PLAYOFF REVIEW

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Category: The Sentinel

Created: Tuesday, 20 June 2023 16:29

Published: Tuesday, 20 June 2023 16:29

Written by Jeff Krol

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Boy was Saturday fun! The fields were hopping with intensity as the greatest playoffs in co-ed touch football in WNY began, and you can bet the games delivered! The weather was beautiful, and after some much-needed rain throughout the week, the ground wasn’t concrete! First things first, great job for the most part not yelling at refs too badly Saturday. We have to remember that these refs volunteer to do this, and while we do pay them, they don’t deserve the get screamed at, insulted, or any other forms of abuse. So let’s keep that energy! Okay, enough of that, let’s recap these games!

Breakfast Club:

BDSM 31, The ASS 14

This was a lot closer and competitive than the final score might suggest, but BDSM is rolling and may have always been Steph Infections biggest competition. Sean was slinging it, and routinely found Talia all over the field and for a couple scores. Langley slung it for the ASS, and in what was a common theme all year, they were short-handed. They moved the ball down the field well, highlighted by Terrell Bolden who makes a lot of plays. In the end, BDSM and Sean converted on more scoring drives. 

D1:

Eyes Downtown 33, TEIM 32

Game of the day alert! At least in D1 that is. TEIM looked poised and ready to go, with Andy Smigiera finding open receivers all day. Katie Salisbury was a monster, as always, and tough to defend. ED got down early, and Bobby McConnell threw an uncharacteristic pick as ED got down two scores. Then the second half happened, and ED moved the ball at will and got right back into things. TEIM picked Bobby off towards the end, and had a chance to stop short of the goalline, and run time, but instead pitched to Margo for the gender TD. After not converting, ED moved the ball down the field and had Emily throw for a TD, and converted the 2-point conversion. What a win!

Legends 44, Grey Hair 29

The score is a little misleading, as GH was in pole position for a while in this game. Amber Hay had a nice long TD and George Lombardo sealed a pick to take all momentum. Then, Joey and his crew woke up and just kept scoring. Mel was tough to cover, to no ones surprise and Sean and Shbend were all over the field on both sides of the ball. This was expected to get chippy a bit, and while it did, things calmed down and Legends dominated in the end. 

D2:

Practice Squad 39, Freeballers 0

What the heck is with Practice Squad and not winning much (at all this session) in the regular season, but coming through in the playoffs? B, I see you, I guess you just like the bright lights of the playoffs more! PS dominated this game, and Freeballers had no answers. The offense really struggled to finish off drives, while B moved his team up and down the field at will. When you have girls as good as B does, it makes life so much easier. Not much to say here, this was a beat down. 

D3:

Bullet Club 29, LGR 22

Jeff Easton started this game, but John Langley ended up finishing it, so we all thought we would know how that would turn out! After the game was tied early, BC asserted themselves and went down to score the next few drives consecutively. Man coverage against Pistol Pete and Deak was a bit of a bold strategy, but the story was Nick Buzek turning back the clock and dominating all over the field. Alex Buchlis and his crew mounted a late comeback, but it was too late as all BC needed to do the last drive was dirt a few balls and take the win. 

Can’t Tough This 47, Degeneration SeXy 20

It is well known by now CTT QB Ryan Dougherty has the best arm in the league hands down, and that has Travis thinking “how can I replace Joey’s arm with his to make Legends even better?” DGSexy threw way too many deep picks and they got behind from the jump. CTT was putting up points on every drive, despite their receivers stepping out of bounds all the time. You know they are good seeing as how they had to score a touchdown twice on multiple drives. In the end, DGSexy just couldn’t get it going early enough, and fell too far behind. 

D4:

Puckett All-Stars 40, THK 34

This was the game of the day in D4, and was back and forth the entire way. Vince Taverna took advantage of his athleticism and bought a lot of time scrambling to make plays down the field. It goes without saying, it is incredibly difficult to match PAS speed and athleticism. THK had Pete out there, and the question was who could stay with him. The answer was nobody, as he made play after play. THK got a pick late by Pete and he returned it to about the 5 with 1 second left, the PAS stood tall and made the play to move on to the semis. 

