Event City: Philadelphia, PA / 9.18.05
Winner Name: Anthony Brinson
Winner Nickname: Nephew
Hometown: Clementon, NJ
Age: 16
Team used: Tennessee Titans
After the 2005 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Philly stop, Ms. Sonya Pressley has two reasons to celebrate. After her actual nephew Kevin ?Nine Lives? Merritt won the New York stop on Saturday September 17, she witnessed her own son Anthony ?Nephew? Brinson secure the title of Regional Champion in Philadelphia. This competitive family spirit will continue in Hawaii in February during Pro Bowl week, as the cousins face off for the $100,000. ?Nephew? fell short of defending his New York regional championship title, but didn?t take long to claim another by traveling to Philadelphia to defeat David ?One-9? Stepney in the Pro Division championship game.
Shrugging off his elimination in the New York tournament, ?Nephew? said, ?I?m coming to Philly tomorrow and I?m [playing with] my Tennessee Titans this time around!? And what a difference a day makes. ?Nephew?s? Titans prevailed over ?One-9?s? Oakland Raiders in a very exciting Pro Division Championship game.
Scoring on a very sexy curl route in the end zone in the second quarter, ?Nephew? went up 7-0 with 3:56 on the clock, cheered on by a host of family and friends. This play must have woken up ?One-9,? as he answered with an immediate score, turning to the crowd screaming, ?Speak when I say speak!?
Things continued to heat up, as the Titans scored again on an impressive drive, ending the half up 14-7. A scoreless third led to a tight fourth quarter, where the Titans scored with 3:13 left to up the lead to 21-7. Oakland answered again with a score late in the game, but a blotched onside kick and no timeouts spelled the ending for the ?One-9? and his Raiders. We are very sure that this will not be the last time we see David ?One-9? Stepney, having already appearing in two Pro Division Championship games on the tour so far.
We also played host to an exciting Rookie Division Championship game as well, with the lead changing three times within the game. After allowing 21 unanswered points, Adam Martinez from North Brunswick, NJ, showed great resilience by coming from behind to defeat J.D. Rodalsky from Doylestown, PA. Adam?s quick-scoring Atlanta Falcons jumped out to an early 17-0 lead over JD?s Minnesota Vikings.
Seeming rather irritated by Adam?s screams and taunts, JD roared back by scoring three touchdowns, taking the lead 21-17. A crucial blocked punt was the turning point of the game for the Falcons, resulting in the last lead change with 1:41 in the fourth quarter 24-21. The Vikings threw an interception on the last drive with 38 seconds left on the clock, resulting an another Falcon score and a final of 31-21.
Stay tuned for more updates as the Madden Challenge Cruiser travels south on the I-95 freeway; next stop, the nation?s capitol. Watch out when the tour steams into Washington D.C.?s Union Station.
Tip of the Day from the EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Crew: Review the official rules to ensure you are knowledgeable about gameplay rules and settings before you participate in the tournament.
