This won't last, unfortunately

SteelersKenny wrote:

By the way I'm new here and my favorite team is probably the Mariners.

Welcome aboard! The Mariners seem to be in a good spot right now but still are searching for their first Cup victory. Glad you've come along!

Here's the 1972-73 Offseason! Just as a preface I kind of decided to actually make a roster for each of the teams and make a better ratings system, since I was falling behind on keeping track of players. Hopefully this season will be like normal and if it isn't then expect some craziness!

1972-73 Offseason:

Rules Updates:

With the first EFPU contract quickly approaching, both the union and the Owner’s Council took plenty of time arguing over what should be guaranteed to the players. The players mainly wanted to implement free agency and get rid of the reserve clause held in their contracts. With the clause, players were bound to the team that drafted them and could only resign with another team if they were traded to another team or cut and became a free agent. The free agency bit was hotly contested between owners, but it narrowly passed after Barrett Cullen broke the 8-8 tiebreaker. The contract negotiated, set to come into effect in the 1975 season, includes:

Any player whose contract is expiring has the option to negotiate with other teams along with the team where his contract expired
A hard salary cap of $1.5 million will be introduced, with penalties for teams that go over including fines and loss of draft picks
A trade deadline was established, with the last week eligible for trades between teams before the offseason is the Monday following week 8
Roster sizes will be cut down from 42 to 40 players
The practice squad, or “taxi squad”, will be formally introduced, with teams able to place at maximum 12 players for reserve use. The practice squad was informally used by only a few teams, and it was decided to implement them like the NFL
Contracts were restructured, with rookies set at a minimum salary of $25,000 at 3 years minimum, and veteran’s contracts at $30,000. Practice squad players are capped at $7,500 for their salaries.

These negotiations were made so that less players would defect over to the UFL, which looks less likely with the favorable terms and the instability of the other league. 

Also discussed at the League Meetings were the extension of the current TV deal, with all current networks penning a new $11.5 million, 10 year deal to keep their rights, as well as emulating the success of the NFL’s Monday Night Football by adding their own program of their own, debuting in the 1973 season. The inaugural Escalian Monday Night Football game will be the week 1 rematch of the 8th Escalian Cup, with the Duvall Dragons hosting the Ellesby Mariners. They also introduced another game: the Escalia Day Classic. Since the first week of the football season usually falls around Escalia Day, the league decided it could make a bit more by holding a game on or around that day. This year it will be held on the Friday following August 20th, with another Escalian Cup rematch of the Miners hosting the Lumberjacks under the lights, the first such night game in league history. 

1973 EFL Draft:

1st - Adelaide: LB Rickey Graves (Bristol University)
2nd - Sarnia: RB Willie Kidd (University of Pattal)
3rd - Fort McLeod: OL Will Marks (Kier University)
4th - Tallokope City (From Orcaster): DL Mark Tucker (Argil A&M)
5th - Augusta: OL Jacob Flowers (Montagrada University)
6th - Saint Blaise: DL Willard Riddle (University of Argil)
7th - Pattalia: OL Tommy Foster (University of Decontro)
8th - Hadley: DB Leroy Hunter (Great Plains Provincial)
9th - Homestead: DB Perry Grant (University of Argil)
10th - Kierport: DL Rodney Huff (University of Toukier-Hadley)
11th - Tallokope City: WR Floyd Morrow (Great Plains Provincial)
12th - Ashonta: OL Bobby Bowers (Great Plains Provincial)
13th - Wrauport: OL Beck Delmar (University of Argil)
14th - Duvall: S Leonard Gustafson (Howle College)
15th - Ellesby: LB Gilbert Evans (Kier University)
16th - Norfolk: DB Blake Downs (Arcanora Tech)

Player/Coach Movement:

The only major trade involving players this offseason was dealt to the Racers, who wanted to trade down from their 5th overall slot come draft time. The first team to make a bid were the Anchors, who sent over their 2nd and 4th round picks this year and their 1st round pick next year, along with sending over veteran DB Thomas Spencer to boost up Orcaster’s incredibly weak secondary. The other draft time trade was between Duvall and Adelaide, where Duvall moved up in the 2nd round to pick up the top QB in Tim McClain, as they felt that Harold Bauer would start to decline in the next couple of seasons. 

Plenty of players hung up their cleats for the last time in the 1972 season. Several key Lumberjacks defensive players called it quits, including DB Tom Nifterick (1951-1972) and DL Albin Wirth (1953-1972). Longtime WR’s also called it quits, with Adelaide’s Ray Rowe (1953-1972) and Kierport’s Parker Pemberton (1952-1972) highlighting the offensive retirements.


