Week 21 3/15/26

It’s weird sitting here after the last regular game of the Jewball season has been played. No signups to post. No teams to send out. The randomizer has been put away for the year. Yes, we still have league playoffs and a chip but as we all know that is separate from Jewball. Our 20 week (this year 21) season came to an end with three games and perhaps the craziest and most beautiful thing we’ve ever done.

In game 1a it was Blop v. Gorilaz. Blop flying high after clinching a playoff spot in their defeat of the Stogies the previous week and gorillaz looking to win and lock up the 1 seed.  Admittedly, I saw almost none of the game…..although the good news is there wasn’t much of a game to speak of. Everytime I looked over it was Lego zipping a pass to another wide open wr or mighty scampering down the sideline for a big gain. Gorillaz opened the scoring first after mighty took a short pass to the house to make it 6-0. Blop moved the ball well during the first half but just could not punch it into the endzone. Next drive for Gorillaz it was Lego to Goldberg to make it 14-0. Blop drove again but a drive ending int to lego on a wobbly pass gave Gorillaz the ball right back. Gorillaz scored one more time to mighty on a bullet throw from lego to make it 21-0. Zinn took over for blop at qb and had a solid drive and a crazy catch by prime up the sideline but a redzone stall kept the score at 21-0. Gorillaz would keep the shutout intact. Jewball to mighty for the 2 scores and just making play after play in this one. All gorillaz needed now was a Semi Pro loss and the 1 seed would be theirs.

In game 1b it was GM v SP. The last time these teams saw each other it was Week 1 of leagues and it was a game winner from Avenger to Berk to win it on the last play of the game. This time the game would come down just as much to the wire. Green Machine took the ball first and had a new toy to replace Iceman for this one. He’s a kid a lot of us know from Tuesday nights and arguably one of the best players we’ve played with. Levy stepped in and Avenger went right to him. The first time, a great bat down by storm, but the second time it was a post corner run to perfection and it was Levy off to the races on a 75 yard TD to open the scoring. Extra point to levy as well and a quick 7-0 lead for GM. SP took the ball but went 3 and out and avenger and GM went back to work. After a few more avenger to levy throws, the SP defense caught on and a deep ball intended for levy was picked by pray and SP was back in business. Three plays later it was pray up the sideline following blocks by an all nighter solo for 6. extra point no good and it’s 7-6 GM. The next drive for GM started with more of the same, mixed in with a few avenger runs. It was 4th and 1 from the 49. Everyone on the planet knew where the ball was going… to levy. Except Avenger pumps and tosses a soft touch pass over to Fish (who was somehow also filling in for iceman) and takes it to the house for a 13-6 lead. SP would not go down without a fight and took the ball looking to answer right back. However, a pass intended for solo got stalked down by Bert (filling in for oppen) and picked by avenger. GM now had a chance to take complete control of the game. Thankfully for SP, GM turned it over on downs and they had the ball right back. No harm no foul. SP started to drive and three plays in it was a wild run around backyard football moment with stats leaking over the top for a pray to stats touchdown to cut the lead to 13-12. The lack of extra points for SP keeps them away from tying it up. GM would answer right back with a 8 play drive capped off by a leaping TD by fish to make it 19-12. SP did nothing with their next drive and the game was now on the line. A GM score would end it. A stop would give SP one more chance to try and win it. On third and long, Avenger throws a deep ball intended for levy into double coverage and the ball gets batted around before falling into prays hands and returned for 25 yards to give SP one more chance. Some say avenger was sacked before the ball was thrown yet others say the ball was off. No one really knows and it was determined it was too late to fight it out. One thing for sure is that we always go by the teammates. If someone on the same team determines that the other team is correct, that’s it. No need to argue it out.  SP would take the ball with a chance to win it. On first and 24 from the 49 pray launched one to portal who catches it in stride and looked like he would score right away to end the game…. except fish came flying in from nowhere to track down portal at the 2. SP would need to punch it in. Two plays later it was Solo with a beautiful hands catch to make it 19-18. Kut and Co now had a choice, go for two and win it or 1 and play for the tie. The Dan Cambpell in Kut won and SP would try for two to win the game. Pray dropped back and a well timed third rush by daveo right up the middle forced a quick throw. It was one on one with Avenger and Portal. Rookie on Rookie. Roy on Roy. But Avenger wanted this one badly and he jumped right in front of portal to knock it down and end the game. Jewball to Avenger for the 3 tds thrown and the game saving play at the end. (Fish probably could have gotten it also but no jewballs to a guy who’s not yet in jewball).

Both these teams and Blop v. Gorrilaz will see each other again when the playoffs and chip happen 4/19 IYH.

I believe this was probably the first time in Jewball history that our games not only ended exactly at 9:30 but even a bit before. It was 9:22 and there was work to be done. Tables needed to be set up, food picked up, and wine selected. Yes maybe both games end up differently if we play the full allotted time (and start on time) but we were onto more important things. It was time for a 7b, probably the first LHS turf has ever seen. Waldo and Rafa walked in and it was time to celebrate with the new couple in the only Jewball knows how. Slassy. Yes, this was not a typical Sheva Brachos. This was an on the field quick hitter but was just as beautiful and meaningful as any other. While people ate, Lego and Waldo gave us some inspiring words that every Jewballer lives by….. don’t forget your roots. Everything we do is built on a foundation from the guys before us and the vets before them. It is on us to make sure that the next generation of jewballers not only plays and contributes but that they take this family and keep on expanding on it and making it thrive. That’s the foundation that we’re built on. It’s why we called this new “Era” the succession because we want to see jewball succeed beyond our immediate wants and needs. Waldo wishing you and Rafa nothing but the best and Iyh we will see you back on the field whenever you’re in town. Mazel tov. After the brachos were said and a dance on the field it was time for game 2. One that our very own chosson waldo would be playing in.

Game 2 had some guys leaving early and others jumping in but the teams ended up like this: it was red/white of yaron, goldberg, kut, legs, stats, storm, zinn, and tbd vs. black/yellow of pray, levy, kagan, justin, prime, portal, bin, rook, steveo, and of course waldo. Prime Justin and Kagan left early but this game was not a pretty one early on. The first score of the game was a tipped pass that bounced off rook and levy and landed in the waiting arms of zinn for a pick six. one play later a tipped pass by legs landed in Kutis’ waiting arms and it was a shovel pass from yaron to goldberg to make it 2-0. The game would stay that way for a while. Black/Yellow could find no solution for the pass rush of kuti and legs and TBD and no matter how hard he tried, pray could find no solution on how to throw a ball to waldo. (4 missed tds according to the glasses vid smh). Eventually, Yaron hit zinn on a deep ball with zinn making a zinn-like catch over levy  and sliding into the endzone to make it 3-0. Black/Yellow had no success throwing the ball so pray and co decided to just run. And run they did. Pray rushed in two to make it a 3-2 game and a little life was back. Maybe just maybe they would pull off the miracle with 15 minutes left to play. Unfortunately, the next drive was a methodical one by red/white and ended in a yaron to zinn quick slant to make it 4-2. Black/yellow would take the ball back looking to just keep it close on what would be their final drive and they turned to the only jewballer who had seen it all… Rabin. Rabin took over at qb and went to work. In classic jewball fashion though the first play was a backward pass to waldo who then threw a deep ball to pray who then lateraled to rook to put black/yellow inside the redzone. Rabin then hit rook in stride to bring them inside the 5 and capped it off with a quick roll out toss to portal for the last td of the jewball regular season. The man who plays for stats had the last one of the season. Kinda fitting that the longest tenured Jewballer hits a rookie to end the jewball season….. the roots and foundation from one generation to the next. 4-3 was the final and jewball to zinn for the 2 tds and pick six. Could’ve been yaron for the 3 tds and just all out balling in the last game of the season  A cool yaron game 2 sighting to finish it off.

Jewball, we still have three games left. Two Playoff games and a Champion to be crowned. The 25-26 season is not done just yet.