authored by Nate Smithson
Anticipations were running high, not only for the third installment of our annual Tundra Bowl tournament, but also for the record amount of prize money that was to be given away that day. A thousand dollars was the prize pool, and a record number of participants would fight for the cash through Group Play, the newly formed Consolation Bracket, and the always competitive Tournament Bracket. When the tournament finally had kicked off, there were 54 participants hailing from four different states. Media coverage was once again present this year as some of the best in the country gathered at the Watering Hole in Green Bay on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The regular group of frontrunner's were present for the most part, including Josh A. (Coconuts), who took second-place at Tecmo XI in Madison in 2015, Troy H. (Prime Time), who had taken fourth-place the last two years at Tundra Bowl, and Rico R. (ryanr33fulcher), always an annual threat to the title.
Anticipations were running high, not only for the third installment of our annual Tundra Bowl tournament, but also for the record amount of prize money that was to be given away that day. A thousand dollars was the prize pool, and a record number of participants would fight for the cash through Group Play, the newly formed Consolation Bracket, and the always competitive Tournament Bracket. When the tournament finally had kicked off, there were 54 participants hailing from four different states. Media coverage was once again present this year as some of the best in the country gathered at the Watering Hole in Green Bay on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The regular group of frontrunner's were present for the most part, including Josh A. (Coconuts), who took second-place at Tecmo XI in Madison in 2015, Troy H. (Prime Time), who had taken fourth-place the last two years at Tundra Bowl, and Rico R. (ryanr33fulcher), always an annual threat to the title.
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Something completely new was offered at Tundra Bowl this year - live game streaming. Things generally worked well with the stream and game capturing, and moving forward, the plan is to continue offering that capability as we heard positive feedback to that new addition. With ten different groups being played around the forum that day, many players were eager to jump into the round-robin portion of the tournament. For Group Play, everyone was once again guaranteed a minimum of four games, a claim that Tundra Bowl has been proud to offer the last two years. Group 1 featured Troy H. (Prime Time) as the number one seed, and proceeded to max out his point differential (+28.0 PPG). Having done that, he was assured a top seed in the Tournament Bracket. By the time that everyone else's groups finished, he had locked up the #1 seed in the tournament. The number two seed was won by Tim O. (+14.0 PPG), and that would translate to a #10 seed out of the 24 that would make the big dance. Steven M. would miss the cut, but qualified for the Consolation Bracket at 2-2 (-3.5 PPG)
Group 2 would feature the favorite to win Tundra Bowl III, Coconuts, as well as a number of first-time Tundra Bowl participants. Coconuts ended up surviving a scare against Tecmo Madison veteran Nate V. (the legend) when a Cleveland-Green Bay matchup ended up 17-10 in favor of Coconuts as he finished 4-0 in group (+20.0 PPG). Oddly enough, Nate V. didn't end up making the Tournament or Consolation Bracket, finishing 1-3. The number two seed in the group went to a person with no previous tournament experience, Kurt H. from Little Chute, WI. He finished 3-1 with a point differential of +3.75 PPG. Jon B. would make the Consolation Bracket from the group after going 2-2.
Group 2 would feature the favorite to win Tundra Bowl III, Coconuts, as well as a number of first-time Tundra Bowl participants. Coconuts ended up surviving a scare against Tecmo Madison veteran Nate V. (the legend) when a Cleveland-Green Bay matchup ended up 17-10 in favor of Coconuts as he finished 4-0 in group (+20.0 PPG). Oddly enough, Nate V. didn't end up making the Tournament or Consolation Bracket, finishing 1-3. The number two seed in the group went to a person with no previous tournament experience, Kurt H. from Little Chute, WI. He finished 3-1 with a point differential of +3.75 PPG. Jon B. would make the Consolation Bracket from the group after going 2-2.
