Embalmers Survive Early Scare to Top Rouglrejirz

The undefeated Winterplague Embalmers put their streak on the line in a quarterfinal match against the Qamaja Rouglrejirz this past Tuesday, each team looking to advance to the conference championships and be that much closer to the LCBBL Dungeonbowl trophy.

Despite having a smaller fanbase present for this match, the Orc supporters managed to out-scream their undead counterparts on the opening kickoff, bolstering their team's resolve as they took on the league's winningest squad. The Embalmers must have plugged their ears, or simply removed them for the time being, because they started the match off with the same methodical intensity that they've become known for, led by mummy Crush Limblargh's knockout blow against line orc Tarod. The Rouglrejirz had a heavy hitter of their own, this game, though he was enjoying the match from the stands until called forth.  No sooner than electrifying ghoul runner John Hellway had scooped up the ball and surged up to the line of scrimmage, he was on his back in a smoking heap courtesy of the Rouglrejirz's hired wizard. An audible "gulp" echoed from the Embalmers' fans as their star player was carted off the field, not to return for the entire match.

The hits kept coming after Tomb Brady of the Embalmers picked up where his crispy comrade left off. Black orc Jreghug rang zombie Dreg Bumble's bell, and blitzer Lamgugh did the same to Max Hunger. The undead weren't taking the beatings laying down, though, and gave as good as they got. Speedy wight Dante Sinferno shoved orc blitzer Oughan clear off the field, and Crush Limblargh continued his agenda of mandatory naptimes for the orcs, this time putting Magub's lights out for a little while. With less players on the field, the speedy undead found a clear path to advance, and soon Tomb Brady was leaping across the line for the game's first touchdown.

The following kickoff was an inhuman boot from the hulking Rowdy Rotty Pulper which flew clear out of the stadium, and a new ball was fetched and given to orc thrower Abbas to begin the drive. Abbas quickly launched a pass to Sakgu, but no sooner had the ball entered his hands than it was knocked free once more by a cannonball blitz courtesy of Troy Achemoan. Achemoan's momentum nearly carried him into the crowd along with his next target, the luckless Lamgugh, but his quick reflexes allowed him to redirect himself towards the discarded ball and charge forward into the end zone to make it 2-0 for the undead. Abbas managed one more pass for the orcs before halftime.

The second half started badly for the Rouglrejirz, but they weathered the blitz from their undead opponents, and Abbas managed a huge pass down to blitzer Magub to get the ball out of danger. The Embalmers' zombies seemed intent on earning their pay for a change, and the mundanely energetic Dreg Bumble managed to pry it free from Magub after shoving the orc down with the clinical effort one expects of the walking dead. The hefty Blak Sashower responded by hitting Dante Sinferno hard enough to temporarily scramble the wight's necromantic energies and sent him cartwheeling off the field to sleep off the hit. Sakgu the blitzer added his own personal touch to the affair by knocking Dreg Bumble out with a forearm shiver. The surprisingly agile Blak Sashower got his meaty mitts on the ball, and lobbed what we assume must have been a pass to line orc Unrugagh.

The undead bashed their way towards the ball carrier as best they could, knocking out Digdug and Tarod, and eventually stunning Unrugagh. Heroically, the oafish Jreghug arrived on the scene to easily toss Wraith Lewis into the bleachers, and buy enough time for Unrugagh to right himself, pick up the ball, and walk it in for a touchdown. Not much time remained, but the orcs weren't out of it yet.

The next drive for the Embalmers started off well, with Tomb Brady tossing a short pass to Ben Rottensburger to get the offense going. The excitement was short-lived as Rottensburger tripped over a discarded jock strap on his way downfield, and the orcs surged forward to capitalize on the mistake. Unfortunately for them, no one could seem to get a sure grip on the ball. The Rouglrejirz did, at least, take the opportunity to viciously assault Crush Limblargh, knocking the mummy out despite Digdug getting caught and ejected in the process. Time finally wound down on this match, and the Winterplague Embalmers lurched away with a 2-1 victory and their perfect record intact.

Match MVP awards went to Rowdy Rotty Pulper of the Embalmers for his devoted defense of his teammates, And to the orc Nugai, who seems to have just shown up and got added to the roster because, as the orc coach put it, "We liked 'is shade uh green".  The Embalmers go on to face the winner of the upcoming Tri-City Theropod Thrashers / Araby Falcons match.