(S12) - Ultimus Week

[PSanchez55]

PBE PT

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Interview with a Star @Mavfatha

What will be the key to the Coyotes winning their first ever Ultimini?

I think a big part of that will be achieving a nice balance between the run and pass. For most of the season we relied on our running backs to churn out yardage, really only focusing on the pass in very long distance situations. I hope to surprise the Marshals with more of a passing attack since they've been strong at stopping the run.

What are your thoughts on how the conference championship game ended, with Kaine fumbling at the 1 yard line?

While the game wouldn't have been immediately over even with a Pythons touchdown, clearly that was a huge play for us. True Pierce has a history of skipping practices but still coming through for the team with the game on the line, as he certainly did here. It was a well-played game by Portland for sure.

What were some of the highlights of the regular season?

I was really proud of our rookies for coming in and immediately making an impact on the field. Davenport dominated in his limited carries with 7 yards per carry, Alex Frost was a strong field goal kicker, J.N. Nova supplemented our strong receiving core, and Johnny Snuggles was a lock-down corner. Just seeing everyone do well and having a strong record was awesome.

Finally, how did Riposte's rookie campaign go?

While we ultimately came up short it was a fun season for Riposte and the Sabercats. Nobody expected much out of us but we finished with the second best record in the NSFL thanks to a strong, well-rounded team. Riposte himself had probably the best season statwise of any of the rookie DT's and made great strides by training as well

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Spotlight on the Youth

Charlie Trout had a very impactful season last year for the DSFL Portland Pythons. He contributed around 150 tackles and a couple sacks. The Pythons dominated their way to a Ultimini Title. This season, as Trout transitioned to the NSFL, I expected a step back from the rookie. He did not. He just decided to vary his contributions. Instead of 150 tackles, he had a respectable 86. Instead of leading the league in sacks with 8, he came in second with 11. Instead of a meager 4 passes defended, Trout lead the league (along with a few others) with 25. This season he managed to fall on 3 fumbles and even cause a safety.

Trout plays for the Baltimore Hawks who are perennial contenders. This rookie linebacker will bring his all around contributions into the playoffs. Will he shine on the biggest stage? Or will he wilt. The Hawks really need him to be at his best. When you don't have to worry about how your rookie will perform, it makes things so much easier. So long as the Hawks keep competing, expect Trout to be a big part of what they do. Good luck to Charlie Trout in the NSFL S12 postseason.

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It's Our Year... Next Year

The Yeti went into this season with low expectations. A terrible defense, paired with an offense that probably wasn't going to be best in the league wasn't particularly a good recipe for winning games. With excellent game planning and standout performances by a couple early round draft picks, the Yeti finished a game out of the playoffs. Even if the Yeti were heading into the off season with the same team, I would probably expect a better performance from the young Abominable Snowmen. The rookies are only getting better. That should obviously lead to better results.

But.... Let me tell you what happened over the weekend. When Logan Lejune went to look at the draft board to get an idea of who they would be picking, he saw that the Yeti lacked any picks in the early rounds. He went looking for management to find out why. He met a couple old dudes in the looker room. He wondered what they were doing there. They said they were World class football players planning to lead a Ultimus run. Lejune doesn't know who they are. . or if they are any good. He chooses to believe them. Next season... Is Yeti season