Another incredible season of indoor football concluded with 20 championship trophies on the line. With the average margin of victory across those 20 games less than a converted touchdown, nine games decided by two points or less, and 10 games coming down to the final drive of the game, it was a championship weekend for the ages – and not for the weak of heart!
Co-ed Division 1
There’s No Crying in Baseball 34 Coed Squad 32
The curse of the undefeated regular season reared its head in the first game of championship night as There’s No Crying in Baseball became the first team to knock off not one, but two undefeated teams en route to championship glory. First, they knocked off the undefeated and reigning Co-ed champions the Connor McDavids in the semi-finals when they stopped the winning convert attempt by the McDavids on the final play of the game. No Crying then overcame the unbeaten Co-ed Squad in the final… by stopping the tying convert attempt on the final play of the game! Manitoba’s largest co-ed division was punctuated by perhaps two of the best co-ed games in the history of the sport, all while showcasing the incredible talent found in the division.
Co-ed Division 2
Dillos South 53 Dillos North 24
In one of the few games not decided in the final minute of the game, the Dillos South put on a clinic against their sister team from the North. Raza Butt threw a remarkable seven touchdown passes, three to Luc Rodrigues in the rout. The Dillos North were led by Cara Isaak, who put on a catching clinic with two touchdowns. Dillos North will be looking for revenge come summer as both teams will renew the friendliest rivalry in recreational sports during the upcoming season.
Division 1
Guild of Calamitous Intent 49 Team Manitoba 47
In the highest-scoring game of the night, the two top teams in Manitoba combined for 96 points in an offensive onslaught. Team Manitoba was lead by the 34 points by Jeff Draper, while the Guild of Calamitous Intent countered with 25 points by University of Manitoba Bison standout wide receiver Riley Harrison. The game came down to the final series when Greg Robinson was on the receiving end of Jon Franklin’s seventh touchdown pass. The Guild knock off Team Manitoba, which was coming off winning the Milt Stegall tournament the week previous to win their third consecutive Division 1 indoor title. With all the talent on the field going toe-to-toe, it was an incredible game to watch!
Division 2
Monstars 33 The Kings 13
Fresh off their Division 4 championship in the Winter, the Monstars moved up to Division 2 during the spring season and never skipped a beat. Finishing first in the division, the Monstars capped their season with a convincing 33-13 victory in the final. Game MVP Matt Nikkel threw dimes all over the field, hitting team captain Andrew Gregoire for a team-high 12 points, all while pulling double duty as the defensive rusher. Former Winnipeg Blue Bomber draft pick Alex Vitt put the icing on the cake, sealing victory with a touchdown reception midway through the final frame.
Division 3
Beerhawks 34 You Belechek Yoself 19
The Beerhawks were the favorite to win the Division 2 championship, but after starting the season 0-3 they were relegated to Division 3. While it may not have been the trophy they wanted, in the end they are still the champs! The game didn’t start off well for the Beerhawks as You Belecheck began with the opening touchdown, but the Beerhawks battled back. Keith Bourgeois hit Aaron Geddart for two touchdowns, as part of his five-touchdown night. A late touchdown salted this championship away, but the talent on You Belechek is undeniable. Good luck to Danny Harris who just committed to the Manitoba Bisons to shore up their defense for the upcoming season.
Division 4
Big Baller Brand 28 Law Firm 20
Led by a cast of 40-somethings, the Big Baller Brand were able to use veteran savvy on both sides of the ball to go undefeated in the Spring. Offensively the BBB had five players in double-digit scoring making it very difficult for defences to key on one player to shut them down. Defensively, the BBB were led by the play of Mike Cuma who consistently came up with game-changing interceptions. Teams in the league could learn a lot from the BBB defence as they consistently changed out their zones to keep opposing teams off-balance. Hats off to Law Firm, however, as this up-and-coming team will have their names engraved on quite a few championships before they get into the BBB age category.
