“Mistakes Nearly Eliminate Beards from Bourbon Cup

Round 2 of the Bourbon Cup featured the undefeated Hogtown Hoosiers (4/4/0) taking on our own Box Elder Beards (6/1/1). The Hoosiers won the toss and elected to receive. The kick went deep, with the Amazon carrier, Galla Slender, catching the ball with her heels at the endzone. She started working her way up the field, while the Beards managed to isolate star Jaguar Warrior Dalla Rupen. Borack Daerra saw an opportunity and attempted to stomp the downed player and was quickly spotted and ejected. Up one player, the Hoosiers managed to bring the ball past midfield, while also KOing Beard Enforcer Arngrimm Addar. Box Elder staff elected to use their medical resources to keep him in the game, but the Hoosiers were in a sound position to score turn 5 as the Beards worked to pursue. Belli Bonnlinn fielded a deep kick, and the Beard’s positioned with Buck Bellwaen behind the scrum awaiting the handoff the following turn. The Hoosiers slid their defense to respect numbers, and Buck was able to cut across to the opposite flank with enough protection to mount a push. The Hoosiers worked to cut them off, but again the Beards found a hole, this time towards the center, gradually gaining ground. The Hoosiers again screened off the endzone, but Buck was able to find a crease scoring Turn 8, tying the game 1-1.

The Beards received to start the second half, and again the kick was deep. Buck dropped to recover the ball, while the Beards on the line of scrimmage wrecked havoc removing 2 Hoosiers and stunning another. Box Elder dropped several players to protect the ball, but they couldn’t have anticipated the amount of Hoosier pressure to come. The Amazons spilled into the backfield with everything they had, and forced the error they were hoping for. The Beards made an unlikely blocking mistake, and were left with Buck exposed, then dropped, and the ball on the ground. A Hoosier error was the only chance they had at escaping the situation, and that error presented itself, allowing Belli Bonlinn to recover the ball, break free of the scrum and establish a cage. The Beards now had the Hoosiers out-numbered and out of position, and they were able to push their combat strengths, removing several players as they worked their way up field for a turn 8 score.

Coach Buck Comments:

This was a real interesting match. Their first drive was a doozy for us. We had a moment when I thought we could have a shot at the ball, but we made some errors and it slipped through our fingers. Arngrim going out was also a scare, because I knew we were going to need him to be making hits, especially against their Jaguars. We lucked out the score in the first half, and nice to see Buck get a chance to be the trigger man, and Belli being the one cornering the cage. The way he cut back, then back to the middle, then back again, it was fun to watch. 2nd half, after we took out their LOS, I thought we had it from there, and then when they all rushed into our backfield, we panicked a bit, and ended up leaving the ball exposed. We barely broke out of that scrum, and a lot of credit has to be given to this Hogtown crew. They played solid, and gave us some real fits.
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