*Snake Report: Austin Copperheads DSFL Check In

[RDBSouthPaw]

Gluteus Maximus - @UpperNet 
Week one is finally in the books for our DSFL Copperheads and there is only one way to describe our young kicker’s first game of the season, perfection. One of the biggest guys on the roster put in one of the biggest performances of week one in the DSFL showing that all that size does not just mean power, it also means accuracy.

Maximus got the game started right for the Grey Ducks as he put up the first points on the board and the only points of the first quarter by hitting a 32-yd field goal to cap off a short drive by Minnesota that started off on their own 46-yard line. Maximus got rolling again right at the beginning of the second quarter when he tacked on an extra point after a nice touchdown pass by the Grey Ducks and showed off his power on the ensuing kick-off, knocking it through the end zone for a touchback. The big guy was not called again till the end of the second quarter when he hit a nice little chip shot to round out the half from 23 yards and put the Grey Ducks ahead 13-7 going into half-time.
There was a lot left to do for Minnesota if they wanted to win the game, and they took another big step towards completing that task by scoring on another nice touchdown pass half-way through the third quarter and adding a second touchdown in the quarter right at the end. Of course, the big man was money on both his extra points, establishing a firm 27-7 lead for his team. Kansas City tried to fight back but one final field goal by Maximus sealed the win for Minnesota as he added another chip shot to his total from 20 yards out with two minutes to go in the game. This gave Minnesota a 30-17 lead going into the final moments, and allowed the Grey Ducks to hold on to an impressive 30-24 win in Kansas City.

In this writer’s humble opinion, it is not too much to say that the leg of Maximus led the Grey Ducks to victory that night. The big man accounted for 12 points and was perfect on all his kicks from the field. Not only that, but he showed off his impressive leg averaging 40 yards on five punts and pinning the struggling Kansas City offense inside their own 20-yard line on two separate occasions. Special teams is crucial for a team that has big plans this season, and in Week 1 Maximus showed just how important he is to this Grey Ducks team.

Chathack'rius Smith IV - @Rockiesfan4ever
Unfortunately, Smith had to start his second DSFL season off against what is likely one of the tougher teams in the DSFL South. The Bondi Beach Defense did not have much of an answer for the run game that they faced in Tijuana allowing 260 yards on the ground to the run heavy Luchadores. That being said though, one of the few bright spots on the night for the Buccaneers had to be their pass defense that held Tijuana to a mere 181 yards through the air. Smith showed his value to his team as he did a great job covering the deep ball all game, doing everything he could to limit the damage being inflicted by the Lucha offense.

Smith’s importance was on full display at the beginning of the second quarter as he hawked down Tijuana’s Bolt as he was trying to break off a 48-yard pass for a touchdown. Smith used his impressive speed and ran Bolt down at his own 20-yard line ultimately allowing the Buccaneer defense to hold the Luchadores to only a field goal on the drive. As a FS, Smith is tasked with being the team’s security blanket and he showed why he is one of the best at that position on a number of occasions throughout the game by coming up and stopping some runs that otherwise would have broken out for some huge gains. Sadly, Smith cannot be everywhere on the field at once and Tijuana’s run offense just proved to be too much for the Buccaneers as they fell 41-10 on the road to open the season.
Smith finished with a respectable 3 tackles on the night, but he sadly did not have much else to show for his hard-fought performance to open the season. Not every game is going to go your way as a defensive back, especially not in such an offensively dominated league, but Smith still stepped up when he was called upon and showed some of the intangibles and toughness that make everyone in Austin excited for when he makes the step up to the big time.

Aleksandr Vasiliev - @aimbotalex
The Portland Pythons had a tough game to open out the season. On the road against a London Royals team that looks ready to make up for a disappointing showing last season. The Offensive unit did a good job protecting the ball but, they just could not find a way to break through the Royal’s defense. The second year wideout Aleksandr Vasiliev was looking to improve on his strong rookie campaign from last season. Sadly, the young wideout could not find any room on the field as he was held to 0 catches and 0 yards on the night. Although, do not let the lack of receiving stats make you think that this kept him out of the game. Vasiliev managed his first pancake of the season and was making sure that he gave it his all for this high powered Python offense.With 2x league MVP Lebron James III under center we are expecting big things from Aleksandr Vasiliev. We are looking forward to watching him bounce back next week when the Pythons take on the Minnesota Grey Ducks!

Carter Fox - @FuzzISFL
Another one of our players that are a part of the Pythons organization. Carter Fox is coming off an incredible season in which he ended up being nominated for Defensive Lineman of The Year. The young S27 lineman is playing his 3rd season for the Pythons and we believe here in Austin it is going to be his best one yet. While the Portland offense struggled on the night, the Defense looked extremely strong as they kept the Royals out of the endzone for 3 whole quarters. Carter Fox played a big part in that as he added 3 tackles on the night. Fox made his presence known to the Offensive Line for the Royals. The 6’3” 300lb beast out of Appalachian State forced the Royals to try and beat the Pythons through the air. The Pythons led 13-6 heading into the fourth quarter before a Schumi Huleknvettel 18 yard TD tied it up. The defense would hold the Royals again and again but the offense just could not break through and with 1:30 seconds left to go in the game Quarterback Red Arrow jr. connected with Buffalo hunder from 15 yards out to give the Royals the lead and the win.