Division 5
Gym Class Heroes 1 Nasty Boyz 0 (default)
Gym Class Heroes took the Division 5 championship in a walk. No hard feelings toward the Nasty Boyz who are ardent Winnipeg Jets fans, but with the championship being played during Game 1 of the National Hockey League’s Western Conference Finals between the Jets and Vegas Golden Knights, there wasn’t enough Nasty left in the Boyz to take on the Gym Class Heroes. Let’s hope the Jets take home a Stanley Cup championship to validate the Nasty Boyz conceding the PIT Football championship. The finals would have been an uphill battle for the Nasty Boyz regardless, as they were taking on the regular season champs in the Heroes from Gym Class.
Division 6
Snipers 25 North Bay 20
The Snipers overthrew previously undefeated North Bay in the game of the night. Down 19-12 with three minutes remaining, Raza Butt led North Bay down the field and threw a touchdown to pull them within one point. North Bay went for the two-point convert and Brandon Smith came down with an acrobatic catch in the corner of the end zone to give his team the lead with under two minutes remaining. Veteran Cory Hanssen then lead his Snipers down the field, and on the last play of the game hit game MVP Shawn Pachet for his forth touchdown and the game winner. Incredible finish from both sides.
Division 7
Danger Zone 21 Unwanted All-Stars 20
The Unwanted All-Stars entered the Danger Zone and were not able to escape! A back-and-forth game was settled when Mike McCheyne hit James Pihulak-Seeley for the winner with seconds remaining. “The Catch”, as it is now known, decided the game in Danger Zone’s favour, when with the clock running down James was able to snatch a one-handed grab while simultaneously getting his feet down in bounds and crossing the goal line. The play of the night was the difference maker in the one-point victory!
Division 8
Gamecocks 14 Chuggernauts 12
Relative newcomers the Gamecocks defeated the Chuggernauts in yet another closely-contested championship game. The Chuggernauts were coming off a winter season in which they upset the Gamecocks in the semi-finals on their way to winning the title. With the Gamecocks looking for revenge, this game featured some great defensive plays which kept the score low. Down eight points with only a couple of minutes remaining Matty “Ice” Blewitt hit Drew MacKenzie to pull within two, however the two-point convert was unsuccessful which gave the Gamecocks their vengeance and first PIT Football championship.
Division 9
Air Farce 20 In Eli Vieira We Trust 18
Air Farce was another team to win their first PIT championship, this one in a barnburner versus In Eli Vieira We Trust. Game MVP Tom Laurin threw three touchdown passes, two to Jamie Morris, en route to victory. John Perretta countered with three touchdown passes of his own including one on the last play of the game to pull his team within two points. John then called for the two-point convert to tie the game and send it into overtime, however the Air Farce defence tipped the pass at the line of scrimmage forcing the ball into empty space and ending the game in the process. While Air Farce takes home the championship, In Eli Vieira We Trust did the memory of Eli Vieira proud. One of football’s best ambassadors of the sport was taken from us way too early, and his memory was honoured this season by his friends, family and the football community.
Division 10
VaudeVillians 33 Joint Forces 24
21-0: That was the record of the VaudeVillians over the three indoor touch football sessions, making them the first team in Manitoba history to have back-to-back-to-back undefeated seasons. The VaudeVillians defeated the Dragins in the Fall, Welcome to Sissy Island in the Winter, and Joint Forces in the Spring — three very formidable opponents – winning Divisions 16, 10 and 9 along the way. In the Spring Final, Client Wiebe threw five touchdown passes two to Jayden Bannerman, while the VaudeVillian defence was anchored by the four sacks by Zachary Medal to keep their perfect season(s) alive.
Division 11
Notorious 20 No Punts Intended 18
No Punts Intended jumped out to an early 18-0 lead, but they could not sustain their early momentum as the Notorious chipped away at the lead through the remaining three quarters. Game MVP Andrew Davison came up huge for the Notorious with three interceptions and two touchdown receptions, while Alex Sirant scored the game winner with just seconds left on the clock. This game was one of 10 championships that came down to the final drive in just an amazing night of football.
