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I was so narrowly close to picking Just in my position rather than going QB...after seeing -10 by Just's name I was feeling pretty good with myself. (he'll still rake me for 200+ all-purpose yards when we meet up with him probably...but I was feeling good at not grabbing...)

+9/+4 QB-Thomas Scott

OH BABY!
Garrok and his LBs had a really strong draft, 3 great studs, wiffed on 1 of the swings and my 7th round punter is now working at Arby's.

That'll help stock the cupboards

+1 (except I took a TE)

At the risk of jinxing them, shout out to Reno and casualcnote for the 5-0 start to things. That's a franchise whose best season in the last 12 years has been 7-9. Quality start!

STRIPES APPEARS NEARLY SETTLED, BUT STARS PROMISES SHOOT-OUTS

Four weeks left in the regular season and “parity” seems to be the word for the Elite Football League this season. Every team has dropped at least 2 contests, which hints at some wild playoff contests in the days ahead.

We’ll start our analysis here in the Stripes Conference, which appears all but settled already, barring some amazing late happenings. Glendora (10-2) and Coos Bay (10-2) have assured themselves of division wins. Winterhood (10-2) has a postseason guarantee, but still needs to fight off feisty Canton (9-3) if it is to get a home postseason game. The Gibbs division sees Columbus City (10-2) two games clear of Mt. Washington (8-4).

Milwaukee (6-6) is the only other team in the conference playing .500 ball at present, which makes it look like the above six teams will likely be the post-season representation for the conference. Mt. Washington is the squad to keep an eye on, however. The Coyotes’ final 4 opponents all have an average of 9 wins apiece, so they still have a Murderers’ Row to navigate, which could leave the door slightly ajar for any Stripes team able to manufacture a late winning streak.

So let’s focus instead on the drama in the Stars Conference, which is a totally different situation where 12 of the 16 teams enter Week 13 with hopes of a postseason appearance still alive. Tallahassee (8-4) is the only divisional leader with more than a 1-game lead. Boise and Wellsville each sit 6-6 in the division and are riding win streaks of 3 and 4 games, respectively.

In the Halas Division, Toronto moved into a 1-game lead last week thanks to a win over Las Vegas. Reno (6-6) may be watching the roulette wheel of its season spin out to a green ‘00’ as after winning six of their first seven, the Marauders are sliding back to historical form with 5 consecutive losses and a date with Rochester (7-5) in its future.

Speaking of the Americans, they’re 3 back of Gothenburg (10-2) in the Brown Division and 2 games off the wild card pace in the conference as they also chase Natchitoches (9-3). The Shula Division sees Parlor City (10-2) up a game on Salem (9-3).

WILD CARD WEEK

Snappers (11-5) at Spartans (9-7)
Last meeting: Week 13 – Snappers 30, Spartans 27 (OT)
Snappers: Rush O 55.6 (30th), Pass O 365.4 (2nd), Rush D 97.3 (22nd), Pass D 232.7 (23rd), Turnover margin -12 (31st)
Spartans: Rush O 145.9 (3rd), Pass O 246.6 (10th), Rush D 85.0 (12th), Pass D 203.7 (12th), Turnover margin -4 (22nd)

It is likely that this game hinges on the arm of Snapper QB George Mathias, who has thrown for 4,795 yards and 32 TD’s this season. If he can get the ball to wide-outs Rick Stowell (87-1,621, 16 TD’s) and Luis Culligan (87-1,145, 7 TD’s) it could be a long day for the Spartans. Stowell caught a pair of TD’s in the first half of the regular season meeting between the teams as Natchitoches opened a 24-7 halftime advantage before being outscored 20-3 in the second half and getting forced to overtime on Forrest Martin’s 6-yard TD reception with less than a minute to play. Expect a high-scoring affair as the two clubs combined for 900+ yards the first time around.

Phantoms (13-3) at Talons (9-7)
Last meeting: Week 16 – Phantoms 45, Talons 9
Phantoms: Rush O 124.1 (6th), Pass O 353.8 (4th), Rush D 99.4 (23rd), Pass D 203.6 (11th), Turnover margin +5 (7th)
Talons: Rush O 72.9 (25th), Pass O 216.6 (16th), Rush D 82.6 (10th), Pass D 237.4 (25th), Turnover margin -4 (22nd)

You know Parlor City isn’t happy to be staying in Tallahassee for this game after tying for the Conference’s best record. The Phantoms registered a 45-9 thumping of the Talons in the contest between the two teams last week. While it is hard to say how close to the vest both coaches may have played that contest, what we do know is Phantom QB Curtis Brown has slung the rock for 5,661 yards this season, including 320 and 4 TD’s last week. Tallahassee limps into the post-season winning just one of its last five contests.