After their fiasco in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Miners let go of DC Jordan Spencer. In his place will be D-Line coach Stuart Reilly, who had been with the team since the team’s founding. Saint Blaise cleaned house, firing both their HC and OC. Elevated to their positions are former DC Jim Reilly (no relation to the Miners coach), who will become the HC, and current Bristol college HC Arthur Tupper will become the DC. Defensive Backs coach Max Meyer will take Reilly’s vacated place as DC.


Uniform Updates:


The only team to make any sort of uniform changes were the Lumberjacks, who became the first team to add three stars to their set.



(Also included are the Miners, which I forgot to include them in last season's updates. All they did was add another star to celebrate their second Cup win)




Stadium News:

Augusta’s new stadium looks to be finished ahead of schedule, set to be ready to play by the beginning of the 1975 season. Located about 30 minutes outside of downtown Augusta in the suburb of Austin City, Austin Stadium is Escalia’s first multi-purpose stadium. It is configurable for the Bulls’ football games, the Augusta Eagles baseball team, and the Sporting Augusta soccer team. 

The Miners also announced some shocking news: Brown County Stadium would hold its final game with the 14th Escalian Cup. Ownership in Ashonta was very quiet over the past couple of years when they would finally get the new stadium they teased when they first came into the league. The stadium would be located right outside of town, and was being built as an attempt to lure a baseball team into the city. The stadium, which has yet to receive a name, is set to open next season. 

Preseason Power Rankings/Biggest Questions:

Norfolk Lumberjacks - Can they repeat as champions and become the next dynasty?
Ashonta Miners - Can they redeem themselves by making it past the first round and into the Cup Finals?
Ellesby Mariners - Can they make it back to the Cup and win it?
Homestead Reapers - Can they consistently make it back to the playoffs with their current core?
Duvall Dragons - Can they get some more magic out of Bauer before he starts to decline?
Tallokope City Anchors - Can they prove themselves as a legitimate competitor?
Wrauport Pirates - Can they improve on last year's incredible success and make another Cinderella run?
Hadley Gatekeepers - Can they get a few more good seasons out of Jack Reuter before he retires?
Kierport Knights - Can they finally make it back to the playoffs?
Orcaster Racers - Can they find an identity for themselves while struggling as a team?
Augusta Bulls - Can they perform well after years of a rebuild attempt?
Fort McCleod Generals - Can they get past .500 and have a shot at the playoffs?
Adelaide Owls - Can they find some traction within their division while they rebuild?
Saint Blaise Angels - Can they make it past the "Division of Death" in the North and get past their older rivals?
Pattalia Grizzlies - Can they survive the cutthroat South Division and climb above .500?
Sarnia Sparks - Can they get the #1 overall draft pick next year?

C&C Appreciated! How do you think your team will do?

Last edited by DireBear (4/07/2021 1:33 pm)

North Division
If you thought that last season was the beginning of the end of the Gatekeepers, then you’d be wrong, like most people. Longtime QB Jack Reuter, although approaching 40 years old, still looked like he could command a team properly, but most of the work didn’t come from him. Instead, most of the help came on the legs of former second-string RB Terrance Cockburn. He sat behind Clint Atwood for most of his career, but that changed in week 3 when he replaced an injured Atwood, and he only took off from there. He almost single-handedly carried the aging team to a 10 win season and dethroned the Mariners to retake the North since 1968. The Mariners, on the other hand, were a different story. They were plagued by injuries and the “Escalian Cup Hangover” that saw them massively underperform compared to last year. Kierport slightly underperformed from their expectations from last year, suffering in a tough schedule and went just a game under .500. Saint Blaise continued to fall off from their high of 1970, and won 4 games for the second year in a row.

East Division
When they were knocked out of the playoffs in the First Round last year, many questioned if the Miners could reach their height again. Well, this year they came back with a vengeance. They fought tooth and nail with the second seed for the top dog in the league, with their only losses coming to the Dragons in week 3 and a nailbiter to the Anchors in week 9. QB Daniel Haumann torched the league once again, and took home his second MVP. Homestead got back to the playoffs with a 9 win season, with help from their secondary that stepped up their game from last year, which includes veterans Jon Cole and Earl Grossi, paired up with ROTY Perry Grant. Unfortunately, neither the Generals nor the Sparks had remarkable seasons, going 4-10 and 3-11 respectively and taking the #2 and the #1 draft picks in next year’s draft. 

