Gay Bowl IX results
The Los Angeles Motion joined the New York Warriors as one of only two teams to win three Gay Bowls, beating the San Diego Sharks in the Gay Bowl IX final, 31-30. In the consolation championship, the Silicon Valley Crash beat the South Florida Cat5, 33-13.
It was a great tournament from the first day. While rain had been forecast for parts of the weekend, only a light drizzle dampened the games. The big upset of the tournament came on Day 1 when the Michigan Panthers beat the three-time defending champion Warriors in their second round robin game. It was the first loss in 20 games for the Warriors.
Both host teams, the Washington Monuments and the D.C. Metros, finished strongly. The Phoenix Hellraisers had their best finish ever, ending the tournament in the No. 3 spot.
The entire weekend went off really well, which is a credit to the organizers of the tournament. It was great to have the tournament-ending party at the Kennedy Center, a Washington DC landmark.
The final game of the tournament was also a great cap to a well-played tournament by many teams. Los Angeles took a 7-point lead with about two minutes left when Demond A. took a short pass 50 yards for a score. The Bolts declined a penalty on the play that would have negated the touchdown, but they wanted one more shot to score. With two plays left in the game, the scored from 12 yards out and lined up for a 2-point conversion. Quarterback Eric R. was pushed out of the pocket and his pass hit the ground, giving the Motion a 31-30 victory. The Motion’s last championship was Gay Bowl 2 in 2003.
Final standings:
1 – Los Angeles Motion (6-0)
2 – San Diego Bolts (5-1)
3 – Phoenix Hellraisers (5-1)
4 – Washington Monuments (4-2)
5 – New York Warriors (3-2)
6 – Chicago Freeze (2-3)
7 – New York Fire (4-2)
8 – Boston Hancocks (3-3)
9 – Michigan Panthers (3-2)
10 – Atlanta Storm (2-3)
11 – Silicon Valley Crash (4-2)
12 – South Florida Cat5 (2-4)
13 – DC Metros (4-2)
14 – Houston Hurricanes (2-4)
15 – Salt Lake City Avalanche (2-3)
16 – Denver Summit (1-4)
17 – San Antonio Diablos (2-4)
18 – Pittsburgh Ironmen (1-5)
19 – Philadelphia Revolution (1-4)
20 – Texas Bullcats (0-5)
