The Shining Exemplars (High Elves) vs The Red Skulls (Orcs)

The Red Skulls found themselves up against an elf team for the third game in a row.  Despite the largest registered following in the SAD League, the fan support for the Exemplars seemed quiet.  It turned out that most of their ‘supporters’ were only there because of the high fatality rate of the high elf team’s matches; those blood-thirsty viewers were certainly going to get their monies worth before the end of the game.

The greenskins won the toss, and elected to receive the ball.  Their coach was disillusioned with the previous performances of their Troll player, Doh, and refused to even let him in the dug out.  It was left to Splatz the goblin to keep him occupied (mostly by running away) outside the stadium.

True to their name, the high elves started the game off in exemplary fashion, their coach calling a quick blitz that left the opposition flat footed.  Before  they could be stopped, Lineman Pellinore Diamonte had the ball, and his quick throw landed right into the hands of top scorer Evrai Goldenlight, awaiting in the endzone.

From the next kick off, the orcs gathered up the ball into their cage, but it didn’t stop Lineman Gildas Amethysti from busting it open.  This time Goldenlight turned provider, passing the ball on to Einion Rubyheart , who ran in for a second Exemplar touchdown.

The Skulls’ coach finally relented, and brought on Doh into the line of scrimmage.  His unlikely talismanic presence began to turn the tide against the Exemplars.  Beside him, Skrotus the Black Orc Blocker took out Amethysti with a horrific eye gouging, before Lineman Splatum went in head first into Iestin Silverleaf, killing him outright.  Even the Shining Exemplars’ apothecary could do nothing to save the Lion Warrior, who had always been in the shadow of his high scoring counterpart.  The Skulls held onto the ball for the rest of the half, with the only other action of note being a completion for Throwum, and an orc Lineman crowd surfing back to his dugout.

Having failed to score in the first half, the Red Skulls now found themselves having to kick to the Exemplars at the start of the second half.  Despite being two elves down, and Iago Emeraldas being knocked out by a crowd-thrown rock, the leaders knocked a hole through the Orc line, and swarmed into the Skulls’ half, with Phoenix Warrior Geraint Mirrorwind holding on to the ball in the backfield. 

Skrotus caused his second casualty of the game when he took out Rubyheart, but it didn’t stop Mirrorwind from passing over the halfway line to Anerin Starlight.  The elf Dragon Warrior refused to drop the ball under pressure from the greenskins, and ran downfield to pass it to the awaiting Saf Firestone, who had slipped his two markers to score.

However, with Amethysti having twisted an ankle in the previous drive, the Exemplars were (once again) finding themselves seriously outnumbered in the final stages of the match.  In a steady push straight from the kick off, the orcs literally bowled over their opponents, although Blitzer Glintz failed to catch an accurate pass that would have resulted in a touchdown.  Still, there were too few Exemplar players left on the field to capitalise from this mistake, and Red Skull star Thrower Chuckum provided another straight pass for Glintz to catch, redeeming his previous error by scoring for the orc team.

Without enough time for anything meaningful to happen, both coaches called time on the match.  Top of the table Exemplars had notched up another win, but with two Journeymen on their roster for their next game, you have to wonder will there be any team left to challenge for the title at the end of the season?

Pitchside Reporter: Brychan