South Division
The surprise of the entire season was the Anchors finishing a game back from the best record in the league. QB Errol Haberkorn blossomed into one of the best QB’s in the league, and his receiving core of the elder Nathaniel Whitfield and the younger Aaron Minnett put up some of the highest numbers this year. Their defense was actually the most improved, boasting a fierce defensive line led by Martin McReynolds and Kenneth Haas, with the former taking home his first DPOY award. Duvall had a fall from grace, mainly due to QB Harold Bauer being injured for half the year and their rookie QB Tim McClain couldn’t fill his shoes for the time being. Pattalia barely finished behind the Dragons, having their best season at .500 with their bright spot coming in DL Stephen Scott, becoming the first Grizzlies player to make the All-Star Game. Adelaide’s season was just as forgettable as last, but didn’t get the 1st overall pick due to better sucking by Sarnia and Fort McCleod. 

West Division
Coming into the season, everyone thought that the Lumberjacks and Pirates would cruise to the top of the division. That was not the case this year. The defending champions suffered a massive hangover and could not perform at last year’s height with the injury bug inflicted on both sides of the ball severely hampering their plans. With the big threat mostly taken out of the question, the other three teams made a made scramble to the top. All 4 teams entered the last two weeks of the season within a game of each other, and so every team was able to win the division. The Bulls were the first to bow out, who had one of their best seasons in 7 years and were not a pushover for the first time in years. The Racers faced a particularly tough schedule to end the year, losing to both the Miners and the Lumberjacks to finish the season at .500, which was also one of their best seasons in years. The Pirates had to pray to get into the playoffs when they closed out the year 2-0, but the Lumberjacks limped to a win to clinch the final West in a season that should not have been this close.

Awards:
Most Valuable Player: QB Daniel Haumann (ASH) (x2)
Most Valuable Coach: Laurence Dale (TCA) 
Most Outstanding Offensive Player: QB Errol Haberkorn (TCA)
Most Outstanding Defensive Player: DL Martin McReynolds (TCA)
Most Outstanding Rookie: DB Perry Grant (HOM)

First Round Preview:

#3 Hadley Gatekeepers vs. #6 Duvall Dragons
Previous Matchups: 1972 W13: DUV 27-13 HAD

The Dragons just barely limped into the playoffs, but they have regained an ailing Harold Bauer to attempt to take on the Gatekeepers and their white-hot rushing attack. Cockburn has been on fire since he’s taken over the starting spot, and the Gatekeepers have quickly switched their offense to a more rushing-based attack. This may be Jack Reuter’s last ride before he retires, and so Hadley is trying their hardest to at least get him one more Cup. 
Escalian Sports Magazine Prediction: Hadley rides high over the sleeping Dragons, where they will quickly sweep the floor with the ailing team. 30-10 HAD

#4 Norfolk Lumberjacks vs. #5 Homestead Reapers
Previous Matchups: W4: NOR 10-10 HOM

The tie game between these two was before the Lumberjacks team caught the injury bug, and so Homestead will come in with an advantage over the defending champions. QB Nathan Slezak is questionable to play, and if he does not start this may swing the gates for the Reapers wide open. Most of the offense and defense have come back, but Slezak’s return will decide how close the game will be between the old guard and the new kids on the block
Escalian Sports Magazine Prediction: Slezak’s return will determine how close this game is, but even if he does it won’t matter as the Reapers will upset the defending champions to win their first ever playoff game. 16-13 HOM



C&C Appreciated! How'd your team do?

