The Second City was just that in Dallas at Gay Bowl VI, the annual LGBT flag football national championship.
The Chicago Flames lost 25-19 to the New York Warriors in the championship game of the eight-team A-Division, while the Chicago Crew Crushers lost 21-20 to the host Texas Bulls in the championship game of the eight-team B-Division.
The Flames were the defending champions; the Crushers were runners-up last year as well.
'Looking at the big picture, we had a very visible presence as a city. But, on the other end of things, we never want to finish second,' said Shawn Albritton, captain of the Crushers and league commissioner for the CMSA ( Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association ) flag football league, which is the largest in the nation ( with 16 teams and about 300 players ) . The CMSA league runs through late November.
Wade Davis, a safety and wide receiver for the Warriors, was named the Tournament MVP ( most valuable player ) . 'There was no player like him in the tournament,' said Cyd Zeigler, co-captain ( with Corey Johnson ) of the Warriors. 'His speed, knowledge, experience and hands make him a complete football player. He could take over a game unlike anyone else in the tournament.'
Glen Rexing, captain of the Flames, was voted the Flames' MVP, while quarterback Monte Moody was named the MVP of the Crushers. Brandon Fogel ( offense ) and Anthony Micelli ( defense ) of the Crushers were named to the All-Tournament Team, which also included Matt Jones ( offense ) of the Flames.
'Monte had a fantastic tournament. I think this was the best he's ever played. He carried the team,' Albritton said.
The Crushers ( 3-3 in the tournament ) lost on the final play of the game, failing to convert a two-point conversion from the 10-yard line. Moody connected with Fogel on a shuffle pass, but Fogel was stopped at the 2-yard line.
'It was a pretty dramatic way to lose,' Albritton said. 'Our goal for the tournament was to be in the A-Division ( after the seeding round ) and of course win it all. Well, we didn't get into the A-Division and, unfortunately, didn't win the B-Division once again.
'The competition this year was much, much stronger.'
Jeffrey Fersch, who split time between wide receiver and safety, had an exceptional tournament for the Crushers, as did team newcomer Austin Baidas, who recorded several interceptions at cornerback.
The Flames fell behind by 13 at halftime, but couldn't reclaim last year's magic in the final moments. The Warriors had two key interceptions that led to touchdowns.
'You win some, you lose some. Basically, we played a mistake-free game, expect for two interceptions on offense, which were no one's fault; they were just nice plays,' by the Warriors, Rexing said. 'We lost to a very good team. Sure, some people ( on the Flames ) might have thought we could have beaten them, but we lost to the best team,' in the tournament.
'I'm happy because we played as a team,' he added. 'There was no animosity at all. We came, battled and lost as a team. I'm very happy we battled together. I'm happy with the team's performance; I couldn't ask for anything else, anything more.'
The Flames only trailed one time in the tournament, but that was in the final minutes of the championship game.
CMSA President Marcia Hill was the referee for the A-Division championship game. CMSA referee Chip Collins also worked many tournament games.
'We played like we can, and I was very proud of the team for that,' Rexing said. 'It's always disappointing when you fall short, but I'm not miserable or sad based on the way the team played.'
Gil Minor was the Flames' new quarterback, replacing Will Ward, 'and he was outstanding throughout the tournament,' Rexing said. Ahkeem Waterford excelled for the Flames, thanks to his speed, while team newcomer James Platt recorded several key touchdowns.
Gay Bowl VII will be held next October in New York City. The home-field advantage is not lost on Zeigler. 'Beating Chicago in the finals was sweet revenge since it was the Flames who knocked us out of the semifinals last year,' he said. 'Getting the chance to defend the title next year on our home field will be special.'
