1932-33 UPFF: Week 7

October 18, 1932

^{Unfortunately, due to ISP issues, Uplantic Football is back to a blog-only format, indefinitely. The connection just isn’t reliable enough for streaming to work on a regular schedule. I’ll still be doing retro game streams on twitch.tv/lowkisapfoot when the ISP allows for it. Maybe we can figure out a stable connection for a playoffs special or something.}

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(Jump to current UPFF Standings)

Week 7 Scoreboard:

NOR (4-1) @ ELD (3-2): The Northsouth Athletics visited the Elderwood Archers on Thursday night with first place in the Northern Conference on the line. The Archers were favored in sports books by 2 points, but RB Jake Wood and the A’s came to play. Their original starter, RB Anthony Gasporra, returned to the lineup for the game, but Wood remained the number one halfback with 133 yards and 2 TD on 10 carries. Gasporra carried the ball just 4 times, but racked up 78 yards (19.5 avg) and a TD. The Athletics held the ball for nearly the entire first quarter, jumped out to a 24-0 lead before the Archers got on the board, and led at the half by a score of 34-7. At the end of the third quarter, Northsouth’s lead was 44-7. They rested many of their starters in the final quarter and cruised to a statement-making blowout win in what was supposed to be a close game between the top teams in the conference. Now, with the two-headed monster of Wood and Gasporra in the backfield, the Athletics are certainly looking formidable as we enter the season’s second half. Final: NOR 47, ELD 24.

PLA (2-4) @ SAL (1-5): Two of the league’s bottom teams met in Tiny Sea, with the Platte Cragsmen visiting the Salvation Brothers. Both teams came into Week 7 off of huge upset wins. The Cragsmen, in particular, were showing promise after beating the Pumas by 3 touchdowns last week for their second straight win after starting 0-4. It was a hard fought, back and forth game, but Platte QB Alvin Crane threw a crucial interception late in the fourth quarter, leading to a Brothers field goal and a 6-point Salvation lead. Crane and the Cragsmen had another chance to win the game with just under a minute left, but a 4-and-out stop led the Brothers to their second straight win after starting the year 0-5. Final: SAL 27, PLA 21.

DEL (3-2) @ LK (3-2): The Delle Chaparrals, winners of their last two games, visited the Pumas in Lia Kompos. This Southern Conference match-up could give the winner a share of first place. The Pumas went through some drama after their loss to the Brothers last week, but head coach Timothy Mokoron told media that the team was “playing together and firing on all cylinders” as they prepared for this big game. Pumas QB John Parva (sprained knee) was still unable to play, and to make matters worse, backup QB Solomon Brito came out of the game with a foot injury in the second quarter, leaving things up to third-stringer QB Brian Berton out of Brown Leaf Tech. The two teams traded field goals in the first half, with the Pumas holding a 9-3 lead at halftime. Delle RB Robert Lavender ripped off a 55-yard TD run to start the second half and put the Chaps on top, 10-9. On their next drive, Lavender broke off another 50-yard run to set up a TD pass from QB Hubert Aguirre to WR Amarina’a Martin. The pressure was on Pumas QB Brain Berton as Lia Kompos started the fourth quarter trailing 16-12. Unfazed, Berton threw an 84 TD pass to WR Joseph Kardenas to give the Pumas the lead, and then led them another go-ahead drive to regain the lead after another Delle TD. The Pumas defense made a crucial stop late in the game to seal victory. Delle RB Robert Lavender ran for 174 yards in the game, but Lia Kompos QB Brain Berton ended up passing for 359 yards and a TD in just over one half of play as the Pumas overcame locker room drama and injury woes in an impressive win. Final: LK 26, DEL 23.

