The final 4. Who will be the two teams heading to the Furbowl X 10 year celebration? Here Marty with the results:

Montreal vs New York
-United Conference Championship-

Montreal wins the coin toss, and elects to defer. The opening kickoff pins the Defiant at their own 11 yard line, and that’s immediately pushed back to the 6 after a hands to the face penalty on guard Samuel Royer. Things would go from bad to worse on the second play, with Koriun Masquarde leaving the game due to a concussion. They’d manage to get back a little breathing room, but are still forced to punt. Gustafson shanks the punt, and Montreal will start their first possession already in New York territory. Two big chunk runs by Ligustica later, and they’re already into the end zone. Ligustica takes the ball again on first and 10 from the 17, and weaves his way all the way in for the first score of the game. Timothy Dougherty gets tackled behind the line of scrimmage on first down, and the ball is out! John Bach jumps on it for the Montreal recovery. This time the Defiant manage to hold them out of the end zone, but it’s quickly 10-0 Montreal halfway through the first quarter. There’s still a lot of game to be played, however, as evidenced by the pass to a wide open Justice Matari that the speedy cat would take in 46 yards to cut the lead to three. Going into the second quarter, Montreal has the ball on 2nd and 3 from their own 17 yard line, with the score 10-3.

Continuing the drive, Montreal would get the ball out to the 47 yard line, but tackle Dusty Redburner would take a hard hit to his helmet and would leave the game to be checked for a concussion. On the next play, it looked like Yash Zuro had enough for a first down, but was called short on review. Tyron Appleby would get flagged for unsportsfurlike conduct for jawing with the ref after the call came in, pushing them back 15 yards and eventually leading to a punt. The Defiant would proceed to get two first downs on further Montreal penalties, moving them from their own 18 to the MTL 43. After a 21 yard rush from Doughtery, they had 1st and goal, and one pass to Dwayne Krieger later and New York would take its first lead of the game. It was kickoff returner Krieger’s first TD of the season. The Royal would come roaring back, however, flipping the field with a 57 yard catch and run by Keonte Hughes, setting up another long touchdown pass to Nicholas Baker. On the next drive, New York would convert one long third down attempt, but seemed to stall out again at midfield. On third and 10, Tachibana would make a short pass to Matari on a screen play, who would proceed to break three tackles on his way to a 40 yard gain. Just like last time, Tachibana would look to Krieger, in for Masquarde, who would catch his second touchdown of the game. At the half of a back and forth game, the score is NYD 21, MTL 17

Montreal gets the second half kickoff, and brings the ball out of the end zone for a 29 yard return. The drive would go nowhere, however, with Appleby getting sacked on 3rd and 4 to bring out the punting unit. New York would also go three-and-out on their first possession of the half. The Royal would have a bit more success on their second possession, moving down the field over the course of five minutes to reach the Defiant 35 yard line. However, a ten yard loss on a third down sack would take them completely out of field goal range, and they’d be forced to punt again. This one would be a beauty, pinning New York at their own three yard line. Patrick Penguinator would gain 22 yards on 3rd and 7 to give the Defiant some breathing room, and tight end Owen Walker would pick up another first down on the next play, with an extra 15 yards tacked on for a roughing the passer penalty. In the closing seconds of the quarter it looked like Krieger might get the hat trick, making it all the way to the one yard line before being pushed out of bounds. The score remains 21-17 going into the final frame, but New York has the ball and they’re knocking on the door.

It seems to be backup day for the Defiant, as two plays into the fourth quarter backup tight end Jackson Saint catches an easy pass for a touchdown. If Montreal wants a chance at that third ring, they’ve got some catchup to do. Robert Loera starts things off on the right foot with a 37 yard kickoff return. After picking up a first down, Appleby absolutely uncorks one on 2nd and 9, throwing it 43 yards to a waiting Nicholas Baker. It would have been a touchdown if not for a heroic TD-saving rundown tackle by Marcus Hopper. Still, they had first and goal, and Ligustica was finally able to muscle his way in from the two on third down. Montreal chose to go for two to make it a three-point game, and completed the attempt with a pass to James Schroeder. Unfortunately for New York, cornerback Uka Nakoyak would be injured on the attempt and would leave the game. The Defiant would get a good return of their own on the kickoff, starting at their own 32. They would move slowly but methodically, converting two third downs while burning five minutes off the clock. The drive would eventually stall at the MTL 35, setting up a 52-yard field goal attempt, which would be kicker Robert Hansen’s longest kick since 2019. The kick is up, and it sails cleanly through the uprights. Montreal gets yet another good return, and they have four and a half minutes to go 67 yards to take the lead.

