Event City: Boston, MA / 9.11.05
Winner Name: Ayan Tariq
Winner Nickname: Fool
Hometown: Ridgefield Park, NJ
Age: 15
Team used: Atlanta Falcons
?A fool and his money will soon be parted? is the old saying, but in the case of the 2005 EA SPORTS™ Madden Challenge, our "fool" seems to be getting closer to the prize of $100,000.
Fifteen-year-old Ayan ?fool? Tariq grabbed the Boston regional title by knocking off defending New York regional champion Anthony ?Young Nephew? Brinson in a very strategic championship game. Fool, also known as ?Mr. Clutch,? used his fade routes and superb user-catching skills against Nephew?s hard-nosed defense. The finals game was similar to a slow chess match, with each player attempting to feel each other?s game plan out.
Fool scored first with 41 seconds left in the second quarter on a 3-yard run by Michael Vick, and held Nephew to a Patriot field goal on the next possession, ending the first half with a score of 7-3. You could almost hear a pin drop as silence filled the room during the third quarter, as neither opponent scored. Fool kicked a field goal with 2:32 on the clock in the fourth quarter to increase his lead to 10-3, putting Nephew in the desperate situation of having to score.
Not to be denied, Nephew scored and made a two-point conversion to take the lead 11-10 with only 1:31 left in the game. After three impressive fade routes and a nail-biting finish, Fool kicked a game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock to win the game 13-11.
Kyle Bernardo defeated Greg Powers in our Rookie Challenge championship by a score of 26-7. Kyle ran with the Carolina Panthers, and ran he did, as he utilized Stephen Davis with the ground attack to eat up yards and the clock. The score was 6-0 in favor of Kyle leading into the fourth quarter, until Greg flexed his ?Powers? with a quick play-action strike to Owens from McNabb.
The rest of McNabb?s passes, however, were caught by the crushing Panthers defense, as he threw four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Kyle and his tough Panther defense clipped the Eagles' wings to become the Boston Rookie Challenge Champion.
?Little Steve? Schiavo from Philadelphia, PA, has appeared in consecutive final four semi-rounds this past weekend in Buffalo and Boston. This guy is going to be a force to be reckoned with as he attempts to win one of the East Coast regional championships.
Tip of the Day from the EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Crew: Report to your zone referee immediately after registration to avoid being disqualified from tournament play.
