The honour of kicking off the MMBBL's 2008 Autumn season went to the Darkmire Carnosaurs and the Razor Hill Spinebreakers this Tuesday, at Dragon Spine Arena. Surprisingly, more Carnosaurs fans were on hand than Spinebreakers supporters, presumably because of the influence and/or appeal of the numerous dragons in the region. After winning the coin toss, the Carnosaurs chose to receive first, and the Spinebreakers put the ball in the air to start this season off.
Quick to recover the kick was Reedrush, one of the Carnosaurs' speediest skinks. Reedrush blazed a trail upfield, only to be upended by blitzer Soran Steelfury of the Spinebreakers. Just as soon as the ball was lost, though, it was scooped up once more by another eager skink. This time it was Mudrunner getting his shot, deftly picking up the dangerous, spikey dragon egg the Spinebreakers use to play. Cruising past the line of scrimmage, Mudrunner scampered out of the orcs' reach, the significance of which was emphasized as Zor Loneblow brought his trollish brute force to bear on saurus Firetongue, putting the latter out of contention. Still, no orc player could match speed with Mudrunner, and the skink soon scored the first touchdown of the season, putting the Carnosaurs ahead one to nothing.
Now came the orcish offense's chance to prove itself. As the Carnosaurs put the ball in play, a great cheer went up for the lizardmen, and the Spinebreakers had to have been a little upset that their own fans weren't able to match the roar. Perhaps the uncertainty manifested most clearly when Zor Loneblow attempted to plow through Threehorns and was himself knocked down for the count. Loneblow would not return for the remainder of the game. Things went from bad to worse for the orcs, as Reedrush pounced on the ball and handed it away to fellow skink Pondskipper. Meanwhile, saurus Wildfang continued with the war of attrition, taking out thrower Gan'rul Bloodeye and thereby robbing the Spinebreakers of one of their offensive weapons.
Hope did show for the Spinebreakers, however, as their offensive line closed up around the skink runners and their advance ground to a halt at midfield. Time began to wind down as saurus, skink, and orc grappled for a ball that was nearly as dangerous as the players themselves. At last, orc blitzer Godan Rockmaul hurled himself into the pile of bodies and emerged with the prize, putting the game's lone scorer, Mudrunner, out of commission. With no time to spare, Rockmaul then wheeled out of a makeshift pocket of orcs and tossed a desperation pass to line orc Rok Straglash. Straglash did his part and brought in the catch, then shifted away from coverage and charged heavily down the pitch, giving everything he had and being rewarded with a last-minute touchdown. At halftime, the score was tied at one apiece.
A return to the field saw the relentless Carnosaurs attempt to take advantage of the depleted orc forces, and as they sent the dragon egg ball sailing into Spinebreaker territory, the lizardmen poured on an impressive blitz. The orcs adapted impressively though, and the fast-working Kiro Stormaxe handed off to Galthuk Battlewail, who made his run up the gut to burst past the onrushing Carnosaur defense. Before the reptilian raiders could put it in reverse, Battlewail was off to the races and gave the Spinebreakers the lead early in the second half.
The last thing that the Carnosaurs might have expected was for the Spinebreakers to throw a blitz play of their own once they kicked the ball away, but it became evident quickly that the last thing the Spinebreakers were expecting was for the lizardmen to disregard the tactic and continue with their offensive plans, much like the orcs had just done. As the physical debate over who was, in fact, the more confused of the two teams, Puddlejumper found his bearings and the ball as well. hurtling through the confused offense and equally bewildered defense, Puddlejumper squirmed his way to daylight and trotted in for the touchdown while everyone else wondered what was going on.
Not much time remained in the game, but the ball was kicked to the orcs and they were given one last chance to come away with the W. Unfortunately the staunch Carnosaur defense was back to their strong play, reading the offensive line perfectly and producing a defense to match it. Rok Straglash made a final effort to move the ball, but couldn't keep his feet and crashed to the ground as time expired. The final score was a 2-2 tie, though both teams showed plenty of resolve and flashes of great skill.
MVP awards for this match went to Mudrunner, who scored the first touchdown of the season thanks to his surefootedness, and to Kiro Stormaxe, the latest in a line of elite orc blitzers to enter the league. Also noteworthy was the play of Rok Straglash, whose stocky frame hides a nimble core, coupled of course with good old fashioned orc sneakiness.
(Pictures to follow when we get some decent shots)
be sure to tune in again soon, sportsfiends, for coverage of the other two games out of Bloodbath division - the Asgard Raiders taking on the Pancake Valley Shortstacks and the Fly-by Knights facing the Traumatic Takedown!
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