1) Another season, another wild and crazy season of ISFL football has taken place! As I am writing this, Season 30 has just concluded and there were a couple of surprises that were in store this season. Let's start off with the season review with analysis of the teams that made the playoffs and a playoff results review in the end.
The first team that I am going to talk about are the often-talked about (and sometimes mocked) Arizona Outlaws. In season 30, the Outlaws outdid themselves this season. Not only did the Outlaws obtain another dominant regular season but they did so in grandiose style going 14-2 and clinching the 1 seed in another wild season in the ASFC. This outcome, while the most predicted and expected outcome, was somewhat unexpected the Outlaws were by fair the best team in the league as they scored over 500 points and allowed less than 300 total points, illustrating how dominant of a season the Outlaws produced.
The second team that I am going to talk about are the New York Silverbacks. The Silverbacks last season have finally captured their first Ultimus last season and look to defend their title. In this regular season, the Silverbacks went a respectable 11-5 and capturing the 2nd seed in the ASFC; however, their PD was pretty skewed and not reflective of how strong of a team they are as they scored the fourth most points but allowed the eighth most points all season, a bad omen in their quest to defend their title.
The third team that I am going to talk about are the Berlin Fire Salamanders. The Salamanders, much like their expansion brothers in the Silverbacks, have also been noted to have quickly risen to the level of contender as noted these past few seasons with how competitive they have been like the Silverbacks as well. In addition, they are coming off of an Ultimus appearance against the Silverbacks where they were defeated handily. The Salamanders this season, however, underachieved a 9-7 record and feel to the 3 seed in the NSFC, an unexpected outcome in the minds of most fans and analysts as they were largely expected to compete for the Ultimus again alongside the Outlaws. The Salamanders were 5th in points scored and 3rd in points allowed, underscoring that they were underperforming this season as they should have had a better record a
The fourth team that I am going to talk about are also often-talked about Sarasota Sailfish. The Sailfish have still been largely competitive even after their Ultimus victory a few seasons ago. This season was nothing different and more of the same. The Sailfish went 11-5 this season and clinched the 1 seed in the NSFC; this has been underscored with the fact that the Sailfish have scored the 2nd most points in the league this season and have allowed the 4rd fewest points this season, leading many to believe that the Sailfish could be a darkhorse contender to win the Ultimus.
The fifth team that I am going to talk about are the Yellowknife Wraiths. The Wraiths have been always counted on to always be a hyper competitive team. However, last season, while the Yeti went 10-6, they missed out on the playoffs for the first time in a while. However, this season, the Wraiths have proved that last season was nothing more than a fluke as they went 10-6 but have clinched the 2 seed in the NSFC. They were 3rd in points scored and tied for the 3rd fewest points allowed, helping to show how well the Wraiths have bounced back this season.
The final team that I will discuss is the Austin Copperheads. In S29, despite coming off of a great season and playoff run, the Copperheads had a fluky and random disastrous 5-11 season out of nowhere despite none of the talent on the team falling off or no locker room conflict. Well, this season they proved that last season was a fluke as they went 11-5 and make the playoffs in emphatic fashion. In terms of point differential, the Copperheads were 6th in points scored and 5th in points allowed, helping for the team to bounce back and clinch a playoff spot amidst a changing league.
Now that I have discussed each playoff team's season, I will briefly discussed how the playoffs shaped up. In the ASFC wildcard, the Silverbacks went up against the Copperheads. The game was wildly entertaining and went back and forth for about one quarter at most; the Silverbacks managed to go on a scoring run to take a massive lead at halftime, shutting out any chance for the Copperheads to even mount a comeback, leading to a rout to the score of 47-24. The Silverbacks would advance to the ASFC Championship to face the Outlaws in a rematch. Unlike last season, however, this ASFC championship was no where even close. The Outlaws got extreme revenge on the Silverbacks for last season's championship and shut out the Silverbacks to a resounding score of 33-0, advancing the Outlaws to the expected Ultimus appearance. On the NSFC side of things, the NSFC wildcard pitted the Salamanders vs the Wraiths. In a game that was largely expected to be competitive, the Salamanders decisively defeated the Wraiths on route to the NSFC Championship. There, the Sailfish would face off against the Salamanders in a rematch. In a close game, the Sailfish would avenge themselves for last championship's punt debacle by closing out the game against the Salamanders, leading to an Ultimus matchup against the Outlaws. Unfortunately for the Outlaws, the Sailfish's godlike defense completely shut down and made the Outlaw offense impotent, leading the Sailfish to their second title in 5 seasons!