1973 Playoffs: First Round

Homestead Reapers @ Norfolk Lumberjacks

The news that no Lumberjacks fan wanted to hear came on the morning of the game: Nathan Slezak would not start due to a lingering hamstring injury. In his place would be long-term and unproven backup Gabriel Albert. He would be rattled early, as on the second play of the game he would throw a horrible pass right into the arms of Homestead’s Jon Cole, who would almost return it back for 6 but was stopped short. Gerhart Derby would punch it in a few plays later with a 2 yard plunge to take a 7-0 lead. Norfolk would struggle all through the first trying to gain some ground, both figuratively and literally. RB Bruno Fontaine was the only bright spot on the Lumberjacks offense, as he was the only person to gain positive yardage in the entire quarter. After Norfolk’s mistake early, the Reapers barely found more traction than them. They made it past midfield, but K Bill Boyd missed two field goals from inside the 30, resulting in the Reapers still maintaining their 7-0 lead. 
END OF Q1: 7-0 HOM
Homestead still held their advantage into the second, with QB Garrett Morse leading the charge into the redzone once again. Boyd didn’t miss this time, mainly due to it being a chipshot from 10 yards out to extend their lead to 10. The Lumberjacks finally decided to show up in their decrepit state, with Fontaine single-handedly carrying his team to the endzone on a 32 yard rush, finally putting points on the board and cutting the difference to 3. Their defense would also step up in the second half of the quarter, as they didn’t allow the Reapers a point the rest of the half. Their offense on the other hand, would not  go as well. Albert threw 2 more interceptions before the end of the half, another one to Cole and one to LB Warren Daniel. Homestead didn’t capitalize off of those turnovers, as they failed to score on either drive as they trotted into the locker room still holding a 3 point lead. 
END OF Q2: 10-7 HOM
The Reapers came out of the locker rooms determined to extend their lead, but they found themselves stumbling out of the gate. Derby nearly fumbled the ball over to the ‘Jacks on the first drive of the half, but they managed to keep moving past that one mistake. They stalled out however on the 23, which meant that Boyd came out to put another three on the board and add on to their lead. Norfolk had something to prove this half, as Albert finally found out how to throw to his own team by connecting with WR Craig Farmer twice in a row for 18 and 19 yards respectively to put them in the redzone. The Reapers defense stopped them from getting into the endzone, and so K Isaac Brandt sailed one right through the uprights to put the difference back at 3. While the Reapers punted away their second possession, the Lumberjacks got to work trying to score a TD and take the lead for the first time in the game. Fontaine would run over the Reapers once again, but they stalled out again before reaching the endzone. Brandt saved his team once again, tying the game up at 13 before the end of the quarter. 
END OF Q3: 13-13 TIE
The 4th quarter would be an absolute slogfest just to gain 1 yard over the other team. Norfolk failed to get past the 50 for the first half of the quarter, and it took Homestead almost 5 minutes just to make it past the 50 on their first drive. Their long drive paid off, with Morse tossing an 8 yard pass to WR Craig McClane to break the stalemate and to retake their lead. The Lumberjacks couldn’t take back the lead from the Reapers, as Homestead celebrated their first playoff win over the defending champions.
FINAL: 20-13 HOM



Fun Fact: This is the second year in a row where the defending champion came into the playoffs as the #4 seed while having a less-than-stellar season, and then lost in the playoffs to an expansion team as the #5 seed.

Duvall Dragons @ Hadley Gatekeepers

Harbour Coliseum was even louder than two years ago when it hosted the Escalian Cup, as the Gatekeepers were giving it another go with QB Jack Reuter before he retires. The Dragons limped into the playoffs on backups, but now they have most of their roster back to make the game a good one. Duvall began with the ball, but they couldn’t get anything started and punted the ball away. Hadley fed the ball to breakout RB Terrance Cockburn on their first drive, as he plowed through several unfortunate Duvall defenders on his way to a 47 yard TD to score the first points of the game. Duvall still could not gain traction, and Cockburn burned the defense once again, although he was held just barely short of a second TD and the ‘Keepers scored 3 to go up 10-0. The Dragons found some ground, with QB Harold Bauer airing out long balls to receivers Abram Radcliff and Wilfrid Fried to get into the redzone for the first time today. Their progress ended quickly with a three and out on the 19 yard line, and K Jem Wyatt nailed one right down the middle to cut the lead to a touchdown.
END OF Q1: 10-3 HAD
The Gatekeepers were stopped on their first drive of the second half, as Duvall once again sputtered their way past midfield and into field goal range, where they once again stalled out and took another 3 points to make it a 4 point game. After a back-and-forth series of punts by both teams, Hadley got the ball back and Cockburn did his work once again running over most of the Dragons secondary, but was also stopped just short of the endzone and the Gatekeepers only added three to their score. The Dragons would make one last attempt to reduce their deficit going into the half, as Bauer found Radcliff for 30 yards to start the drive, but it started to lose momentum as the drive and half waned. Wyatt would kick in a 52 yarder as time expired to make the game 13-9 at the end of the half. 
END OF Q2: 13-9 HAD
Cockburn and the Gatekeepers would not start so great out of the gate, with the RB almost fumbling the ball on two separate occasions coupled with the Dragons secondary finding out how to not get run over by this new force. They did get fairly far down field on their first attempt, but K Ethan Tracey hit one off the uprights at 41 yards out. Duvall took that as a prime opportunity to finally score, as Bauer hit Fried on a short slant before Fried beat all the other Hadley defenders for a 45 yard score to take the lead for the first time in the game. Hadley would attempt to strike back and retake the lead, but Reuter nearly throwing an INT in the redzone while missing three straight passes caused them to take a field goal to be safe, tying the game up at 16. The Dragons wouldn’t be tied for long, as Bauer found WR Alvin Paul after a 7 play drive and landed in the endzone to retake the lead as the third quarter expired. 
END OF Q3: 23-16 DUV
The fourth quarter was a battle of attrition, with both teams making incredibly sloppy plays just to stay alive. Reuter threw a pick to DB Jacinto Rosario on their first drive of the quarter, and Duvall RB Placid Smith was benched after fumbling the ball away twice on back-to-back drives. The time wound down in the quarter with either one team turning the ball over or punting the ball back to the other team. The Gatekeepers had one last chance to tie the game back up, but Reuter threw an untimely interception to S Jimmy Walterson to seal the game in the favor of the Dragons
FINAL: 23-16 DUV



