Thanksfelixbowl XXVIII: Trying Not to Pull Anything

Date: November 30, 2019
Start Time: 10:30 AM
Location: Sparks Field, Fort Washington PA (moved from Mondauk due to Field Preservation)

Event Description
When we descend on Mondauk Park on Thanksgiving Weekend, it will be exactly 10 years since the first Felix Bowl I ever won. It was my 18th birthday and I was in the prime of life. Now, at the end of my life, I look back at the 2 (?) other Felix Bowls that I won with a sense of fondness. But not completeness. For as long as I can run without (additional) limping, I will remain forever dedicated to adding to my collection of (imaginary) trophies.

The date and time are tentative at this stage, but I am blocked off most of Saturday afternoon for my niece’s first birthday party (just to clarify, niece through my wife’s side, Luke is not a father just yet) and I know a lot of people work Friday, so this is my tentative slot of best fit. Wanted to get on everyone’s calendars early and get feedback on whether people think another time is better.

I also needed to time to, if everyone enjoyed that gimmick, stage another fake Felix Bowl using Backyard Football. So if you want that to happen again, comment in the event so I know.

There may be one or two other surprises as well.

That’s the deal. Any questions or comments, you can reach out to me or if I’m tied up, you can discuss with my agent Gabe Gabriel.

Let the games begin.

Teams

Team McGrath

Ian Mcgrath, Tom Lorenzi, Dan Johnson, Mitch Sacks

Team Lerman

Dave Lerman, Mark Pyfer, Mitch Silver, Chris Naughton

Team Leopold

Ian Leopold, Andy Leopold, Ed Brown, Ben Shatzman

Team Felix

Jarrett Felix, Luke Felix, Todd Warszawski, Charlie Smugar, Ryan Sacks

Recap

Although the Felix Bowl has been around for over a decade, that doesn’t mean we didn’t have our fair share of firsts at this year’s event. Right from the jump, things were wacky as the 10:30 start time was the earliest a Felix Bowl has ever began.

There were two timed 15 minute games for seeding purposes to start the tournament. In the first round, Team Leopold defeated Team McGrath 3-2 and Team Lerman tied Team Felix 2-2. It took a late score from Team Felix just to tie the game. In the second round, Team Felix defeated Team Leopold by 1, while team McGrath pulled off a 4-1 victory over Team Lerman.

This was also the first year since Felix Bowl III: Return of the King (infamously the only Felix Bowl to never officially finish) that two teams competing in the Felix Bowl did not ever play one another (Team McGrath and Team Felix). The first round of the single elimination playoff was a mirror image of the first round of seeding. While Team Felix quickly knocked off Team Lerman, Team Leopold and Team McGrath engaged in a back and forth battle before a late Andy Leopold score broke the 4-4 deadlock.

In the championship, Team Felix was well-rested and used their fitness edge to their advantage. They stormed out the gates with a quick deep-route score and never looked back en route to the championship.

Game Notes

Todd Warszawski, one of the “founding fathers” of the Felix Bowl, won his first ever championship in style. He was the go-to option in the playoffs and scored the Bowl-clinching TD. 

Ryan Sacks was the secret weapon of the championship offense. He picked up multiple touchdown catches and also grabbed an end-zone interception, stopping a key opposing scoring drive. 

Andy Leopold added to his all-time Felix Bowl lead in interceptions returned for touchdowns. 

Tom Lorenzi scored 5 touchdowns over the course of the tournament. 

It was a long awaited return for both Charlie Smugar and Ed Brown who had both been on a long Felix Bowl hiatus but were key contributors for two championship teams.

This year marked the third straight year that Team Leopold met Team Felix in the finals. 

Team Felix had 5 players vs every other team’s 4, a point of contention during play. The Commissioner has asked for any and all rule suggestions for future Bowls to fix this or other issues found during play to be forwarded along. 

The Commissioner also provided two medals to members of the winning team for the first time in Bowl history. There had never previously been any award hand outs. The medals were awarded to Todd, the championship MVP and first time Bowl winner, and Luke, the team captain and star QB/safety. 

The Felix-Felix connection was strong in this game as the pair connected on a number of deep touchdown catches. Its impossible to measure the total yardage, especially compared to prior years, but it seemed like a lot. Especially when you adjust down for old age-deflation.

The Commissioner thinks it could be fun if the championship team gets to “defend their title” the next season by keeping together their team to take on challengers (assuming that in doing so would not have more players than any other team). It could make some fun rivalry. However, the commissioner will not pass forth any such rule change without a majority vote at the start of tournament.

Next year the game may turn into a charity event.

Final Results

Team Felix (Jarrett, Luke, Todd, Charlie S, Ryan S) over Team Leopold

Offensive MVP: Todd Warszawski

Defensive MVP: Andy Leopold