I thought it was 5 but guessed I had missed something so did 7 as well
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
Head coach Greg Nelson was under immense pressure from the Asheville community after starting junior Ryan Reese over me last week. Wins and losses matter. Reese lost and I had yet to lose a game, despite some shaky starts.
Then, Reese scored a 24 on our IQ homework assignment. Compared to my 44.
Nelson had no choice but to give me the keys to the offense again.
Week #5 at TC Roberson Rams (2-2)
October 2, 2043
Critical conference game away from our home supporters.
Spoiler
First Quarter
The Asheville defense came to play, holding the TC Roberson Rams to three yards and only one first down in the first quarter. The Cougars, meanwhile, were cooking with QB MDJ back under center. They put up 126yds of offense in the first quarter and scored the first TD of the game on a 1yd punch in by RB Howell. Everything was going Asheville's way.
Second Quarter
A pair of costly fumbles by QB MDJ abruptly ended Asheville's next two drives in the red zone. The second fumble happened on the 1yd line as Diamond Jr. attempted to dive into the end zone for a TD.
Asheville's defense came to MDJ's aid and picked up a safety on the next play. Giving the Cougars a 9-0 lead and the ball back. Asheville drove the length of the field on just five plays and scored another TD on a 24yd pass from MDJ to TE Weisbecker.
MDJ forced his third turnover of the game with a deep ball interception with a minute left in the half. Asheville took a 16-0 lead into halftime.
Third Quarter
A majority of the third quarter was taken up by a 10-play Asheville scoring drive that was capped by a 13yd TD run by RB Howell, his second TD of the game. MDJ delivered a perfect pitch over to Howell on the option play.
Fourth Quarter
With 4:12 remaining, the Rams ended the Cougars' quest of their first shutout of the season. RB Williams got to the outside for a 3yd TD run. QB Moore then completed the two-point conversion on a pass to WR Flowers to cut the deficit to 15 points, 23-8.
TC Roberson's offense didn't touch the ball again. Asheville ran out the clock to get back in the win column after last week's loss.
Box Score
MDJ Game Stats: 26/33 passing for 328yds, 1 TD, 1 INT; 53yds rushing, 2 Fumbles - Take out the turnovers and I had the best game of my high school career so far. But, that's not how this works. As a quarterback, it's my job to limit those mistakes. It didn't hurt us this week (thanks defense), but it's stuff like that which will cost us in the near future.
Player of Game: RB Howell (10 catches for 104yds, 13 carries for 52yds rushing, 2 TDs)
Standings (5/8 Games Played)
Only teams with a winning record in the conference at the end of the regular season are eligible to advance to the 16-team North Carolina State Playoffs.
Calendar
Recruiting: Interested Colleges
College Scholarship Offers: MDJ has just received his first scholarship offers to attend the following universities and play football for them next spring: East Carolina and Georgia Southern.
(Option A) Post the good news all over social media.
(Option B) Keep the news private and don't post on social media.
Good week for MDJ (which I will keep reading as Michael Dorter Junior for a while ) showing his hard work on the school side and his skills in the game - the turnovers are a frustration but the talent is there, and mistakes can be eliminated
Option B
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
After escaping the group stage of the African Championship of Nations, Nigeria got pitted against rival Ghana in the quarterfinals. I flew down to Egypt to watch the match unfold and show my support. Not going to lie, I also made the trip to show head coach J.J. that I'm serious about re-joining the national team.
And, well, Grace was begging me to take a vacation before popping out our baby. She is already six months pregnant. Can't believe I'm about to be a father.
The oddsmakers favor the defending CHAN champions Ghana. A wet and mild day doesn't favor either African side. Who advances?
Feb. 1 vs. Ghana: In the 18th minute, Ghana's Daniel Opoku heads home the opening goal on a corner kick. But, that was erased on an own goal by Mohamed Addai in the 43rd minute to level the score at 1-1 going into halftime. Nigeria flourished in the second half with goals from Daniel Ozokwo (67th minute) and Michael Mbah (87th minute). Scrambling, Ghana got one goal back on a 89th minute penalty converted by captain Isaac Owusu. But it wasn't enough. Nigeria knocked out the defending champions, 3-2.
