IFFL

Crusaders of the North

December 6, 2016June 21, 2019 associatedfantasy Cardiff Crusaders, Charleston Franchise Playerz, Chicago Red Stars, IFFL, Perth Panthers, Venice Killer Whales

knight — The #1 seed **Cardiff Crusaders** secured the **North Division Championship** with their Week 13 win over Cape Town

IFFL – With a statement win to finish the season, the Cardiff Crusaders defeated the Cape Town Broncos 240-108 to cap off the 2016 regular season and secure the North Division Championship. It was, appropriately, the high score of the week for the team that was the number one scoring club in the regular season this year, having posted more than a hundred and fifty points more than their nearest competitor. Cardiff finishes with an 8-5-0 record and their points total secures the #1 seed for them in the IFFL playoffs.

In the South Division, the Perth Panthers secured their own division title in Week 12 and finished the regular season with a meaningless loss, 121-164 to the South Division #2 New Orleans VooDoo to finish with a 9-4-0 record. The VooDoo had a small window to get into the post season, but despite the win, the rest of the outcomes they needed did not come through, meaning Perth will be the lone team to represent the South in the 2016 playoffs.

The exapansion Chicago Red Stars secure the Standings Wild Card in their inaugural season — The exapansion **Chicago Red Stars** secure the **Standings Wild Card** in their inaugural season

The expansion Chicago Red Stars, coached by AF Registered Coach Dan “The Polish Rifle” Mayhoff, cap off their inaugural season with a decisive win of their own, besting the Charleston Franchise Playerz 204-153 to finish with an 8-5-0 record of their own to match Cardiff’s, but fall almost 300 points shy of the Crusader’s total offense, and so fail to capture the division title. The Red Stars’ record, however does get them into the post season as the Standings Wild Card – defined as the team posting the best record outside of the two Division Champions.

The 2015 defending champion Venice Killerwhales fall just 8 total season points short in their quest for the Points Wild Card slot in the 2016 playoffs — The 2015 defending Champion **Venice Killerwhales** fall just 8 total season points short in their quest for the **Points Wild Card** slot in the 2016 playoffs

Despite their season finale loss, the Franchise Playerz still managed to secure the final playoff slot as the Points Wild Card over the 2015 defending champion and AF Registered Coach Blueshoes’ run squad, the Venice Killerwhales who were also in the running for the same spot. Both teams went into the final week with 6-6 records and a season points total that was separated by just 41 points – edge to Charleston, and despite a valiant effort on Monday Night Football, the Whales fell just 8 points short of Charleston’s 2016 total, ceding the final playoff slot to the Texans. The Scottish Claymores, finishing 7-6-0 in their win over Venice, fell 77 points shy of the Points Wild Card slot.

Seeding in the new IFFL playoff format is arranged by total points. Cardiff, the league scoring leader secured the #1 seed and will face division rival Chicago with their identical record and 4th place points finish. The teams split their pair of head-to-head matches this season, so this two-week cumulative match promises to be exciting. Despite their Week 13 loss, the Panthers managed to score just enough points in their final game to outpace Chicago by 21 points and avoid playing the #1 seed. Instead, they finish as the #3 and are all set to play the #2 Charleston in their own 2-week semi-final. The pair played only a single match this season, a Week 7 affair that Perth won by just 9 points, so the two appear to be evenly matched. The winners will meet in the third annual International Championship in a two week cumulative finale Weeks 16 and 17.