5th Annual OTBCS Game Updates - THE GRAND FINALS!!!!

[EagerBeaver]

Danny you are doing well indeed. Let's all give Danny a big hand as he has really turned it around from last year. A bit of a background, Danny was the QB for Sanctuary, a team that went 2-8 over two consecutive years (that's 4-16 if your'e counting). Now at Cedar Ridge, Dr. Ron is the new QB and is using Danny's strength at running back. He currently has 510 yards on the ground, second only to COGOP's Clayton Endecott. Good job FQ!!!

[EagerBeaver]

8:57 PM CST - Here is the Game 3 stuff...

Scores from Game 3
TCOG In Divine Order 24 - 20 TCOG Carter
TCOG With Signs Following 21 - 35 Cedar Ridge Church
Church of God 24 - 35 TCOG Nabors
Zion Assembly COG 27 - 7 TCOG Jerusalem Acres
COG of Prophecy 52 - 21 TCOG North Carolina

Standings
Cedar Ridge Church 3-0, 9 pts
TCOG Jerusalem Acres 2-1, 6 pts
TCOG Carter 2-1, 6 pts
TCOG In Divine Order 2-1, 6 pts
TCOG Nabors 2-1, 6 pts
COGOP 2-1, 6 pts
TCOG With Signs Following 1-2, 3 pts
TCOG Nabors 1-2, 3 pts
TCOG North Carolina 0-3, 1 pt
COG 0-3, 0 pts

Games tonight
TCOGC vs. ZACOG
TCOGJA vs. CRC
TCOGIDO vs. COG
COGOP vs. TCOGN
TCOGNC vs. TCOGWSF

[EagerBeaver]

9:40 PM CST - TCOG Carter has lost their second in a row, and ZACOG has sprung their second straight big upset. Carter's team were down 14-3 at halftime, got a touchdown in the third quarter, and made it all the way down to the eight-yard line before time ran out on them. Awesome finish. 14-10 ZACOG wins.

[EagerBeaver]

10:15 PM CST - Cedar Ridge stays perfect with a 19-11 win over Jerusalem Acres. JA has really sucked it up the past couple games -- honestly no one had any outstanding stats this game.

[EagerBeaver]

10:52 PM CST - COG earns their first win of the year with a 24-20 nail-biter over TCOG In Divine Order. They were leading 24-7 before a flurry of late-game activity nearly won the game for IDO. Apostle Ted Carr ran for 210 yards, including a 91-yard scamper in the third quarter. Good game here, NC vs. Signs Following is next.

[EagerBeaver]

11:29 PM - COGOP is playing some absolutely insane football. They have just blown out their third straight opponent, 45-15 over TCOG Nabors. I have never seen a more incredible stretch of football played in the entire history of the OTBCS. Game notes:

Endecott rushed for 146 yards and 2 TD, and Jerry Wilda ran for 202 and 1 TD

David Bryan recovers his 3rd fumble in 2 games

COGOP has outscored its opponents 153-61 in its last 3 games

Last game of the day is NC vs. WSF. Here we go.

[EagerBeaver]

11:49 PM CST - Wow, TCOGNC isn't even putting up a fight. They are now the league's only 0-4 team after a sorry 38-7 loss to Signs Following. David Myers threw for 210 yards, but was picked off twice for touchdown returns of over 70 yards each -- and Hillard Foster only ran for 55 yards.

Recaps tomorrow, but for now, good fight, good night!

[EagerBeaver]

9:57 AM CST - Here's a post-mortem on Game 4, with all your info rundowns.

Scores from last night
TCOGC 10 - 14 ZACOG
TCOGJA 11 - 19 CRC
COG 24 - 20 TCOGIDO
COGOP 45 - 15 TCOGN
TCOGNC 7 - 38 TCOGWSF

Official standings as of Game 4
Cedar Ridge Church 4-0, 12 pts
COGOP 3-1, 9 pts
TCOG Jerusalem Acres 2-2, 6 pts
TCOG Carter 2-2, 6 pts
TCOG In Divine Order 2-2, 6 pts
TCOG With Signs Following 2-2, 6 pts
Zion Assembly COG 2-2, 6 pts
TCOG Nabors 2-2, 6 pts
COG 1-3, 3 pts
TCOG North Carolina 0-4, 1 pt

Lies, darn lies and statistics
- COGOP won its third straight yesterday with a 45-15 blitzkrieg of TCOG Nabors, themselves a decent team. COGOP has outscored its opponents 153-61 in its last 3 games, with Clayton Endecott rushing for 513 yards over that stretch -- and the most interesting stat is Randy Howard's 45-for-61 passing for 623 yards and 7 touchdowns, with NO interceptions.