A sight to behold. A huge win for the program. And now Grace and I got to extend our vacation a few more days to see Nigeria face hosts Egypt in the semifinals.
Feb. 5 vs. Egypt: The Super Eagles were soaring a little over a minute into the match when Egypt defender Ahmed Gaal placed the ball into his own net on a difficult cross to defend. Egypt got the goal back on a tidy finish by striker Mohamed Farouk in the 20th minute. Three minutes later, Farouk scored again to push Egypt in front, 2-1. Three minutes after that, Karim Nedved connected on a wonder strike from outside the box to give Egypt three unanswered goals. Egypt scored two more times in the second half to send Nigeria packing, 5-2. Abdullahi scored a consolation goal in the 85th minute for Nigeria.
With only two days to recovery, Nigeria played Zimbabwe for third place.
Feb. 7 vs. Zimbabwe: It took extra time, but Zimbabwe upset Nigeria for third place on a 114th minute game-winner by Munyaradzi Chririnda. Despite getting outshot 20-9 (7-4 shots on target), Zimbabwe won 3-2.
Tunisia beat Egypt in the championship game, 1-0.
I made my way down to the locker room after the Ghana match to meet some of the players and congratulate them. I wanted to try and stay undercover, but everybody on the Nigeria team knew who I was. It felt like I took a selfie with every single player.
While the world had kicked me down, I'm still a living Nigerian legend.
Head coach J.J. noticed the commotion I had caused and pulled me aside.
"I know the guys here appreciate you coming down to watch them. A lot of them look up to you. But, coming here isn't going to get you back on the national team Marcus. I need more commitment on the training ground, in the gym...
"You're starting to look a little out of shape. I'm going to give you a chance Marcus, but you have to be ready to take it. We have qualifying games for the African Cup of Nations at the end of next month, and I need proof you're physically and mentally ready to play 90 minutes."
Before I could utter that my cycling season was going to start in a few weeks, J.J. beat me to the punch, "Cycling a couple races here and there isn't going to cut it."
Understood. The next day, I signed up for a 70.3 Ironman in South Africa.
Nobody gets to call me out for being "out of shape," well unless it's Grace catching me snack on some chocolate chip cookies.
World Cup Countdown: 103 Days Away.
Triathlon Training: Marcus Diamond will race his first endurance triathlon next month with hardly any preparation. Help Diamond prepare with some last minute training to conquer the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run. Diamond's base triathlon evaluation (max: 85) —
Each member can provide one stat gain toward one category to improve Diamond's performance in the 70.3 Ironman in South Africa.
Note: Because Marcus Diamond is a pro cyclist, he will be forced to race in the Pro Division against the best triathletes in attendance.
Usually I'd tend to improve the weakest discipline, but given that swimming is the shortest discipline (in terms of time), and that the running capacity can make or break your race, I'll go for +1 run as well.
Show the coach that you really want to get back on the team!
Come on Marcus, let's prove yourself! +1 Swim so we can turn that biking skill into a weapon rather than just recovering places
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
@All: Some more complications... While trying to race Marcus Diamond's 2026 season opener, PCM will start up the 3D engine and start the race but SEG-Quickstep isn't in the race. All the information I see in the DB editor suggests that shouldn't be case. SEG-Quickstep is even listed in the startlist when the race starts up. If anybody has any suggestions on how to fix this, PM me please.
If I can't figure out a fix, then I'm starting to lean toward rebuild this DB for the new PCM22 game coming out June 9. Which would obviously take some more time, but would be fun moving over to a new game after 4-5 years of using PCM18. Of course, doing this means dealing with all the new game bugs and a longer wait to continue the story.
EDIT: Much thanks to Ripley, a solution has been found. We will continue the 2026 cycling season on PCM18. So, let the story continue...
Training and racing are two very different things. I love racing. I strongly dislike training. I'm a competitor. I ride faster when somebody next to me thinks they can match me. In my mind, on my best days, nobody can match me.
The more accolades I achieve, the more I believe that to be true.
Grace does her best to keep my ego in check. I'm thankful for that. Every once and a while it's good to be humbled -- ex. Grace outlasting me on a steep climb. But, we didn't have that this offseason with my wife sidelined due to pregnancy.
