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2010 Midwest Tournament Recap
By Chris Vogt
AP Tecmo Writer
FAIRFIELD, Ohio — Call them the Boys of Wisconsin.
Chet Holzbauer, Josh Holzbauer and Jonathan Bailey stole the show on Saturday, July 31, when the trio placed in the top 4 of the 2010 Midwest Tecmo Super Bowl Tournament at Symmes Tavern on the Green.
It was Chet, using the New York Giants, who took care of his brother Josh and the Buffalo Bills 37-14 to capture the championship title.
Brotherly competition, Chet called it just another game.
“Josh and I played in the championship for the second consecutive tournament,” Chet said. “It’s really no fun for either of us. Josh and I have played thousands of times, and these days, I’m holding a slight edge.
“With Bills-Giants, however, it’s usually a coin-flip,” Chet added. “That’s why he called that matchup.”
Recent champions and brothers Jimmy Vogt (2008) and Matt Vogt (2009), and their past performances, were overshadowed following Elite Eight play. Jon Jones, of Louisville, downed Jimmy before falling to Chet in the semifinals, and Josh defeated Matt to get to the Final Four.
Chet, runner-up to Matt in 2009, never lost a game during the 32-man tournament finishing 8-0.
Chet, Bailey, Josh, Aaron Hake, Tony Orenga and Kevin Smith went 3-0 in pool play. The top 6 seeds, respectively, were Hake, Josh, Smith, Chet, Orenga and Bailey.
“A good Tecmo player is a good Tecmo player,” said Chet, who does not engage in online competition. “Whether he or she plays online is irrelevant.”
Chet received the opening kickoff and took a 7-0 lead in the championship. The game was essentially over when the Giants got a safety the next possession.
“It also helped that the Giants D was totally juiced in this one,” Chet said.
Jones and Bailey didn’t participate in a third-place contest.
“Not that that was a big deal,” Bailey said. “We're both competitors and trying to win the whole thing was more important.”
Chet advanced to the title match after beating Jones 16-14. Chet manned the Washington Redskins, while Jones sported the Minnesota Vikings.
“We played a tight game that I managed to pull out at the end,” Chet said. “I can cite a few bad breaks, and I'm sure he can too, but what's the point? That is Tecmo when played by two guys at a high level. For what it's worth, he was definitely a terrific player and a nice guy to boot.”
There were eight groups in pool play, and it made for a couple of exciting finishes.
Bailey defeated Matt 21-10 in one of the first games of the tournament, tournament director Chris Vogt fell to Cleveland’s Mark Adams 27-21 in overtime, Orenga beat Jimmy 21-14, and Josh took down Jones 14-7.
There were plenty of blowouts in the opening round of 32, but two games went down to the wire. Chet dubbed a specific match-up a “potential bracket buster.”
Buffalo’s Frank Buennagel — the Madison tournament champion — and David Chalmers, of Hammond, Ind., went into overtime before Buennagel pulled it out on a game-winning field goal 20-17. Toph Enany, of Chicago, made a stellar comeback to take down Joey Vogt 24-21 in an opening-round nail biter.
Jimmy knocked off No. 1 seed Hake in the Sweet 16, while Chris kicked a game-winning field goal in overtime against Orenga.
In an Elite Eight field that consisted of no surprises, Chet indeed played like a champion against Chris winning 35-10, and Jones’ rout of Jimmy formed the first semifinal match-up.
Bailey faced Buennagel and won 24-21 in overtime, and Josh prevailed over Matt to set Final Four.
“I want to thank (Buennagel) for that great Elite Eight game,” Bailey said. “It was one of the best games of Tecmo I have ever been a part of. Hell of a competitor, hell of a nice guy.”
Chet manned Washington and Jones took Minnesota in the first semifinal contest.
Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien was pretty substandard in this one, but on the opening drive, an uncovered Ricky Sanders dropped a sure touchdown. Washington settled for a field goal.
Action was at a minimum the rest of the half.
However, behind some methodical offense, Jones punched one in the end zone, and Chet tacked on another field goal to make it 7-6 Jones at the half.
Mounting a drive in the third quarter, Rypien threw an interception to Joey Browner, which handed the ball to Chet. Minnesota drove down the field with some short passes and solid running and took 14-6 lead near the end of the third.
Rypien eluded a called play and hit Gary Clark streaking past Carl Lee the next possession. A few plays later, running back Earnest Byner ran one in to make it 14-13.