The live streaming station would be in Group 3, one that featured myself, as well as four others, including Brian L. (Savelt) that was in our old R4E Crew member's group in Madison two years ago. Brian and myself managed to start fast out of the gates, securing a 28 point victory, and a 23 point victory respectively. Brian then came up against Randy S. in a very close matchup, finally managing to secure the victory late in a 17-10 win, Chargers over the Vikings in the closest matchup of our group. The winner of the group would finally come down to the last match of Group 3, when I faced off against Brian. A Denver-Pittsburgh call, I ended up with the Broncos, and proceed to be shutout by Savelt 10-0. The difference in the seeding was that he secured a first round bye in the Tournament Bracket, while I would have to play immediately. Kevin K. (GFG4Life) narrowly missed out on the Consolation Bracket by just a difference of 0.25 PPG.
The last immediate known favorite in the player pool was Rico, and he headed up Group 4. Surprisingly, while managing to go 4-0 (+11.5 PPG), he easily could have been 2-2 as he squeaked out two of his games. The first contest was against Nick S. (Sanchez), another Tecmo Madison native, but first-time Tundra Bowl participant. Rico won the toss, and called the ever popular Phoenix-Dallas matchup, with Nick taking the Cardinals. A close game throughout, Rico managed to walk away with a two-point victory. That would be Nick's only loss as he went 3-1 on his way to the #15 seed in the Tournament Bracket. Rico's other close game came against Ryan R. (Rozy) out of Madison. Another nailbiter, Rico took the Redskins to a three-point victory over Rozy's Buccaneers. Rozy ended up 2-2, and would play in the Consolation Bracket.
In other notable Group Play action, Tundra Bowl veteran Levi L. took Group 5 with a collective group of games he had to sweat out, gathering only a +6.0 PPG differential over the four victories. Hank D. (hankthetank) took second in that group, having a bigger point differential than Levi at +11.5 PPG, and R4E Crew member Shaun managed to sneak his way into the Tournament Bracket at 2-2, securing a wildcard spot. Group 6 was one of our oddities as four groups had six players, playing four games randomly against group opponents rather than everyone once. The winner of this group was Matt A. (Flash80) at 3-1 (+11.5 PPG). He won the tie-breaker against Ryan A. (+3.75 PPG) because there was no head-to-head contest, so point differential was the next tie-breaker. Kevin M. (Sweeps) of the R4E Crew made the Consolation Bracket from the group, as did Troy F, both at 2-2. Group 7 held tournament official and Retro4Ever co-creator Swagz, but for the second straight year, he was unable to get out of Group Play. Nonetheless, the gentlemen thoroughly enjoyed himself for the remainder of the tournament, managing to have conversations with a lot of the participants. Group 7's winner was Nick G. (Gio) with an impressive +21.75 PPG in differential, and a 4-0 record. Jason B. took the second-place in the group, nailing his spot in the Tournament Bracket. Group 8 saw Jay L. (HBK) from Illinois take the victory with a 4-0 record, and a +15.5 PPG differential. Chud took second with a +8.0 PPG differential, and Erik T. (Thebes) from Minnesota managed to snag a spot in the Consolation Bracket. One of the best games of the Group Play round came from Group 9 as Wes L. (fabulasfulcher) and Quincy B. squared off in a Cleveland-Seattle call. By the time the final whistle had sounded, Wes took the 17-14 victory and rode it to a 4-0 record in Group Play while handing Quincy his only loss of the round. Group 10 saw Matt B. go 4-0, and Tundra Bowl veteran Ben B. go 3-1, even with a negative point differential (-4.0 PPG).
The Consolation Bracket had little hype, but plenty of punch as it became a knockdown, drag out type of tournament for the consolation prize of cash. The first round of the Consolation Bracket saw one score games from Rozy over Steven (14-10), Jon B. over Thebes (14-7), and newcomer Tim U. over R4E's own Sweeps by a score of 14-10. Round 1 in the Consolation Bracket also saw Tomczak Bowl veteran Jim J. get bounced in a good game. The second round had a game that appears as a blowout on the scoreboard, but to anyone watching, the game was anything but. Rozy called a TSB-familiar Jets-Saints matchup, ending up with the Jets. He scored early, and scored late, but the middle was much closer than the 24-7 victory over Jon B. than it indicates. In the other semi-final, Tim U. pulled out a nailbiter, winning 21-14 to advance to the Consolation Bracket Championship against Rozy.
