Playoff Review
This year the Palm Beach Solar Bears managed to win the DSFL Championship, taking home the Ultimini for the first time in a long time, and also the first time with real players, not bots. The game was played in Palm Beach against the reigning champions, the Portland Pythons. The game was dominated from start to finish by the Solar Bears, as they took an early lead in the first quarter after a long drive ended in a short field goal for Roderick Castleberry. They then added on a Mako Mendonca rushing TD after a long pass from Easton Cole to Chase Jensen set the team up in the red zone. The Pythons continued to struggle to start the second, as the Solar Bears again drove down the field and Ludicolo Bigby punched the ball in from 1 yard out. The pythons then got on the board with a lovely Rkansaw NA rushing TD, but Palm Beach answered back with a long FG drive to close out the first half. The third quarter saw a defensive surge from both teams, with a 32-yard Norwood field goal for the Pythons being the only points scored. The pythons managed to close the gap again in the fourth after a record-breaking 98-yard run by Sam Torrenson lead to their second TD of the game. They couldn’t keep the momentum, however, as the Solar Bears closed out the game with two more touchdowns in the closing minutes.
All about the QBs
Easton Cole was picked very early in last year’s DSFL draft. A lot of people figured he would be. He looked like a surefire prospect with a ton of upside. What a lot of people didn’t expect was that he would be taking his talents to Miami to play with the Palm Beach Solar Bears. The Solar Bears already had a QB. His name was Apollo Lange, and he was a serviceable QB for the Solar Bears last season. He probably would have been good enough to lead the team to a playoff berth, which was about the upper limit of what was expected of the team this past season. But they drafted his successor anyway, and it turned out to be the best decision the team has made. Easton wasn’t spectacular by any means in the playoffs, but his play lead the team to a championship. In the SFC championship game against Tijuana, he only threw 15 times for 60 yards. This didn’t matter, however, because his opponent threw 40 times and threw 5 interceptions. I’d rather have a QB who is consistent and doesn’t make large mistakes than one who shoots for the moon. Then, in the championship game, Easton again played well enough to win. He again had a better rating than the opposing QB; this time because he threw for over twice the yards and completed close to 50% of his passes.
Unsung Hero
The unsung hero of this year’s DSFL championship was without a doubt Mako Mendonca. Mako had an incredible game, and some might say that he has been appropriately recognized, but I beg to differ. Mako rushed 12 times for 77 yards, an impressive 6.4 yards per carry. He also rushed for two touchdowns. This is a super impressive performance for a young back who only joined the team partway through the year. Mako was a force in the rushing game, along with the other backs in Palm Beach’s stable, as the top three all ran for over 6 yards per carry. That is incredible. Generally, backs average around 4 yards per carry but the Solar Bears ran for 1.5x that number. And considering that Easton Cole, despite having a solid game at QB threw two interceptions to zero touchdowns, was the main other source of offense, the running game HAD to be good, or the Solar Bears would not have won. And Mendonca provided that great running game, along with giving time for Ludicolo Bigby to rest and not have to carry the team on his back like Sam Torrenson of the Pythons tried to do just across on the other sideline.
Expansion Team
Next year, I will be making my NSFL debut as a member of the Chicago Butchers. Already, I’m super excited to have the ability to play for a new team and create a new legacy as far as the history of the Butchers is concerned. I’ll always be the third ever pick for the team, and I want to be able to live up to any expectations that might be had of me during my career. Luckily, the expansion teams will not have super high expectations coming right out of the gate. There are a lot of young players on both of the teams, and it will take a little time for the teams to compete for championships, but I think it will be done sooner than many people think. Hell, the Solar Bears just won the DSFL championship two years after being revived from the ashes. I think that the Butchers can do the same. Overall, the roster is looking solid. There are obviously still positions that need to be filled, but I think that some of these will be done in the upcoming draft where we have the first overall pick. The rest will hopefully be done soon too, and I can’t wait to see what the first ever season of Butchers football looks like. Hopefully it’s the start of something great!
