Eau Claire Crush 31–13 Tilden Tornadoes
Friday, January 13, 2045 | Kickoff: 6:00pm | Attendance: 40,000 | September Stadium, Johnho
1st Quarter ECC TTJOHNHO - In a rematch of the previous Darmen Bowl, the 13th edition of the preeminent gridiron football game in Darmen pitted the 15-4 DFL champion Eau Claire Crush against the 9-3 CFL champion Tilden Tornadoes.
9:17 Osbeorn Ó Fionnáin 44yd field goal 3 0
4:38 Joss Tyler 14yd run (Marcelino Beaufort kick good) 3 7
0:17 Regulus Otieno 10yd run (Osbeorn Ó Fionnáin kick good) 10 7
2nd Quarter
7:26 Jo Schüttmann 24yd pass from Maynard McLain (Osbeorn Ó Fionnáin kick good) 17 7
2:17 Marcelino Beaufort 38yd field goal 17 10
3rd Quarter
8:51 Regulus Otieno 23yd run (Osbeorn Ó Fionnáin kick good) 24 10
3:04 Marcelino Beaufort 47yd field goal 24 13
4th Quarter
6:27 Maynard McLain 14yd run (Osbeorn Ó Fionnáin kick good) 31 13
ECC TT
Time of Possession 27:31 20:29
First Downs 18 11
Total Yards 369 240
Passing 11-16-1-0 9-19-0-0
Passing Yards 179 133
Rushing 40-190 25-107
Penalties 3-20 3-31
MVP: Maynard McLain 11-16 for 179 yards, 1 touchdown; 2 rushes, 18 yards, 1 touchdown
It was the third meeting of the two teams in a Championship game within the period of a year. In addition to Darmen Bowl XII, the two teams had met in Scott City for the final of the 7th Champions' Bowl, where the Crush emerged victorious by three points in a 30-27 slug fest. The Tornadoes were seeking their first victory over the "establishment;" quarterback Bo Namath was certain his team could turn the tide after coming close in the Champions' Bowl, going so far as to guarantee it.
In the first quarter, Namath's guarantee looked like it might actually turn out to be true. Methodically marching down the field, running back Joss Tyler put Tilden ahead of the Crush with a 14 yard run straight down the middle. Kicker Marcelino Beaufort's extra point gave Tilden a four point lead.
But the lead was short lived, as last season's Darmen Bowl MVP, Regulus Otieno would respond with a 10 yard run of his own just four minutes later, as the Crush retook the lead. They never let it go. Wideout Jo Schüttmann hauled in with just one hand a 24 yard pass from Maynard McLain to extend Eau Claire's lead. Otieno rushed for a second touchdown early in the third quarter, scoring his fourth all-time in the Darmen Bowl. But a second MVP award would elude him, as his quarterback would rush for a touchdown of his own late in the game to seal the 31-13 victory and claim the MVP award.
The two teams will once again represent Darmen in the Champions' Bowl, where they'll be joined by 15-5 Kingsville Kings and the 13-6 Sterling City Rams. The Rams have only appeared in the Champions' Bowl once before, but it was a good competition for them as they emerged victorious, defeating Seraxinbourgh's Laborno Lions 21-18 in the final. That means that Darmen will have two former champions in the international competition and a pretty healthy chance at winning a third overall title.