In the Consolation Bracket final, Rozy won the toss, and called another mid-card matchup, this time of Phoenix and Dallas. Tim took Dallas, and soon the game started. A back and forth defensive battle sent punts flying left and right. Sixty minutes would not be enough time to settle this one as the game went into OT. Tim U. drove the ball, and eventually managed to kick the game winning field goal under pressure, winning 13-10. It was a great game for anyone that watched it, and capped the first ever Consolation Bracket in Tundra Bowl history.
In the Consolation Bracket final, Rozy won the toss, and called another mid-card matchup, this time of Phoenix and Dallas. Tim took Dallas, and soon the game started. A back and forth defensive battle sent punts flying left and right. Sixty minutes would not be enough time to settle this one as the game went into OT. Tim U. drove the ball, and eventually managed to kick the game winning field goal under pressure, winning 13-10. It was a great game for anyone that watched it, and capped the first ever Consolation Bracket in Tundra Bowl history.
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The top 8 seeds in Group Play received a first round bye in the Tournament Bracket, and when it comes to crunch time, the one extra game you don't have to play can sometimes make all the difference in the world. First round action was a mix of blowouts and last-minute victories. Tim O. provided the only shutout of round 1, scoring a 27-0 victory over Paul G. Ben managed to hand Hank his first loss with a 20-3 win, and PrimeTime dominated early with a 35-14 triumph over the solid Quincy B. Shaun B. ended up as the Tournament Bracket's last entrant, but secured a round 1 upset of Levi, winning 20-10. The closest game was the most heartbreaking for me, and that was the game I played against Jared M. While I scored to go ahead late 14-10, I knew a minute was too long for Sterling Sharpe and my Cleveland secondary. My fears were realized shortly thereafter as Sharpe caught a JJ within the five, and managed to get in the endzone for the victory, sending me to the Loser's Bracket.
In the second round of the Tournament portion, the top 8 seeds got to get their fingers warmed up yet again. There were two big upsets, and one smaller upset in Round 2, amidst the other couple of close games and blowouts. Prime Time easily advanced with a 38-7 drubbing of Kurt with Dallas over Pittsburgh. The #2 overall seed in the Tournament Bracket, Jay L. (HBK) lost in an upset 26-7, and was sent down to the Loser's Bracket. The other major upset was Shaun B. beating Rico. Rico called a Phoenix-Pittsburgh matchup, and while Shaun typically takes Phoenix in that circumstance, he went the other route and it paid off, winning narrowly by the score of 13-7. In other Round 2 action, Tim O. upset Matt B. 13-10, Coconuts breezed by Troy F. 31-0, Wes won in a rout over Chud 49-0. Gio and Brian L. both advanced in close games, winning 10-0 and 13-7 respectively.
The Loser's Bracket would be an interesting first round as five of the eight games were decided by one score or less. When people need to fight for their tournament lives, they pull out all the stops. A couple notables in that round included Levi taking out Ben with a close game, 14-10. Close friends Jay and Quincy were both shockingly taken out in the Loser's Bracket early, considering that Jay won his group handily and Quincy nearly won his as well. Both competitors are guaranteed to come back next year stronger than ever. In the biggest shocker of the round, Rico was eliminated by hankthetank in a result no one saw coming. An annual threat to the title, Rico was disappointed in his performance, but knows that this tournament was just a fluke for him. Expect him to contend for the title at Tundra Bowl IV. In my game against Kurt, he played extremely well throughout, it was only until there were about 30 seconds remaining that I would take the lead for the first time in the game, and manage to secure the win 14-10, Miami over KC.