This year the Palm Beach Solar Bears managed to win the DSFL Championship, taking home the Ultimini for the first time in a long time, and also the first time with real players, not bots. The game was played in Palm Beach against the reigning champions, the Portland Pythons. The game was dominated from start to finish by the Solar Bears, as they took an early lead in the first quarter after a long drive ended in a short field goal for Roderick Castleberry. They then added on a Mako Mendonca rushing TD after a long pass from Easton Cole to Chase Jensen set the team up in the red zone. The Pythons continued to struggle to start the second, as the Solar Bears again drove down the field and Ludicolo Bigby punched the ball in from 1 yard out. The pythons then got on the board with a lovely Rkansaw NA rushing TD, but Palm Beach answered back with a long FG drive to close out the first half. The third quarter saw a defensive surge from both teams, with a 32-yard Norwood field goal for the Pythons being the only points scored. The pythons managed to close the gap again in the fourth after a record-breaking 98-yard run by Sam Torrenson lead to their second TD of the game. They couldn’t keep the momentum, however, as the Solar Bears closed out the game with two more touchdowns in the closing minutes.
All about the QBs
Easton Cole was picked very early in last year’s DSFL draft. A lot of people figured he would be. He looked like a surefire prospect with a ton of upside. What a lot of people didn’t expect was that he would be taking his talents to Miami to play with the Palm Beach Solar Bears. The Solar Bears already had a QB. His name was Apollo Lange, and he was a serviceable QB for the Solar Bears last season. He probably would have been good enough to lead the team to a playoff berth, which was about the upper limit of what was expected of the team this past season. But they drafted his successor anyway, and it turned out to be the best decision the team has made. Easton wasn’t spectacular by any means in the playoffs, but his play lead the team to a championship. In the SFC championship game against Tijuana, he only threw 15 times for 60 yards. This didn’t matter, however, because his opponent threw 40 times and threw 5 interceptions. I’d rather have a QB who is consistent and doesn’t make large mistakes than one who shoots for the moon. Then, in the championship game, Easton again played well enough to win. He again had a better rating than the opposing QB; this time because he threw for over twice the yards and completed close to 50% of his passes.
Unsung Hero
The unsung hero of this year’s DSFL championship was without a doubt Mako Mendonca. Mako had an incredible game, and some might say that he has been appropriately recognized, but I beg to differ. Mako rushed 12 times for 77 yards, an impressive 6.4 yards per carry. He also rushed for two touchdowns. This is a super impressive performance for a young back who only joined the team partway through the year. Mako was a force in the rushing game, along with the other backs in Palm Beach’s stable, as the top three all ran for over 6 yards per carry. That is incredible. Generally, backs average around 4 yards per carry but the Solar Bears ran for 1.5x that number. And considering that Easton Cole, despite having a solid game at QB threw two interceptions to zero touchdowns, was the main other source of offense, the running game HAD to be good, or the Solar Bears would not have won. And Mendonca provided that great running game, along with giving time for Ludicolo Bigby to rest and not have to carry the team on his back like Sam Torrenson of the Pythons tried to do just across on the other sideline.
Expansion Team
Next year, I will be making my NSFL debut as a member of the Chicago Butchers. Already, I’m super excited to have the ability to play for a new team and create a new legacy as far as the history of the Butchers is concerned. I’ll always be the third ever pick for the team, and I want to be able to live up to any expectations that might be had of me during my career. Luckily, the expansion teams will not have super high expectations coming right out of the gate. There are a lot of young players on both of the teams, and it will take a little time for the teams to compete for championships, but I think it will be done sooner than many people think. Hell, the Solar Bears just won the DSFL championship two years after being revived from the ashes. I think that the Butchers can do the same. Overall, the roster is looking solid. There are obviously still positions that need to be filled, but I think that some of these will be done in the upcoming draft where we have the first overall pick. The rest will hopefully be done soon too, and I can’t wait to see what the first ever season of Butchers football looks like. Hopefully it’s the start of something great!
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