This should be an exciting season for Carter Fox, as he has become one of the most talented Defensive Tackles in the development league. He has thoroughly impressed the Copperheads organization the past 2 seasons and this year we really think all of the hard work is going to pay off!

Siege Cameron - @cjmccarley
Siege Cameron is on a mission to make his name a household one.  He is one update away from capping in the DSFL, and made a huge splash in the preseason for the Kansas City Coyotes.  However, it was his first game of the regular season as a Sophomore DSFL cornerback that well and truly began his campaign for ultimate recognition and respect.

Week one of the regular season for the Coyotes was a bit of a heartbreaker.  After winning four out of four games in the preseason, the sights were trained on a push for a perfect season, and a possible repeat run at the Ultimini.  However, those haughty hopes were hosed when the Minnesota Grey Ducks put up a hell of a fight against the Coyotes, and beat them by one possession.  Some fans watched the game and thought, “is this the beginning of the end?”.  Players watched and thought, “how could this happen?”.  Siege Cameron watched, and said “no matter what happens, I’m going to go out there and give this game my all”.  And that, he did.
Now, Cameron would be the first to tell you that holding a well-prepared and dominant offense to thirty points is largely a group effort.  And he would be absolutely correct in saying that.  However, Siege is a leader on the Kansas City defense, and through his excited motivation and dominant on-the-field performance, he managed to rally the defense from giving up two touchdowns in the third quarter, to only giving up a field goal in the fourth.  His seven tackles were an integral part in keeping the game uncomfortably close, and allowing the offense to try to string together some semblance of a comeback.  Momentum was on the side of Minnesota, though, and the game ultimately came down to a thin margin of error.  These things happen, and no one knows it better than Siege Cameron.  Instead of wallowing in narrow defeat, however, Cameron looks forward to weeks two and three of the regular season with vigor and resolve, eyeing another dominant performance from the cornerback position, and hopefully, a big fat “w”

Daniel O'Leary - @mango8154
Once again, I'm given the honor of highlighting Austin's very own Daniel O'Leary, who belongs to the user Mango! With O'Leary coming into this season at full power, it was expected that he would be putting up some pretty impressive numbers. And boy, in a tough game against the Coyotes (on the road no less), O'Leary delivered! Not only did he deliver 7 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss, which tied the top of the team, he also led the team in sacks, hitting the opposing quarterback twice! His two sacks also happen to lead the league in week one, as he was the only DSFL defensive player to record two sacks. It's no easy feat leading a team in defensive stats, but when you've got a player as special as O'Leary, one's gotta imagine it's to be expected! There's no doubt this is just the beginning of what is going to be a very busy and productive season for him on his road to DPoTY! Next week, we'll see O'Leary take on the Pythons in Portland, but rest assured, home or on the road, against the best or against the worst, he's going to stand out as a top defender against everyone!

Bayley Cowabunga - @JKortesi81
Time to look at a mini snek causing havoc in the DSFL. Let’s go through Bayley Cowabunga’s highly impressive week one performance for Dallas in their game away to Norfolk. Bayley’s stat line for the game was six receptions for 139 yards with a touchdown, a 23.7 per catch average and an incredible long catch on the day of 87 yards.

Bayley’s first catch was for seven yards and it came four minutes into the 2nd quarter. Bayley’s second catch and run was a beauty. With 6:30 left in the 2nd he caught a perfect spiral from Christ Jr and took it 87 yards to the house! A few minutes later he caught another pass for sixteen yards. A couple plays later during the two minute drill he caught a quick pass to the outside for seven yards. Another couple of plays later on a 4th and 4 on the Norfolk 38 he caught a twelve yarder to give his team a 1st down and they would end up getting a touchdown on that drive so Bayley came up big there.

Going into the second half, Bayley’s stat line was five receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown. Bayley quietened down a bit in the 2nd half and got his only catch of the half five minutes into the 3rd with a 10 yarder. Although a couple plays later on a pass play to a teammate that got Dallas a 1st down, Bayley got hit with a taunting penalty somehow.

On the whole a great week one performance from someone that should be lighting up defenses the whole season!

Word Counts:
@Tonzy

Code:

802 words (Gluteus Maximus and Chathack'rius Smith IV)

@RDBSouthPaw

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444 words (Carter Fox and Aleksandr Vasiliev)

@WhatAmUs

Code:

360 words (Siege Cameron)

@GlimsTC

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209 words (Daniel O'Leary)

@frazzle14

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275 words (Bayley Cowabunga)