With just over three minutes left, Minnesota took over on offense. On first-and-10, Chet blitzed with corner back Martin Mayhew and sacked Vikings quarterback Wade Wilson. On second-and-long, Wilson was blindsided back a Redskins linebacker. Then on third-and-long, Chet called Jones’ play and sacked him, forcing the Vikings to punt.
Chet and the Redskins began the game’s final drive at their own 15 yard line with just over a minute left.
A few solid runs from Byner put Washington into kicker Chip Lohmiller’s range, and he drilled 58-yarder to win it.
“Great game,” Chet said. “This one could have gone either way.”
In the other semifinal, Green Bay’s Keith Woodside was the difference, helping Josh on his way to a 24-21 victory over Bailey and the Cleveland Browns.
The “JJ” fest ended on a Chris Jacke field goal.
Then the Holzbauer brothers squared off in the third Midwest championship.
Chet Holzbauer contributed to this story.
Madison 88 Man 2010 Tecmo Super Bowl Tournament Summary
Written by Rod Woodson
Badger Bowl, Madison, WI - Saturday March 6th, 2010
Madison's 6th annual Tecmo Tournament has proven to be it's biggest and best so far. After last year's 64 player tournament squeezed into the back room of a bar, the organizers of Tecmo VI came back with a bigger venue and even a bigger crowd.
(Skip Ahead to video of the finals)
Tournament Summary: The Son of Pat Beach
Great turnout -- great tournament. The new venue (Badger Bowl) was a pleasant surprise -- much more room than the Plaza. The posterboard designed by the Child of Destiny (CoD) was absolutely amazing, and looked professionally done. The authentic Tecmo lettering, the custom logo, and the authentic Tecmo pics of Montana, Gannon, Miller, Young, and of course Jerry were a nice touch.
Flo's t-shirts were a huge hit: half the room seemed to be wearing them by the end of the tournament. More women at this year's tournament than in previous years, which was certainly a welcome sight. Tony's entourage was an absolute force: 10-15 drunken, sombrero-wearing, noise-making revelers that almost certainly rattled each of his opponents.
The Jerry Rice coins at each station were received well, as were the action figures of Tecmo players at each station. The readings from the book of LT (old testament and new testament) set the tone for the entire tournament. Two players who won’t be named didn’t behave like true Tecmo gentlemen and won’t be asked to return next year.
Overall, we had about 11 states represented: Maryland, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Rhode Island, New York, Tennessee, etc. Disappointed with no Ed (out of country) or Sconnie, no Ohio guys and no Sobhi (out of country). This was our first tourney w/o Sobhi since Tecmo I five years ago, and his presence was missed. Josh C. from California no showed on us without the courtesy of a phone call, which we didn’t appreciate.
Group play went relatively smoothly – no big surprises. Group A turned out to be the toughest group, as Flo was pushed to the limits. He needed to beat Eric R., a guy who never lost a group play game in the history of the tournament, to advance. He did just that in a classic Giants/Bills matchup.
Here is a list of notable non-qualifiers for the Round of 44: Adam F from Kansas (http://www.hutchnews.com/mobile_localre ... mo-Bowl--1), Clay T. (http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/0 ... uper-bowl/), the Child of Destiny, and Stratis from NY. Stratis got a raw deal – found out about the tournament on Thursday, drove all the way from Rochester, NY to participate, went 2-1, but didn’t advance out of group play due to point differential. He seemed to enjoy the nightlife in Madison, though, so hopefully that made the tough beat easier to swallow.
Seeding the field of 44 afterwards was a pain. Here's how the Top 20 shook out based on group play records and point differential:
1. Pat Beach (former champ – from WI)
2. Kyle H. (WI)
3. Mort (NY)
4. Chet (Ohio finalist in 2009 – from WI)
5. Rik Fenny (WI)
6. Chris E. (KS)
7. Eric O. (IL)
8. Jason W. (KS)
9. Adam G. (WI)
10. Kevin M. (defending champ – from WI)
11. Justin O. (WI)
12. Mark D. (Rhode Island)
13. Ivan S. (IL)
14. Knobbe (Nebraska)
15. AverageTSBPlayer (formerly Penn, now WI)
16. Peter K. (former champ – from WI)
17. Flo (IL)
18. Dave N. (WI)
19. Rico (WI)
20. Jimmy B. (former champ – from WI)
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The Play-In Games:
The top 20 spots were coveted because spots 21-44 had to participate in play-in games to make the field of 32. No huge surprises in the play-in games. Jay H., one of the most decorated players in the history of the tournament, was forced to play in this round, but won easily. Matt O. from Michigan also played in this round, but only because he was a late entry into the tournament. He defeated Nick, his friend, to advance to the field of 32. Bailey, who fared well in the Ohio tournament last year, won as expected to advance.