Division 12
Oay Co 24 Wickermen 18
Bottom seed Oay Co knocked off the top two in their division to take home the championship hardware in yet another game that came down to the wire. Rajwinder Dandiala hit Harry Gaidu for the winning touchdown with just seven seconds left in the game. Tanner Smith had a huge game for the Wickermen throwing for three touchdowns and hauling in two interceptions, but it was not enough to stop the juggernaut that has become Oay Co who have now won their second championship in as many seasons.
Division 13
Ravens 15 Super Troopers 6
The Super Troopers ran roughshod over Division 13 all season, securing an undefeated season and first place, however all that meant was the curse of the first-place team would once again be in full effect. The Ravens defence limited the Troopers to just six points, in large part to the superb rushing of Evan Panchyshyn who had two sacks, including a safety. The Ravens go from worst to first to claim their first championship in the PIT!
Division 14
Not Elite 24 Primetime 20
Not Elite hoist the trophy in their inaugural season, but it wasn’t easy as Primetime pushed them to the limit, losing a heartbreaker after battling back from an early deficit. Not Elite was led by Hans Fehr’s four touchdowns, three to Clark Nachtigall. Primetime countered with two touchdowns from Stephen Malzahn, and both a touchdown and sack from Patrick Smith. Not Elite pulled off the rare season one championship, so we expect big things from them as they make their way up the ladder to elite!
Division 15
Top Shottas 7 wdsds 6
If you are a fan of defence, then this was the game for you! The two teams combined for a total of six interceptions and three sacks as both offences sputtered against the onslaught of defensive pressure all night. Both teams managed only one score each, with the game winner coming on an Andrew Poongavanam convert, which followed an Antonio Meneses touchdown reception. Despite the low score, the Top Shottas, who are now the top dogs of Division 15!
Division 16
Banda Makers 20 Chimichangas 19
The Chimichangas jumped out to a quick lead with two touchdowns from Ezekiel Stewart, but the Banda Makers slowly whittled down the deficit in the second half. Charanpal Dhaliwal calmly led the Banda Makers offence down the field throwing for three touchdowns, two to Ganvir Singh, including the eventual game winner to Harvir Aulakh. The game came down to the wire with the go-ahead touchdown caught with just seconds remaining to secure the one-point victory.
Milt Stegall Charity Tournament A-Side:
Team Manitoba 32 Rebellion 31
In the inaugural Milt Stegall Charity Tournament Team Manitoba went through the round robin a 5-0, then capped off the championship with three more victories in the playoffs to finish a perfect 8-0. The final game was a tremendous battle with both teams trading touchdowns. The Rebellion scored to go up by five points with just under three minutes remaining, however Team Manitoba took the ball and drove the length of the field. The game came down to the final play when Provincial team quarterback Jon Franklin eluded the rush and hit Jamie Ybarra in the back corner of the end zone for the winning touchdown. A perfect way to end the first ever Milt Stegall tournament and settle once and for all the title of best team in Manitoba.
Milt Stegall Charity Tournament B-Side:
Gotham Knights 40 n.W.o 8
Gotham Knights had the hardest Day 1 tournament schedule, facing all the top teams. Losses in those games resulted in their relegation to the B-side. However, after going 0-5 on opening day, their fortunes changed when they put together a 3-0 streak in the playoffs when it counted. Led by a defence that counted two sacks, five interceptions, and a pick six, the Gotham Knights were able to stall the n.W.o offence. On the other side of the ball, Gotham was led by the five touchdown passes of our Winter MVP Nick Jessamine, two of those strikes were caught by Bomber superfan Tony Carvalho. A great weekend of football, for a great cause. We see the Milt Stegall tournament taking off with even more teams and fun next year! Check out the Milt Stegall tournament website here for more information about next year’s event: https://miltstegallclassic.com/
The PIT Football league is the official touch football league of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. PIT Football would like to thank the Winnipeg Football Club for helping grow the game of touch football in the province! Highlights from our Winter championship games can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi0ARhQFrAu/?hl=en&taken-by=pitfootball
Summer registration is now open. Registration information can be found here: http://pit.redzoneleagues.com/forums/messages/26380-2018-summer-registration-information