Often times I trained alone. Even more so when the football community kicked me out and opened up my winter calendar. The training rides have been long and, well, extremely boring. I'm itching for a change of pace. I'm ready to race!
Summary: The first cobbled sector rears its ugly head. Massive crash! Down goes GB national champion Marcus Diamond, along with favourites Benoot and Vanmarcke.
They all manage to get back on their bikes and continue. But, Diamond definitely looks disgruntled. Not the start of the season he envisioned.
With 14kms to go, only late attackers Roosen and Van Keirsbulck have forged a gap on the chasing group of 19 favourites.
Van Aert isn't waiting for the catch and tries to jump across the gap. Wisniowski looks to follow this attack, but didn't exactly hop on Van Aert's wheel either. Many of the favourites are getting antsy.
We hit the last sector with 4.3kms to go and its Teunissen who has now escaped away from the rest of the pack. The gap is 34 seconds.
Teunissen celebrates as Pedersen sprints to second place behind him. The 33yo still has the legs, adding to his 2022 victory here in Belgium.
Crash victim Marcus Diamond quietly comes home with a solid 6th place finish after keeping his head down and catching all the right splits today.
Result: 6th - Took a face full of dirt and stones... I don't recommend. But, I recovered well and did everything right after that. Resulting in my best finish here and a good starting point for the spring season.
Upgraded Training Facilities Boost:+2 Point Per Member
Unlock Progress: 22 Points
Spoiler
- Each member gets 5.0 points to spread however they like over the 13 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 55.0.
- Stats are bumped up in PCM when they hit that number, ex. 55.9 = 55 in-game, and 61.4 = 61 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 85. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery.
- Locked stats can't be improved.
- Unlock Progress Points: Once a target number between 25-250 is reached, a stat unlock is rewarded. Points from training rides can be used toward the Unlock Progress.
- Comment below to provide stat upgrades.
Borrow Equipment?: Marcus Diamond has been training exclusively with SEG - Quick Step sponsored gear. Should he continue to use the gear for his upcoming 70.3 Ironman triathlon in South Africa or should he buy his own equipment for the event?
(Option A) Use SEG - Quick Step gear. Diamond will be more at ease using equipment he has rode with all winter, including his time trial bike. But, SEG - Quick Step won't be too happy if something happens to the gear Diamond was loaned for this offseason while competing in an event that isn't sponsored by the UCI.
(Option B) Buy all new gear. First off, expensive. Secondly, it won't be able to match the comfort of SEG - Quick Step's gear, but at least Diamond won't be liable if something bad happens to it.
Good start to the season, kicking it off with a personal best is definitely nice!
+3 Unlock
+2 Mo
And definitely no experiments with new material if a possible WC participation is at stake - Option A. If the team or sponsors should be unhappy with that, well, let them be.
When the No. 4-ranked best high school football team in the state comes to your town, you quickly realize this isn't going to be another typical Friday night. McDowell has nearly half the population of Asheville, but that wasn't apparent scanning the standing-room only crowd gathered in downtown Asheville.
While McDowell was playing to keep its perfect season intact, we are fighting just to reach the playoffs. With three regular-season conference games remaining, we need to win at least two to advance to the postseason. Not exactly an easy quest with McDowell (5-0), North Buncombe (4-1) and Enka (0-5) left to play.
But, at least, there is no more QB controversy. Head coach Greg Nelson has put his faith in me to lead the team moving forward. The football is firmly in my hands, unless I keep turning the ball over multiple times a game.
Week #6 vs. McDowell Trojans (5-0)
October 9, 2043
To be the best, you have to beat the best.
Spoiler
First Quarter
After an opening three-and-out by the Trojans, the Cougars display a masterful 11-play drive that ends with a 6yd TD catch by RB Howell. QB Diamond Jr. used Howell as an effective check-down man the entire drive. Howell caught five passes for 30yds on the opening scoring drive.
Punts followed for the rest of the quarter with Asheville up 7-0.
Second Quarter
A MDJ long bomb interception at the start of the second quarter amounted to nothing as McDowell couldn't get any offense going against Asheville. MDJ went back to ol' reliable after that, with throw after throw to RB Howell. McDowell locked up all the receivers but didn't have anybody to cover the shifty playmaker in the backfield.
