As the teams lined up on the Ravens home stadium, the Rock, the weather was unseasonably hot for Norsca, but by kickoff the heat had dissipated. The Ravens won the coin toss and elected to kick, and the Reid Death launched a spirited offense, sending several receivers into the Ravens rear.
The Ravens, of course, rushed back to cover the receivers: werewolf Geri blitzed Death catcher #21 Ed Ranger, knocking him out for the rest of the game.
In retaliation, Death blitzer #7 Jay Blanchard stormed in and scored their first career casualty by injuring Fisher King Bowl MVP Hans von Helvete, who was saved by the ministrations of the Ravens apothecary, but will miss the next game with a pinched nerve.
Opting for a very aggressive early offense, Death thrower #10 Randall Gnant launched a pass to catcher #19 Harry E Mitchell, but the pass was unsuccessful.
Ravens thrower Thor Åkenskaldi quickly scooped up the ball, and as Gnant tried to make up for his failed pass and cover his RagnaRock opposite number, he overreached himself, fell over and knocked himself out!
Already down a player, things got worse for the New World team when Ravens blitzer #2 Harald Hårdare avenged his colleague by not only taking Death blitzer Blanchard out of the game, but also saddling them with a niggling injury.
The outnumbered Reid Death were in no position to stop the Ravens from securing the ball and moving it up the field.
As the other players brawled, thrower Åkenskaldi took off for the Death end zone.
The visitors launched a last, desperate blitz to stop the Ravens from scoring, but it ended badly as Åkenskaldi injured blitzing Death catcher Mitchell.
With a Norse touchdown imminent, the Death looked to even the odds by fouling Ravens werewolf Freki, who was badly hurt on the play and missed the rest of the game.
The Ravens ran down the clock until the last seconds of the first half, when Thor Åkenskaldi walked into the end zone for his first career touchdown and a 1-0 Ravens lead.
**
In the second half, the receiving Ravens took no chances whatsoever.
The kickoff landed right behind the line of scrimmage, and to the unfathomable delight of the home crowd, the Ravens executed their infamous "box-play" and formed an impenetrable cage around the ball.
As eleven thousand frenzied Norse fans screamed "BOX", Ravens werewolf Geri blitzed unwary Death lineman #8 Jeff Bollerman into the crowd.
The Ravens were content to stay in their midfield box, running down the clock to protect their one-goal lead and fending off the Death's attempts to break in.
Toward the end of the half, the Norse formation loosened up somewhat, and this gave the visitors their only chance to even the score.
In the last turn of the game, a blitzing Death lineman managed to knock out Ravens thrower Åkenskaldi. For the first time since the opening kickoff, the ball was loose!
In an absolutely heroic effort, Death blitzer #88 Ernie E Jaurigui dodged into the Ravens box, grabbed the ball and launched a desperate last-second pass toward the Ravens end zone... which sailed over the head of the waiting receiver and landed on the merciless astrogranite of the Rock.
The incredibly tense second half ended the same way it started: 1-0 Ravens.
**
That was quite a game: from the wide-open play and gratuitous violence of the first half to the absolute clinic in caging and the 1-0 grind that was the second half. It may not sound like much in the report, but the tension in the second half was like a high-level chess game. The Ravens possession game was simply so strong that the visitors had no chance to get at the ball. Our league had such a long hiatus that I'd forgotten how much I enjoy watching Blood Bowl games!
For logistical reasons, this game wraps up the Reid Death's inaugural Turboleague season; it's been a delight having them. Still to come, the Saints-Ravens rematch!
**
League table [pts, goal differential, casualty differential, fatalities, completions, interceptions]
Sheogorad Saints (Dark Elf) (2-0-2) 12 pts, 6-4, 1-6, 0, 5, 1
RagnaRock Ravens (Norse) (1-0-1) 6 pts, 2-1, 3-1, 0, 1, 0
Griffon Gate Griffons (High Elf) (0-0-2) 4 pts, 3-3, 0-1, 0, 6, 0
Reid Death (Human) (0-1-1) 3 pts, 1-2, 4-2, 1, 1, 0
Lake Bodom Carmelites (Human) (0-1-0) 1 pts, 1-2, 2-1, 0, 2, 0
Vindaaagh Pulling (Orc) (0-1-0) 1 pts, 0-1, 1-0, 0, 1, 0
Touchdowns:
Barenziah Targaryen (Saints) 2
Bel-Zothius the Beast (Griffons) 2
Raven Dren (Saints) 2
Freki (Ravens) 1
Harry E Mitchell (Death) 1
Irileth Targaryen (Saints) 1
Jenassa Samarys (Saints) 1
Sister Wilamina Ironbludgeon (Carmelites) 1
Tarec the Artist (Griffons) 1
Thor Åkenskaldi (Ravens) 1
Casualties:
Barenziah Targaryen (Saints) 1
Ed Ranger (Death) 1
Ernie R Jaurigui (Death) 1
Harald Hårdare (Ravens) 1
Harry E Mitchell (Death) 1
Jay Blanchard (Death) 1
Sister Consuelo Mandanger (Carmelites) 1
Sister Eleanor Meatpummel (Carmelites) 1
Tomas Haugen (Ravens) 1
Thor Åkenskaldi (Ravens) 1
VIP#52 (Pulling) 1
Fatalities:
Ernie R Jaurigui (Death) 1
Interceptions:
Irileth Targaryen (Saints) 1
Completions:
Ferreha the Particular (Griffons) 4
Jenassa Samarys (Saints) 4
Sister Pearlie Stoneknuckles (Carmelites) 2
Darane Mencele (Saints) 1
Randall Gnant (Death) 1
Shirduzus the Discrete (Griffons) 1
Shudris the Sage (Griffons) 1
Thor Åkenskaldi (Ravens) 1
VIP#8 (Pulling) 1
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