Event City: New York City, NY / 9.17.05
Winner Name: Kevin Merritt
Winner Nickname: Nine Lives
Hometown: Deptford, NJ
Age: 15
Team used: Oakland Raiders
The 2005 EA Sports Madden Challenge enters the city so nice they had to name it twice. New York City is arguably the greatest stage for all types of sporting events, and what better place to hold our Madden Challenge than New York?s beautiful Chelsea Piers. This was a great spot with a nice breeze coming off the Hudson River on an absolutely gorgeous weekend, beckoning competitors to arrive very early to ensure their place in line.
Due to popular demand, this was a two-day event beginning Friday evening and carrying into Saturday with a full playoff round of 32 finalists. Contestants traveled from all five boroughs to represent their city, making this our largest regional in Madden Challenge history.
As Friday night turned into Saturday morning. with half of our playoff bracket solidified, competitors entered to round off our second day of competition. ?Who wants to go to Haw-a-ii??aked Emcee Big Curly Top, as he announced the playoff matchups after fierce competition on Saturday. ?Who wants to enjoy some pina coladas with your boy??
That drink better not consist of alcohol because our 15-year-old Madden Challenge winner won?t have proper ID to accept it. Yes folks, Kevin ?Nine Lives? Merritt is the new King of New York. Sporting his fashionable Ben Wallace-type afro, ?Nine Lives? dominates our runner-up Stephen ?Stevo? White, in the pro division championship game by a score of 27-10.
Supported by plenty of family -- including his cousin, Anthony ?Nephew? Brinson, who is New York?s defending champion from last year -- ?Nine Lives? put on one heck of a show, with great defense to slow down ?Stevo?.
With both finalists playing as the Oakland Raiders, ?Stevo? got off to a slow start, going into the half down 13-0 after throwing an interception with 48 seconds left in the second quarter, leading to a field goal by ?Nine Lives.? This move proved to be a costly mistake, because ?Stevo? was forced into passing the ball for the rest of the game, having to throw into the great coverage defense that "Nine Lives" was calling. Chasing an increasing lead by ?Nine Lives? for most of the game, ?Stevo? simply didn?t have any gas left to continue against the youngster. Congratulations to our New York regional Champion ?Nine Lives,? as he goes for the $1000, 000 in Haw-a-ii.
We would like to also congratulate our first New York Rookie Challenge winner, Greg ?Turtle? Fertel, who beat his older brother?s roommate, runner-up Mike ?The Mick? Eisenberg. Imagine the bragging and trash talk when these guys returned home. ?The Mick? admits that ?Turtle taught me everything that I currently know about EA SPORTS Madden Football.? We guess that if Mr. Miyagi was a baller, he?d be proud because ?Turtle? destroyed ?The Mick? by a score of 35-7. With much practice and a little luck, you too will be able to win a championship game, grasshopper.
Tip of the Day from the EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Crew:
There are no chairs allowed on the tournament floor, so wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to stand during competition.
