Tue, Nov 29 - The much-awaited championship game finally took place this past Tuesday, pitting the #1 seed Hooligans against #3 seed We Love TDs. The weather was unusually great for late November with a 55 degree temperature and sunny skies. The match featured very high scoring, but the Hooligans defense consistently forced turnovers to maintain a steady lead and claimed a 70-54 victory. With the win the Hooligans complete a perfect 3-0 season and claim their 3rd championship in the last 5 years, finally earning the label of a true dynasty. Due to late notice of the unavailability of the CUAA football field the teams had to make adjustments on the fly to still get the game in. Hooligans captain Mike Russell and We Love TDs captain Gabe Farr agreed to use the grass in front of the stadium as the playing area and together they worked out the field dimensions. The teams agreed to play first to 70 points rather than the traditional 2 20-minute halves. Both teams began play 5-on-5 as neither side had a girl present. The field was significantly longer than the usual playing area, but that didn’t stop the Hooligans offense as Humphrey Ihejirikah took a short pass from Micah Oetting and juked his way down the field for an early score. We Love TDs would counter on the next series as Hunter Kinney would start at the quarterback position and find Greg Barbuto deep. Derek Nelson would switch to QB for the Hooligans on the next series and Humphrey Ihejirikah would once again show his elusiveness taking a short pass to the endzone. Blaine Milheim would then step up defensively for the Hooligans, making the first of his three interceptions in the game and returning it for a pick 6 and a 24-8 Hooligans lead. Hunter Kinney would lead another scoring drive for We Love TDs as he would find Mitch Diamond in the endzone with Greg Barbuto adding a 2-pt conversion. Matt Botti checked into the game for the Hooligans and made his presence felt with a huge run, but the We Love TDs defense would force a turnover on downs. However Blaine Milheim gave the Hooligans the momentum right back as he would make his second “pick 6” of the game on the next series. Marshall Oetting then stepped up defensively making a “pick 6” of his own, and the Hooligans would convert a 3-point conversion with Blaine Milheim grabbing a jump ball over We Love TDs captain Gabe Farr to open up a 41-16 lead. We Love TDs players would begin to show signs of frustration, but their offense would have life as Hunter Kinney would connect with captain Gabe Farr for a touchdown though Matt Botti would sack Kinney on the 2-pt conversion attempt. Matt Botti would switch to quarterback for the Hooligans and lead a scoring drive, connecting with Blaine Milheim for both a touchdown and 3-pt conversion. Matt Botti then stepped up defensively forcing a fumble and returning it for a touchdown making the score 56-22 in favor of the Hooligans. Hunter Kinney would connect with Greg Barbuto on the next drive and then made a pick 6, giving We Love TDs two straight scores. Derek Nelson would rotate back in as quarterback for the Hooligans and he would perform well finding Matt Botti for a touchdown. The Hooligans’ lead looked insurmountable with a 62-36 advantage, but We Love TDs did make a late comeback bid scoring 18 unanswered points. Hunter Kinney would connect with Mitch Diamond for a touchdown, Mitch Diamond would make a pick 6, and then Mitch Diamond would once again come up with an interception giving his team the ball. Hunter Kinney would take advantage of the great field position connecting with Ryan Abenth for a touchdown, but Blaine Milheim would intercept the PAT attempt and return it for 2. With the Hooligans needing just one more score to claim the championship Marshall Oetting would move to quarterback for the final drive. He skillfully led the team down the field, eventually finding Humphrey Ihejirikah for the game-clinching score. The game would end 70-54 in favor of the Hooligans and the dreams of a dynasty would be realized. Carly Pearson, Chandlar Zavala, and Kassidy Grandorff were at the game to cheer on the Hooligans. The team completes a 3-0 season, going undefeated for the first time since the 2012 championship year. The Hooligans have been impressive in the modern era of CUAA flag football, winning 3 of the last 5 championship games dating back to 2012 and appearing in 7 of the last 8 championship games dating back to 2009. It is uncertain what the future of the franchise will be next year, but captain Mike Russell hopes that the team will continue in some way in the future. Be sure to check back in the coming weeks for the announcement of the All-Star rosters, a Hooligans season overview, and the announcement of the Hooligan awards for 2016. ROLL HOOLIGANS!
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Written by Mike Russell
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