PLAYOFFS 2020
On the eve of the regular season, there were very few believers in the Lagos Pride.
Most prognosticators placed them near the bottom of the league in the preseason power rankings. They were widely picked to finish last in their division and contend for the top draft pick in 2021. Instead, the Pride stormed out to a 3-0 start and rode that success throughout the season to secure a postseason berth. While they did not win AC South, they did sweep their division opponents--including handing a deeply talented London team two of its four losses this season--and earned a wild card spot as the #5 seed.
The much-maligned offense--widely predicted to be one of the worst in the league--instead proved to be at least competent; while never truly consistent, Lagos surprised be being simply average to above average in most offensive categories. The defense, expected to be mediocre and inconsistent, was instead dominant: Lagos finished with the #2 defense in yards allowed and were the best in the WAFL in points allowed. The Pride's defensive performance was especially impressive considering the rash of injuries suffered by their secondary, as the elite CB duo of DeLay and Wolf missed a combined 10 games and played through injuries in several more.
The season will continue for the Pride, at least for one more week. As the 5 seed, however, Lagos faces an uphill battle through the playoffs. The first hurdle in their path: the Tokyo Samurai, who represented the AC in the championship game at the end of last year's exhibition league. The 13,469 km distance Lagos traveled to play this game is more than 1/3 the circumference of the globe, by far the longest journey for any of the wild card teams. Lagos has not been a bastion of consistency this year, especially when on the road outside of their division, and added to their troubles, Lagos drew the Sunday afternoon game, meaning that kickoff will be 1pm Tokyo time--which translates to 6am in Lagos. While the team traveled early to Japan to become acclimated to the time difference, it will be a difficult hurdle to overcome, especially since teams typically arrive at the stadium some 3-4 hours ahead of kickoff.
Whatever lies ahead, Lagos can take pride (heh) in a tremendous odds-defying season. The "experts" were clearly wrong about this team, and just how wrong they were remains to be seen.
Lagos Pride Press
Re: Lagos Pride Press
DIVISION ROUND 2020
The Cinderella story continues for the Pride, who emerged victorious after a hard-fought battle with the Tokyo Samurai. The win, however, came with a steep cost, as their starting RB was placed on injured reserve after the game.
The road does not get easier from here. Lagos will next visit the formidable Pine Bush UFOs, who lost only 2 games in the regular season. It's another long trip for the Pride; we'll see if they're up to the challenge tonight!
The Cinderella story continues for the Pride, who emerged victorious after a hard-fought battle with the Tokyo Samurai. The win, however, came with a steep cost, as their starting RB was placed on injured reserve after the game.
The road does not get easier from here. Lagos will next visit the formidable Pine Bush UFOs, who lost only 2 games in the regular season. It's another long trip for the Pride; we'll see if they're up to the challenge tonight!