Congratulations to Joshua Gross, the first Madden NFL 12 champion of the young season. Having battled through a gauntlet of tough competitors, Joshua dodged a bullet on the final play of the championship game to clinch the grand prize of the night - FREE Madden NFL 12 courtesy of Get Your Game On in Ann Arbor, MI.

The first Madden tournament of the season kicked off 3 hours before players could purchase the game. Perfect for the Madden fanatic that couldn't wait til midnight. The competition was palpable as players entered, surveyed the competition, and awaited their game assignments. Pizza and soft drinks ensured all participants were fed and focused to open the round robin qualifier for the championship game.

Contestants each played at least one game on the 360 and PS3 systems and gave feedback about the game during the tournament events. Comments about smooth game play, responsive controls, and amazing graphics were the theme of the night as players dug into the most noticeable changes from previous version of Madden. Meanwhile, the competition was heating to a rapid boil.

The first set of games featured two 21 point victories from the eventual championship opponents, but no one emerged unscathed as the final records resulted in three competitors tied with 2-1 win/loss record. The point differential separated the top two competitors, Richard "Stacks" Franklin and Joshua Gross, for a rematch in the final game. Stacks, cruised to a 28-0 victory in the qualifier round and seemed to have momentum heading into the championship game.

As the game kicked off, Stacks continued his roll as he drove to an early TD in the 1st quarter. Not to be outdone, Joshua Gross earned a late score before the half and opted to gamble on a 2-pt conversion that paid off with the lead. Joshua then extended his lead in the 3rd with a TD and XP to go up by 8. Stacks quickly responded with a TD of his own early in the 4th quarter which he capped with a 2-pt conversion of his own for the late tie. With 2:32 left, Joshua seized the opportunity to milk the clock and methodically moved the ball in chunks that tested Stack's run and short pass defense discipline. Joshua broke the tie with 0:23 left in the 4th with Stacks having timeouts remaining.

After a fair catch on the kickoff to preserve precious seconds, Stacks hit two long pass plays to setup a scoring threat from about 20 yards out. Needing a TD and XP to tie, 2-pt conversion to win with 0:09 seconds left, Stacks tossed a pass toward the end zone that caused a collective gasp from the gallery. Incomplete - dropped in the end zone with 0:03 seconds remaining. One last shot. Stacks found a receiver in the back of the end zone but a misstep caused the receiver to leap out of bounds when there was clearly room to make the catch in bounds.

Congratulations for Joshua Gross for surviving the tests, weathering the storm, and earning the first Madden championship of the young Madden NFL 12 season. We'd like to thank all of the event participants for joining us in the celebration of another year of Madden and we look forward to seeing them at future Madden NFL events.

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