[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen reach Conference Final
The Maassluis Merchantmen have reached the AOC Championship game. The #2 seeded Merchantmen beat the wild card Orlando Talons 27-20 in Oranje Haven to set up for a classic matchup with the Tucker Tigers.

The Maassluis Merchantmen have regrouped well. After losing their week 16 and 17 regular season games, fear was they had fallen into a losing streak. But with the return of many key starters, including quarterback Moe Sheldon, the team was clicking again. With the Orlando Talons being a tough wild card opponent with their 11-5 regular season record, the Merchantmen knew this could be a coin flip game. And it turned out to be as such.

The first quarter saw Orlando kick field goals twice, while the Merchantmen did finish their best drive with a touchdown from Francisco Patter for a 7-6 lead. After Maassluis had taken a 10-6 lead through, Orlando finally got the ball in the end zone. But the Merchantmen responded with an efficiently timed drive, scoring the go ahead touchdown with 11 seconds to go as Moe Sheldon found George Stuckey for the 17-13 half time lead.

The third quarter saw Maassluis increase their lead to 20-13, then both defense pull of three and out, then Orlando tying the score after a 66-yard drive. Leaning heavily on rookie tight end Clarence Gore as the top receiver and the sublime running tandem Patter and Thongchanh, the Merchantmen drove downfield late in the third quarter and took a 27-20 lead on another Moe Sheldon to George Stuckey pass. Orlando was stopped quickly, Maassluis near midfield and Orlando then pinned deep. With a strong drive, the Talons drove into the Merchantmen red zone, but a touchdown got called back for holding and two plays later, Brandon Brady made a key pass defense action to turn the ball over after a fourth down attempt. With less than 3 minutes to go, the Merchantmen offense went into clock draining mode and gave Orlando the ball back with 65 seconds to go and no more time outs. The Merchantmen pass rush then finally woke up and with three straight hurried passes, it was up to Moe Sheldon to knee drop to the 27-20 victory.

A quality game of football, where both offenses had the edge on their opponents, but the Merchantmen made the key stops when it really counted. But perhaps more crucial was Maassluis' much more efficient running game, as Francisco Patter and Reggie Thongchanh combined for 156 yards with a 5.4 average per carry. Moe Sheldon completed 19 of 27 passes for 195 yards, with 2 touchdown passes to George Stuckey. Rookie Clarence Gore had a team high 6 catches for 67 yards.

Next stop for the Merchantmen: Venable Stadium, home of the Tucker Tigers. Albeit a classic matchup, it was back in 2057 these two teams met in the AOC Championship game. Back then, the Merchantmen upset the #1 seeded Tigers. Back in 2039, the previous conference final before that, the #2 seeded Merchantmen also won on the road. Both times, the Merchantmen eventually lost in the IHOF Bowl. Back in 2068 was the last time these two met in the playoffs, the Tigers then won in the wild card round in Oranje Haven. The Tigers also won in Maassluis in 2061 in the conference semifinals, while the Merchantmen won in Tucker in 2060. The last time the home team in this matchup won in the playoffs was all the way back in 2038, when the #2 seeded Merchantmen visited the #1 seeded Tigers in the AOC Championship game. All in all, one way or another, history will have to repeat.