Semi-Final Preview:

#6 Duvall Dragons vs. #1 Ashonta Miners
Previous Matchups: 12th Escalian Cup - DUV 31-33 ASH

Most thought that we would get a division rematch between the Miners and the Reapers, but the Dragons came and ruined the party between fledgling division rivals. These two have become significantly different teams than when they last met in the 12th Escalian Cup. Duvall is struggling with the injury bug, and they barely passed by the Gatekeepers who performed a lot better in the regular season. If they barely skirted past Hadley, Ashonta may provide a much greater challenge.
Escalian Sports Magazine Prediction: This will not even be a close one. The Miners will slay the Dragons and go onto the Escalian Cup on a search for redemption. 31-7 ASH

#5 Homestead Reapers vs. #2 Tallokope City Anchors
Previous Matchups: W3 - TCA 20-27 HOM

The matchup that no one anticipated may be the one that everyone wants to see: the first matchup between two expansion teams in the playoffs. Their only matchup of the regular season was a close one that the Reapers barely won, so this game could be won by either side. Will the Reapers defense hold up once again? Or will the Anchors’ surging offense take hold?
Escalian Sports Magazine Prediction: While these teams have equal amounts of playoff experience, I think the Reapers will ride their high from the First Round on their way to a divisional matchup in their first Cup appearance. 24-20 HOM



C&C Appreciated! Who's your pick for the Cup?

1973 Playoffs: Second Round

#5 Homestead Reapers @ #2 Tallokope City Anchors

Lakeside Stadium has been loud before, but when the Anchors took the field for their first home playoff game, the crowd was ecstatic. The crowd seemed to rattle the Reapers offense, holding them scoreless through their first two drives of the quarter. After the Reapers’ second drive of the quarter, the Anchors became the first team of the day to enter the redzone after two passes from QB Errol Haberkorn to WR Aaron Minnett resulted in 20 and 18 yard gains. Haberkorn would not be a part of the scoring on this drive, as RB Mitchell Gallagher took it in 3 plays later for an 8 yard score. Both teams would go back to punting the ball away to each other for the remainder of the first quarter.
END OF Q1: 7-0 TCA
Things would get better for Homestead in this quarter, as their offense finally found some momentum to get within striking range. They would score on their first attempt into the redzone, with RB Gerhart Derby running one in from 2 yards out to tie the game up at 7. The second quarter would be more about the battle of the defenses than a battle of offensive might, with both teams not giving up an inch to the other. This would change after Homestead QB Garrett Morse got one of his passes tipped at the line of scrimmage and into the hands of TC DL Joseph Copeland. The Anchors would try to make the best of the situation, but ended up just short of the endzone and would instead kick a field goal to go up by 3 at the half.
END OF Q2: 10-7 TCA
The Anchors would start out the half the same way they ended the last half, with a drive that stalled out at the last moment to only add 3 to their point total. Realizing that the game was still in striking range, Homestead mounted a drive of their own to take the lead. Morse would find WR David Farran for 6 yards to cap off a 70 yard drive to take their first lead of the day by a point. Tallokope City would not stay down for a while, as they mounted on their own long drive immediately after the Reapers’ touchdown. Haberkorn would lead his team down field on two 20+ yard passes to Minnett and WR Nathaniel Whitfield, the latter of whom would retake the lead on another 10 yard pass from Haberkorn. The Reapers could not get back going in the rest of the quarter, while the Anchors found some more momentum as they passed midfield at the end of the third quarter.
END OF Q3: 20-14 TCA
Haberkorn would quickly add on to the Anchors’ score, as on the first play of the quarter he threw a 44 yard dime to Whitfield to go up by 13. The Anchors decided to take it easy for the rest of the game, since they were holding the Reapers well enough on the defensive side of the ball. The Reapers stalled out this quarter, and could not get anything going when it mattered the most. Morse would score a TD, though for the other team. Morse’s pass would get tipped up and caught by DB Bernard Ambrose, who would return it for 56 yards to seal the game for the Anchors. In only their second playoff appearance, Tallokope City would be heading to their first Escalian Cup.
FINAL: 34-14 TCA