Buffalo Vice 50, Creekers 30

We all know BV is a force in D4, and Andy Clark has an embarrassment of riches on his team. They are filled with athletes, and Caitlyn Mason may be one of the best girls in the league. She was routinely getting open and making plays. However, I want to give the Creekers some love here. They competed the entire game, and their QB looks like a promising find. For a new team that got thrown into a tough D4, they competed the whole game and found the endzone the most they had all season. Not a bad time to start finding your stride and maybe with a bump down in division, they can be a force. 

D5: 

ILF 45, Goatsack! 35

This was an offensive battle, as the score can clearly tell you, as both teams utilized their ladies to perfection, scoring multiple touchdowns. Defense was purely optional, as both offenses just chewed up chunks of yards at will. Jason Neth stepped up and swatted three passes away as Goatsack! Attempted to get a last ditch female touchdown to close the gap. 

NSS 33, CFB14

I’d call NSS the sandbaggers of the century, but that title belongs to B and practice squad. All jokes aside, NSS is talented and imposed their will for an upset special in the first round. An early pick set the tone and the already shorthanded Come From Behind defense was no match for the veteran play calling of Not So Sticky who kept finding blown coverages to move the ball down the field.  Rags deserves lots of credit for keeping his team believing despite being heavy underdogs.

D6:

Sausage McMuffins 22, Blitzkrieg 6

Offense optional anyone? A tight low-scoring affair as neither team looked interested in scoring until hero Alex of SM decided he was ready to win. Alex threw to his girls early and often while SM’s defense wanted the style points of grabbing a one-handed interception off of Blitzkrieg. SM seemed happy to be there, while the crowd was chanting for a Blitzkrieg win, but left disappointed as SM stakes their claim. 

Two Tuddies 34, Pit Harade 14

Pit Harade ends a disappointing first season scrambling for a QB again, as Nick Hawes goes ghost and Dave Walter steps up and says “I can lead this team!” Dave was awesome, and was finding his receivers open, but just couldn’t cash in. Tall guy with glasses for Pit Harade looks like a hidden gem. Two Tuddies used their experience and chemistry and moved the ball down the field, and the defense stepped up for a couple picks. Will be watching how the Tud Squad does next week!

WEEK 7 REVIEW

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Category: The Sentinel

Created: Wednesday, 07 June 2023 12:14

Published: Wednesday, 07 June 2023 12:14

Written by Jeff Krol

Hits: 901

Welcome back TSLers, and sorry for the wait! It was a windy one out there Saturday, but the sun was shining and the games were fantastic this week. The season is winding down, and I cannot believe we are already heading into the final week of the regular season. They say time flies when you’re having fun, and I hope everybody has had a blast this season. As a reminder, Lenny and Rameer day is coming up, and I highly recommend people stick around as this is a very special day for the league. With that said, let’s get into it!

Breakfast club:

Komosexuals 21, The Ash Slinging Slashers 9

This was a battle of the ironman game, with both teams having just enough to play while needing some subs. Garrett continues to be a great BC QB, and was moving his team down the field. He seems to have a knack for hail mary throws, as he completed another to Joe Z to finish off the first half. The ASS was playing three ladies the whole time, and battled but Langley couldn’t finish off a couple of the drives. 

D1:

Sticky Bandits 30, Eyes Downtown 28

ED was short-handed this week, but you would not have known it by the way they started. Bobby McConnell drove his team down the field and scored at will in the first half, racing out to a big lead. Blase was instructing newish girl Sam that when she rushes, she should tackle the QB but fortunately for Mike Thomas, she chose to just tip some passes and sack him normally. Then, the script flipped and SB came back led by Drew Colosimo and Brian Stevens, who provided crucial interceptions and catches. SB pulled ahead by two and the game ended on a pick. 

Frodo Swaggins 60, Losing Streak 45

This game may have been the shocker of the day, as Losing Streak came in with a loaded roster and seemingly everybody there, while Frodo was a heavy underdog. Garrett moved the ball at will all day, and LS seemingly great defense got torched all game. Jordan Lawson was sharp, but some drops here and there stalled things a bit. Frodo seems to be catching on up in D1 now, so that could add a nice layer to the mix. 

D2:

The Untouchaballs 24, Mavericks 16

A battle of top ten quarterbacks, and Burr got the edge in this one. The popular target was of course Mel Linsmair, who was working the crossing routes as well as she always does. The Mavericks were competitive, made a few nice stop on defense, but a few plays here and there fell the wrong way and they ended up falling short. Big Money Mike was kicking himself when he short-armed a deep ball that was beautifully thrown by Jordan. 

