What an opening match of the new season! We have stood witness to an aggressive Carroburg team that has systematically demolished the opponent tonight. Even to the extent that a Grenzburg assistant coach was seen begging the referee to blow the whistle and ban Grenzburg players that fouled, so that they could get safely off the field. Not that Grenzburg didn’t do their very best to fight back, but in a match that saw a total of 11 casualties, the tally was 7-4 to Carroburg, although the only death was caused by Grenzburg’s star blitzer Calvin Pryor on Cascade catcher Joe Adams, newly traded in from the Sharks. Thus he was a Carroburg player for 5 turns only. With a 3-0 victory over the Greenskins in the literal Battle of the Border, Hertha can report from the field. Where is Günther these days, Hertha?

Hertha: Well, you know, he was in Brionne, and the weather turned bad, so he’s not back yet. However, one is not alone tonight as long as one wears a crimson shirt!

And you have two of the players there with you, haven’t you?

Hertha: That’s correct.

She turns to the two players, tall, lanky Nicola with her black hair in a long braid reaching halfway down her back, and a red-haired, freckled youngster wearing a wide grin on his face.

Hertha: Nicola, two TD’s today! Tell us about that!

Nicola: It simply feels great! (grinning). “You know, with Hassel and Hattendorf gone, and my own skills improving, Coach has now assigned me primary ballcarrier, with Cody as close-in support. This means I will carry the ball a lot and score many more TD’s this season than last. The team is better, too!”

Hertha: “They surely showed that today! Tell us about your TD’s!

Nicola: “Both of them were in the second half, when the Greenskins were down to six players, so it wasn’t all that hard. We kicked, but stopped their advance up the left sideline, with Manfred stripping the ball away from ballcarrier Art Monk. That guy Manfred and the way he just pops the ball away… he’s done it many times to me during practice… that is simply unreal… Then Inga tried first to pick it up, but couldn’t get it, so I picked it up instead and ran all over the field while the rest of the team held back the remaining Greenskin players. No Greenskin was ever near me on that run. And there was still about a third of the half left, but this time the Greenskins weren’t even trying to score. They just left the ball and tried to foul our players to be banned and get away from it all. Very surreal… I could run totally on my own, pick up the ball and run it to a TD. Must be the weirdest TD I ever scored.”

Hertha: “You also ran with the ball in the first half?”

Nicola: “Yeah, got about halfway to the goalline, but then LaVar hit me from the side, and I tumble over. That’s brutal, you know. You just hear the smash, feel the impact and then it’s all so totally confusing. All you can do is gasp for some air, to clear your head. And then you check, ribs are OK, neck and spine equally so, both legs are working, arms as well, and then you try to get up, and slowly, oh so slowly, it’s working. And as I stumbled a couple of meters, still not totally certain that I am still in one piece, I could hear the explosion of cheers from the stands as Billy scored his first TD for our team!”

Billy: “First career TD, actually!”

Hertha: “Tell us about that”

Billy: “It’s at the end of the first half, and Thorwald and me are trying to protect Nikki, but then LaVar comes behind the screen, dodges past Thorwald and hits Nikki, while we are focused on Calvin and John. The ball is loose, and Calvin Pryor is covering the ball, but Thorwald sends him off KO’d and the ball is loose. Nikki is still only barely on her feet, so Anders grabs the ball and pushes it in my arms. RUN, we got you covered, he screams and off I go. There is some room between LaVar and the sideline so I aim for that, and the cheer as I sprint over the TD line unopposed is simply wonderful…”

Hertha: “You also got two casualties in your first game for the Cascade, right?”

Billy: “Yeah. It’s at the start of the match and I have to battle it out with Don Warren (veteran blitzer) and Dave Butz (rookie lineman), on our right flank. I think even Calvin Pryor (star Blitzer) was there to hit me a couple of times. But you know, with a little help from your friends, I think it was Nikki (he grins up towards his taller teammate), I managed to get rid of them both, first Don (badly hurt) and then I broke Dave’s leg (SI), and that created lot's of space for Nikki.”

Hertha: “A great day for both of you, and also for the team. What did you think of the opener, Nicola?”

Nicola: “Well, what more can you hope for? The guys are battling it out with the Greenskins, and we end up with 7 casualties. I actually think even Inga got one at the end there. The fans got to love that!! And also three TDs, two for me, and one for this unlikely newbie (she slaps Billy’s helmet)! The team simply works so much better now, with experienced players in all positions. Now we look eagerly forward to wishing the Sharks welcome to the Crimson Pool two weeks from now. We have a season 2 loss to revenge.”

Hertha: “And Billy, how is it to be new to the team?”

Billy: “Great. Just great! Everyone is playing for the team here, and we help each other to reach greater goals! I ‘m sure I will love it here!”

Hertha: “That’s all from us, but join us again for the home match against the Sharks. And then, Günther will be there as well, or I swear Dave Butz will not be the only one to leave the field with a broken leg…”

Brought to you by Hertha Wendlinger, Carroburg Tageszeitung