Bird’s Eye View of the 32-Man Bracket:
There were four regions: Joe Montana, Chris Miller, Rich Gannon, and Steve Young. The group names were no accident, as the four quarterbacks are in an elite club: they’ve all thrown TD passes to Jerry Rice. The most obscure of course is Chris Miller – he threw a TD to Jerry in the 1992 Pro Bowl game.
The first thing that we noticed about the bracket is that the left side (Joe Montana & Chris Miller) was much harder than the right (Rich Gannon & Steve Young). The toughest was the Chris Miller region, which featured Chet (the group’s #1 seed), Rik Fenny, Jimmy B., Jay H., and a relative unknown about to make a name for himself. At the bottom of the Miller region alone were Chet, Jimmy B., and Jay H. – only one of which could advance to the Elite 8. In years past, players of this caliber would meet in the Final Four or at least the Elite 8. Likewise at the top of the Montana region with Pat Beach (overall #1 seed), Peter, and Flo.
The Gannon region was Mort’s (#1 seed) to win. Knobbe or Rico waited for him in the Sweet 16, though. The clear favorite in the Steve Young region was the defending champ Kevin M. But averageTSBplayer was looking to make a run out of that region.
The Round of 32:
One of the first games in the round of 32 was Peter (Atl) vs. Flo (Bucs). Flo’s first drive was epic – it took up nearly 6 minutes of game clock, and ended when Peter stopped him on fourth and goal from the one yard line. But Peter ended up going three and out, and Flo jumped out to a 10-0 lead.
Then Peter rattled off 14 straight points after a bomb to Rison and a fumble recovery. But Flo had the last word: after a bomb to Mark Carrier, he “soloed” Peter and ran into the end zone with little time left for Peter to respond. Tough break for Peter, the former champ, to run up against Flo in the Round of 32. For the second time in a row, he failed to advance to the Sweet 16.
Another notable game was Chet (Boys) vs. Jay H. (Chargers). Another matchup that we’d expect to see in the Elite 8 or Final Four, rather than in the round of 32. The Cowboys were overmatched in this one, and Awalt had a costly kick return fumble that Chet wasn’t able to recover from. Suddenly, two of the best players were out of the tournament. But the most compelling was yet to come.
In a stunning upset, Troy H. (Chiefs) knocked out defending champ Kevin M. (Bungals). The Bungals didn’t show up to play in this one. Two dropped bombs by Eddie Brown and at least one lost fumble crippled the defending champ, but Troy proved later in the tournament this game was no fluke.
In what would be a recurring theme, Knobbe was knocked out while playing with the Jets by Rico (Cards) in this round, also. Bailey was knocked out impressively by Eric O., a relative unknown prior to the tournament. Mort cruised through his game in this round.
Sweet 16:
Headline matchup in this one was Pat Beach (Chargers) vs. Flo (Broncos). Lots of great runs by Humphrey & Butts, who were both in Good or Excellent, and the Bolts pulled it out in a close one. Matt O. (Jets) continued his run by thumping Rik Fenny (Cards), another player highly regarded in the Madison ranks, with the help of four fumbles from the lowly Cardinals in the first quarter. Fenny was never in this one. No team in the tourney fared worse than the Cards.
Jimmy B (former champ) was knocked out by Jay H. in this round, and if memory serves it wasn’t terribly close. Two things that always happen in Wisconsin in March: the ladies start wearing skimpy clothes again, and Jay H. advances to the Elite 8 in this tournament. Very impressive wins by Jay H. over Chet & Jimmy B.
Also in this round, Mort (GB) knocked off Rico (NO) 21-7. Too much Sterling, I would imagine. Troy H., who knocked the defending champ out in the previous round, defeated Eric O. to make the Elite 8 after trailing by 14 heading into the final quarter. AverageTSBPlayer, with the help of his entourage, knocked off Kyle H. to advance. It’s not as if you needed to look at the scoreboard to know he was winning – the screaming, the bullhorn, and the maracas told you all you needed to know.
Elite 8
The Elite 8 featured one of the most infamous games in the history of our tournament: Pat Beach (Cards) vs. Adam G. (Pitt). Adam played some great D and held the Cards to 10 points. The Steelers never had any offense in this one, but managed to get a “garbage” (without a doubt, the most frequently-used word at the tournament) desperation JJ to Lipps to score a TD.
