[MIJB#19]

General Manager Notes: The journey continues...
We're through to the conference semifinals!

Oranje Haven, week 18 of the 2104 season. A sold out stadium with 92 nervous football players playing their first post-season game for their IHOF team. The Snapfinger Jazz ended a 36-season stretch outside the playoffs. In comparison, the just ended longest drought in Merchantmen history of 12 seasons is a blip on the timeline, but the crowd wasn't anything less nervous and excited. The last time Oranje Haven was the host of a playoffs game was in week 19 of the 2091 season. The Merchantmen then beat the Orlando Talons 27-20, QB Moe Sheldon was the ball tosser of the night, RB Reggie Thongchanh the leading rusher and TE Clarence Gore the leading receiver.

One player that day was a rookie for the Talons, but missed out on the action after losing his starting role mid-season. This past week, C Elijah Cyr was a vocal figure on the training grounds to get his younger, inexperienced teammates ready for the second season. Thankfully, he wasn't alone in that, helped by fellow veterans, all grizzled by their experiences in pre-Merchantmen times: RB George Shackleford, S Pete Weaver, LS Bennett Brock, LT Andres Blair, but in particular DT Ben Courcy, LB Luke Thompson and the face of the turnaround season: QB Evan Drake. The latter 3 have had their fair share of playoff runs and disappointments with the Colorado Cutthroats.

Despite the presence of the experienced veterans, the Merchantmen looked nervous. Penalties and a pick thrown by Evan Drake himself, appeared to hurt the home team. But after 60 minutes of football, it was clear that the visitors from Snapfinger had it even worse today. Heled by that, the Merchantmen defense dominated the first half and it was only by the lack of red zone efficiency of the Merchantmen offense that the half time score was 13-0.

The second half start with a bang. On the second play from scrimmage, Vinny Buysse promoted a short pass into a 77-yard touchdown. Oranje Haven exploded, 20-0, a 3-score lead, could this really be happening? Snapfinger responded with a field goal drive, then with the second interception of Evan Drake, but the Merchantmen defense bailed out their quarterback with a three and out to force the Jazz to punt. Another field goal followed and 23-3 up, the Merchantmen were not going to choke this game, right?

The Jazz finally got their touchdown after a long drive and after the Merchantmen got 5 more minutes off the clock, the Jazz were stuck in a must go for it situation. They managed to slowly, yet steadily drive downfield, but shortly before the 2-minute warning, the Merchantmen defense put just enough pressure on the Snapfinger quarterback to let it turnover on downs inside the red zone. The Jazz got the ball back one more time, but this time the drive ended in LB Gus Coleman intercepting the pass (his second of the game) to lock it up. Evan Drake knee dropped and the 23-10 victory was there.

Just a week after the division title, Oranje Haven erupted again: the Merchantmen are amongst the elite eight and still in the race for IHOF Bowl CI. But the journey won't be easy. Next stop: the Fort Wayne Fury, 14-2 AOC top seeds. The top scoring offense and top scoring defense united in one. Their pass all day long approach combined with an exceptionally talented defense makes for one of, if not the, toughest opponents the Merchantmen ever faced in the playoffs. The taste of victory is still there as the Merchantmen have the second longest winning streak in the league at 5 straight. Too bad the Fury's is twice as long.

But it's just one game, anything can happen. Even the biggest of favorites, deemed unbeatable can fail. Just go and ask the 2059 Merchantmen...