In the second round of the Loser's Bracket, Levi managed to take out Ryan A. handily in a matchup of Green Bay and Cleveland, 33-14. Matt B. won the battle of the Matt's, taking out Flash80 in a close one, 21-14. Flash will return next year, and will definitely be one of the guys challenging for the title after an impressive run in Madison at Tecmo XII. Paul G. took out Jason 24-10 as we saw the Broncos beat the Chargers. My game was one of the most interesting of the entire tournament. Winning the toss, I called a Saints-Jets matchup against Hank. After Hank led for much of the game, I once again got a last minute drive together, managing to tie the game at 21, and send the matchup into overtime. After Hank drove the ball down to my own 25-yard-line or so, O'Brien dropped back, got hit, fumbled, and I returned it for a touchdown to survive 27-21.
In Round 3 of the Winner's Bracket, there were only eight people left in that top portion of the bracket. The #1 seed Troy faced off against Cinderella Shaun at the #24 seed. Unfortunately, the clock would strike midnight as Prime Time dominated Shaun with the Rams over Cincinnati, 38-14. Coconuts advanced with a 21-10 victory over Wes. Nick advanced narrowly beating Tim O. 17-14, and Gio dominated Group 5 winner Brian by the score of 34-7, Detroit over Minnesota. In the Loser's Bracket of Round 3, Shaun's run would come to an end, losing 28-7 to Matt B. I would be the last remaining R4E Crew member left after a 21-3 victory over Tim O. In other action, Brian and Levi advance, each winning by a touchdown in their respective contests.
In the second round of the Tournament portion, the top 8 seeds got to get their fingers warmed up yet again. There were two big upsets, and one smaller upset in Round 2, amidst the other couple of close games and blowouts. Prime Time easily advanced with a 38-7 drubbing of Kurt with Dallas over Pittsburgh. The #2 overall seed in the Tournament Bracket, Jay L. (HBK) lost in an upset 26-7, and was sent down to the Loser's Bracket. The other major upset was Shaun B. beating Rico. Rico called a Phoenix-Pittsburgh matchup, and while Shaun typically takes Phoenix in that circumstance, he went the other route and it paid off, winning narrowly by the score of 13-7. In other Round 2 action, Tim O. upset Matt B. 13-10, Coconuts breezed by Troy F. 31-0, Wes won in a rout over Chud 49-0. Gio and Brian L. both advanced in close games, winning 10-0 and 13-7 respectively.
The Loser's Bracket would be an interesting first round as five of the eight games were decided by one score or less. When people need to fight for their tournament lives, they pull out all the stops. A couple notables in that round included Levi taking out Ben with a close game, 14-10. Close friends Jay and Quincy were both shockingly taken out in the Loser's Bracket early, considering that Jay won his group handily and Quincy nearly won his as well. Both competitors are guaranteed to come back next year stronger than ever. In the biggest shocker of the round, Rico was eliminated by hankthetank in a result no one saw coming. An annual threat to the title, Rico was disappointed in his performance, but knows that this tournament was just a fluke for him. Expect him to contend for the title at Tundra Bowl IV. In my game against Kurt, he played extremely well throughout, it was only until there were about 30 seconds remaining that I would take the lead for the first time in the game, and manage to secure the win 14-10, Miami over KC.
In the second round of the Loser's Bracket, Levi managed to take out Ryan A. handily in a matchup of Green Bay and Cleveland, 33-14. Matt B. won the battle of the Matt's, taking out Flash80 in a close one, 21-14. Flash will return next year, and will definitely be one of the guys challenging for the title after an impressive run in Madison at Tecmo XII. Paul G. took out Jason 24-10 as we saw the Broncos beat the Chargers. My game was one of the most interesting of the entire tournament. Winning the toss, I called a Saints-Jets matchup against Hank. After Hank led for much of the game, I once again got a last minute drive together, managing to tie the game at 21, and send the matchup into overtime. After Hank drove the ball down to my own 25-yard-line or so, O'Brien dropped back, got hit, fumbled, and I returned it for a touchdown to survive 27-21.
