Senior sports staff’s Blood Bowl predictions
The annual football match with the Daily Trojan and the Daily Bruin will be close.
The Blood Bowl is a tradition that has been going on between the Daily Trojan and Daily Bruin since at least the 1950s. Two historic papers are coming to clash in an all-important two-hand-touch football game. The journalists who have been criticizing and critiquing their respective schools’ teams all year get to show out on the gridiron.
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After falling in last year’s contest, redemption is on the minds of everyone on the Daily Trojan sports staff. Here are a few of the predictions our senior sports staff think will happen in this edition of the game.
Darren Parry
Assistant Sports Editor
10
–
9
Of every team in this country, you need a win, the fate of the universe is on the line, the Martians have the death beam pointed on Earth, you better win it, I want the DAILY TROJAN.
Last year was a heartbreaking loss at the hands of some poor performances on defense, but this year will be a different story. We are locked in on both sides of the ball and I feel like we can dominate all aspects of the game, even though we are missing our one-time captain and leader (shoutout Patrick Warren).
Being at a bigger field at Drake Stadium on the UCLA campus, look for this staff to stretch the ball down the field. I still think the game will come down to who has the ball last because of the uncertainties of any two-hand touch football defense. Having said that, my score prediction is: Daily Trojan 10, Daily Bruin 9.
Joshua Sacher
Sports Editor
15
–
8
As a first-time participant in this historic event, my excitement is through the roof and my confidence is unwavering. I’ve heard through the grapevine we lost in heartbreaking fashion last Blood Bowl, but the Daily Bruin hasn’t seen the sophomore wide receiver/free safety out of Westfield, NJ, and I will do everything in my power to not let another loss occur this year. In the words of Randy Moss: “[Sports Editor] don’t stretch on game days!”
We are coming in with an absolutely stacked roster featuring five-star backup quarterback Anjali Patel. While she might not look like a threat, she has sneaky speed, a high football IQ and orange slices on the sideline (#soccermom). I don’t know how our defense will play, but our offense will put up points. If I’m being completely honest, I’m more focused on touchdown celebrations than winning the game, because that’s a given. We’re going to win Friday. I guarantee it. My final score prediction: The Daily Trojan blows the Daily Bruin out of the water, 15-8.
Anjali Patel
Associate Managing Editor
Preparation is what sets us apart from our opponents this year. This time around, the team has put in the work. Plenty of blood, sweat and tears (and quite a few Capri Suns) have gone into our practices, so we’ll be the ones taking home the bragging rights, no doubt. That being said, the real takeaway from team practices has been that we are going to be a pass-heavy team (which is all fun and games until someone is bound to have a case of the “butterfingers”).
With a bigger field also comes the opportunity for many trick plays. My prediction for this annual crosstown showdown: at least four trick plays at the hands of the Daily Trojan. With me as the eternal backup quarterback, the Bruins should keep an out for plays like Nick Foles’ Philly Special. The Daily Trojan is out for blue and gold this year.
Leila MacKenzie
Assistant Sports Editor
Before shipping myself to California, I’d spent seven years as the self-proclaimed heart and soul of the Bradenton-Lakewood Ranch Under the Lights Football sidelines. In my tenure as a goated older sibling, I acquired an aptitude for identifying heckling and hollering talent. My greatest prospects were sun-damaged, middle-aged Floridians who routinely spit traces of Mountain Dew Big Gulps at referees, but in our latest team scrimmages, I’ve come to believe that we’ve been lining up beside a prodigy of our own.
My bold prediction heading into Friday evening is that Assistant Sports Editor Dana Hammerstrom — our spiritual captain and strongest supporter — will say “ur mom” seven and a half times.
Stefano Fendrich
Sports Editor
Based on my scouting from last year’s game, I’m quite familiar with the stature that we will be facing against the Daily Bruin. While the official heights are not listed on their website, I’m confident that we will be able to tower over the opposition. We’re bringing Joseph Domingot, Thomas Johnson, Kasey Kazliner, myself and Rylan Bohnett — who sports like a 30 in vertical — who will all be able to win the contested balls.
That’s why I’m locking us in to win more than five jump ball opportunities. We have the height, we have the build and we have the hands. Well, maybe not that last part for me, as Darren Parry knows from last year. But the rest will be able to bring down the 50/50 chances and will be a big part of helping us secure the win.
Dana Hammerstrom
Assistant Sports Editor
13
–
12
As a returning player to this fateful tradition, my hopes for defeating the Daily Bruin are high. Last year, the folks from across town came out swinging — I left with bruises, not only to my body but to my ego. This year, there’s a new smell in the air: redemption.
The Daily Trojan has not been shy with its level of commitment to this game. Practices and plays are the foundation of our future success, but team chemistry has been what sets this season apart for those of us who bleed cardinal and gold. I am predicting that senior Assistant Sports Editor Darren Parry will throw a 30-yard dime to sophomore Assistant Sports Editor Leila MacKenzie to win the game, pushing the Trojans above the Bruins 13-12.