#6 Duvall Dragons @ #1 Ashonta Miners

The Miners set the tone of the game almost immediately, as on the second play of the game RB Leonard Arts broke loose and found the endzone on a 67 yard score to take the early 7-0 lead. Duvall kept that tone in play by struggling to get past midfield all throughout the first. Ashonta quickly retaliated off of the Dragons’ mistakes by tacking on another TD with a 30 yard TD from MVP QB Daniel Haumann to TE Spencer Maddison, but K Mariano Montaña missed the PAT to extend their lead to 13. He would somewhat redeem himself one drive later with a 35 yard FG to end the quarter up by 16.
END OF Q1: 16-0 ASH
To complicate their troubles, the Dragons kept throwing away prime opportunities in the second. On their first drive, QB Harold Bauer threw his second pick of the game, where DB Frank Cleveland took it back 42 yards back for 7. Ashonta put a dagger in the Dragons’ plans for winning the game with Baumann throwing a 56 yard pass to WR Jordan Samson the play after Duvall’s Placid Smith fumbled the ball away. The rest of the quarter wasn’t as fast paced, with Duvall still sputtering out and Ashonta trying to not get too comfy with their enormous lead. Baumann would lead one last drive before the quarter would end though, and Montaña nailed one from 29 yards out to end the lopsided first half
END OF Q2: 33-0 ASH
With victory pretty much assured, Ashonta HC Isidor Engel called in the backups to start the second half. You would think that this would inspire the Dragons to get their game together, but you would be wrong. Even the backups held the stagnant and injured Dragons offense to nearly the same as the starters. The only thing that may have helped the Dragons was Miners backup QB Archie Weeks forgetting which team to throw it to, throwing the ball away twice into the hands of the Dragons on consecutive drives. Duvall still could not do anything with the ball on both occasions as they punted the ball back to the Miners again. Ashonta switched up their game plan to go run-heavy to chew clock, but backup RB Kurt Cotton wanted to show how he could play with the opportunity. He carried the team on his back on the way past midfield and into the redzone, finally plunging in from 2 yards out for another Miners TD. Duvall got the ball back at their own 10 yard line, but once again Smith fumbled the ball back to the Miners as the last play of the third quarter.
END OF Q3: 40-0
Ashonta tried to get Cotton in for his second TD of the day, but the Dragons held strong for once and forced the Miners to take a field goal. Engel told his boys after that drive to take it easy and cruise, and let the defense do the work holding the Dragons scoreless. After a series of punts back and forth between the teams, all Duvall wanted to do was get on the board with about 4 minutes left in the game. Their attempt would be short lived, going three and out on what would be their last drive of the game. The Miners ran out what remained on the clock to continue their redemption story on their way to their 3rd Escalian Cup appearance in 4 years, and try to be the first team to win the Cup on their home turf after the switch to neutral site games. 
FINAL: 43-0 ASH



14th Escalian Cup Preview: #2 Tallokope City Anchors @ #1 Ashonta Miners
Previous Matchups: W9 - ASH 17-19 TCA

The top two seeds meet again after a tense matchup in week 9 resulted in a narrow Anchors victory. These teams don’t pride themselves on their defenses like in the past, so this game may be a higher scoring one than usual. Both offenses have screamed onto the scene only a few years ago, and may usher in a new trend of offense over defense. This Cup may even be more exciting than last year’s, but only time will tell.
Escalian Sports Magazine Preview: While Ashonta may have the better offense and the de-facto home field advantage, previous Cups have shown that a better defense is all it takes to take you over the top. Tallokope City wins in a nail-biter over the decade’s newest dynasty. 24-23 TCA



Fun Fact: This will be the first Escalian Cup to not feature at least one team that did not debut in the inaugural 1960 season. It took 10 years for the first expansion team to make the Cup, which was when the Miners upset the Lumberjacks to take home their first Cup. 

C&C Appreciated! Which team will come out on top?