PIT TOUCH and FLAG FOOTBALL in WINNIPEG MANITOBA - FOOTBALL!

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A season in which almost every division came down to the last weekend of play and tiebreakers were the norm, it was going to be difficult for the playoffs to live up to the hype…but live up to the hype they did! We had multiple one point victories, last second stops and scores, incredible individual plays and winning the top seed in the regular season seemed to spell certain doom come playoffs! The writeups below cannot accurately portray what was probably the best championship night in PIT history, and that is saying something as we now have completed over 30 of such nights.

Coed Competitive: Flying Squirrels defeat Practice Squad Rejects 33-18
The Flying Squirrels win their second consecutive Coed championship but their winning streak may come to an end quickly. After the game the division’s all-time leading scoring and current seasonal scoring record holder Lauren Bachand was quoted as saying “By next year this team will kick the sh*t out of us”. In their first year, the Practice Squad Rejects lost just one game and have perhaps the best 9 young players in the coed division, including three girls from the U20 Gold Medal Winning flag football team from last year. Their time wasn’t last night, but their time will come…and it will be soon! On this day, however the Squirrels were led by the rushing duo of AJ Homorodean and Lianna Bestvader who combined for five sacks to help keep the high scoring reject’s offense at bay.

Coed Recreational: Coed Free Agents defeat East Side Wildcats 32-31
Perhaps the best game of championship weekend! With the Coed Free Agents down by 7 on the last play of the game, QB Mike McCheyne heaved up a prayer which was answered when Scott Walker came down with the Hail Mary pass. However, the touchdown meant the free agents were still down by one point when McCheyne, who had at that point thrown for five touchdowns to go along with an interception, elected to go for two-points and the victory. The game was decided by Scott Walkers acrobatic catch in the wildest finish of the night. Cara Isaak led the Free Agents with 12 points while Robin Lorenzo led the Wildcats with 18. The East High Wildcats learned the touch game quickly and knocked off the second seeded team on route to the championship game. After a season under their belt the Wildcats may be the team to beat in the recreational division come Winter!

Division 1: Guild of Calamitous Intent defeat the Knights 39-26
The Knights came out very strong in the final building a quick 14-0 lead. Jim Bell was on point with every pass and young guns Jeremy Kornelsen and Richard Wyss were on fire on the receiving end of those passes. The Guild however battled back scoring 26 unanswered points and from there the two teams traded scores. The big second half for the Guild was sparked by an interception return for a touchdown by Julian Banaras which ultimately swayed the tide in this very entertaining and closely contested game. Oddly The Knights and the Guild have combined to win the last five Division 1 championships however this game marked the first time the two teams faced off against one another in the finals.

Division 2: Mapetown defeat Meat’s Pizzeria 38-26
Mapetown adds their first Division 2 title to a resume that includes three division 3 championships. Led by the 6 TD passes from Dharmpal Brar and the 13 points apiece by Harman Brar and Raj Saran, Mapetown knocks off a Meat’s Pizzeria team that seemingly always has their name inscribed on the championship trophy. It appeared that Meat’s Pizzeria would do so again coming in on a roll after they handled Dammit Donald in the semis. Redemption for Mapetown who missed out on playing for the Division 1 title after giving up an 18-point lead late in the game and ultimately losing on a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the final regular season game. Nice way to bounce back gentlemen!

Division 3: Strange Brew defeat the Brewers 25-24
Fitting that perhaps the best division ever assembled would come down to a 1-point win in the final. Four teams tied for the final two playoff spots with 2-3 records and ultimately the Division champs were one of those teams who had to get into playoffs via a tiebreaker! In the final Strange Brew knocked off the top seed only by denying the Brewers three straight times on their final drive from the one-yard line. Trump has nothing on the wall these guys built on defense to make the stop. Would be great if all these teams returned to try and settle this division one more time with 6 teams of pretty much identical caliber battling it out for the Winter trophy.