PC (3-2) @ TS (2-4): The Plains City Travelers and Tiny Sea Titans met at Tiny Sea Coliseum, both looking to position themselves for a run at the playoffs in the season’s second half. Both teams looked to overcome tough Week 6 losses. The Titans had lost 3 games straight. They desperately needed to halt their slide against a tough opponent in the Travelers. Tiny Sea QB Robert Calabrese came out shooting, leading the Titans to 3 TDs in the first quarter for a commanding 21-3 lead. The Titans never looked back, and cruised to a 21-point win at home. Calabrese dominated the Travelers defense, going 24 for 31 for 358 yards, 4 TDs, and 1 interception. Titans RB Aurelio Nunez had 148 rushing yards and a TD on 11 carries. RB Anthony Kamzee split the duties with 94 yards on 11 carries of his own. As a team, the Titans had 610 yards total offense, breaking their losing streak with a high-flying victory. Plains City lost their third straight game to fall to 3-3 on the year after a great start. Final: TS 48, PC 27.

TAA (4-1) @ GR (2-4): The Taawa Jackals visited the Green Rock Warriors on a 4-game win streak, looking to hold onto the top record in the SC with a win. The teams met two weeks ago in Taawa. The Jackals won that game in blowout fashion, 45-23. Monday night’s game was a different story. Taawa QB James De La Cruz was essential in that win, but this week he was less than impressive, throwing for just 103 yards and an interception with zero TDs. He was also sack 3 times for a loss of 24 yards. QB William Kastaneda was great on the other side for Green Rock. He completed 90% of his passes; 45 for 50, for 334 yards and 3 TDs without a turnover. The Warriors led 21-10 at halftime. After Taawa KR Elbert Arteagaka returned a kickoff 97 for a TD to bring the Jackals within 3 points at the end of the third quarter, William Kastaneda took over the game for the Warriors. A crucial interception by CB Walter Martinezto gave the ball back to the Warriors to start the fourth, and Kastaneda led them down the field to score a touchdown on a short pass to WR Kaluka’a Robb. Robb had 100 yards receiving on 10 catches and 2 TDs on the day. The Green Rock defense kept the Jackals from scoring again, and they went on to add 10 more points for a 19-point win, a near exact reversal of the last score between these two teams. With the loss, Taawa falls into second place in the SC behind the 4-2 Lia Kompos Pumas, who beat the Jackals back in Week 1. Final: GR 44, TAA 25.

News:

• The Northsouth Athletics have been dominant in the first half of the year, and they’ve done it with injuries to key players. With their roster at full health going into the second half, they are riding a 3-game win streak, at the top of the standings, and at the top of nearly everyone’s power rankings. They are the current overwhelming favorites to take home the Pennington Cup this winter.
• The Pumas have re-signed head coach Timothy Mokoron after his team’s gritty win this week. He’ll earn $7 million per year for the next 4 years. The Pumas are currently in first place in the SC.
• Elderwood DT Caleb Suarez (broken finger) remains “doubtful” for Week 8 against Platte. OT Miriyan Hay is “questionable” with a hernia, but C Hobert Alarkon (migraine) and G Lynn Pollock (broken finger) are both “probable.” The Archers offense was stymied in this week’s brutal loss to the A’s. The return of these key blockers is crucial moving forward.
• Pumas QB Solomon Brito is “doubtful” this week, but top QB John Parva is expected to return in Week 8 against the Brothers. Pumas C Fomai’i Apodaka will miss 4-6 weeks with an ankle sprain. OT William Bayona (sprained wrist) and DE Julio Eskobeda (turf toe) are both listed as “probable.”
• Brothers CB John Espinoza (turf toe) and DT Kawaimomona’a Huynh (broken finger) are likely to return in Week 8 against Lia Kompos. G Philip Spencer (scratched cornea), who has not played since Week 3, is listed as “probable.” Salvation hopes to ride their 2-game win streak to another big upset win at home.
• Plains City DT Robert March left the game on Sunday with a bruised jaw. He is listed as “doubtful” for Week 8’s crucial game against Northsouth. Travelers QB Phillip Marina’a is expected to play again as his deep thigh bruise continues to heal.
• Titans DE James Kasteano will miss a week or two with a wrist sprain.
• The local sports media in Delle has taken to calling the Chaparrals defensive line “The Delle Wall” in reference to the ancient siege of the Delle city-state that led to the modern state of Medland’s curiously shaped southern border. The Chaps D-line has sacked opposing QBs 9 times, forced 4 fumbles, and made 41 tackles through the first six games.

Current UPFF Standings:

League Leaders:

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