Division II.2 witnessed two important games in Week 11, setting the course for the remainder of Season 26. Division leaders Red Gremlins took on number 4 Frankfurt Dragons, and the second-place Los Angeles 69ers faced the third-place Balearicus Goats. An upset in either game had the potential to scramble the picture going into the final stretch.

Div. II.2 is the hard-luck conference of North America this season. Decimated by bot-dom, Div. II.2 has been famously derided as “a shadow of its former glory.” Some observers have opined that no matter who wins, they won’t be ready to compete in TD. And yet, the poor souls who remain in Div. II.2 soldier on, apparently still trying to win their games. The Red Gremlins headed into Week 11 at 9-1, their sole loss coming against the Los Angeles 69ers by a touchdown in Week 6. The Frankfurt Dragons, with a 7-3 record, looked stout. They had lost to the Red Gremlins in Week 2, but were clearly not a team to be taken lightly.

The Gremlins took the field, led by their quarterback and totemic captain, Vadim Zarichnyi, the Ukrainian Sensatian. His story is familiar to all: attending the Texas College of Animal Husbandry on an agronomy scholarship, he accidentally wandered into a football practice. Thanks to years of participation in the traditional Ukrainian amusement of бросить ягненка, in which lambs are tossed for accuracy and distance, he showed good arm strength and precision, and instantly became the starting quarterback. The Red Gremlins picked him up in a free agent auction in Season 20, and he took over as first-string quarterback in Season 24. The Russian invasion of his homeland left him, in essence, unable to return home. Now a man without a country, he plays with maniacal focus. He stubbornly refuses to hand the ball off to anyone, resulting in a one-dimensional all-passing offense that, despite being completely predictable, is nevertheless effective.

The Dragons play a more balanced game, forcing defenses to stop both the run and the pass. Fullback Anatole Hamann, a French import, sets the pace for their offense. In this, their first season in Div. II, Frankfurt has looked surprisingly strong, and seemed to be a dark-horse contender. However, their hopes took a hit in Week 10 when they lost to the Los Angeles 69ers in a 42-35 nail-biter. Now they at least had the chance to play spoiler to the Red Gremlins.

Under rainy skies, Frankfurt came out strong, scoring on their first possession. But the Gremlins answered quickly to tie things up. Then, 13:38 into the first quarter, Zarichnyi connected with WR Dino Cromer for an 80-yard TD. This would set the tone for the rest of the game, with Zarchinyi throwing for 651 yards, including bombs for 77, 74, and 67 yards. Frankfurt never gave up, but the final score of 42-21 seemed an accurate reflection of the Gremlin’s overall advantage. Asked for comment, Zarichnyi only muttered, “Russian bastards!”

The Los Angeles 69ers are well known as the bad boys of the North American League. After multiple seasons in Div I, they find themselves in Div. II this season, and at least theoretically in rebuilding mode. But with Div. II.2 a shadow of its former glory, the 69ers clearly have their eyes on a rapid return to Div. I. They went into Week 11 in second place, but their victory over the Gremlins in Week 6 marks them as, at the very least, co-leaders. However, the Balearicus Goats were showing very credible strength, powering through bot opponents and climbing to third place in the division. If they could beat the 69ers, both teams would be at 9-2.

And the Goats gave the 69ers all they could handle. The teams kept answering each other, touchdown for touchdown. At the start of the fourth quarter, the Goats scored on an Américo Queiroz pass to Jay Rodrique, putting them ahead, 35-28. But the 69ers came back and scored in less than 2 minutes, as FB Harold "Harold Alt-Delete" Alt cut through a tiring Goats defense. After several inconclusive drives, the 69ers scored in the final seconds. Final score, 42-35.

So, after two interesting games, the essential picture remains what it was: Red Gremlins and 69ers, both 10-1. Assuming the Gremlins can beat the Balearicus Goats in Week 12, all eyes should be fixed on Week 15, when the Gremlins travel to WontMakeItInRealWorldField to play the 69ers. Barring any other surprises, the winner of that game will be promoted to Top Division—ready or not.

Heckuva game, Warsaw

Congrats to Hakers for hanging on to the #1 spot again this week!

Week 12 Rankings..
01 Hakers (E)
02 Warsaw Warpigs (E)
03 Shankers (+1)
04 Clayton Bears (-1)
05 The Greys (E)
06 Jedi Knights (E)
07 Bad Company (E)
08 Valhalla Vikings (+2)
09 Los Angeles 69ers (+2)
10 Frankford Yellow Jackets (+3)
11 East Florida Seminary (+1)
12 Boston Patriots (-3)
13 Herringtown Llamas (-5)
14 Pottsville Maroons (E)
15 Richmond Rams (E)
16 Red Gremlins (+1)
17 War Eagles (+2)
18 Las Vegas Hogs (NR)
19 4 Moors (-3)
20 The 300 Spartan Coyotes (-2)

Oh So Close..
BUFFALO BLACK STARS
The Swaggers

Gone bot..
No One!

A game with 16 punts and 12, 3 and outs. Don't see them very often in TD.

piahall wrote: le'Sigh.. I'll never understand the mechanics of this game.

Home field advantage strikes again.....