They initially don’t seem to be in any hurry, allowing over a minute to bleed off the clock over their first two plays. Appleby goes for a hard count on 3rd and inches, and successfully gets the Defiant to jump for a first down. They keep working their way downfield, into New York territory, but the clock is ticking. Appleby’s pass is incomplete on third down, bringing up a fourth and inches. There’s a flag…but it’s on Montreal for an illegal shift. It’s now 4th and 5. Appleby gets the ball, drops back, looks, looks, dumps the ball off the Ligustica…who’s got the first down! They’re at the 23 with 1:33 left. They’ve got a first down with a pass to Baker and it’s first and goal with less than a minute remaining and no time outs. Ligustica catches the ball, but he’s taken down immediately in-bounds. They rush the line, snap the ball. Appleby throws…and Loera has it in the end zone! Montreal takes the lead! It’s only by one point, though, and New York has all of its time outs. Can they make it into field goal range? The kickoff bounces at the one, stays in-bounds. Guidry scoops it up, but is downed at the 8. They need about 65 yards in 26 seconds. Krieger catches the ball for six, and they call a time out. Second and 4. Tachibana drops back, scrambles…and is sacked back at the 7 by Claudio Fox! Widmore gets 10 on third down, but it’s fourth down and one with three seconds left. Foxalitic gets the ball, tries to lateral to Widmore, but he can’t secure it. Montreal is going to the Furbowl! Final score: MTL 32, NYD 31

Baltimore vs North Florida
-Continental Conference Championship-

Red Fields Coliseum. The home of the defending champs North Florida Renegades. They were once again back here for a ticket for that historic Furbowl 10 in Ann Harbour. The road was not as easy as before, as they had their share of losses, but when the time was needed they locked in and were not prepared to go for a Back 2 Back title. On the other hand, the Baltimore Ponies, ever since Furbowl 2 in 2015, tried to make their way again to the big dance. After many years of disappointing performances, they once again caught a new wind under new players, but for today, the task is upon the shoulders of Edward Eaton, taking the helm for Jillian St-Claire, hurt after the comeback victory from Baltimore against the Colorado Crushers. It's Eaton vs Becker, who will win? The Continental Conference Championship is on folks! Baltimore will start with the ball. But after a few plays it went nowhere. Now it would be North Florida's turn to start on offense. Caryn Becker showed that she was ready with her passing attack, as after only a few plays, she connected with Jesse Oahu for 30 yards for the first touchdown of the game!! 7-0 for the Renegades. Baltimore would return on the offense, but every completion from Eaton, North Florida pass rush was right there to avoid any extra yards on plays. As the game followed, Baltimore would manage to get close enough in the North Florida zone thanks to running back Kennedy Rodriguez, which would end in a 34 yards field goal from Tyler Kim. 7-3 North Florida. Next possession, North Florida would get some luck as Baltimore got penalized for extra yards as on the next play Becker would uncork a 68 yards bomb to Oahu again for another amazing touchdown! 14-3 North Florida. The stadium was getting fired up at this point now! Baltimore would then complete the first quarter with managing to get into the North Florida Zone with a mix of passing and rush plays. After one, North Florida led this one 14-3.

