C is for Clincher

Members from both teams run away as the French throw animals and feces from a castle. Photo courtesy of Chris Paolinetti.

Team C Earns Spot in TFL Bowl II with Triple Overtime Win

Matt Albert
TFL Illustrated

CHAMPAIGN--The first ticket for TFL Bowl II was punched on Sunday afternoon, and the lucky winner was Team C as they defeated Team D 35-28 in triple overtime. The combination of Calvin Braker and Wade Seggerman made the difference.

Team C (4-0) once again played without one of its major contributors for the second week in a row. This time, however, it was Andrew Imig who was unable to play due to his green card being temporarily revoked. Nevertheless, Calvin Braker led his team to a game tying touchdown with 3:07 left in the game and ended up forcing overtime. The week off for Braker appeared to make him slightly rusty, but he got it together when it mattered.

"I didn't throw any picks today even though I was a little bit off. Wade [Seggerman] was wide open all day. He would run deep and then come back for the pass."

Braker completed 12 of 26 passes for 136 yards. The other hero of the game was Seggerman. He caught 9 passes for 80 yards and 4 touchdowns including the one that won the game.

"I really wanted to get that last touchdown down there. I'm a 'go all or nothing' type of player."

Seggerman pretty much had his way with the coverage all day long, and he attributed that to his mind games with some of the players. "I got into Allissa's [Carter] head. I would tell her we're going to walk the play instead of running it. She fell for it obviously."

For Team D (2-2), they joined the list of teams that had Team C on the ropes yet unable to finish the job. They took the lead with 6:27 to go on a 4 yard pass from Chris Preston to Tyler Cain, but the defense could not hang on. Chris Preston had a phenomenal day passing the ball with 208 yards on 14 completions. He padded his already huge lead in yardage among the quarterbacks of the TFL.


Teammates Allissa Carter and Scooter Preston inexplicably line dance during a play. Photo courtesy of Chris Paolinetti.

Recent addition Tyler Cain also helped the cause with 6 tackles, 61 yards receiving, and a touchdown reception.

Quick Hits

The total attendance for the game was 4. Incidentally, the 4 fans were the first of the year for any game in the TFL...With his 4 TDs today, Seggerman is just two behind the total of now retired scoring leader Jon Huffman...Teams A, B, and D are all still mathematically in the race for the second spot in TFL Bowl II...This game featured the first ever tackling pact between two opponents. Glenn Eikenberry and Russ Chinn vowed to "pound the stuffing" out of each other and only each other, but it never came to pass.

Scoring Summary
1st Half
17:01--Team D--Chris Preston 62 yard pass to Russ Chinn. D leads 7-0.
13:23--Team C--Calvin Braker 17 yard pass to Wade Seggerman. Tied 7-7.

2nd Half
06:27--Team D--Preston 4 yard pass to Tyler Cain. D leads 14-7.
03:07--Team C--Braker 11 yard pass to Seggerman. Tied 14-14.

Overtime
1st--Team D--Preston 10 yard pass to Allissa Carter. D leads 21-14.
1st--Team C--Braker 10 yard pass to Glenn Eikenberry. Tied 21-21.
2nd--Team C--Braker 10 yard pass to Seggerman. C leads 28-21.
2nd--Team D--Preston 10 yard pass to Carter. Tied 28-28.
3rd--Team C--Braker 10 yard pass to Seggerman. C leads 35-28.