The Fury Football league had thirty clubs, thirty head coaches and a calendar full of promises. On Tuesday, Cleveland supplied the first thing that could actually be entered in the win column.
The Stevedores defeated the Denver Wild Blue, 27–12, in the founding season’s opener, turning a 12–6 halftime deficit into a victory with twenty-one unanswered points. The second half belonged entirely to Cleveland: six points in the third quarter, fifteen in the fourth, and no answer from Denver.
The league’s first official winner is Berhane ZemZem’s Cleveland club. The first lesson for Droun Shuler’s Denver side is that a halftime lead can be a very temporary possession.
The men behind the first victory
Manning, No. 11, gave Cleveland a six-space passing gain on its opening play and a seventeen-space run result for a fourth-quarter touchdown. At the beginning and at the decisive late turn, the Stevedores had a contribution from the same man.
On defense, Hanna, No. 73, produced a sack and later a loss play for a defensive touchdown. Lewis, No. 79, supplied the other Cleveland defensive touchdown in the final quarter. Those two named defensive scores made a substantial part of the Stevedores’ second-half answer.
Macaluso, No. 45, entered after Newsome’s injury. His ledger includes a five-space passing advance and Cleveland’s successful three-point conversion. Denver had a named defensive highlight of its own: Nystrom, No. 53, whose sack delivered the Wild Blue’s defensive touchdown.
Open the full game scorebook and named-player contributions →
An early blow, an early lead
Cleveland’s opening possession brought trouble before it brought points. Newsome left through injury, Macaluso entered in his place, and the Stevedores used their Extra Down boost to keep the opening series moving. They finished the possession with a touchdown and a 6–0 lead, although the three-point conversion attempt failed.
Denver’s first-quarter kick fell short. That left Cleveland ahead after one period, but the Wild Blue were about to change the direction of the afternoon.
Denver turns pressure into points
In the second quarter, Nystrom’s sack drove Cleveland backward for a Denver defensive touchdown. The Wild Blue then converted for three points to move in front, 9–6. A successful three-point kick later in the period stretched the advantage to 12–6.
Shuler’s team had scored all twelve of its eventual points in one quarter. At the interval, the opener looked less like a Cleveland celebration than a test of how the visitors would respond.
“We had the lead and we had them thinking. Then we spent the second half giving them reasons to stop worrying.”
— Droun Shuler, Denver head coach · imagined postgame remarks
The turning point belongs to the defense
Cleveland’s next threat ended in an interception near Denver’s goal line. It was a chance for the Wild Blue to protect their lead. Instead, a loss on Denver’s next play produced a Cleveland defensive touchdown and a 12–12 tie.
The Stevedores’ conversion attempt was intercepted, leaving the score level. Denver had prevented the extra points, but it had not recovered the momentum. The six-point halftime cushion was gone; the Wild Blue would not score again.
Fifteen points finish the argument
The fourth quarter supplied the decisive separation. Cleveland struck with a long-gain touchdown, then added a successful three-point conversion to lead 21–12. Denver’s final possession ended with another backward play and another Cleveland defensive touchdown, making it 27–12.
Two defensive touchdowns accounted for twelve Cleveland points. Two offensive touchdowns and one successful three-point conversion supplied the other fifteen. On a day when the visitors had to replace an injured player almost immediately, both units found a way to finish the job.
“They won the second quarter. We told our fellows there were still two more for sale—and we intended to buy both.”
— Berhane ZemZem, Cleveland head coach · imagined postgame remarks
One result, an entire season ahead
Cleveland begins 1–0, with 27 points for and 12 against. Denver begins 0–1, with the figures reversed. There are 239 regular-season games still to come across the thirty-club league, so nobody has earned a parade. Cleveland has, however, earned the first headline.
January 3 brings Atlantic at Los Angeles and Gotham at New Orleans. The other sidelines finally get their turn. For one evening, the founding league belongs to the Stevedores.