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The first team that I am going to talk about are the often-talked about (and sometimes mocked) Arizona Outlaws. In season 30, the Outlaws outdid themselves this season. Not only did the Outlaws obtain another dominant regular season but they did so in grandiose style going 14-2 and clinching the 1 seed in another wild season in the ASFC. This outcome, while the most predicted and expected outcome, was somewhat unexpected the Outlaws were by fair the best team in the league as they scored over 500 points and allowed less than 300 total points, illustrating how dominant of a season the Outlaws produced.
The second team that I am going to talk about are the New York Silverbacks. The Silverbacks last season have finally captured their first Ultimus last season and look to defend their title. In this regular season, the Silverbacks went a respectable 11-5 and capturing the 2nd seed in the ASFC; however, their PD was pretty skewed and not reflective of how strong of a team they are as they scored the fourth most points but allowed the eighth most points all season, a bad omen in their quest to defend their title.
The third team that I am going to talk about are the Berlin Fire Salamanders. The Salamanders, much like their expansion brothers in the Silverbacks, have also been noted to have quickly risen to the level of contender as noted these past few seasons with how competitive they have been like the Silverbacks as well. In addition, they are coming off of an Ultimus appearance against the Silverbacks where they were defeated handily. The Salamanders this season, however, underachieved a 9-7 record and feel to the 3 seed in the NSFC, an unexpected outcome in the minds of most fans and analysts as they were largely expected to compete for the Ultimus again alongside the Outlaws. The Salamanders were 5th in points scored and 3rd in points allowed, underscoring that they were underperforming this season as they should have had a better record a
The fourth team that I am going to talk about are also often-talked about Sarasota Sailfish. The Sailfish have still been largely competitive even after their Ultimus victory a few seasons ago. This season was nothing different and more of the same. The Sailfish went 11-5 this season and clinched the 1 seed in the NSFC; this has been underscored with the fact that the Sailfish have scored the 2nd most points in the league this season and have allowed the 4rd fewest points this season, leading many to believe that the Sailfish could be a darkhorse contender to win the Ultimus.
The fifth team that I am going to talk about are the Yellowknife Wraiths. The Wraiths have been always counted on to always be a hyper competitive team. However, last season, while the Yeti went 10-6, they missed out on the playoffs for the first time in a while. However, this season, the Wraiths have proved that last season was nothing more than a fluke as they went 10-6 but have clinched the 2 seed in the NSFC. They were 3rd in points scored and tied for the 3rd fewest points allowed, helping to show how well the Wraiths have bounced back this season.
The final team that I will discuss is the Austin Copperheads. In S29, despite coming off of a great season and playoff run, the Copperheads had a fluky and random disastrous 5-11 season out of nowhere despite none of the talent on the team falling off or no locker room conflict. Well, this season they proved that last season was a fluke as they went 11-5 and make the playoffs in emphatic fashion. In terms of point differential, the Copperheads were 6th in points scored and 5th in points allowed, helping for the team to bounce back and clinch a playoff spot amidst a changing league.
Now that I have discussed each playoff team's season, I will briefly discussed how the playoffs shaped up. In the ASFC wildcard, the Silverbacks went up against the Copperheads. The game was wildly entertaining and went back and forth for about one quarter at most; the Silverbacks managed to go on a scoring run to take a massive lead at halftime, shutting out any chance for the Copperheads to even mount a comeback, leading to a rout to the score of 47-24. The Silverbacks would advance to the ASFC Championship to face the Outlaws in a rematch. Unlike last season, however, this ASFC championship was no where even close. The Outlaws got extreme revenge on the Silverbacks for last season's championship and shut out the Silverbacks to a resounding score of 33-0, advancing the Outlaws to the expected Ultimus appearance. On the NSFC side of things, the NSFC wildcard pitted the Salamanders vs the Wraiths. In a game that was largely expected to be competitive, the Salamanders decisively defeated the Wraiths on route to the NSFC Championship. There, the Sailfish would face off against the Salamanders in a rematch. In a close game, the Sailfish would avenge themselves for last championship's punt debacle by closing out the game against the Salamanders, leading to an Ultimus matchup against the Outlaws. Unfortunately for the Outlaws, the Sailfish's godlike defense completely shut down and made the Outlaw offense impotent, leading the Sailfish to their second title in 5 seasons!
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