Event City: Baltimore, MD / 9.25.05
Winner Name: Shayan Tariq
Hometown: Ridgefield Park, NJ
Age: 19
Team used: New England Patriots
The 2005 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge enters ?Charm City? for the first time greeted by crowds of eager players waiting to get their hands on the nearest controller. The atmosphere of Baltimore, also known as ?The City That Reads,? must have rubbed off on our latest regional winner, Shayan Tariq, as he read defensive game plans all day with his strategic offense.
Shayan entered the playoff round posting the highest point differential of the day with a whopping +87 points, earning home field advantage throughout out the playoffs. Having made it to several Madden Challenge playoff rounds in previous cities, Shayan finally put it all together on his way to victory as the Madden Challenge Baltimore Regional Champion -- and will join his younger brother, Boston Regional Champion Ayan Tariq, in Hawaii.
The championship game was fierce, featuring New York regional runner-up Steven ?Stevo? White and his Oakland Raiders versus Shayan and his high-powered Patriots. ?Stevo? entered the game very confident, and it showed, as he capped off the first possession of the game with a field goal, controlling most of the first quarter clock after a very patient drive. He couldn?t hold off Shayan?s offense, though, as Shayan marched up the field to score twice in the second quarter, putting on a passing clinic to end the half up 14-3.
The roles seemed to reverse in the second half, as Shayan used some of ?Stevo?s? game tactics by using the clock to his advantage, making it too difficult for ?Stevo? to mount a comeback. The game ended 17-10 after a field goal by Shayan in the third quarter and a touchdown by ?Stevo? late in the final period.
14-year-old local resident -- and first-ever Baltimore Rookie Challenge winner --Matt Hirsh got his three brothers out of bed at 6:30 a.m. to walk with him to a internet café located a mile away from their house to register for the Rookie Challenge. The early bird always gets the worm, as Matt defeated Joe D?Andrea of Warminster, PA in the Rookie Championship game by a score of 28-7.
Tip of the Day from the EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Crew:
Make sure you have a back-up game plan/playbook for players that might have scouted your game. Using a variety of formations and different set of plays can throw off the competition and make it difficult for your opponent to stop you.
