2010 Gravois Thanksgiving Football Festival
The 2010 Gravois Thanksgiving Football Festival was a sporting event in the Republic of Secundomia that took place on the 26th and 27 November 2010 at the Green Hills County of Gravois, just south of Gene. Participants from 2 teams representing Gravois and Middle Secundomia took part in a Touch Football tournament with varied rules.
Venue
There were three venues in play at the Festival, all in Green Hills County.
First Field
The First Field was created in the same place as the Uphill Field, however, it went east-west, unlike the north-south Uphill Field. Unfortunately, this field proved to be unworthy after 2 plays in the first game, because the ball went quickly into the Secundomian Bay. Fortunately the ball was retreived a quarter mile west of the Secundomian Naval Base, and the teams resorted to last year's Uphill Field.
Uphill Field
The first venue was in play on the 26th of November. It was the Uphill Field, and, like it's name describes, ran uphill, thus creating a challenge for wide receivers and corner-backs. Other challenges for the passing game included glare from the sun, severe winds, and an evergreen tree branch that blocked many passes. Several games, and one Championship Series Game, were played here. The offense could only go uphill, due to concerns with the water at the South Side of the field.
Main Field
The second venue, Main Field, was used on the 27th of November. Two championship Series Games were played here, including a 2 hour long game that scored in triple digits. Several Exhibition games were played here, including the closing game. One challenge posed in the closing game was poor visibilty for the Quarterback, due to glare. Offense could only go West, due to issues with water on the south side of the field.
Games
The SFL sanctioned several exhibition games, and several Championship games in the Football Festival.
Exhibition Games
On November 26th, a series of exhibition games were played between Gravois and Middle Secundomia. All exhibition games were 1 on 1 touch football with a designated "All-Time Quarterback," who remained on offense. The first game was cut short due to technical issues, the final score remaining a tie. Gravois defeated Secundomia 21-0 in the second exhibition game played on the Uphill field. The final game, also played on the Uphill field, ended in a 7-7 tie due to scheduling issues.
| Day | Score (GC-MS) | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 26th | 0-0 (Tech issues, cut short) | First |
| 26th | 21-0 | Uphill |
| 26th | 7-7 (Cut short) | Uphill |
Championship Series
The Championship Series was a series of 2 vs 2 touch football games that were officially counted by SFL rules. The initial game was played on the 26th in the Uphill field with the Gravois team dominating, outscoring Middle Secundomia by 21 points. The feature match was scheduled for the 27th, with Middle Secundomia victorious after going on a late run to win 105-91. A final, overtime style match took place immediately after to settle the 3 game series. Gravois scored on their first possession, putting pressure on Middle Secundomia, who failed to convert on 4th down on their chance. Gravois was thus awarded the championship.
Results
| Day | Score (GC-MS) | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| November 26 | 42-21, Gravois | Uphill |
| 27th | 91-105, Middle Secundomia | Main |
| 27th | 7-0, Gravois (tiebreaker) |
Main |
Summaries
Game 1
The first game took place on the 26th on the Uphill course. Middle Secundomia was made up of Parker I and a non-Secundomian, resident of Gravois; Gravois was made up of Spencer I and a non-secundomian, resident of Middle Secundomia. Gravois scored quickly, racking up the score 14-0. Middle Secundomia responded, making it 14-7. However, Gravois made it 28-14 in a short time. But Middle Secundomia held Gravois for a while, making it as close as ever, 28-21. However, Middle Secundomia let up defensively, and Gravois won 42-21.
Game 2
Game 2 was the longest and the premier game of the festival. Due to the 2 and a half hour length, it was stopped multiple times for timeouts.
Gravois was the first team to score with back-to-back touchdowns making it 14-0. It appeared that Gravois were to continue their dominance of the festival. After a few more minutes of play, Gravois maintained a 14 point lead. A massive swing occured when a Middle Secundomia touchdown was followed byan interception and they tied the game at 28.
The second half of the game began well for Gravois, who made it 42-35 by the next timeout. Another run from Middle Secundomia tied the game again at 42, but Gravois scored 4 unanswered touchdowns to lead the game 63-42. This proved to be the turning point of the game when Middle Secundomia caught fire and locked down the Gravois offense. After a massive run, Middle Secundomia lead for the first time 77-70. They continued to lead by one touchdown throughout the game, until the score totaled 98-91. Middle Secundomia scored once more to ice the game with a final score of 105-91, capping off a major upset.