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1. 1. NWFL Season X, Game 12

3rd to last game in the regular season, and against a well-developed 11-man AV 7 Roster the 'Sons took a Wizard and a Bribe to try to make up for the un-replaced loss of an Ulf and a super-star Runner out MNG.

The short version is that the Norse had some poor luck to start that used all their Inducements early, but balanced against some very good luck over the game against the superior-skilled Elfs, while the Elf luck was all in not getting Perms with ever fewer and fewer players on the field.

The Sons started their usual mental errours with the coin toss, choosing to receive, but made the most the most of it by BH'ing a rookie and KO'ing 2 Wrestlers (1 via Foul, but using their Bribe) Turn 1. The Caudillos replied Turn 2, BH'ing a rookie Lino and leaping to 1D the ball free near the LoS, KO'ing the Norse +Ag star ballhander at the same time. Turn 3 a Norse block on a side-stepper started the ball bouncing, and it landed in the hands of an Elf blodger in scoring range! This prompted the Wizard to be shaken awake early, and he managed to Stun the blodger - but now all their Inducements were gone. Turn 4 they recovered but could not screen the ball, and the Elfs had it again just that fast. But the Norse had been busy, and by now 5 Elfs were off the field (if only 1 key player), and the remaining 9 Troll was able to find a Pow (but only by using their last RR to re-roll triple-Both Down!), and a rookie Lino recovered. The Elfs could only find Both-Down on the 4 dice of the Turn 5 Blitz (using their last RR), and only a Push on the next 2 to end Turn 6 and a Both-Down for a 1d chainsurf on the ballcarrier. Starting Turn 7, and still just behind the LoS, the Norse surfed the Elf MA 9(+) Wrodger (into Reserves), GFI to the 7, and then BH their +Ag 'zerk on a failed 2+ dodge. A failed T7 Elf dodge left the Norse ballcarrier marked but still at the 7 yard line, and 3 GFI's later (2 for the blitz, 1 for the score), it was 1-0.

Turn 8 a Blitz! result stopped the Elf OTS attempt, but no new casualties. By the 2nd half, 2 Elf Wrestlers woke up (leaving 1 Blocker sleeping, and a Lino and Blodgestepper BH'd), and the Norse +Ag star, one of only 2 Tacklers did not wake up, along with the +Ag 'zerk and lino BH'd - 8 Elfs v. 9 Norse.


2nd Half, an extreme kick put the ball on the LoS near a sideline, and another Blitz! result got the Norse (without any Ag 4 now) under the ball and behind a screen before snaking the blitz and KO'ing their only Ulf. But they used their Apo to keep him on the field - and the kick was caught! But the glory was short-lived - the Elf ballhawk found a Push on -2D, the ball went OB, and the (clearly partisan) crowd threw it deep behind Norse lines, where the Elfs only missed the 2+ pickup. The Norse were... displeased, and surfed the ballhawk BH'd and KO'd another Lino, and pressured the ball location, encouraging a Turn 2 score - 1-1.


All Elfs woke up but the Norse +Ag ballhandler/tackler did not, so again 8 Elfs lined up against 9 Norse, but this time on Defense - and a Perfect Defense started the remaining 7 Turns for the Norse score. A large knot of players formed field center, the Norse trying to block out where they could and maintain the cage, the Elfs dodging around for leverage and trying 1d's to get a shot at the ballcarrier - both unsuccessful, but the Elfs losing a lino and their blodgestepping Guard KO'd. With them out, by the end of Turn 4 the Norse had found a little blocking traction and stretched the trenches a bit, sliding the cage over but still behind the LoS. Turn 5 the remaining 6 Elfs tried a GFI blitz on a back corner of the cage but found a snake, using their last RR and leaving them out of position, and the Norse broke around a screen beyond (easy) blitz-range to the 5 yard line. Turn 6 a mis-counted Elf 1D Blitz double-GFI'd to only mark the ballcarrier, but the Norse found it was their turn to be out of position, and so fell back from the 5 to the 12(!) to cage. Turn 7, the Elfs were able to mark the ballcarrier, but the Norse KO'd the Wrodge-Guard marker and yet another Lino, but the blodgestep ballcarrier now was naked on the 5 yard line with a marked Elf Wrestler in range. The Elfs had an assist 1 GFI away - a "1" put him on the ground, and a T16 walk-in for the win, 2-1.

If the 'Sons dodged a lot of bullets for the win (and they did!), the Caudillos dodged 60 blocks (and some fouls, ahem, and a Wizard) for no perms to let the entire roster line up next game, which is not a bad day for AV 7.”