In the second quarter, the Ponies were starting to show some teeth as then suddenly C.C Mayer of North Florida was injured on a play. After Eaton tried to get further himself on three failed attempts, Tyler Kim would save the sequence with a 50 yards FG to put the Ponies further on the board. 14-6 North Florida. Then on the next possession, things got a little rough on the Baltimore side, as they were caught with two costly penalties, an Unsportmanlike conduct and a facemask. Shockingly though, North Florida could not capitalize on this as The Renegades had to punt. Deep in their zone, Baltimore could not move further and had to punt also, giving North Florida a great field position. The Ponies soon regretted it as moments later Caryn Becker would take off past the defensive line of Baltimore as she ran for 36 yards in the Endzone. Touchdown North Florida! 21-6. Baltimore would then return on offense, and you got to hand it to ya, they were not giving up, as they earned every inch of space they gained on the field, but North Florida were making it work for them. Once again not able to get it over the hump in the redzone, Tyler Kim would once again use his feet and kick a 34 yard FG. 21-9 North Florida. On the next kickoff, Hunter Blumenthal would dazzle the crowd with a great return for 31 yards as for the rest of the half, the North Florida Renegades kept the ball as Halftime was called. The Renegades looked in control, but if we know the Ponies, they can show up in the second half and make the game interesting. At halftime, North Florida leads the game 21-9 over Baltimore.

Third quarter in, as Baltimore needs to get on the attack and quickly. But it was North Florida possession, as they began to chew clock and slowly make their way on the field until they went and tried a 41 yard FG by Trent Velasquez…..NO GOOD! Ponies dodges a bullet. Once again, Baltimore continued to push on to try to get into that North Florida Redzone that eluded them all day, as after a third and inches, they STILL could not get further on their possession as they had no choice and went for the points. It wasn’t going to be easy though, as Tyler Kim would try for a 52 yards FG…….NO GOOD! The Baltimore sideline could not believe it! But not to worry though, Baltimore managed a quick 3 and out and got the ball again…But at their own 1! Hodges really pinned the Baltimore Ponies down their zone as try as they might again, North Florida just had total control of the field position. And if it wasn't enough, Hunter Blumenthal would once again run it back for 33 yards as North Florida could smell blood. They moved in closer…and closer…until the end of the third quarter, as they were on Baltimore 15 yard line. Can the Ponies hold them off, we heading to the final quarter as North Florida led 21-9.

Final quarter. North Florida on the Attack. Can the Baltimore Ponies hold the fort? Right off the bat Caryn Becker looked to return to the Furbowl as she ran it herself for 14 yards, 28-9 for the Renegades. Will this be the killshot? Baltimore would resume the play as after a long sequence, Eaton would complete for Furchet on a pass, but Kennedy Rodriguez would be hurt on the play while blocking. He would then be taken off the field as things seemed to get more dire for the Ponies. Ponies would then start to get further in the Renegades zone, but undiscipline would once again push them back and they would regrettably punt again. Seemed as it was all the Renegades needed, as on the next possession, Baltimore would seem to unrival at the seams, as yet another penalty and a DPI gave North Florida another chance to score. Once more, Caryn Becker, having a great day on the run, made the Ponies pay with a 29 rushing TD from the QB to make the score 35-9. Once final chance for the Ponies to score at least a TD, as after a 35 yards pass to Reisman that allow them to gain further on a roughing the passer penalty, the Ponies would be as close at the 25 yard line of North Florida with one final shot with 4th and 3…Eaton…looking for Iwodu…..incomplete. Turnover on downs. The rest of the game was rather academic, Ponies would then use all their timeouts as a 39 yard rush by Roland McSnow eliminated any chances for Baltimore. North Florida kneels the ball. Game over. North Florida will DEFEND THEIR TITLE at Furbowl X! North Florida wins this one 35-9.

So it comes down to this! Here the detailed preview of the biggest game of our league history:

FurBowl X, Saturday April 4th 2026

(3) Montreal Royal (13-5) vs. (1) North Florida Renegades (11-7)
Season series: None. These two did not meet in the regular season. The last time these two teams faced off against each other was during Week 1 of the 2023 season, which Montreal won 32-31 in Tallahassee.

And we're down to two. The Royal make their return after a two year absence by whipping the Corsairs in a blowout, immediately followed by outlasting the Defiant in one of the closest games of the season - both on the road. The Renegades sat back in Tallahassee and enjoyed relatively easy wins over the Blues and Ponies, but now must hit the road to take on what's been arguably the best team over the past half-decade. What's in store in FurBowl X? Let's break it down.