- TCOG of North Carolina has some serious issues after an 0-4 start to the season. Not only do they have to win their last six to guarantee an above-.500 finish, but Hillard Foster is waning and they have to replace him at running back as quarterback David Myers continues to lash into him. This team is falling apart at the seams.

- COG won its first game, glory hallelujah...but it didn't come easy. They had a 24-7 lead over Divine Order with two minutes left, but a quick Anderson-to-Carr bomb and an interception return made it 24-20 with 15 seconds left. If there were another quarter added to the game, TCOGIDO wins it in a blowout.

- Cedar Ridge remains the league's only remaining unbeaten team, and they continue to impress. Danny Page's production at running back sort of tailed off a bit, and the rest of their offense sagged a bit, but the defense stepped it up when they needed to. All game long they harassed Grady Kent and Samuel Doffee into mistakes.

Game 5 matchups
COG vs. ZACOG
COGOP vs. TCOGC
TCOGWSF vs. TCOGIDO
TCOGN vs. TCOGNC
CRC vs. TCOGJA

[EagerBeaver]

10:11 PM CST - Games are underway and I will batch post the scores. My apologies, I have had a terribly busy day. COG vs. ZACOG right now in the first quarter.

Remember folks, this is Game 5 -- the first half of the round-robin play concludes with this game, so this is a pretty good litmus test of what each team will do in the second half.

[EagerBeaver]

10:27 PM - ZACOG has won their third straight, but COG almost pulled this one off. We have our closest game of the tourney so far, 21-20 in ZACOG's favor.

The last play of the game did COG in. They started their final drive with a minute left at their own 7-yard line, and lo and behold, Dennis McGuire led the team to ZACOG's 28-yard line with six seconds left. They lined up for a field goal where McGuire pulled a Tony Romo, bobbled the snap and had to run with it. He gained a yard and that's your ballgame, folks. 21-20, ZACOG escapes.

Huge win for ZACOG and a terrible heartbreaker for COG.

[EagerBeaver]

10:45 PM CST - COGOP has now improved to 4-1 with a 14-10 come-from-behind win over TCOG Carter. Carter's clan led the game 10-0 at halftime, but two quick COGOP scores in the fourth quarter stunned One Fold.

David Bryan forced a turnover for the fourth straight game, intercepting a Carter pass to Don Bolyard with 54 seconds left to ice it.

TCOG Carter has lost 3 straight after a 2-0 start.

[EagerBeaver]

10:56 PM - TCOG With Signs Following has just beaten TCOG In Divine Order 35-13. Signs Following has really buckled down the past two games.

Will TCOGNC win their first or drop to 0-5? Let's find out...the game is on now.

[EagerBeaver]

11:06 PM - It's just not in the cards for TCOG North Carolina this year. They have started 0-5 with a 16-14 loss to TCOG Nabors (who themselves needed the win).

They were down 16-0 entering the fourth, but Hillard Foster ran for 89 yards in the final frame and a touchdown -- and PASSED for another -- to bring the team within 16-14.

They couldn't recover their onside kick though, and Nabors ran out the clock.

[EagerBeaver]

11:11 PM - Major upset here as TCOG Jerusalem Acres SHUTS OUT Cedar Ridge Church 21-0. Ron Hamm was knocked out of the game with an injury, forcing Danny Page to play quarterback and running back combo. Not good for CRC as they drop to a first-place tie with COGOP at 4-1.

Full recaps tomorrow, for now good night!

[EagerBeaver]

9:18 AM CST - Here's all the vital Game 5 information, complete with Power Rankings to begin the second half of the season.