With the score tied 10-10, the line of scrimmage at the Cards’ 48 (eyewitness accounts vary – we’ve heard everything from 46 to midfield), and just a few seconds left on the clock, the Steelers lined up for the winning field goal. It certainly looked good – the arrow seemed to be in the right place, and it got through without being blocked. But in his excitement, Adam started jumping up and down (whilst screaming “Garbage! Garbage!”) and managed to turn the Nintendo off while the ball was in the air. Now what?
Bailey (tournament ref when Chet or I are involved in a dispute), with some help from Clay, decided to start a new game that would serve as sudden death overtime. Pitt won the toss, but after a called play, was stuck inside their own 10 yard line. Adam was lining up for another E2E JJ bomb, but Strom’s pass was blocked, and it went out of bounds in the end zone, which many of us know means one thing: SAFETY. In our tournament, this is part of the game. Future tourney organizers out there may want to have a ruling prepared for situations like this as well. Tough loss for Adam, but he doesn’t remember most of it.
Also in the Elite 8, Matt O. (SD) continued his magical run by knocking off Jay H. (Broncos) 28-14. Also, Mort (Dal) defeated a tough Chris E. (Cards). Again with the Cards losing. AverageTSBPlayer (Rams) suffered a terrible loss in this round to Troy (Rams). With less than a minute left, inside his own 10 yard line, he called Right+B and got his play called. He tried to dump it to the RB, but a maniacal Chris Spielman made a stupefying dive to make the INT. He promptly got himself off the ground, ran over a guy or two, and waltzed into the end zone. Tough exit for Tony and his entourage, but the Elite 8 appearance was his best showing in the Madison tourney thus far.
Final Four:
Matt O. (Saints) dominated Pat Beach (Cards) on the left side of the bracket. Great game and great play-calling by Matt and his Saints, as he defeated the Cards for the second time in three games. Mort (Chi) defeated Troy (Phi) in a defensive battle on the right side of the bracket. Mort got a few timely deep throws on offense, and in an amazing defensive effort, shut the Eagles out. Final score: 14-0.
The championship game was streamed live, so I won’t offer a recap. Kevin M. (defending champ) served as the honorary flipper of the coin, which just happened to be a limited edition Jerry Rice coin. Mort’s bomb at the end of the first half was invaluable. It was good to see a championship game with no clear crowd favorite. In the game for third place and pride, Pat Beach knocked off Troy H.
Final Results:
1. Mort (NY)
2. Matt O. (MI)
3. Pat Beach (WI)
4. Troy H. (WI)
Like Jimmy B. and Kevin M. before him, Matt came from out of nowhere to steamroll right to the championship. He played good enough to win the whole thing, but Mort wouldn’t be denied this year (he was knocked out by Chet in the Sweet 16 last year). Congrats to Mort – heck of a player, and a nice guy to boot.
VIDEO AND PHOTO SECTION
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What: Tecmo VI-"He Went to Jerry"
Where: Badger Bowl, 506 E. Badger Rd, Madison, WI
When: March 6, 2010
How to Register: Email your name and phone number to
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The nation's largest and longest-running annual Tecmo Super Bowl tournament is back and better than ever, sporting both a new venue and new team selection format. Regrettably, the tourney has grown too large for the Plaza, site of our first 5 tourneys. Our new venue, Badger Bowl, will more easily accommodate the 64-man field and accompanying entourages (see Orenga, Tony).
With regard to team selection, we are doing away with the imperfect tier system in favor of the following: Coin-flip winner picks the matchup (i.e. the two teams) and the coin-flip loser chooses his/her team. For instance, if Player A wins the toss and picks Bears-Vikings, Player B then chooses whether he wants Bears or Vikings. In addition to permitting a wider array of matchups than the tier system, we feel this system will lead to the most fair matchups. Player A cannot simply select two disparate teams because he will be stuck playing with an inferior team. One caveat: Player A cannot call the exact same matchup twice in the tournament, although he/she can be the same team more than once.
The format will likely remain the same, with the 64 participants divided into 16 groups of 4. The top two finishers from each Group will qualify for the 32-man single elimination portion of the tourney.
For those of you that have participated in prior years, you know the collection of talent at this tournament commands your utmost attention. For those of you that have not participated in prior years, I guarantee the amount of yelling, Tecmo-god worshiping, and adult male whining is unparalleled and unlike anything you have ever seen.
With just over two months before Tecmo VI "tips off," it's time to trade in your Christmas decorations for dusty NES consoles and controllers. Start you thumb calisthenics and simulate tourney conditions via drunken black outs if you must, but get yourself ready for what will surely be the most exciting tourney yet. Good luck to all!
I will be getting pictures and information here about the tournament.
Lefty was the winner and David Fulcher showed up.