How did we get here?
Montreal: After losing a close defensive game in the Divisional round last year, the Royal didn't panic. Their main core of players were still under contract, and their only main addition in the offseason was bringing in Christian Wright to back up Tyron Appleby. Appleby would go down for about a month in Week 7, and Wright would indeed prove that the signing was not a regret as he went 4-1 in his five starts. Their 2024 first-round pick Arius Argyle was second on the team in total tackles, including leading the team in tackles for a loss with 16. Outside of these two new additions, the rest of the team, and particularly the defense, continued to gel together and play with a championship-pedigree of confidence week after week as they finished tied for the best record in the league with 13 wins. With a playoff spot already locked up three weeks before the end of the season, it was a roller-coaster as they finished 1-2, including a second loss at the hands of the Defiant to lose the division title on the final week. As a result, Montreal wouldn't play on their home field again this season, but they didn't need it. They hammered the Corsairs down in the bayou, and avenged their sweep at the hands of the Defiant in New York with a last minute near-walkoff touchdown to send the Royal to the FurBowl for the first time in three years.

North Florida: Despite winning FurBowl IX in Austin the year before, the Renegades didn't settle for just the one championship. They put all their chips in the middle of the table in the offseason, signing Olen Reuyters to a 2-year, $24 million extension, bringing in Brandon Cormier (T) from Austin on a 3-year, $12 million deal and Clarence Macon (G) on a 4-year, $20 million deal, just to name a few of the 12(!) new additions to the Renegades roster. There was valid concern that the amount of roster turnover would result in low chemistry to start the season, but after a Week 1 loss to the Dragons, they would go 8-3 in the next 11 weeks to silence the doubters. There was a bump in the road in Weeks 13 and 14 when they suffered losses to the Waves and Corsairs by a combined score of 85-23, but they rebounded to win the next three games, including a Week 17 tilt in Baltimore to effectively clinch the Continental East title once again. In the playoffs, they would halt the inspiring play of Ica Laanemaa and the Austin Blues (who themselves went on a late-season tear to sneak into the playoffs on the final day), and shut down the Ponies in the Conference Championship in two games that were effectively over at the half-time whistle rather than the full-time whistle. Now the Renegades look to become the first team to keep the Flosse Trophy in the Continental Conference in back-to-back seasons for the first time in league history.

Who has the edge?
Quarterback: The Royal have had Tyron Appleby under center for the better part of the last seven seasons and it's resulted in tremendous success, not having missed the playoffs since 2018 and bringing Montreal two FurBowl championships in that span. Despite missing five games this season, he's still put up a respectable 2,815 passing yards, with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and a 100.1 passer rating in 13 starts, nine of those starts resulting in wins. He continues to be one of the best pocket passers in the league, and continues to prove that you don't have to possess an incredible running ability to be a good quarterback in this league. Despite throwing for the highest completion percentage in a season in his career at 73.3%, there is some cause for concern as the 18-10 TD/INT ratio is one of the lowest ratios of his career, and he has not thrown a pass going longer than 45 yards this season. The deep ball threat we've seen in previous seasons hasn't been as strong in 2024, but it hasn't had to be, as he's been accurate when he's had to be. For the Renegades, Caryn Becker has had the best season of her short career thus far, putting up 3,987 passing yards, 522 rushing yards, 40 total touchdowns and 18 interceptions, by far the best in the Continental Conference. She's played two near-perfect games this postseason against two stout defenses in Austin and Baltimore, with an 85.1% completion rate and EIGHT total touchdowns. The weapons she has around her has allowed her to unlock her full potential to an even greater ability than she did during last year's run, and I fear we might be headed for a new dynasty. There is an argument that Appleby is the better passer than Becker, but when you put everything together, Becker simply has the higher ceiling right now.
Advantage: Renegades