In Round 3 of the Winner's Bracket, there were only eight people left in that top portion of the bracket. The #1 seed Troy faced off against Cinderella Shaun at the #24 seed. Unfortunately, the clock would strike midnight as Prime Time dominated Shaun with the Rams over Cincinnati, 38-14. Coconuts advanced with a 21-10 victory over Wes. Nick advanced narrowly beating Tim O. 17-14, and Gio dominated Group 5 winner Brian by the score of 34-7, Detroit over Minnesota. In the Loser's Bracket of Round 3, Shaun's run would come to an end, losing 28-7 to Matt B. I would be the last remaining R4E Crew member left after a 21-3 victory over Tim O. In other action, Brian and Levi advance, each winning by a touchdown in their respective contests.
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We were now down to the final eight, with PrimeTime, Coconuts, Nick and Gio in the Winner's Bracket. Levi, Matt B., Brian and myself would round out the Loser's Bracket. Three of the eight were in Tundra Bowl II's Elite Eight, and made returning appearances to that level this year. In the Loser's portion, Levi continued his impressive run with a third game that was won by just a score or less. He knocked out Matt B. by the score of 13-7, Jets over the Cardinals. My game was another story. After a quick 17-0 lead by Brian and his Cowboys, I began to fight and claw my way back into it, trailing 17-14 going into the 4th quarter. Once again, I managed to score late, and secure the comeback of the tournament, winning 21-17, and advancing to the next round. In the Winner's Bracket, the matchup everyone was looking forward to was PrimeTime versus Coconuts. Josh called a Saints-Falcons matchup, and lucky for him, Troy called the Falcons. The Saints are one of Coconuts' favorite teams to play with, and he uses them better than I've seen anyone else use them. A close game throughout, Josh managed to pull away and secure a 17-7 victory. Gio, another Tundra Bowl veteran, kept up his winning ways, beating Nick 31-14 to advance. Unfortunately, there was a power outage in this round, and while it was just for a moment, it managed to corrupt our streaming and file saves, so all of the Tournament Play up to this point was lost.
Down to the final six, and the Loser's Bracket would determine who ended up in the money. Nick (#15 seed) and I (#11 seed) had very good runs up to this point, but when it came down to crunch time, we just couldn't muster any more magic. I took on Prime Time, and ran into a stout defensive performance by the Vikings. I have come to hate the Minnesota-Washington matchup. I play decently with either, but I always seem to run into that (twice in Madison...in my first two games). I ended up losing 20-3, and would have to wait until Tundra Bowl IV for my rebound, Levi won in the same exact matchup, beating Nick 24-13 to advance into the prize money. In the Winner's Bracket, Coconuts and Gio would face off, and once again, Coconuts would end up with the Saints. Surprisingly, this one was a blowout, with Josh taking a 35-7 victory to get into the Tundra Bowl Championship unscathed.
Now, it was a matter of who would be squaring off against Josh, and to see if they could put an end to his tear through the competition. Troy and Levi faced off, and the loser of the game would have to settle for fourth place, which is still impressive considering this field. While neither competitor could say they were domination, Prime Time ended the game with a shutout, winning 14-0. Troy would then face off against Gio for the right to go play Coconuts in the Championship. The game was the best and most exciting one of the tournament, and luckily, we have the game on our YouTube Channel because it was an instant classic. Back and forth throughout the game, Gio nailed a field goal late, with ice running through his veins, to win 20-17, handing Troy third place for the tournament.
To win the Championship, Gio would have to avenge an earlier 28-point loss, and beat Coconuts twice. This would be a tall task for anyone, much less someone who hasn't played him regularly. Gio was given the choice of Phoenix or the Jets, and chose Phoenix. Phoenix was likely the most common team called in a matchup, and faired decently throughout the day. Striking early and often, Gio shocked the crowd at Tundra Bowl III taking game one of matchup, routing Josh 28-9 and forcing a sudden death matchup for the Championship. The winner would walk away with twice as much prize money as the second-place finisher, as well as a customized trophy immortalized with their name, so much was at stake. Gio won the toss and called a San Diego-Tampa Bay matchup. Josh took one of my favorites, San Diego, and shortly thereafter, we kicked off. Surprisingly, there wasn't much drama in this one as Marion Butts ran wild over the Tampa secondary. Coming in as the favorite to win, Coconuts didn't disappoint and took the title, winning by a familiar 35-7 result.