Coyotes (10-6) at Assassins (13-3)
Last meeting: Week 12 – Assassins 25, Coyotes 15
Coyotes: Rush O 90.6 (19th), Pass O 207.9 (18th), Rush D 94.6 (19th), Pass D 226.8 (22nd), Turnover margin +5 (7th)
Assassins: Rush O 151.6 (2nd), Pass O 250.9 (8th), Rush D 71.7 (7th), Pass D 169.4 (1st), Turnover margin +16 (1st)

Mt. Washington will be hoping the adage that it is hard to beat a team three times in the season holds true as the Coyotes dropped regular season games 25-15 and 27-9 to divisional champion Columbus City, but now find themselves on the field for the trifecta game. The Assassins enter on a roll behind 4,000-yard passer Nicholas Castle and 1,416-yard rusher Edwin Moore. The team has won 8 of its last 9 contests, thanks in part to a stingy pass defense and a league-best turnover margin.

Crush (11-5) at Red Rocks (12-4)
Last meeting: Week 11, 2033 -- Crush 16, Red Rocks 13
Crush: Rush O 102.5 (10th), Pass O 226.3 (14th), Rush D 84.3 (11th), Pass D 224.1 (20th), Turnover margin -10 (30th)
Red Rocks: Rush O 153.1 (1st), Pass O 234.0 (13th), Rush D 75.8 (8th), Pass D 193.6 (5th), Turnover margin -1 (17th)

The only Wild Card game featuring two clubs that did not meet each other in the regular season and it could be a close one when the crush and Red Rocks square off in Coos Bay. For fans, it will be a chance to see an EFL rarity with two 1,000-yard rushers taking the field in the contest. The Red Rocks bring in the EFL's top rushing offense and are led by Donald Dubois with 1,133 yards this season (plus 46-436 in the receiving department). Canton will counter with Kevin Sanchez, who has actually out-gained Dubois with 1,162 yards to date (and 69-822 receiving). William Mertens has been a kicking machine for the Crush this season, connecting on 50 of 53 FG attempts, though Crush fans will gladly trade Mertens’ attempts for the chance to see their team finish more drives in the end zone this week. MLB Greg Fox is a tackling machine with 127 stops and 4 INT for the Crush.

Snappers 23, Spartans 18
Michael Brown threw a pair of first-half touchdown passes to put the Snappers in front 17-6 as Natchitoches held off a second-half rally by the Spartans to advance out of Wild Card week by a 23-18 count. Nathaniel Finley’s 10-yard TD pass to Forrest Martin – the same combination that forced the teams’ regular season game into overtime – looked poised to tie it up again with nine and a half minutes to play, but Toronto missed on the two-point opportunity and failed to advance the ball across midfield on either of their final possessions. The Snappers added an insurance field goal in the final 2 minutes of play. Next up: at Salem (13-3)

Talons 31, Phantoms 18
Scott Richardson ran for 105 yards and 2 TD’s as the Talons pulled a complete reversal on the regular season with a 31-18 victory over the Phantoms. The win comes just one week after the two teams played in a 45-9 affair that went decidedly to Parlor City. Turnovers were the undoing for the Phantoms, who gave it away four times in the contest, leading to 14 Talon points. The opportunistic defensive play helped Tallahassee advance despite being outgained by 120 yards in the contest and being at a 19-9 first down disadvantage. Next up: at Gothenburg (13-3)

Assassins 26, Coyotes 20
Quarterbacks Nicholas Castle and Fred Coleman each threw for more than 300 yards as Columbus City completed the season sweep of Mt. Washington 26-20 in round 3 between the two divisional foes. Castle connected with Cameron Fikes and John Vazquez in the first half as part of a 17-12 halftime advantage for the Assassins. The lead extended to 23-12 after Edward Jackson booted two of his 3 second-half field goals for the team before Coleman hit Mark Darby for a 23-yard strike that pulled Mt. Washington within 3 with just over eight minutes remaining. Coleman would fire up interceptions on the Coyotes’ final two possessions however, including a pick thrown in the final minute near the Assassin 20 that allowed Columbus City fans to collectively exhale. Next up: at Glendora (13-3)

