“Beards Recover Muffed Kick to Win 2-1 Over Cadaverage

Round 4 of Season 10 put the Beards against Cadaverage (4/4/4), a promising up-and-coming undead squad. Their roster matched up well with the Beards, hosting a pair of developed mummies and wights, as well as 4 talented ghouls, and several players with a reputation for dirty tactics in the scrum. Their formidable strength at the line, combined with the risk to pull away at any moment with the speed of the ghouls set-up for a heavily contested match.

Cadaverage received to start, with Claptrap fielding the ball early as they sought out a crease in the Beard line. They started by shading toward one side, then reversed across looking for space on the opposite side. The Beards defense slid in unison, and cut off the path opposite with Arngrimm Addar dropping the carrier along the sideline. The ball took a Cadaverage bounce and Ghoul Rjct#31 was able to recover the ball, but was left exposed to be dropped by Drakki Dwordrum. The undead were able to clear away the Beards from the ball, with it bouncing between several players before being placed further from the Cadaverage endzone, but safely near undead players. Box Elder attempted to pressure, but the ball was tucked in too tight. Still, the Undead could feel the pressure, and opted to go for the score while a chance remained. They managed to clear a path for Claptrap to get to the ball, recover the ball, and sprint downfield to hand it off to Ghoul Lazlo, who was within range to score Turn 7. Box Elder attempted to position for a 2-turn score, but a well placed kick would make the attempt too difficult.

The second half, both teams fielded a full 11 players, with Cadaverage electing to field a withdrawn defense. Box Elder got an early removal of a zombie on the LOS, with Belli recovering the kick and progressing the ball to mid-field. Cadaverage committed their mummies and pressured into the backfield with two, while leaving the path to the endzone lightly defended. The Beards managed to open an edge, and get Belli in position to score. Cadaverage doubled back while putting pressure on the ball, but the Beards were able to clear the way with Belli jogging freely into the endzone turn 3. This would leave the Undead a full 6 turns to mount their counter score attempt while fielding a full team. The Undead went to work pressing into the Beard line with their mummies and marking up the flanks. Ghoul Lazlo was given the responsibility to recover the ball, but the nerves got to him as it fumbled from his grip. The Beards began to press in on the opportunity. Cadaverage marked up and worked to clear a path for Lazlo, but once again the ball slipped through his grasp. The Beards continued to tighten their position on the ball, but Lazlo would have another chance if he could dodge away from marking defenders. He was caught in his attempt, and ended up stepping awkwardly on the ball, and losing his balance. His arm held back by Belli Bonnlinn, Lazlo was unable to brace his fall, and smashed his face into the turf - immediately blacking out. The error left the path clear for the Beards to finally reach the ball, Belli Bonnlinn recovering and running in for the turn 8 score.

Coach Buck Comments:

“Coach Reign runs a solid crew with Cadaverage. They’re a well developed program and have all the pieces to win against anyone. Ol’ Lazlo has got to be getting an ear-full. They had an opportunity for sure. Would’ve been nice to stop them on defense, but I’m proud of how we did, two shots on the ball, forced them to make some plays. A good game by the guys. Overall, a strong performance.”
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