“Beards Advance through Error-Bound Gutters

Round 3 of the Bourbon Cup the Beards were slated with a re-match with the Nippon Nightrunners. Their previous meeting ended with a 2-1 Beard victory, but this time around the Nightrunners sported a much more developed squad, as well as adding a Rat Ogre to the roster. Also, the losing days of the Nightrunners were no more as they came into the match with a two win streak.

The Beards received to start, and managed to secure the ball and bring it to midfield. Aliyah Fafnin drastically changed the contest Turn 2, when she managed to drop the Nippon Rat Ogre, Warpfang. The match-up didn’t favor Aliyah, but she just managed to throw a block to the jaw of the beast that forced the medical staff to intervene. Warpfang would return, but it would be in the following drive. The Beards continued to advance the ball, gradually gaining a number advantage. Turn 3 Slayer Arngrimm Addar sent Nippon Thrower Skreetch “Jazzail’ Long Claw into the stands, and he wouldn’t return to the match. Arngrimm was shortly after also sent into the stands by Gaz Stinksnout. Turn 5 the Nightrunners made their move and managed to find a chink in the Beard cage, sending Praz through a gap and dropping Belli Bonnlinn. The ball on the ground with Gutters nearby, the Beards needed to quickly re-establish their position. They managed to do so, but spent Turn 6 gaining little to any ground. This meant that Turn 7 Belli had to make a run for the endzone, knowing that the rats would be in position to drop him. Belli bolted free of the scrum, and the Nightrunners came, but somehow Belli still stood after the hit. The rats swarmed in, and it looked like the path to the endzone was gone, but for undefended Hurgran Huldek in scoring range. Belli dodged away from the rats, and just reached Hurgran, handing him the ball. Hurgran turned upfield and made it in for the score Turn 8.

The Nightrunners received to start the 2nd Half and immediately went on an aggressive offensive. They saw the central gap in the Beard defense and pushed to form the cage at midfield of the Beard half. By the end of turn all the pieces were in place with Ikit Blackshadow behind a formidable screen. Arngrimm Addar was in range for a shot, and he dropped Ikit sending the ball to the ground, but with Gutter Runners all around waiting to scoop it up the following turn. It appeared like Nippon should be able to recover the ball and run it in for the score, but the Gutter Runners uncharacteristically struggled to dodge away, scoop up the ball, and take it in. The Beards capitalized on the error, recovered the ball, caged up, and slowly made their way down the field for the Turn 8 score.

Coach Buck Comments:

“A lot went our way this time around. I feel like this was a much different game than the previous time we met. The score may look more one-sided, but this time it felt like Nippon was always still in it. When we took out Warpfang early, I thought it was going to be a runaway victory, but dang they sure didn’t play that way. We got caught out of position when they dropped Belli, and that easily could’ve turned into points for Nippon. Then Belli having to take off solo - we should not have scored our half. They also were real close going for that 1 Turn attempt. 2nd half, I knew that Arngrimm was up to the task to drop that carrier, but I was more worried they would still just pick it up, and run it in. They really should have, but for those strange errors. From there they still chased getting another shot at our carrier turn 8. They didn’t go quietly. Tough match from a team that’s really earned our respect.
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