“After a very tough game against a very tough coach, the dream remains alive. It didn't seem that way after the first half, though... first drive was all CDs, with the bulls evading a blitz and the minotaur holding court in midfield. Sebastian killed a dwarf late in the half, a hobgoblin got ejected from the game for a weak little foul, and Philipp made a run at the ballcarrier late, but with a shrug of his mighty shoulders, the bull scored the TD. My turn 8 was notable only because Magdalena also committed a foul, didn't break the armor but still got ejected by the nosy ref.

The second half opened with the ball bouncing across midfield and Sebastian getting it. I botched the positioning, forcing Sebastian to dodge out and double-GFI for a turn 2 score. He did it, and we moved on.

On the next drive, some quick thinking allowed us to rearrange our defense, and we blitzed down the side as the bulls struggled to secure the ball. They finally got it as Sebastian injured a hobgoblin, but taking it back to the middle to avoid the blitz proved to be disastrous for them. Gottfried rumbled forward at the ball carrier, driving a hapless dwarf in his wake, and opened up a space for multiple Norsemen to come pouring through. Carl circled up from the side to lend an assist as Sebastian, free of his man, blitzed the ball loose. The next turn, Gottfried cleared out a bull, Philipp picked up the ball, and the way was clear. With two turns left, a bull looming up at Philipp, and the opposition out of rerolls, we felt safe to score.

It turns out we were, but not THAT safe. Again, the defense got the jump on the dwarves, but Black Star Liner blitzed his way free, shrugging off the troll. Again, though, Zebulon booted the pickup, giving the dauntless Emanuel time to knock the intended receiver to the ground. In the closing seconds of the game, Zebulon finally secured the ball and ran forward to hand it to Grop, but the guard-dwarf tripped over his stubby legs as he ran forward for the pass, and we narrowly scaped defeat.

All in all, it was a good game, with strong play on both sides, but the Norse armor held up and their superior versatility won the day this time. I'll have to face off with you again some time, fxiii -- maybe in a Stunty game?”