Running Game: The Royal are spearheaded by their two-headed monster in Vito Ligustica and Yash Zuro, who combined for 2,386 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns, with three more touchdowns in the two playoff games to boot. They average 137.2 yards per game this season as a team, best in the United Conference. They're by far and away the best running duo in the UFFL, and the only duo in the league in which both players have run for at least 1,000 yards. They're used almost dead-even on carries, with Ligustica getting 256 carries to Zuro's 244. One of the Royal's biggest strengths is their offensive line, and it's shown not just in the way they protect Appleby, but how they allow their running backs to find the open space in their run-blocking schemes. Though, the Renegades also possess their own two-headed monster in Roland McSnow and Tyler Wirl, and despite rushing for 1,630 yards and 10 touchdowns together, it doesn't account for Becker's 522 yards and 9 rushing touchdowns. It's more of a three-headed monster in North Florida - when McSnow and Wirl hit a snag, Becker has the ability to play loose and run for first downs when the pocket collapses - something she's done 29 times this season. In a vacuum, Ligustica and Zuro have greater running abilities than McSnow and Wirl, but the wild-card here is if the game plan has Becker running more often. Based on the way the first two games for the Renegades shook out, it's not completely out of the cards.
Advantage: Renegades

Receiving Game: There's no denying that Olen Reuyters is the most talented receiver that'll suit up for FurBowl X. He's had an outstanding season with 111 catches, 1,781 yards and 17 touchdowns, and despite being relatively shut down against the Ponies last week, his mere presence on the field forces defenses to focus on him, which allows Becker's other targets to get open, like Hunter Blumenthal and Jesse Oahu, who himself is having a career year with 82 catches and 1,153 yards with 8 touchdowns. Despite this, the Renegades' receiving corps are rather top heavy, as Oahu and Reuyters are the only two receivers with more than 400 yards receiving during the regular season. As for the Royal, they have five players with such figures, with Keonte Hughes leading the way with 1,012 yards and 10 touchdowns. Nicholas Baker and Robert Loera both hit 700, and James Schroeder and Erik Sulzbach are right behind with over 550. This is a receiving corps by committee, and despite having no clear-cut number one option in the same regard the Renegades have with Reuyters, that's simply not how they operate - and it's not how they want to operate. As talented as Reuyters and Oahu is, Montreal's options have a much higher floor than North Florida's options if their respective top two receivers are shut down by the elite defensive backs that both teams possess.
Advantage: Royal

Offensive Line & Defense: The Royal only had 781 total tackles this season, which doesn't sound like much, but 65 of those were tackles for a loss, good for 8.3%. In other words, they didn't have a lot of tackles because they kept forcing opposing offenses into 3-and-outs and quick drives that usually went nowhere, which means they didn't have a chance to tackle more. They're 4th-best in quarterback hurries, tied for 2nd-best in knockdowns, 2nd-best in pass deflections and tied for 3rd-best in interceptions. This is a team with elite talent, both veteran and new - Arius Argyle's rookie season is one of the better ones of the league this season with 16 TFL's, while veteran linebacker Jetty Abrahams led the way with 94 tackles and four sacks despite missing four games with injury. Third-year pro John Bach added ten more sacks to his resume - an impressive 33 sacks in three seasons for the young star edge rusher. Eight different Royal defenders have forced at least one fumble this season, and eight different Royal defenders had an interception this season; something we do not see very often in the midst of one season. The Renegades boast similar talent, led by their young linebacker duo Lucky von Braunschweig and Ricardo Gorman, who each had 121 tackles and combined for 10 sacks. The Renegades also sit in the upper half of the categories listed above, including leading the league in pass deflections by DB's, as well as 84 tackles for a loss. All this being said, they're both gifted on the defensive line and the defensive backfield, with playmakers up and down the lineup that can force turnovers and get after the quarterback. Both QB's are well protected by their offensive lines as well, as Appleby was sacked 26 times in 13 games this season, while Becker was sacked 32 times in 17 games - both two or less per game on average. However, the Royal have made it clear that the identity of their team relies on protecting Appleby, running the ball, and forcing opposing offenses off the field, something that requires winning the battles at the line of scrimmage - and something they've mastered this season. Both teams offensive lines are mostly veterans that have a few rookies, and both teams have tremendous ability to collapse the pocket, but there's a reason why Montreal has 15 wins on the year.
Advantage: Royal

In short, there should be no shortage of fireworks in Ann Arbor in two weeks time. Both teams have incredible talent on offense and defense, and should be tight right down to the wire. I will not make predictions, but you can! The comments section is just a few scrolls down.

Big thanks to Lumi for all those detailed previews this season! So, who you all guys got? See you soon!!