Dethroned

(Week 13) The first ever back to back champions will not be the Rhode Island Ridicule, at least not in 2003. With a thrilling 98 to 94 loss to the desperate Wisconsin Wannabes, the Champs fell out of playoff contention. Wisconsin's Titans Defense along with Curtis Martin were able to hold back Penninton's late Monday night comeback, to send their arch rivals home for the playoffs.

Things were not so happy out east. There is a aura of sadness surrounding the proud franchise as not one, but two close coaching decisions would have changed the outcome of this game. Coach Libzie battled to the 11th hour with the decision on if to start Kliensasser and Manning, both of whom watched this game unfold on the pine. It proved costly as Manning would have given the Ridicule a 13 point difference, and "the Sauce" a 7 point difference from the Rhode Island starters. We will only know later in this offseason if such a loss to their arch-rivals will cause a shakeup in the front office.

The Wannabes have a tough road ahead of them still in order to make the playoffs. With the winner of the W. Palm Beach and England week 14 game guarenteed (outside a tie) of eight wins, Wisconsin needs a win against one of the strongest teams in PWFFL history, the undefeated Kalamazoo Vikings. Wisconsin does have a glimmer of hope as they were one of the two teams to score a draw against the Vikings in Week 3. Rhode Island travels to Rocko to try and avoid their first losing season since 1999.

Kalamazoo 98, Rocko 81
The Vikings had a scare on their quest for the first undefeated season when they faced the Rocko Bengals. The Bengals had a strong game out of their wide recievers and kicker, but their lack of running game dashed their hopes of giving the Vikings their first loss of the season. Kalamazoo's offseason addition of Randy Moss has earned dividends this year and once again his twenty-two points put the Vikings on top of the Bengals. Kalamazoo hopes to complete the undefeated season against Wisconsin, while Rocko looks to finally clinch a playoff spot next week against the Ridicule.

Benton Harbor 102, Detroit 99
This game looked to be all over after the Sunday Night scores were finalized. Detroit held a 27 point lead going into Monday night with the Hoodlems left with two players, Conway and McCareins. As a symbol to how the Drive's season has gone, both players scored TD's on way to a combined 30 points and a great comeback victory for Benton Harbor. The Hoodlems air game and strong defensive play has made up for their poor ground game all year and this game was no different as Benton Harbor could only muster 16 total points out of their running backs. Detroit has been inconsistant all year, but they got great news as their star quarterback Vick is finally returning to action. Too bad he waited until the end of the fantasy season to do it though. Detroit looks to sweep the Seattle Slugs this season in their week 14 matchup. The Drive defeated the Slugs 74-60 in week 11.

N. Michigan 97, England 79
The Yoopers started their first winning streak of their short history while also creating problems for two teams with strong playoff hopes. N. Michigan has turned into a strong team the last few weeks and looks to have finally awoken from the rookie slumber. England now faces playoff elimination and must win next week against W. Palm Beach and hope Kalamazoo knocks off the Wannabes. Yooper spokemen have already made a bold guarentee on the PWFFL messageboard that they will secure 11th place by beating the Green Bay Fudgepackers in week 14.

Seattle 108, Timbuktu 67
Ever since the return of Marshall Faulk, the Seattle Slimy Slugs have turned into one of the most dangerous teams in the league. The Buccaneers felt the slime as the Slugs just dominated Timbuktu this week. The Bucs have had quarterback troubles all year, and J. Blake made things worse with -3 points during the game. A big game out of Jimmy Smith late Sunday night didn't put a dent in Seattle's triple digit day. Timbuktu takes on Benton Harbor in the final game of the season, while the Slugs look forward to a warmup game against the Drive and try to avoid being swept.

W. Palm Beach 117, Green Bay 54
The final game of the week wasn't much of one. The Fudgepackers have returned to their normal selves the last couple weeks and made it easy for the Chads to get the win and keep their playoff hopes alive. W. Palm Beach is shooting for another triple digit day next week when their dreams of the playoffs are wrapped up into one game against the England Teasers. Green Bay hopes to avoid finishing in last place for the 3rd time in franchise history when they take on the Yoopers.

Coach of the Week: Wisconsin
Players of the Week: Marshall Faulk (RB-Sea)