Steelman wrote:

Ooh, the new Blues are SNAZZY! I dig those a lot. St. Louis looks good too. Gave me an idea that you could in the future hold a real nickname contest among fans (ie, us) for a future team or relocation.

Great work on the storylines. Very interesting rule about the Canadian expansion. I'm wondering if the mere possibility of it being voted upon will give it some wings soon.

I never thought of actually having a nickname contest on here, that's a good idea and I'll do it next time.

As for the rule about expansion, it may play a part later down the line, maybe not, I haven't decided yet. I wanted to introduce it now so if I decide to implement it later it would seem as if it's something that had been being considered over time.

Toronto won the West Division for the second year in a row, and Wayne Hill had another big year on the ground. He was 2nd in rushing yards and 1st in rushing TDs as well as 1st receiving yards among halfbacks. Coming in second an also qualifying for the playoffs were the Chicago Cougars, led by fullback Kristopher Knight. Over the past few years with the Cougars Knights has been developing into a real threat out of the backfield. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry this season. In third were the Indianapolis Chiefs who had one of the better rookies in the NAFA this year - corner back Charlie Higgins. He anchored a very good defense and led the league with 7 interceptions. Cleveland came in last yet again, but was able to squeak away two wins - one over Toronto at home (this was Toronto's only loss).

In the east New York came out on top after Lester Riley had a good year on the ground. Quarterback Brendan Boone has the best year of his career, leading the league in yards per attempt and passing touchdowns. In second place were the Philadelphia Americans, led by Milton Gilbert, who was first in passing yards, second in passing touchdowns, and first in rushing yards among quarterbacks. In third were the St. Louis Saints, who had a mediocre year with a mediocre offense (5th in yards) and mediocre defense (4th in yards allowed). Montreal didn't win or tie a game this year, recording the worst season in NAFA history.

NAFA Playoffs

East Divisional Championship

Lester Riley rushed for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Blues' beat down of the Philadelphia Americans. Veteran quarterback Brendan Boone was 13-20 in the air for 168 yards and a touchdown, while in the loss Milton Gilbert threw for 204 yards for the Americans.



West Divisional Championship

A late Wayne Hill touchdown saved the Nationals as they defeated the visiting Cougars and secured their spot in the Continental Bowl. Hill finished with just 23 carries for 72 yards and the sole touchdown, however. Toronto was led by their defense, which recorded two defensive touchdowns (a pick six and a fumble six). Kristopher Knight scored 2 touchdowns on the ground for the Cougars in the loss.



Continental Bowl VII

A whopping 41,778 fans came to see the seventh Continental Bowl in Chicago, IL at Lakeside Memorial Stadium.

New York received the opening kickoff, but was quickly forced three and out. Toronto was able to move the ball into the NYB red zone, but their drive also stalled, and they were forced to settle for a 29-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. On 2nd and 13 at midfield on New York's next possession, Lester Riley took a right side pitch 48 yards for the score, giving the Blues a 7-3 lead. Toronto then chewed a lot of clock by using Wayne Hill, and the first quarter expired with them sitting at the NYB 37, threatening to retake the lead.

End of 1st Quarter: NYB 7, TOR 3

Toronto's drive once again stalled, and they were forced to take another field goal, cutting the New York lead to 7-6. New York then was able to move the ball back into Toronto territory before they faced a 3rd and 7 from the 41. Boone dropped back to pass and looked over the middle towards Harrison Calhoun, who jumped to make the catch. He was hit by two National defenders and the ball bounced off his hand into the air and into the hands of Toronto safety Dave Burns.  Toronto then marched straight down the field and capped off the 7 minute drive with a 7-yard Wayne Hill touchdown run. With just :27 remaining in the half, New York took a knee and ran the rest of the time off the clock.

Halftime: TOR: 13, NYB 7

Receiving the ball to start the half, Toronto was in great position to extend their lead and give themselves a great shot at the three-peat. It seemed they would do just that as they advanced the ball into New York territory. But their drive stalled, and they were forced to send out the kicking team for a 42-yard field goal, which was missed. This gave NY good field position, which they took advantage of, moving down the field and taking a 14-13 lead after a 18-yard pass from Boone to Frankie Ingram. The two teams then exchanged punts as the quarter came to a close with Toronto in possession, at their own 28, down by 1.

End of 3rd Quarter: NYB 14, TOR 13

Toronto also punted just 3 minutes into the quarter. New York then put together one of their classic ground n' pound, 9 minutes drives. With 2:17 left in the game, they sat at the 5, looking to go up by two scores. Boone took the defense off guard when he dropped back to pass, then floated a short screen pass to Riley, who made one man miss before trotting into the end zone. The Nats regained possession and quickly faced 4th and 5 from their own 35, :41 remaining on the clock. Phillip Conner dropped back to pass and threw a heave down the right sideline towards two Nationals receivers being covered by three Blues defensive backs. The ball was tipped multiple times before Toronto receiver Loren Colon jumped up and caught the ball, going down at the 20 with :29 left. Toronto called their final timeout. On 1st and 2nd downs, Conner threw incompletions. The Nats now sat at 3rd and 10 with :14 to go, and needed a huge play to get them to the end zone. They threw a screen to Wayne Hill, hoping he could make something happen, but he was met by three NY defenders after a gain of 7. Conner rushed his troops to the line in an attempt to get one last play off, but was unable to, and the clocked ticked down to 0. This gave New York their fourth championship in franchise history, and their first under the Blues nickname.





Thanks for viewing, C&C is appreciated. Especially on the new graphics for the standings and playoffs.

Last edited by DoctaC (5/31/2019 4:25 pm)

I really like the new standings and playoff graphics. I wonder if some of these bottom-dweller teams will be able to pick it up these next few years, because right now New York and Toronto are dominating. 

Name: Abigail Winter
Age: 45
Bio: College Professor at the Eastern Kentucky University, originally from Cincinnati, currently a fan of the Cleveland Lumberjacks, hoping for a team to reach her hometown.
She votes for the following

Milwaukee and Minnesota: Its still too early to consider LA or Denver, I’m not quiet sure about Vancouver either. I’d love to see cities like Boston, Cincinnati, Washington, and Pittsburgh get teams before any west coast city

RightGuard wrote:

Shouldn't St. Louis be in the west division?

Because they just relocated from Baltimore they're in the East. After the expansion there will be some realignment.