D3:

Degeneration SeXy 42, Vaspian 34

A high-scoring affair in this one! Vaspian has always been known for a pretty strong defense, but Brian O has made good use of his quicker receivers this season, and looked sharp throwing intermediate passes on target one after another. DGS came out firing immediately, and Sean (subbing for Scotty) was on fire. Katie Keller caught everything, which is no surprise. Could the Keller Clan be getting it in the right direction at the right time? Seems that way!

Jabronies 54, Bullet Club 8

Well, this was a complete and utter ass-kicking. Jabronies were led by the smart Joe Miano who didn’t seem to miss a throw all day. The Klecklers and co were aggressive on defense, and made every play needed on offense, routinely getting behind the BC defense. Jeff Easton struggled mightily after being off a few weeks, and it resulted in a ton of interceptions. BC will want to forget about this one, while it looks like Jabronies are continuing to get hotter as the season goes. 

D4:

Buffalo Vice 28, Travis Henry’s Kids 26

Given the way both teams were trending heading into this matchup, one would have thought this would not be competitive, but what a game! Andy Clark was sharp and routinely found his weapons, especially Caitlyn Mason who shook two guys out of their cleats and scored late to put Vice up. THK’s ladies were great again, and came up with a ton of catches to keep drives moving. At the end, tall Aaron caught a laser thrown by Langley from midfield to get within 2, but a dropped two point conversion ended things. 

Cunning Stunts 44, Passing While Intoxicated 20

It would appear the Stunts took their slow start personally, and have been taking it out on the competition. Joey Batts continues to play like one of, if not the smartest QB’s in the league. Taylor Pagano was tough out there defensively, and Renee Lantz made a ton of catches to keep the offense moving. PWI was a bit off, and had struggles getting stops while Buddy Lee and the offense wasn’t able to score every drive, like you need to against these ladies teams. CS looks to be a real threat as things wind down here. 

D5:

Not so Sticky 21, TMA 20

TMA jumped out to an early lead as Dorene made a nice catch for a score, and NSS continued their recent trend of struggling to move the ball.  The second half was a different story though as Rags seemingly remembered his form from last season and hit Carly Reeb on a nice deep ball for a touchdown to close the gap.  The game came down to the final seconds and NSS was able to seal the win with a score to tie and an extra point to win

Gucci 26, Tater Tots 24

The Tots came in with a sub QB, while Gucci was missing the large Thomas Fields, so that evened things out a bit. Gucci got off to a strong start and took a two score lead into halftime led by the arm of the infamous Kelly Kane. Then, the Tots started to get rolling, led by underrated receiver Mark Harzynski who caught a couple deep bombs. The ladies for the tots were incredible, but in the end, Gucci continues to roll and stake their claim in D5. 

D6:

Two Tuddies 42, Pit Harade 0

Two Tuddies continues to show they have learned a thing or two since their first season, while Pit Harade continues to learn on the fly. Chris Wolcott appears to be way too good for D6 (may need to do something about that) while the QB continues to look swaggy, and drop dimes. Pit Harade has some talent but Nick Hawes was missing and Joe K had to step in to throw, so, well, we know how that went. I will be watching Two Tuddies closely, I get the feeling they are Southside’s biggest competition. 

WEEK 8 REVIEW

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Category: The Sentinel

Created: Wednesday, 14 June 2023 11:09

Published: Wednesday, 14 June 2023 11:09

Written by Jeff Krol

Hits: 922

Here we are! The final week of the regular season has come and gone, and the playoffs are set to take center stage with teams battling for that glory of a championship! The final week went as expected, competitive through and through as teams looked to lock up their seeding, so let’s dive right in!

Breakfast Club:

Komosexuals over Liddle Dubs

I don’t recall the exact score, but it was a great game! The game started rough for Komosexuals as Garrett threw a couple of picks that went off the hands of his receivers and right into the hands of Frank Laudico. Everybody who was there could hear Garrett yelling and cursing. Frank started off hot, hitting Kelly Liddle and Maddie Norton in the soft spots of the Komosexuals zone. Maddie seemed completely uncoverable. However, Garrett and sub from his Frodo team Al forged a comeback, utilizing their great chemistry on offense. 

