
As if those numbers won’t enough, the two teams appeared to be trying to set some sort of records. Another sack, another penalty, and FIVE punts later, the score is still 14-3 and we’re under 5 minutes to play. The Hahalua defense, doing all it can to keep its offense in the game, forces a punt from the NOLA 6. A poor kick results in the offense starting from the NOLA 42. Finally, Christ Jr and friends take the wheel.Cobra Kai for 15 on the ground, followed by Christ Jr for the rest – including a 21 yard TD pass, finally wakes up the fans. They keep their offense on the field and Cobra Kai plunges in for 2. 14-10 NOLA with 3:05 to play. Surely enough time for another dozen punts ya? The Hahalua defense steps up again, as the NOLA offense, scared to turn the game over to its rookie QB, run the ball into the line of scrimmage 3 times and are forced to punt with just over 2 minutes. Starting from his own 25, apparently Christ Jr had had enough flirtation for the night. A 75 yard bomb down the sideline to Kendrick-Watts puts Honolulu up, 18-14. The Louisina crowd is stunned silent. 50 minutes of dead-on-arrival football from Honolulu erased in a minute and a half, along with the lead. NOLA, needing some life, again cannot move the football and turns it over on downs. But not to be a poor guest, Honolulu shanks the 42 yard field goal. This time QB IsHe ReallyInvisible is able to guide NOLA down the field 18 yards, spiking the ball along the way. But with only 4 seconds left at midfield after a completion, he has to take a quick snap and just checks it up to the sideline. It’s heading for the Captain, Bodenhamer, but it flies over his head incomplete. Game over. Honolulu absolutely steals a game on the road in week 1.
In retrospect, this game probably belongs no where near a ‘best of’ list, but I’ve gone too far and I didn’t dig deep enough. So this is all you get, kids.
Top Finish – Number 3
Week 2 - New York Silverbacks (24) at San Jose Sabercats (19)
Saved by a Crook
Two rivals in the ASFC who finished with identical records. This game lived up to the billing. New York came out with guns blazing, scoring the first two touchdowns of the game. Not to be outdone, the Sabercats scored the next 10 to punch back. Still, a Howitzer 37 yard throw to Radetzky put the Silverbacks commandingly ahead heading into the half at 21-10.
Things appeared to be heading further south for San Jose, as their opening second half drive resulted in a quick punt, but its defense was up to the task and then some coming out of the locker room. After the Silverbacks tried unsuccessfully to give itself some breathing room with two run plays, defensive end Red Arrow Jr fires out of his stance and blindsides Sam Howitzer in the end zone for an 11 yard safety! Bold move by the New York offense to call a deep drop for their star quarterback, and it backfires. While the Sabercats offense continues to sputter, the sack on Howitzer seems to have reenergized the defense, as they hold NY off the scoring sheet for the remainder of the quarter. An early 4th quarter drive for NY finally nets pay-dirt, in the form of a short field goal. Not much going on for them, but at 24-12, they’re still in the drivers seat – particularly after trading punts with San Jose and winding the clock.
Finally, with 7 minutes to go, rookie QB McKyle and co. begin to put something together. What resulted next was a 15-play, 77 yard drive ending in a Zack Crossley two yard TD snatch. 24-19. But too little, too late? With 1:17 on the clock, the Sabercats line up for the onside kick. McDairmid tops the ball to the left. It takes one wicked bounce and screams into the NY front line – bouncing off a knee pad and loose at the 49. Rookie Gibson dives on it and he’s got it for the onside recovery! San Jose ball with just over a minute. McKyle with a big 20 yard too to Campbell to get the team inside the 30. With 47 seconds to go, the rookie QB takes a sack from Hank Winchester and is forced to burn a timeout. Facing a 3rd and 17, McKyle hits Crossley for 13 yards – another timeout. Then, on 4th and 4, the rookie shines agaim, hitting Jamar Lackson for 8 yards and another first down. Tick tick! With under 30 seconds and no timeouts, the rookie needs to make another play – now from the NY 24. He looks to Crossley. Fires. And it is…picked off by Crooks at the 15 yard line. Lesean Crooks with a great play with his back near the end zone to seal the game. The rookie QB’s heroic effort falls just short and the Silverbacks escape with a road win.
