Javier Alonso continued his time as QB1 finishing the regular season with the most passing yards of any Sea Devils QB & leading an offence with the most passing yards of any Sea Devils team.

WR1 De Yeap & TE1 Devin Boss led the Sea Devils receiving corps & De Yeap secured the Sea Devils third best wide receiver with 12 TDs. When compared to none in S61 this is surely an indicator of a marginal shift toward throwing once within sight of the end zone.

This high flying passing offence was only enough for Alonso to rank third among Sea Devils QBs. Perhaps it was the 23 sacks allowed, the 16 interceptions thrown & Storm's preference to run the ball into the end zone - just 23 passing TDs compared to a league-leading 52 - that saw Alonso slip down the rankings.

In this line of analysis it can only be said that the Offensive line continue to struggle. Veteran OC Oybek Khairulin has been signed to replace the retiring Pandu Oyinlola while a roster of linemen approaching their prime develop further.

In the running corps FB Mayukh Anand was signed part-way through the season. His emergence as FB1 broke Howard Schuler's run as the Sea Devil's leading FB - at least until Anand retires in a couple of years - however the two FBs still notched 18 TDs with QB Javier Alonso sneaking in for a further 8.

The defensive line continued to prove themselves a problem for opposition with DE Kirimi Aarons notching 9 sacks & 22 tackles for loss while DL Warren Varner continuously penetrated with 30 tackles for loss.

In the backfield MLB1 Severino Dupond & OLB Benedict Rowe - one of the franchise's longest-serving first teamers & now the franchise's all-time leader in sacks - both took 5 sacks. But questions must be asked as Northern Storm intercepted passes just 12 times during the season finishing near the bottom of the table on this particular statistic.

Too many sacks allowed & not enough interceptions taken. Yet an improved record in a Sea Devils league famed for its difficulty. How will the Storm address these weaknesses in S63?

Surpassing the franchise’s all-time passing yardage record was not enough to save QB1 Brent Cloud as he continued last season’s poor ball security by throwing 4 interceptions in the opening game. Management responded by signing new QB1 Javier Alonso to take the reins while first round draftee Marion White developed. Brent Cloud has since been sold but the record holder’s place in the team’s history remains.

In S61 a competitive NC South became harder with the arrival of the elite Social Distance Runners. Deeming the chance of competing for the play-offs unlikely the Storm chose instead to focus on training up their roster & signed WR Ante Salchii & TE Devin Boss to bolster the receiving corps & provide continuity behind their aging TE1 Luiz Akerele & WR1 De Yeap.

More than 6000 total yards placed the Storm’s passing offence second in the league with newcomer Javier Alonso ranked 13th among Sea Devils QBs. The hybrid run/pass playbook saw TE duo James Lebese & Luiz Akerele catch for a combined 2280 yards & rank 10th & 11th among Sea Devils receivers as Storm advanced up the field. Once in range K Mark Popovic stepped up repeatedly for 39 field goals making him the most successful Kicker in franchise history. While in short yardage situations FB Howard Schultz punched 24 TDs into the end zone retaining his place as the Sea Devils best overall FB.

Most importantly & a vindication of the change in QB the offence gave away only 21 interceptions - 8 less than in the previous season.

A growing defence recorded 28 sacks against last season’s 16 with OLB Benedict Rowe contributing 9. The defensive line also clutched 110 tackles for loss (previously 98) of which DE Warren Varner contributed 22. Orval Kemp played much of the season at DE but has since been reassigned to FS1 after Terje Evjen’s struggles.

Of particular note this season was the success of Severino Dupond’s switch from CB1 to LB1 where he matched established MLB Will Sturgill in performance. Often paired together with one blitzing from a 4-4-3 the duo totalled 8 sacks & 8 interceptions.

With a second ranked passing offence, a dominant FB & an ever-more aggressive defence the Northern Storm have shown what kind of team they intend to be. The question remains how they intend to approach S62… will they continue training to improve & build further? Or will they prioritise a run at the play offs?

More signings into first string positions across the team were just enough for the Sea Devils to repeat their 10-6 record against vastly improved opposition.

Brent Cloud moved top of the franchise's all-time passing yardage chart surpassing records held by players from before the Storm takeover. He led a 7th ranked passing offense & an 11th ranked rushing game with 5091 yards thrown & 496 yards rushed (putting the QB 41st among Sea Devils rushers). New signing TE Luiz Akerele led established WR De Yeap in catching yards but both combined for 1800+ yards.

First round OL Antonio Serrano & attempted training improvements to the offensive line paid little dividend with only marginal gains in blocking success & a repeated 64% pass completion. Giving up 25 sacks & 29 interceptions many in key lost fixtures meant the Storm ranked highly in these unwanted stats & ultimately did not do enough to deserve the Wild Card spot secured last season.

Some solace could be found in Sea Devils #1 FB Howard Schuler smashing home 976 of a team total 2143 yards. He also contributed 33 of the team’s league topping 46 rushing TDs & finished joint 3rd in the league with 8 MVP performances.