Scores from last night
COG 20 - 21 ZACOG
COGOP 14 - 10 TCOGC
TCOGWSF 35 - 13 TCOGIDO
TCOGN 16 - 14 TCOGNC
CRC 0 - 21 TCOGJA

Official standings after Game 5
Cedar Ridge Church 4-1, 12 pts
COGOP 4-1, 12 pts
TCOG Jerusalem Acres 3-2, 9 pts
TCOG With Signs Following 3-2, 9 pts
Zion Assembly COG 3-2, 9 pts
TCOG Nabors 3-2, 9 pts
TCOG Carter 2-3, 6 pts
TCOG In Divine Order 2-3, 6 pts
COG 1-4, 3 pts
TCOG North Carolina 0-5, 1 pt

Team observations, rumblings and other stuff

- Cedar Ridge Church is #1 on our Power Rankings for the week. Ron Hamm is absolutely vital to this team's success though, as his injury meant the team was shut out in a Game 5 matchup against a tough Jerusalem Acres defense. If Hamm comes back in Game 6, and they have success running the football, they could go 8-2 or even 9-1 over the course of the season.

- After flexing some serious muscle in their previous three matchups, COGOP had to prove it could win a close one, which it did, coming from behind against TCOG Carter. The win was huge because it vaulted COGOP into a first place tie, and sent Carter's team reeling with their third straight loss. Look for COGOP to be consistent in the second half of the season...I see 7-3 coming and a deep playoff run if Endecott keeps running well and Howard continues his stellar QB play.

- TCOG Jerusalem Acres is doing quite well at 3-2. Last year they held a 7-3 record and I could see them replicating that this year. If Grady Kent can run as well as pass, not many teams can defend that. They have a hard time bringing down Samuel Doffee as it is. JA has an easy schedule over the second half, based on first half records.

- How does George Hensley do it all by himself? TCOG With Signs Following is a decent 3-2 after a brutal stretch...and they're the only team to have beaten COGOP so far this campaign. Huge props to them for that...let's see if they keep it up in the second half. I see them going 6-4.

- Zion Assembly COG is surprising a few folks, and why not? After an inauspicious 0-2 start to the season, they have rattled off three straight over quality opponents (yes, COG is still of quality) to enter the halfway mark with a winning record. Joseph Steele is an absolute beast and the only true rushing AND receiving threat in the league this year. Feed him and you win games, plain and simple.

- TCOG Nabors is treading water at 3-2. After a 45-15 shellacking by COGOP in Game 4, they rebounded with a nail-biting 16-14 win over TCOGNC in Game 5. Let's see if they can keep this up...the "Wilda-beast," as they call him, continues to run to glory, and James Nabors is having a decent season at the controls. I see a 5-5 mark and a possible surprise in the playoffs for these guys.

- The surprise of the league for a good reason last year with an 8-2 record, but surprising for all the wrong reasons this year...TCOG Carter started off 2-0 and had us prognosticating great things for them, until three straight losses has them and us scratching our heads collectively. TCOG Carter has lost to Divine Order, ZACOG and COGOP in rapid succession, and they may be no more than a .500 team the rest of the way out. Carter has to step it up at QB.

- Apostles Carr and Anderson are having a bit of trouble keeping TCOG In Divine Order in this thing. We had them tabbed as this year's ultimate sleeper team, given how close they had come to playoff glory in years past (after all, they were the runners-up in 2006). This just seems like a team that can't get over the hump. Maybe they need a few more Apostles to help them out. Anyhoo, Carr needs to run a bit faster -- he's doing good but not great.

- COG won its first match of the season in Game 4, a 24-20 decision over Divine Order. Then they reverted to form in Game 5 with an idiotic loss to Zion Assembly (why did they try to run a two-point conversion in the second quarter???). Better decisions could have helped this team along and they could be 3-2 right now, but it IS the COG we are talking about here. I don't see them making the playoffs unless McGuire develops a rocket arm quickly.

- Ah yes, the Story of the Year. TCOG North Carolina was one game from going to the Grand Final last year, but they were caught cheating. Call it karma, bad luck or whatever, but they are 0-5 this year and searching for a win. Granted they could be 2-3 because they've had a couple close ones, but with all the infighting on the team and Hillard Foster being comatose for the first four games, any comeback they make may be too little, too late. Pity.

Game 6 matchups
ZACOG vs. TCOGIDO
TCOGC vs. TCOGNC
COGOP vs. COG
CRC vs. TCOGJA
TCOGWSF vs. TCOGN

Radio broadcast difficulties continue
We had our equipment fried by some angry TCOGNC fans. We are working to get radio broadcast replacement equipment as soon as possible...thanks for bearing with us.

Are you enjoying the coverage?
Please let us know, so we know we're not doing this in vain. Also if you have any storylines you'd like to incorporate, just comment in this thread! The fun part has always been the user participation and it's kinda lacking this year. Join in!