Top Finish – Number 2
Week 14 - Orange County Otters (22) at Arizona Outlaws (19)
A Kick in the Nuts
There’s something off about seeing the Otters at the bottom of the standings, as these are two teams you expect to be on this list, especially when they’ve gone into extra time in search of a winner. Yep, the only overtime game on the list. Well despite the mismatch on paper and having lost 9 of its last 10, the Otters really came to play. After fighting through an early interception and a 3-nill deficit, Ramza and company respond with an 11 yard TD pass to pull ahead, 7-3. The teams then trade big plays, with interceptions going in both directions and a field goal for each side. 10-6 Otters. Both defenses continue to assert themselves as the third quarter ends with only two Outlaws field goals. But enough to push the home team ahead, 12-10.
Coming out of the lockers, the OCO squad shows more grit, matching the Outlaws 2 field goals with a pair of their own. Still showing no signs of letting up, the two opposing defenses then force more punts, and the clock ticks down to the final few minutes of the game. Trailing 16-12, the Outlaws take the ball and are in desperation mode. Arizona opens up the playbook and lets Charlamagne Cortez cook. He throws the ball on 8 straight plays for 44 yards. After clocking the ball one, he then hits Deadly Memes in the end zone for a 2 yard TD. 19-16 with 42 second.
But the kick does not go according to plan. Eugene Smoothie takes the ball out of the endzone, hits a seam, and flies down the sideline for a 41 yard return. 36 seconds left. Ramza takes the snap, looks, and hits Owen Holloway for 14 yards. Timeout with 25 seconds. Not willing to risk a disaster, the Otters trot out its kicker, Dallas Dole. From 61 yards. Holder takes the snap, the kick is on its way….and it’s good! Dead center with plenty of leg! What a kick! The two teams go into the end of regulation tied at 19.
As excited as the fans were watching the fourth quarter heroics, the OT put them back in their seats for a bit. Back-to-back-to-back punts had the timeclock own at 2:31. Were we going to see a tie? Well not on Cortez’s watch. Another unleashing of the veteran QB had the Outlaws moving. 10 plays and 24 yards later, with clock spikes included, had the Outlaws with a 4th and 8 at its own 38. But instead of kicking away, the Outlaws decide to go for it. What a call! Cortez looks left, fires, and it is incomplete! He lead his receiver Darren Pama too much. Turnover. With 51 seconds, Ramza strikes thrice for 15 yards. With 23 seconds left, Dole trots back out. This time from 39 and for the win. And it’s another no doubter! Dole nails the kick and the Otters rush the field! 2 massive kicks from the OCO kicker, the last of which resulting from one of the most questionable calls we’ve seen. Not sure what the Arizona coaching staff was thinking. This one is gonna hurt, deep in those loins.
Top Finish – Number 1
Week 12 - Chicago Butchers (19) at Philadelphia Liberty (20)
4th and No Big Deal
Ok so this is going to be short and sweet as I’ve run out of time and I’m giving this number one spot to my own team. Cuz its my birthday and I’ll cry if I want to. Although the bias is strong in this one, this game definitely deserves to be on this list. Especially since, as always, we Liberty got simmed to death after our strong spot. No playoffs yet again for this scrappy bunch.
Despite being in control for most of the game, the Liberty found themselves trailing heading into the fourth at 19-14. Things didn’t appear to be heading towards anything of note, as the two teams amasse 6 consecutive punts in the quarter. How was there even any time left for anything else? Well there wasn’t much, but with 2:20 to go, the Liberty gave it a shot. Ryan Negs began to cook on this drive, with consecutive first down completions to move the chains; however, facing a 3rd and 10, pesky and talented linebacker Wasrabi Gleel found his way into the backfield and dragged Negs down for a 6 yard loss. After burning a timeout, Philly faced a 4th and 16 at its own 26 and only 1:34 remaining. I mentioned that the life deflated out of the Liberty playoff aspirations later in the season, but it felt like pure magic in the air on the next play. Ryan Negs took the snap, make his reads, stepped up in the pocket, and delivered an absolute dart to wr Killian Chambers, who brought down the toss and wasn’t brought down himself until he scampere 53 yards downfield. After a spike and an incompletion, Negs delivered again, this time on third and 10 to Jake Fencik for 13 yards, And with only 39 seconds left, tossed a jump ball up to Killian Chambers, who outmuscled his man and came down with the pinpoint toss for a 6 yard touchdown. Unbelievable. But just in case Philly fans dared celebrate a bit too soon, Butchers QB Oles Jr found his wr LordreSombre for 51 yards with only 13 seconds on the clock – but thankfully captain Jimmy Desoto chased him down at the 27, with zeros showing on the clock. Heart attacks a plenty for those in the stands and watching at home, but the score sheet just says W- Liberty. A gutsy win in a season that was a roller coaster, to say the least
(2777 words)
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