Crush 20, Red Rocks 13
A meeting between 1,000-yard rushers turned into a defensive slugfest as Canton edged Coos Bay by a 20-13 final count. John Huston got the scoring started with a 4-yard TD run early in the second quarter to put the Crush on the board first, but it was Willie Coyne’s pass connection with Bryan Bell that produced a 75-yard score midway through the third quarter the stands as the game’s biggest play. That touchdown lifted the Crush out to a 20-10 lead, and while Coos Bay immediately responded with a drive that produced a field goal, the Red Rocks missed on a later 55-yard attempt in the fourth quarter. The team’s final possession ended in a turnover on downs at the Canton 36. Next up: at Winterhood (14-2)

CHAOS IN THE STRIPES

The Divisional round of the playoffs saw chaos created within the Stripes division as both Columbus City and Canton won on the road to set up an unexpected conference championship contest against each other.
Facing the league’s top-scoring offense, Canton used Willie Coyne’s second-quarter pass to Kevin Sanchez to score their only touchdown of the first half. The play covered 65 yards and, along with a pair of William Mertens field goals, helped the Crush to a 13-7 halftime lead.
Fans were barely back in their seats when John Huston took the second half’s opening kickoff back 107 yards for a score, elevating the Crush advantage to 20-7. And there it would stay until late in the game as the Canton defense held Winterhood, the league’s top-scoring team in the regular season, to just a second quarter Jake Plummer-to-Noah Fant 6-yard TD score.
Plummer and the Warriors got on track late with an 8-play, 73-yard drive that culminated in an 18-yard strike to Kevin Miller, but the Warriors failed to recover the ensuing kick and were unable to produce magic in the final 45 seconds when given one last chance to pull off a miracle.
The scene was totally different in Glendora, where the Assassins forced NINE (!!) turnovers from the Dragons. Columbus City converted the opportunities into 31 points to cruise to a 48-13 victory.
Nicholas Castle threw for 221 yards and 3 TD’s, two to Steven Davis. Backs Edwin Moore, Jon Silva and Richard Hines each scored a touchdown while combining for 178 yards along the ground. Raymond Jackson had two picks and was one of five players to register interceptions for the Assassins in the contest.
Columbus City will host the title game next week. The Assassins took a 19-12 decision from Canton in the regular season.

Meanwhile, things went according to the bracket over in the Stars Conference. Gothenburg’s defense rose to the occasion, forcing 5 turnovers and holding the Talons to just 131 yards of offense in a 24-3 win. The War Eagles owned more than a 21-minute advantage in time of possession in the contest.
Gothenburg will travel to Salem for the Conference championship after the Witches posted a 39-24 win over Natchitoches. The Snappers vaulted to a 14-0 lead early thanks to a pair of Michael Brown TD passes in the game’s first 9 minutes, but Salem refused to panic. Jerry Rawls bulled his way in from a yard out to get the home team on the board. Michael Thomas’ goal line flip to Jose McCauley with just over a minute remaining in the first half gave the Witches their first lead, 20-17, in time for intermission.
Salem opened it up with 10 points in the third period, including a short goal dive by Jose McCauley. Natchitoches snapped the streak of 20 consecutive Witch points on a short TD toss from Michael Brown to Johnnie Raff with a little more than 12 minutes to go, but Brown threw two of his five interceptions on the Snappers’ next two possessions and Salem added another short TD run before closing it out with a Gary Parsley 55-yard FG with less than a minute to play.
Salem and Gothenburg did not meet in the regular season.

Beating the Winterhood is like a crazy story. Week 17 they dropped 79 on us and put the whooping big 79-10. Canton lost HOF CB Harvey Avent in free agency TE Robert Halcomb (now converted to RB for Golden Sharks) and couple of other weapons 2 seasons ago. made some emergency moves to try and stay competitive for star/possible HOF RB Kevin Sanchez. and somehow come out to play a goliath. this goliath invited us over to there arena and then stomped us largely in that week 17 game with the absolute studs they have playing and running that team. Not to mention they beat us in our first meeting in Canton pretty easily as well. GG Winterhood, I hope to have some more of these matches in the future.