The race to crown The Northeastern Illinois University’s flag football champions reached the finish line on Nov. 5. It was a classic photo finish as team Killer Biscuits squeaked out a victory against the Last Men Standing by the slimmest of margins. The final score was 21 to 20 and the Killer Biscuits remained undefeated this season. These two teams have built a friendly rivalry since last year when the Last Men Standing defeated the Biscuits to win the championship. This year’s game did not disappoint, as it went down to the final seconds.
Nipun Patel, quarterback of the Biscuits, found himself a new favorite target as he connected with wide receiver Tenzin Passang on a long touchdown and a conversion. When asked about the competition and the intensity of this championship game, Passang replied, “they had better height and speed, possibly even more athleticism, but we were more sound, and most importantly, we were more organized.” When asked how he got so wide open in this touchdown score, he stated, “we didn’t have a lot of plays, but the few plays we ran, we ran to perfection.”
Perfection is exactly what the Last Men Standing were hoping to get out of their team. However, it looked like they had some first half jitters as their half only consisted of six points. There was a bright spot however: Brian Granada, receiver for the Last Men Standing, played an outstanding game. Granada had two sacks and a long touchdown reception from quarterback Shawn Palacio. Palacio’s determination would not be questioned as he threw for two touchdowns and rushed for one. He did, however throw one interception in the first half. When asked about the sloppy first half, a disappointed Granada mentioned, “We were not as prepared as we should have been. A couple mistakes, but we have to give credit to the other team for coming out, being more prepared than us.”
It was the tale of two halves as the second half proved to be more thrilling. The Last Men Standing picked up on their defense as they allowed zero touchdowns in the second half. They also picked up their pressure as they sacked Patel and intercepted him as well. Their offense did not let them down either as they scored 14 unanswered points. The electrifying second half was not without controversy. With 2 minutes and 20 seconds left in the game, the officials deemed there was no penalty when Joseph Rath and Tyler Heidtke went for a ball that some believed was pass interference. The officials assigned to the championship game were carefully appointed by their supervisors and were the best in the university. It is easy to blame an official when things are not going your way. This game, however, was not determined by those in stripes.
The Last Men Standing were down one point and were just itching for a chance to score again. Although Rath did not get that call he wanted earlier, later in the game, however, he had his chance for revenge. He did not capitalize on the opportunity as he dropped a potential game winning touchdown on 3rd and goal with 20 seconds left. Fourth and goal approached, and there was an incomplete pass.
The Biscuits got the ball back with 15 seconds left, and the Last Men Standing had no timeouts remaining. One snap, and one knee later, Patel sighed a breath of relief as they survived a battle that came down to the last second .