GG Crush, we caught a strong sim vs the last game vs the Talons. When Gargano is "on" and the defense is solid, it's a strong combo. cheers on a great season.

BTW, for all in the league who have not yet done so, let all in your other leagues know about Red and what is going on in the Elite, let's get the empty teams filled. With the sal cap screwed up by the Ai, its tough to turn around a team and make it competitive right away. So also let potential new owners, especially those with less than 3 mos exp, that they will get help and learn more in a short period of time than in any other league in MFN. Copy potential owners on one of the "Headline News" that Red diligently puts out, that is exclusive to the Elite League now. cheers, gdb

gg GDB, it all starts with the QB and yours is definitely better than mine. Still trying to figure out my QB situation as ive had 1 year rentals for teh last 3 seasons lol GG outclassed

Home teams continue to cruise

Eight playoff games, eight wins for home teams in this post-season as the Elite Football League reaches its Conference finals.

Talons 20, Americans 13…Robert Wilmot’s 2-yard TD run with 8 minutes and change remaining lifted the Talons into the conference finals over Rochester. Despite having the ball 4 more times in the contest after falling behind, the Americans could do nothing to threaten. In fact, the team failed to gain a first down the remainder of the game. Miachel Bell had 121 receiving yards for the Talons. Charles Deanda and Jim Williams each had two interceptions for Tallahassee, who picked the Americans five times in the contest.

Phantoms 20, Spartans 7…Nathaniel Finley hit Dewayne Gaulke for a 2-yard score on the Spartans’ first possession, but the team never added to the scoreboard after that. Harry Knopp threw for a pair of TD’s and 305 yards (and, yes, his now-expected trio of interceptions) in the win for Parlor City.

Crusaders 37, Wild 30…Duncan Meyer had 157 yards of combined offense and a touchdown, but it was his 100-yard kickoff return fo a TD late in the third quarter that proved to be the needed momentum boost as California’s quest for perfection marched on in a wild contest on the coast. Otis Castillo had just hooked up with Curtis Robertson for a 40-yard scoring strike to lift the Wild to a 27-24 lead with just over 3 minutes remaining in the third period. The teams had spent much of the period see-sawing for dominance on the scoreboard. The Wild trimmed the gap to 31-30 early in the fourth but a pair of Lloyd Bruan kicks moved California up by a TD with 7 minutes to play. The Wild moved the ball to the Crusader 11 late in the contest before having to surrender the football on downs.

Geechee 27, Dragons 26…John Whitney hooked up with Terry Fields for three TD passes, including two in the final 4 minutes as Charleston rallied past Glendora 27-26. For the night, Whitney was 21-for-36 for 364 yards. Fields was on the receiving end of 211 of those. Russell Gargaon was equally masterful on the Dragons’ sideline, throwing for 356 yards and a pair of scores as Richard Payne hayuled in 117 yards worth of receptions. Glendora used a 10-0 advantage in the second quarter to take a 20-10 lead into intermission, but the offense struggled some from there to complete drives as the team had to settle for field goals on its only two trips deep into Geechee territory in the second half.

Close games!

PARLOR CITY OR PERFECTION?

Parlor City advanced to the Elite Bowl by finally accomplishing what no other playoff team had done – winning on the road in a 41-35 shootout with the Talons and assuring that we will have a new champion. Meanwhile, California moved within a win of the perfect season by taking down Charleston by a 27-22 final.

Phantoms 41, Talons 35...Manuel Williams kicked a pair of FGʻs in the final 70 seconds to elevate Parlor City over Tallahassee and advance to the Elite Bowl for the first time in franchise history. The late kicks were part of a 35-point second-half outburst by the Phantom offense after the Talons led 21-6 at intermission. Harry Knopp was golden, throwing for 4 TDʻs in the second half to finish with 423 passing yards in the contest. Jackie Schaffer had 133 yards and two scoring receptions. Despite the offensive explosion, it may actually have been the Phantomsʻ defense that spun the momentum in the second half. Kent Mahood and Christopher Huff each picked off Talon QB Gerald Peters twice after intermission to slow the Talons. Robert Hanson had 101 yards on the ground and two scores on 10 carries for Tallahassee in the loss.

Crusaders 27, Geechee 22...Duncan Meyer ran for a pair of first half TDʻs as California stormed out to a 21-0 lead and never looked back against Charleson. John Whitney rallied the Geechee with a trio of TD passes, including two to Terry Fields. The second of those Fields scoring receptions came with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game. The pivotal moment came 5 minutes later though as the Geechee appeared to be on the verge of a big play. Whitney connected with Carlos Best on a crossing route and appeared to be off to the races until the Crusadersʻ Larry Frazier caught him from behind and dislodged the football roughly 10 yards shy of paydirt. Frazier managed to win the ensuing scrum, safely giving the ball back for California, which didnʻt allow the Geechee to get close to a score on their final possession. Mark Lofton had 107 receiving yards for Callifornia. Jeff Harmon rushed for 101 yards for Charleston in the loss as Fields finished with 276 yards and 3 TDʻs. California, like Parlor City, is playing in its first Elite Bowl in franchise history.

Vegas has installed Parlor City as a 2-point favorite in the title contest.

Hmmmmmm that has got to be the first time anyone has called Knopp golden. The first half he slung two picks and I had just about lost all hope. I swear watching the second half was nerve racking. Every time he drops back to pass I get kinda terrified ;)

ELITE BOWL 11 – Parlor City Phantoms (16-2) vs. California Crusaders (18-0)
Vegas Line: Parlor City (-2)
Last meeting: Sept. 7, 2025 (California won 13-6)

Tale of the tape
Scoring: Phantoms 28.2, Crusaders 28.5
Rushing offense: Phantoms 114.5, Crusaders 168.1
Passing offense: Phantoms 306.3, Crusaders 215.8
Total offense: Phantoms 420.8, Crusaders 383.9
Scoring defense: Phantoms 15.0, Crusaders 12.7
Rushing defense: Phantoms 63.9, Crusaders 58.4
Passing defense: Phantoms 206.7, Crusaders 211.8
Total defense: Phantoms 266.3, Crusaders 260.9
Turnover margin: Phantoms -1, Crusaders +19
Kicking accuracy: Phantoms: 39/46 (5/8 at 50+); Crusaders: 53/64 (11/16 at 50+)

Injuries of Significance: Phantoms – None. Crusaders – RB Duncan Meyer, Questionable (89 default, 1,884 yds run/receive, 13 TDʻs); SS John Lennon, Out (79 def., 73 tackles, 2 INT); FS Don Dokken, Doubtful (74 def., 44 tackles, 5 INT).

Keys to the game
 Will Duncan Meyer play and how effective will he be? Having nearly 1,900 yards of offense sitting at questionable is a pretty significant pregame story line. If Meyer goes, will he be effective? If he doesnʻt, can the Crusaders cover for the lost offense elsewhere?
 Crusaders rushing game vs. Phantoms D...California hasnʻt hit its season average in rushing in either of its post-season games, coming up about 35 yards shy on both occasions. Parlor City surrendered 4.5 yards per rush to the Spartans in their first playoff game before being torched for 200+ yards in their last outing by the Talons, who averaged within a yard of what the Crusaders did during the regular season.
 Can Harry Knopp complete passes to the proper team? Knopp is a scoring machine, amassing 87 TD passes in just two seasons in the league. He has also thrown 79 interceptions in that time frame. He has misfired 3 or more times in 7 of the Phantomsʻ 18 games thus far. Not a comforting percentage for Parlor City fans under any circumstances, but definitely not when facing a defense like the Crusaders that has produced 28 picks and which is +19 in takeaways this season. You do the math Phantom fans, and then start stowing any breakables in advance of the big game.
 Can California keep dodging lightning? Undefeated seasons always have their moments of truth, but for the Crusaders there have been several close calls. In fact, 9 of the teamʻs 18 games have been decided by fewer than 10 points. Thatʻs a lot of close calls all angling the Crusadersʻ way. Can that streak continue or will the law of averages rear its ugly head if this one is tight in the waning minutes?

PHANTOMS CANCEL CALIFORNIA TO WIN ELITE BOWL 11

Parlor City found every answer and every big play it needed in the first half to open a big lead en route to a 44-25 victory over California in Elite Bowl 11. The victory represents the first EFL title for the Phantoms and denied the Crusaders their shot at an undefeated season.

Early on, the Crusaders seemed set to go, sacking Parlor City QB Harry Knopp in the end zone for a safety on the Phantoms’ second play from scrimmage. California seemed on its way to adding to the margin on the ensuing possession but James Rodrigues picked off James Vincent’s pass at the 19 and returned it 32 yards into Crusader territory. A few plays later Manuel Williams made good on a 49-yard attempt to give Parlor City the lead.

The Crusaders marched right back down the field to regain the lead. Vincent’s 13-yard pass to Adrian Beltre provided the scoring power, but fans barely had the opportunity to finish their celebration before Charles Raymond returned the ensuing kickoff 102 yards to the house in a silencing act that gave Parlor City the lead for good.

In part, the play was a microcosm of the rest of the night as Parlor City found answer after answer for the Crusaders. After being backed up to their own 9, the Phantoms took advantage of a free play to create a 91-yard touchdown from Knopp to Jackie Schaffer. On their next possession, Edward Huff, who entered the night with just 31 postseason rushing yards, took off on a 71-yard scoring run to widen the lead out to 24-9 for the Phantoms. When it appeared California was threatening to move into scoring range, Kent Mahood knocked the football free and Christopher Huff recovered for the Phantoms to neutralize the threat.

Lloyd Braun eventually did hit a 50-yard field goal for the Crusaders to trim the gap to 24-12 at intermission.

Parlor City continued to attack as the second half started. The team took the opening kick and marched 65 yards in seven plays. Knopp found Lawrence Owen for a 16-yard strike to widen the gap to 31-12. Even when the Crusaders were able to move the ball, Parlor City found a way to tighten the defensive screws, forcing California to settle for a 27-yard field goal after a third-quarter drive flamed out inside the red zone, leaving matters at 31-15.

A 53-yard Braun field goal early in the fourth quarter pulled the margin down to 13, but the Crusaders had to go into desperation mode not long after. An attempt to go for a fourth-and-4 at their own 10 backfired badly with 8 minutes to play and resulted in a short Phantom field goal to take the gap back to 16 points. Another turnover on downs near the 6-minute mark led to another kick by Manuel Williams before James Dodson delivered the coup-de-grace with a 40-yard interception for touchdown just before the 2-minute warning to send Phantom fans into delirium.

Adrian Beltre caught his second TD pass of the night for California with 9 seconds to play to account for the game’s final points.

For the night, Knopp threw for 225 yards. The much-maligned Phantom QB made it through the championship game without throwing an interception. Huff finished with 100 yards on just 7 carries. Mahood had 10 tackles for the defense.

For California, the offensive total of 530 yards for the game was impressive. Duncan Meyer, questionable coming into the game, finished with 115 yards rushing and receiving, but clearly was hobbled at times in the game. James Vincent threw for 432 yards and two scores to Beltre, but was harmed by the two interceptions.

Parlor City finishes the year with a 17-2 record.

My wife gave me lots of beer, weed, and *** tonight after I told her that we won the Superbowl.

That's better than the trophy, lol. Most of the time when you tell family or friends that you won, they give you the "nerd" look, ha.