After Howell's 10th (!) catch of the first half, Diamond Jr. punched in the second TD of the game on a 2yd option run play. 14-0 Cougars, leaving the McDowell supporters left to wonder what the heck was going on.
Some normality was restored when the Trojans stormed back with a five-play TD drive on its following possession. Kentucky committed five-star recruit QB Maxwell dropped in a 23yd TD dime for WR Holley.
Putting the score at 14-7 Asheville at halftime.
Third Quarter
The Cougars opened the second half with a three-and-out. McDowell capitalized... QB Maxwell found WR Holley again for an even longer 37yd TD strike. The Trojans had woken up.
Asheville, on the verge on punting the ball back again, converted on a key three down deep in their own territory with 46yd pass from MDJ to WR Nguyen. Three plays later, MDJ scrambled out of the pocket for a 11yd TD run, his second of the game.
The Cougars regained the lead, 21-14.
Fourth Quarter
Up seven points with under two minutes to play, Asheville lined up on 4th-and-1 to try and win the game. A first down would do just that with McDowell out of timeouts. MDJ got under center and stared directly at three defensive linemen crowding the middle of the field.
MDJ looked over to the sideline. Head coach Greg Nelson just shrugged. Diamond looked back at the wall of defenders in front of him and is now calling an audible at the line... Diamond Jr. is changing the play.
Set. Hut.
MDJ is going to pass! Nelson, pacing the sideline, has thrown his hands on top of his head in disbelief. Diamond Jr. is looking and looking, but nobody is getting open...
And now he is going to run for his life. Green grass in front of him!
Everyone converges on the sideline as MDJ is pushed out of bounds. It's going to be a 5yd gain for a first down! Asheville is going to win.
The Cougars pull off the upset, 21-14!
Box Score
MDJ Game Stats: 25/32 passing for 233yds, 1 TD, 1 INT; 39yds rushing on 13 carries, 2 TDs - As much as it pained coach Nelson that I changed his fourth down play call from a run by RB Howell to a pass that turned into a QB scramble, he had no choice but to congratulate me after the game. Afterall, it won us the game. I'm so thankful it did, because I don't think I'd be starting next week if I didn't get that first down.
Also, shoutout to my man Alex Howell. He just knows how to get open.
Player of Game: RB Howell (18 catches for 110yds, 1 TD; 8 carries for 31yds rushing)
Standings (6/8 Games Played)
Only teams with a winning record in the conference at the end of the regular season are eligible to advance to the 16-team North Carolina State Playoffs.
Calendar
Recruiting: Interested Colleges
Stagnant Offers: MDJ's decision not to share his scholarships offers on social media has hindered his ability to catch the interest of higher caliber schools outside the Atlantic coastal region near North Carolina.
While all the teams who were previously interested in MDJ prior to the McDowell game have now offered the two-star prospect a scholarship, the only new team to discover MDJ was Old Dominion. That said, the more big games MDJ plays in, the more scouts will be in attendance.
Imposter syndrome is believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be. As we waiting for the gun to go off and sprint into the water, I've never felt more out of place. What was I even doing here? This is beyond crazy.
I looked to my left: There stands a super-human built like Aquaman.
I looked to my right: A row of 40 more genetic engineering Supermans.
I looked straight ahead: The cold open water swirling in the Nelson Mandela Bay.
Again, why am I here? This isn't where I belong. I should be making millions at Real Madrid, winning league titles, becoming a European Champion. Yet, one wrong turn and I'm standing here — 70.3 miles away from proving I deserve another shot. I'm not here to win, I just want to survive.
Ready or not... *Bang*
IRONMAN 70.3 - Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa
March 8, 2026
The elite men are the first triathletes into the water.
Spoiler
Swim
A swarm of 42 men wearing wetsuits rushed into the waiting waters. The one-loop 1.9km (1.2 mile) swim starts and returns to Hobie Beach.
Five front-runners quickly create a gap to the rest. It takes roughly 10 minutes before we get a group of stragglers struggling at the back.