A vastly improved defensive line began to show their power with Warren Varner & new signing NT Tudur Matthews notching 51 TfL. 2nd round draftee Kirimi Aarons contributed 5 sacks at DE along with 3 each from OLBs Anton Hawk & Benedict Rowe.

Meanwhile in the backfield the Sea Devils #2 LB Will Sturgill picked 17 of the team’s 22 interceptions ranking the LB joint 2nd in Sea Devils. Newly arrived CBs Zissis Bakas & Odin Robertson joined CB1 Severino DuPond & all contributed key interceptions during highlight wins over the Black Knights & St Pauli Packers.

Tougher opposition means the repeat of a 10-6 record must surely be signs of progress. But with the defence accelerating the same question must be asked of the offense in S61 - can the offensive line give Brent Cloud the protection he needs to take Northern Storm to the next level & keep pace with the Manta Rays?

Offensive MVP: FB Howard Schuler
Defensive MVP: MLB Will Sturgill
Special Teams MVP: K Marko Popovic

Northern Storm completed the move to EAMCI's home the Sea Devils in time for S59.

After last season's re-structure first string signings were made across the roster. Severino Dupond (CB) De Yeap (WR) Arturo Molina (RB) & Will Sturgill (MLB) were signed from the transfer market while James Lebese (TE) Dane Bátor (DL) & Henrik Bajor (WR) were acquired in the draft. All eyes were on the level of contribution these new arrivals would be able to make.

Established QB Brent Cloud finished 3rd in the Sea Devils' regular season passing stats (6,342 yards) with 469 yards thrown in the highlight victory against the Baltic Dogs. The 28 sacks allowed must be attributed to the offensive line all of whom recorded a sub-50% block success rate. Draftees Henrik Bajor & James Lebese accounted for nearly 40% of Brent Cloud's yardage finishing 11th & 8th in Sea Devil's catching yards with James Lebese finishing top among TEs.

With none of the Storm's receivers finishing in the top 50 for catching TDs it fell to last season's Youngblood MVP Howard Schuler (FB) to get the ball over the line with 33 TDs for just 3 fumbles earning an MVP performance in the season highlight victory against Sheffield Wednesday & emerging as the #1 FB in Sea Devils. Howard Schuler's ball security also allowed Northern Storm to keep the ball in field goal range with last season's Special Teams MVP Marko Popovic (K) kicking 39 Field Goals & earning 3 MVP performances including in the away victory against divisional opponents the Manta Rays.

Last season's Defensive MVP Benedict Rowe moved to OLB allowing new signing Will Sturgill to take MLB notching up 10 DefTDs, 8 Sacks & 13 Interceptions & finishing as the #1 LB in Sea Devils. Meanwhile Severino Dupond contributed 9 Interceptions & 3 DefTDs. Also of note was Avery Lessard's 11 Sacks - the most of any Safety in the league & Warren Warner's continued presence in the defensive line saw him finish 5th in the league for TfL.

With a big gap in standard between Northern Storm & their play-off opponents they surely must be considered outsiders. But a winning record & excellent contributions from their new first string signings is a pleasing indication of the franchise's progress in S59.

Offensive MVP: Brent Cloud (QB)
Defensive MVP: Will Sturgill (MLB)
Special Teams MVP: Marko Popović (K)
Youngblood MVP: Howard Schuler (FB)

A dramatic team restructure has seen 16 players fired & active recruitment through both the transfer market & Youth Academy.

On offense Dominic Huber’s inspired switch from D to WR produced 814 catching yards & 10 TDs. Meanwhile new signings made an impact with QB Brent Cloud throwing for 61% pass completion with no interceptions, WR/TEs Evandro de Mata & Andreas Klein totalling 545 catching yards & FB Howard Schuler rushing for 293 yards & 11 TDs. A struggling line has been reinforced with OC Pandu Oyinlola.

Multiple changes of position on defence has seen the emergence of LBs Benedict Rowe & Anton Hawk who totalled 13 sacks & 8 interceptions. The arrival of young SF Sigþór Cornell has added depth & potential while DL Samih Najjar has strengthened a young set of DLs with 11 tackles for loss since joining.

With plenty of field goals missed & punts sent out of bounds the arrival of K Marko Popovic & P Dane Buchanan was crucial to an effective special teams. Marko Popovic showed his value in his first game during the win against Voghera Locomotives with an MVP performance 7 field goals & 3 PATs.

Northern Storm achieved their ambition of a winning record in the Claymore AC South at 5-1. However this was put into perspective by a bruising 73-3 defeat to divisional heavyweights the Forest Falcons & finishing beyond the playoffs.

A switch to the Sea Devils league where EAMCI previously managed the Redcoats to a 14-2 record & Conference Runners Up in S40 is being considered. Wherever Northern Storm play next season their ambition is to spend their first full season in their newly-built 100000+ seat stadium challenging for a winning record.

Offensive MVP: WR Dominic Huber
Defensive MVP: LB Benedict Rowe
Special Teams MVP: K Marko Popovic
Youngblood MVP: FB Howard Schuler