Tundra Bowl III was a rousing success. So many positive things were said to us, and we are appreciative of them all. The record number of participants, the constant flow of spectators, and the classic games being played all contributed to the best tournament to date. As we continue to expand the tournament and gain more players and notoriety, we will provide a welcoming and positive atmosphere for the game's greatest to square off. Tundra Bowl isn't just about a game, it's about the complete experience, and nothing but positive comments have reiterated that we provide just that. We look forward to seeing you all in 2017 at Tundra Bowl IV, where Coconuts will look to become the first two-time Champion in our tournament's history. Will you be the next champion of the nation's second-largest Tecmo Super Bowl tournament?
Down to the final six, and the Loser's Bracket would determine who ended up in the money. Nick (#15 seed) and I (#11 seed) had very good runs up to this point, but when it came down to crunch time, we just couldn't muster any more magic. I took on Prime Time, and ran into a stout defensive performance by the Vikings. I have come to hate the Minnesota-Washington matchup. I play decently with either, but I always seem to run into that (twice in Madison...in my first two games). I ended up losing 20-3, and would have to wait until Tundra Bowl IV for my rebound, Levi won in the same exact matchup, beating Nick 24-13 to advance into the prize money. In the Winner's Bracket, Coconuts and Gio would face off, and once again, Coconuts would end up with the Saints. Surprisingly, this one was a blowout, with Josh taking a 35-7 victory to get into the Tundra Bowl Championship unscathed.
Now, it was a matter of who would be squaring off against Josh, and to see if they could put an end to his tear through the competition. Troy and Levi faced off, and the loser of the game would have to settle for fourth place, which is still impressive considering this field. While neither competitor could say they were domination, Prime Time ended the game with a shutout, winning 14-0. Troy would then face off against Gio for the right to go play Coconuts in the Championship. The game was the best and most exciting one of the tournament, and luckily, we have the game on our YouTube Channel because it was an instant classic. Back and forth throughout the game, Gio nailed a field goal late, with ice running through his veins, to win 20-17, handing Troy third place for the tournament.
To win the Championship, Gio would have to avenge an earlier 28-point loss, and beat Coconuts twice. This would be a tall task for anyone, much less someone who hasn't played him regularly. Gio was given the choice of Phoenix or the Jets, and chose Phoenix. Phoenix was likely the most common team called in a matchup, and faired decently throughout the day. Striking early and often, Gio shocked the crowd at Tundra Bowl III taking game one of matchup, routing Josh 28-9 and forcing a sudden death matchup for the Championship. The winner would walk away with twice as much prize money as the second-place finisher, as well as a customized trophy immortalized with their name, so much was at stake. Gio won the toss and called a San Diego-Tampa Bay matchup. Josh took one of my favorites, San Diego, and shortly thereafter, we kicked off. Surprisingly, there wasn't much drama in this one as Marion Butts ran wild over the Tampa secondary. Coming in as the favorite to win, Coconuts didn't disappoint and took the title, winning by a familiar 35-7 result.
Tundra Bowl III was a rousing success. So many positive things were said to us, and we are appreciative of them all. The record number of participants, the constant flow of spectators, and the classic games being played all contributed to the best tournament to date. As we continue to expand the tournament and gain more players and notoriety, we will provide a welcoming and positive atmosphere for the game's greatest to square off. Tundra Bowl isn't just about a game, it's about the complete experience, and nothing but positive comments have reiterated that we provide just that. We look forward to seeing you all in 2017 at Tundra Bowl IV, where Coconuts will look to become the first two-time Champion in our tournament's history. Will you be the next champion of the nation's second-largest Tecmo Super Bowl tournament?
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