In the first full varsity game since 2023, following a game suspension last year due to alleged racial verbal abuse from a King’s player, UCL didn’t fail to deliver.
A weak start from the Emperors created tension – King’s scored an early touchdown in the second down of the second play, but failed the two-point conversion due to UCL’s strong D-line.
In the first quarter UCL managed a successful interception whilst KCL fumbled, the beginnings of the Emperors gearing up.
In the second quarter, a touchdown from UCL led to a false start for the 2-point conversion, equalising scores to 6-6.
UCL battled against a strong defensive line for the rest of the quarter, chasing the ball halfway across the field after a fourth down punt from KCL shot it towards UCL’s 10 yard line. Luckily, the Emperors recovered their energy with a strong interception a few plays later.
The energy of the stadium ramped up as the play got more intense, helped by the the UCL Lightning cheerleaders on the side line and UCL’s mascot Panthony. This created a strong one-sided energy in the Emperor’s favor, feeling almost like a home game, as the KCL Lions cheerleaders were absent from the sidelines.
With the end of the second quarter, the UCL Lightning halftime show commenced. The Lighting squad pulled out an impressive sequence of formations and choreography before a final line formation to Charli XCX’s “Von Dutch”. The three split lift triangle formations were especially memorable – flaunting the strength of the bases, the agility of the flyers and the synergy of the group as a whole.
The contest continued in the third quarter, with both teams returning from the break with fresh ambition. King’s quickly scored another touchdown running from the UCL 30 yard line, bringing the score to 6-12, with an unsuccessful bonus attempt. This renewed the Emperors, especially the defensive line, who successfully blocked further gains for the Regents in subsequent plays.
UCL channelled this success into a second touchdown: the stadium watched in buzzing anticipation as the Emperors ran the ball 55 yards across the field.
The crowd burst into frenzied cheers as the ball entered the end zone, equalising to 12-12. This was followed by a successful punt between the post by Sachin Coppell Sach, tipping the score to 13-12.
The final quarter of the game continued the strong play from UCL, a worthy challenge as the Regents summoned their best strategy. UCL players continued strong in their tackles and interceptions, almost delivering a pick-six intercepted touchdown for UCL.
For the rest of the match, UCL ran out the clock, having turned around their defensive line in the second half. A final tackle from Tatsuki Yamane shut down King’s last down, securing the Emperors’ hard-earned victory.
The final 13-12 score confirmed UCL American Football’s supremacy – after all, what’s a king to an emperor?