D1:

Sticky Bandit 42, Frodo Swaggin 34

This game featured two QB’s who apparently didn’t want to throw the ball to their receivers early, and chose to throw interceptions. Mike Thomas and Garrett were playing a game of hot potato with the ball. This game has the distinction of every score being by the ladies, except for one. Katie Swanson hit Brandy Clarke with a triple move, which is quite a feat, and shook her out of her cleats. Brandy got them back though later, joining in the action with a nice toe-tap interception. In the end Sticky prevailed by playing just slightly better defense. 

Losing Streak 55, Legends 29

This game will go down to most as one where Legends was playing very short handed and missing two of their best players in Sean and Mel, however credit where it is due, Jordan and LS showed up to play after a tough loss the previous week. Jordan was on target all day, finding his plethora of weapons. ralph finney, known more for his lockdown defense, was strong on offense finding openings while chris nelson and kye ridgeway shook the defense with their moves. joey batts and co will want a another shot at this one. 

D2: 

Mavericks 39, Practice Squad 25

Mavericks came into this game looking to solidify their standing, while practice squad was looking to get into the win column. B and his squad have come close a lot this year, but have come up just short. jordan and his crew took advantage of their team chemistry, moving the ball down the field at will. mike was loud and excited all game, flashing play after play. b found his players and moved the ball, especially renee lantz, but just could cash in when needed a couple times. ps may be a sneaky pick again in the first round. could they go from the bottom to the top again?

D3:

Bullet club 36, Wanderers 30

Another close game between these two, and jeff easton responded after a tough game a week ago. wanderers were a little shorthanded, but frank and co were smart as always an methodically moved the ball down the field. easton used his wily vet tommy hughes well, and also found langley open many times over the middle. in the end, it came down to bc making one key stop late in the game and going down to score. 

Itches and ohs 42, Jabronies 41

jabronies were shorthanded, but this was a high scoring affair. steve moser let it be known that he isn’t afraid of the kleckler clan, and targeted jeremy streit countless times. the game came down to the wireand the claims of a poorly reffed game by the disgruntled ilf member alex baker cost joe miano the game. 

D4: 

Buffalo vice 51, Puckett all-stars 22

what a turn this season has taken! pas was crowned the team to beat in d4 and BV came right in and showed them they are the team to beat. andy clark was slinging it all over the field, finding his tall guy countless times. bv has great athletes, especially caitlyn mason who continued to get open at will with her shifty moves. vince taverna struggled a bit, a little errant on some passes, to they will be looking to improve on that come playoffs. 

Baadies 62, Travis Henry’s Kids 46

this was a back and forth affair for the vast majority of this game. garrett took his frustration out from his earlier loss with frodo (and perhaps his frustration with being there late, we all know he wanted to be in east aurora). the ladies made easy work, getting open at will and catching everything. thk was scoring on every single drive and keeping up, until langley threw an ill-timed interception to garrett, killing any momentum they had. 

D5:

Come From Behind 34, Long Balls 14

d5 may just run through cfb and they are letting everybody know it each week. long balls is a newer team, led by buddy lee but as experienced as buddy is, he was no match for the wily vet paul lovullo. paul found his fast guys time after time and moved the ball right down the field. cfb defense threw some curveballs to buddy, and they struggled to punch it in enough times. there were taunts from the sideline, telling buddy had he had just one more busch peach, he may have played better!

ILF 32, Long Balls 18

ilf came in riding high since the switch at qb, and it is paying huge dividends. the game started with both offensive drives stalling for each team. buddy was throwing again, and he makes very few mistakes. on a deep hail mary he threw this his blonde hair girl and she caught it, and shocked the ilf defenders as they couldn’t tag her. ilf came back thanks to tom mullen and rebecca dominesey, as she got open time after time and held on. 

D6:

Southside 42, Pit Harade 16

let it be known that no matter what, southside is going to have to move up after this season as they once again dominated. southside has too many athletes for d6, and they showed it as they picked off dave walter multiple times and ran it back. pit harade moved the ball well overall, but just couldn’t finish off a few drives. the team is learning and growing as they go, so i hope to see them in the future. 

Grass Eaters 38, Blitzkrieg 20

grass eaters are basically itches and ohs incarnate, with some newer faces learning the game. who better to learn from than the moser gang, who have a collective 300 years experience! ge continues to play well since steve returned from a sabbatical (we are going to call it that) and rylee is one of the best females in d6 and got open time and time again. she also never drops passes, i swear. blitzkrieg had high expectations, but some disconnect on offense with some drops and air mailed passes from qb alex. in the end, the experience won out with ge. 

