THE CHAMPS (from L to R):  AmeriBowl Championship Game MVP John Leiser, Hutson Award winner Mike Burns, Unitas Award winner Patrick Weiss, Ben Little, GRIDIRON AMERICA league Most Valuable Player George Beinhart, and Nitschke Award winner Rob Shook.

 

 

MARCH 5  --  On the seventeenth anniversary of the founding of what would become Capital Area Team Sports, one of its former Presidents and perhaps one of its most revered members finally attained his holy grail:  a championship, that of the inaugural season of GRIDIRON AMERICA.

 

Patrick Weiss, at the ripe old age of 46, piloted the Skyliners of the Raleigh Amateur Football Club to victory in the inaugural AmeriBowl Championship Game, 28-12 over Black Ops of the Oakwood Football Club.  Defense would be the decisive factor in the contest, with AmeriBowl MVP John Leiser attaining four sacks of Black Ops quarterbacks - among them a key fourth-down sack that resulted in a pivotal change of possession during the first half.

 

A full recap of the game together with other highlights and details will be made available here on GridironAmerica.com in the next few days, so check back later in the week for even more on our inaugural championship event!

 

 

Joe Fernandez threw for three touchdowns (one each to Mike Slominski, Brian Talbot and Rich Cameron) to guide FC New Hope to a 33-20 victory over Brooklyn FC.  Brooklyn signal caller Desmond Cabrera had his most effective game of the Spring 2012 season, going 12-for-20 through the air with one touchdown (to Nate Hewitt), and scoring two more touchdowns on the ground, but it would prove insufficient as the Knights...

 

 

The most prolific touchdown combination in GRIDIRON AMERICA's inaugural season connected once again with :20 remaining in the game as Raleigh Skyliner teammates Patrick Weiss and George Beinhart linked up for a touchdown to give the Stars a 34-29 victory over the Stripes in the inaugural GRIDIRON AMERICA All-Star Game.

 

The game, which pitted the Skyliners and New Hope Knights as the "Stars" against Black Ops and Brooklyn FC teammates as the "Stripes," featured more humor and fun than it did competitive football, taking a page or two from professional sports all-star games of late - including multiple players wearing festive hats, a variety of clowning, and players far more concerned about keeping themselves safe than earning post-season honor.

 

"It was intended not to be a farce but fun for everyone, and I think we achieved that goal," said Weiss, who along with most of the players and those along the sidelines laughed at the antics.  "We all had a good time, and that's exactly the point of why we're here."

 

 

Between still photography by our new friends Don Butto and StudioArtlab and videography, the Spring 2012 AmeriBowl Championship Game proved the most documented event in the 17 year history of Capital Area Team Sports, with over 400 still photographs of the day's action taken and every play of the AmeriBowl Championship Game captured on video.

 

"There's so much to look through, it could take us a week to find the best of it and put it out," explained CATS Executive Director D.P. McIntire.  "The photos could take a week alone to sift through, while the video might not be properly processed, edited, and made available for some time after that.  We'll not be able to produce anything like NFL Films, but we'll take the time to make the footage look as best we can."

 

So check back on AmeriBowl.com later this week, and throughout the next several weeks, as we continue to put out new photos and video from the AmeriBowl Championship Game!