Division 4: Vikings defeat the MegaPowers 35-34
The Vikings go worst to first knocking off both the first and second-seeded teams in the division to win a yet another final decided by just a single point. QBs Andrew George (Vikings) and Jock Christie (MegaPowers) masterfully dueled this game each throwing for 5 touchdowns, the difference coming down to a single convert. The Vikings are another real success story in the PIT as they have been slowly moving up the rankings in the PIT, now most recently crowned Division 4 Champions in large part to QB Andrew George who is proving he is one of the top QBs in the province.

Division 5: The Bucks defeat Northbay 38-20
The Bucks ran the gauntlet on Championship night winning both their semi-final and finals Saturday. The Bucks, like the Vikings, defeated the top two teams in the division along the way. WR Cole Brydges had himself a day scoring 43 points in the three games he played (all victories) and Bucks QB Brennan Davis went off for 12 TD passes in his two games. The Bucks came to play with their offense racking up an incredible 83 points in their championship run and will be a team that everyone should watch out for as they win Division 5 in just their first year in the league!

Division 6: Those Guys defeat Venum 34-31
Those Guys run the table in Division 6 but it wasn’t easy needing overtime to keep their undefeated streak alive and then barley scrapping out a high-scoring victory over the always tough Venum team. Those Guys were led by the 4 touchdown passes and 7 points of Chief Ryan Scott and the 18 points from Matthew Berens while Venum countered with 5 touchdowns from Paul Frias and 18 points from Fabian Brown. Venum has undergone a youth moment recently and their young guys are poised to help them breakout, but it wasn’t to be this season as Those Guys QB Ryan Scott proved his skills with his second straight championship as a quarterback, the first coming with the Dirty Vikings during the outdoor season.

Division 7: Miami Sharks defeat the Avengers 34-12
The Miami Sharks and the Avengers were third and fourth seeds in Division 7 continuing the trend of top seeds getting knocked off, unfortunately only one of these bottom seeds would be crowned champion. The Avengers continue to be perennial bridesmaids having yet won a PIT championship but they remain one of the youngest teams in the league and will eventually break through with a vengeance. This day however belonged to veteran QB Eric Hladkyj who threw for four touchdowns and ran in another to lead the Sharks to victory just like “Steamin” Willie Beamen would have done. Here is Eric celebrating after his championship game:

Division 8: Stop Beating Your Peterson defeat Young Guns 28-26
The trend continues of closely contested games and this one came down to a goal line stop on the last play of the game. The Young Guns had the ball on the three-yard line with just one second remaining when Young Guns QB John Perretta had Richard Wyss run and out from the center position but Ben Wiebe came down hard from the corner spot to making a diving play to knock the ball away and seal victory for the Petersons. An amazing game to conclude the season as Mr. Wiebe was the game MVP for not only for his game saving stop but for his 18 points and interception during their run to the championship.

Division 9: SWC defeat the Hurricanes 25-12
The Hurricanes had first year QB Chris Kluz rattled early and led 6-0 at halftime in a defensive battle however Chris showed veteran resolve well beyond his experience throwing for four touchdowns in the second half for the comeback victory. The two teams combined for seven interceptions this night making it difficult for both teams to move the ball. Game MVP Saliou Sako had two touchdowns, a convert, and an interception to help seal the victory for SWC. Chris now owns a 100% championship victory ratio as a quarterback!

Division 10: Average Sized Giants defeat the MooseKnuckles 32-7
The Average Sized Giants won their second straight indoor title, proving the adage that anything boys can do, girls can do better! Laurene Bachand, Courtney Dyck and Andrea Tyler form the core of this team who keep churning out victories against the men. Jean-Guy Mercier threw for five touchdowns and Brett Pruen had three interceptions to ensure that David Noorden could bring home their much beloved trophy just in time to make it the centerpiece of their holiday decor.

Division 11: Locker Room Banter defeat the VaudeVillians 25-22
Locker Room Banter defeats the VaudeVillians in another barnburner and in yet another game in which the #1 seed (and undefeated team) is defeated. Luke Jacobucci threw for four touchdowns to three different receivers in the victory and led the drive for the go ahead score late in the game. Clint Wiebe countered for the VaudeVillians with three touchdowns, two to his favorite receiver Chase Sweeney. Ideally these two teams will lock horns again in the Winter as their two games against one another were very closely contested with each team taking home a victory.