Leading up the rear of the race is professional cyclist and former footballer Marcus Diamond. This certainly isn't his discipline of choice, and probably isn't too happy he has to race with the elites today in his Ironman 70.3 debut.
Meanwhile, last year's winner Manfred Lambrechts is the first athlete out of the water with an impressive time of 25 minutes and 43 seconds.
Diamond is last out, at 41 minutes and 23 seconds.
Bike
A rolling 56-mile bike course mostly along the coast has stretch the field wide open. The short, punchy climbs eat away at your legs. The rapid downhill sections don't give you nearly enough time to recover.
At the 23-mile marker, a new leader emerges: Jatau Berhanu Afolayan. The relatively unknown 21yo is having his coming out party today. He was fifth coming out of the water and is absolutely flying.
Lambrechts rides comfortably in 2nd (15 seconds back), followed by:
The Top 5 have a sizeable gap on the rest of the competitors.
As the leaders have made their way back to the transition area and are now out on the run, here comes the fastest man on the bike today rocketing down the final hill. It's a stunning ride by former Tour de France green jersey winner, Diamond.
He averages 26mph by completing the bike course in 2h10'17". Timing data provided by Sportstats has Diamond in 9th place, +11'09". Meaning he passed 33 people on the bike course! Insane! What a ride!
That might be a new Ironman 70.3 record if we kept track of that data.
But, there is no more time to admire this feat, as Diamond has slipped off his cleats and tied up his running shoes. Only a half marathon left.
Run
For the first four miles, Berhanu Afolayan looked untouchable. Each stride looked powerful. Then, he hit the sharpest incline on the run course and struggled to keep moving forward. Lambrechts saw this as his opportunity and raced back into the lead.
Once at the front of the pack again, there was no looking back. The miles melted away and nobody was allowed to catch up. The defending champion was on a mission to repeat his performance from a season ago.
Lambrechts tore the course up, hitting the finish line at 3h40'50".
Second place Berhanu Afolayan jogged across the line over two minutes later, with Ayodele narrowly beating Idowu for the final podium spot. All smiles after a great day of racing.
Result: 14th (+15'21") - ... ... ... Too tired to even think, let alone talk.
1
Manfred Lambrechts
South Africa
3h40'51
2
Jatau Berhanu Afolayan
Zimbabwe
+ 2'11
3
Issouf Ayodele
South Africa
+ 3'13
4
Bukar Idowu
Ethiopia
+ 3'19
5
Chukwuemeka Ihejirika
Eritrea
+ 5'32
Left on Unread: A few days after the Ironman 70.3 race, Marcus Diamond noticed he had missed an email from Nigeria football manager J.J. concerning his selections for the upcoming African Cup of Nations.
As Diamond prepared himself to open the all-important announcement, Grace yelled from the bedroom, "Baby, can you get me some ice cream?"
The email would have to sit there and wait a little while longer...
Ghana: In the 18th minute, Ghana's Daniel Opoku heads home the opening goal on a corner kick. But, that was erased on an own goal by Mohamed Addai in the 43rd minute to level the score at 1-1 going into halftime. Nigeria flourished in the second half with goals from Daniel Ozokwo (67th minute) and Michael Mbah (87th minute). Scrambling, Ghana got one goal back on a 89th minute penalty converted by captain Isaac Owusu. But it wasn't enough. Nigeria knocked out the defending champions, 3-2. 
Egypt: The Super Eagles were soaring a little over a minute into the match when Egypt defender Ahmed Gaal placed the ball into his own net on a difficult cross to defend. Egypt got the goal back on a tidy finish by striker Mohamed Farouk in the 20th minute. Three minutes later, Farouk scored again to push Egypt in front, 2-1. Three minutes after that, Karim Nedved connected on a wonder strike from outside the box to give Egypt three unanswered goals. Egypt scored two more times in the second half to send Nigeria packing, 5-2. Abdullahi scored a consolation goal in the 85th minute for Nigeria. 
Zimbabwe: It took extra time, but Zimbabwe upset Nigeria for third place on a 114th minute game-winner by Munyaradzi Chririnda. Despite getting outshot 20-9 (7-4 shots on target), Zimbabwe won 3-2.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa
