Axemen Chop Down Eagles in First Round

from the Fargo Semi-Daily Times Union Autocrat

This weekend saw another major milestone in the inaugural season of the United Furry Football League as four teams participated in the opening round of the six-team playoff to determine the first ever champion of the new league which is partially comprised of surviving franchises from the recently-defunct Federation of American Furry Football.

The early game pitted our Fargo Axemen against the Easton Bald Eagles, second and third place finishers in the Continental Conference respectively. Despite single-digit temperatures outside, a capacity-crowd packed the Fargodome, providing for a raucous atmosphere in support of the home team, which halfway through the season held the conference lead before dropping a couple of critical games down the stretch. The event was not without some excitement though, as half an hour before kickoff the fire alarm nearly sent early-arriving fans scurrying for the ice and snow. It would turn out to be a false alarm though, as one intoxicated fan was later caught pulling alarms all around the stadium and arrested by local authorities. Notables in attendance at the big game included Joe Bowers, QB for the California Dons who were shut out of the playoffs despite finishing in a three-way tie for second place, UFFL Commissioner Beaux Flosse, and Baltimore Ponies General Manager Brace Bracy, who's brother Ben is the GM of the nearby Dakota Bikers franchise of the Furry Basketball Association.

As for the game, Fargo jumped out to a commanding 27-0 lead by the end of the second quarter, scoring on their first four offensive possessions and capped by a 36 yard pick six by Julius Stafford. Christina Carson was on fire all day, finishing a near perfect 28 of 32 passing for 319 yards and a TD. This was her first game after sending a risky letter to the GM demanding to start in the playoffs. Carson had been a top draft pick by the Axemen, but was sidelined early in the season after suffering an injury. The red-hot Eagles, were much more balanced offensively, but really struggled to find rhythm in part to porous defensive play which constantly put pressure on them to score. They would shut out the Axemen in the second half, but it was too little too late, as Easton would fall 27-10.

Next up, the Axemen travel to Baltimore to face the Continental Conference champs in an epic game that is already being billed as the biggest match up of the season. The Ponies are led by league-MVP hopeful Aspen Redfield, whose name fans from Fargo will surely recognize. They feature an extremely well-balanced offense with multiple threats that will test the Axemen defense. On the other side of the ball, Baltimore has proven to be vulnerable at times, something Carson and company hope to take advantage of as they seek a critical spot in the Conference championship series.

Easton meanwhile awaits the loser of Sunday's game to face in the first elimination game of the season.