Division 12: A535 Heat defeat the Sh*thawks 19-6
The A535 Heat iron-manned their championship final and they looked in trouble as Sh*thawks rusher Kene Nnadi was in Curtis Ray’s face all game registering two sacks and altering almost every pass. Curtis was only able to get off for two touchdowns but that was enough as the Heat’s defense held the Sh*thawks to just 6 points. Chaka Newman had himself a day registering two interceptions and scoring 12 points, six of which came off a pick six to seal victory!

Division 13: Short Drive defeat Jimmy Harris and the Granny Boyz 31-20
Claude Rheault demonstrates his veteran savvy and goes out on a high note leading short drive to victory on the back of his five touchdown passes, two each to Rick Morand and Michael Peter. Jimmy Harris’ Kyle Smith tried to stem the tide scoring 12 points and adding and interception but that wasn’t enough on this day as Short Drive takes home the gold. Kirby Shwaykosky adds his requisite one interception a game, I am sure Kirby has not played a game in his career without one! The PIT wishes Claude a speedy recovery from off-season surgery, ideally you will be back schooling the young kids soon.

Division 14: Onslaught defeat the Brainard Socialites 6-0
Onslaught was another team who had to run the gauntlet with semifinals and finals going on Friday night. First Onslaught dispatched No Punt Intended and then the Socialites. During the season, Onslaught had an onslaught of scoring leading the division by nearly 30 points in that category in large part to the play of QB Sean Godard and having three players in the top-five in scoring in the division. Spread offenses are very difficult to stop in indoor!

Division 15: The Wickermen defeat Illegal Contact 18-7
New team the Wickermen win the title in their first ever season in the PIT defeating the veteran Illegal Contact team in the finals. Things did not look good for the Wickermen early in the season having lost their first game 30-0 and only scoring 8 points through two games of the season! Each game however they got better culminating in the Division 15 championship. Kudos to Wickermen QB Tanner Smith who played the entire season with a broken arm demonstrating incredible fortitude and well deserving of championship glory! Kinda like this guy:

Division 16: Free Agents (North) defeat the Dilligafs 21-18
The Dilligafs had the Free Agents on the ropes leading 18-14 with only seconds remaining however MVP Raza Butt led his team down the field hitting Daniel Holzer for the game winner. Raza not only calmly snatched victory from defeat but threw for three touchdowns and added three sacks keeping the elusive Johnny Bults captive in the pocket. A great season for all our Free Agent teams with two of them claiming championships and the third finishing first in their division but like most of the top-seeds couldn’t make it out of the first round.

Division 17: TD Twisters defeat the Wild Things 25-6
The last time the TD Twisters won a championship they won their two playoff games by only scoring 5 combined points (a 3-0 semifinal and a 2-0 final)!!!!!!!! This year they brought with them some additional firepower as Connor Gihuly got in a grove and threw for three touchdowns passes, two to Dustin Kjartanson. Eric Higham led the Wild Things with a touchdown and interception but it wasn’t enough as the TD Twisters have given up just 13 points combined in their last four playoff games and aim for the three-peat come the Winter season!

Division Redemption: The Fighting Amish defeat Cincinnati Zookeepers 30-20
Two brand new teams to the PIT each having a difficult first season got a chance at redemption and both teams made the most of it combining for 50 points in one of the more entertaining games of the night. The two team captains led the way for their teams with Aleksei Minarik scoring 14 points and adding a sack for the Zookeepers while The Amish were led by 12 points and three sacks by Eric Penner. These two teams will be the future if they keep playing together as both teams are stocked with talent that just needs to learn to translate their football skills to the touch game. A great way to end off the Fall season!

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the Fall 2016 season and congratulations to our newest 19 division champions. For the Winter we have some things in the works that have never been seen in Manitoba before, so stay tuned! Besides the big impending news we will continue to offer teams prime time spots in the best facilities in the provinces bar none!

The PIT Crew