WEEK 6 REVIEW

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Category: The Sentinel

Created: Tuesday, 30 May 2023 17:56

Published: Tuesday, 30 May 2023 17:56

Written by Jeff Krol

Hits: 829

Welcome back to another fine edition of the Sentinel! As we had all hoped, the weather was finally on our side as the sun shined down on the fields Saturday. I was a little disappointed that Joe K wasn’t there to get his usual sun burn. I guess we will have to wait another week for that. The games were great, the bar was packed with TSLers, and it was just a great time all around. Let’s take a look at some of the games!

D1:

Sticky Bandits 38, Tight Ends in Motion 12

SB looks to be the team to beat in D1 this year, parlaying a Winter Session championship into about as strong of a start as you could imagine. Mike Thomas looked like a man on a mission, finding his open receivers time and time again. Dean Thompson found his way behind the TEIM defense plenty, and looked like perhaps the best player on the field. It has not been the start to spring TEIM had hoped for, but they are working with a new QB and players, so an adjustment period was probably always in the cards. 

D2

Untouchaballs 41, No Punt Intended 17

This game was a bit of a surprise, as I think most people pegged this game to be a lot closer. Jeremy Burr was locked in, and throwing dimes all over the field. He was feeling himself so much that he and Travis started to go at it a bit, which is no surprise. NPI was a little short-handed, but Travis won’t let that be an excuse. They just got beaten down pretty badly. Hope we see a rematch here, I will bet it isn’t this lopsided next time. 

D3

Vaspian 30, Can’t Touch This 28

Upset alert! CTT came into this game on an absolute heater, so this was not the expected result. A lot of people questioned Vaspian moving up even after a not so great D4 session in the fall, but with some additions from the currently defunct Zack Attack crew, they have some serious athletes. Brian Orzechowki was locked in and the defense stepped up big time. I think the man coverage played a part in this one. 

Let’s Get Reckked 50, Degeneration SeXy 40

Defense was optional this game, as can be seen from the score. Scotty Dro and his luscious locks (has anyone discussed his hair style yet, because he is rocking it) was dialed in and used his receivers to their strengths. Katie Keller did was she always does and just catches everything, but they were no match on defense for the LGR crew. Alex Buchlis was sharp, precise and determined to get the win. Dave Baker is a huge difference-maker out there. 

D4

Buffalo Vice 53 Puckett All-Stars 46

Another “defense optional” game, but while some might call this an upset (well, because PAS seemed unbeatable) I am not so sure on that. BV is loaded with talent, especially Caitlyn Mason who just might be the quickest female in the league. If BV is locked in, they will be a tough out in D4. PAS had all their players, and Vince moved the ball at will, but in the end, BV made one more play than they did and took home a huge win. 

BAADies 60, Travis Henry’s Kids 32

There is no nice way to say this: Langley STUNK in the first half of this game, throwing numerous interceptions to league Douche Garrett Beesing. Let’s give credit where it is due, the ladies for BAADies caught everything, and Garrett was about as locked in as we have ever seen him. The ladies routinely got behind the THK defense, and made easy work in this one. It seems the ladies under Garrett are putting it all together at the right time, and made a statement while doing so. 

D5

Gucci 34, Not so Sticky 0

What a beatdown and a statement made by Gucci in this one. Kelly Kane was on FIRE throwing the ball, and her receivers found the openings in the NSS defense all game. Has anyone discussed what a large human being Thomas Fields is? He is also one of the nicest people! Rags was a bit off throwing the ball Saturday, which NSS cannot afford. I am sure they will bounce back though, maybe they didn’t have enough huggie bombs before the game?

Come From Behind 47, TMA 14

The fall of TMA is something I know is surprising a lot of people. I am sure prim will tell you it is because he isn’t out there. TMA had a different QB back there Saturday, and the results were less than ideal. Really though, CFB is continuing to make the statement in D5 that they are a team to be reckoned with. Their tall and fast receivers continue to get open, and Paul LoVullo can absolutely sling it with the best of them. 

D6

Southside 43, GrASS Eaters 16

This was a complete mismatch, as Steve Moser was finishing up his last week of not being able to play. The QB for GE really struggled, so much so that at the end they went to Rylee Moser and they went down and scored a TD! QB controversy much?! Southside has some quick guys, and multiple times just outran the defense. It looks like Southside got back on track in this one.