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Hey everyone, here is the final article of the season! We started with 33 teams in Tier 4 and are now down to the final 2. Each finalist went through their own unique road to get to this point but none of that matters except the performance they put on Sunday. Last week would have two great semi-finals matchups and both Uncle Rico’s Ryders and Bend Don’t Break would end up victorious and have the opportunity to be crowned the Fall 2025 Tier 4 Champions. Before we go into the championship preview, let’s recap on how their respective semifinals games went:

Each team would score 5 offensive touchdowns, however, the two extra convert points would push Bend Don’t Break into the finals last Sunday. For The Peckers, Noah Lieblein would have 230 yards in the air with 152 of those yards going to Ethan Cohen who was untouchable against Bend Don’t Break and he also hauled 2 TDs with 2 one-point converts. David Giroux would also score twice and Kris Schicchi would score the other TD. On the defensive side, Dylan Dayan would get the lone INT for his team. For Bend Don’t Break, Luke Moreau would go 20/26 for 229 yards and match Lieblein with 5 TDs and 1 INT. His main target for a few seasons in Dominic Weidner might not match the yardage to Cohen but would finish with 3 TDs instead and with 72 yards. The tall Owen Bruemmer would also score a TD alongside Jonah Lazarovitz in this game. On defence, Joseph Shporer would get the INT and Josh Notte would add 2 sacks. It was a tie game at the half 20-20. Both QBs would exchange INTs within the first few minutes of the 2nd half and would also exchange TDs in the latter part of the 2nd half but The Peckers wouldn’t be able to tie the game with the unsuccessful 2pt convert to tie the game which gave Bend Don’t Break the opportunity to run out the clock.

It was a battle but Uncle Rico’s Ryders punched their ticket to the Tier 4 finals after a clinical offensive performance against Super Troopers. Kenny Boutilier did all he could as he finished with 4 TDs and no INTs alongside 64 rushing yards. Kyle Martel would lead his team in yards with 67 and score twice and Giovani Antonacci would lead the team in receptions with 7. Jeremi Chartrand would score on his lone target and Pierre-Alain Itilus would score on the final play of the game. Martin DeSousa would get the lone sack in the game and Robert White would get the lone INT as well. For Super Troopers, not converting on the game’s opening drive would set the tone as they were always playing catch up considering they weren’t able to stop the offence of Uncle Rico’s Ryders. After Super Troopers would get the INT in the first half, they would immediately turn the ball over with a bad snap turned into a safety and their opponents would ride the momentum to score right before half. For Uncle Rico’s Ryders, Mathew Yanakoulias spread the ball well and finished with 215yds and 5 TDs. Denis Koutavas would lead the team with 80yds and 2 TDs. Justin Lerner would be right behind him with 75yds and a TD which would be followed up with Peter Bakopanos and Daron Migdesyan also scoring. With a 14-6 lead at the break, Migdesyan would score in the first half to push the game away and even if the score looked close, Super Troopers did score on the final play of the game making it a 9 point difference.

#9 Anthony Pompeo

#0 Arden Pinkelstein

#88 Dominic Weidner

#23 Jonah Lazarovitz

#11 Joseph Shporer

#9 Josh Notte

#8 Luke Moreau (QB)

#69 Owen Bruemmer

#22 Ryan Quesnel

This clash is unique as these two teams have had different roads to get to this point and have different styles of play. Bend Don’t Break, considered the underdog, will play with nothing to lose. They finished 5-5 but played their way to the finals with great defense and an efficient offence. Whether it was a dominant performance against Brewers or clutch wins over Studz, Sophomore XL Exchange Students and The Peckers, this team fits the motto of bend don’t break. Luke Moreau had a great regular season as QB and has played even better in the 4 post-season games with 18 TDs and 3 INTs. He would have a great trio in Dominic Weidner who leads the team in all receiver stats with 29 receptions, 246 yds and 8 TDs and have great complementary pieces in Ryan Quesnel and Josh Notte. Speaking of the latter, Notte has 6 sacks in 4 games. The defense is also playing its best as of late as they also have 7 INTs in their four games while allowing 20.5 pts. This team started in Winter 2023, making the Spring 2023 Finals in Division E but with inconsistent rosters until this past Spring, this team is back in the finals looking to win it all for the first time together. With no player on the roster having accolades, the first one being a championship would be something I’m sure each of these guys would take over an individual award at the moment.

#81 Dallas Odem

#12 Daron Migdesyan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🏆🏆

#11 Denis Koutavas

#88 Dominic Meffe

#15 Justin Lerner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟  🏆🏆🏆

#61 Lucas Diamantopoulos ⭐️

#0 Mathew Yanakoulias (QB) ⭐️⭐️  🌟

#1 Peter Bakopanos

#9 Victor Lasnier-Davies

On the contrary, Uncle Rico’s Ryders have all the accolades in this matchup. Even though the franchise, whether if they were called Rico’s Ryders or the few seasons the group had Show Me Dem TDies, the group hasn’t reached the finals but rather a few semifinals losses. What they have that their opponents don’t have is experience. Justin Lerner, with a career full of accolades, has tasted championship glory alongside Daron Migdesyan with their last championship win coming in Winter 2024 with 4th & Shlong. In that championship game, Lerner would have 2 TDs and 2 INTs and Migdesyan would finish with a TD himself along with a sack. Mathew Yanakoulias might not have a championship yet but with two all-stars including one this season, brings an average of 199 yds and 4.5 TD passes per playoff game in his career. After finishing the regular season at 8-2 and being near the top of the standing all season, Uncle Rico’s Ryders would deservingly obtain the bye but wouldn’t look rusty in a close 34-31 victory against Team Ethnik. They would follow suit with a dominant victory over Not Fast Just Furious and a controlled victory over Super Troopers. They have not played better teams but those teams played to be in that spot and Uncle Rico’s Ryders took care of the teams in front of them. Yanakoulias currently has 16 TD passes with only one INT. With four receivers with at least 10 catches, this team doesn’t lack depth. Lerner and Migdesyan lead the team with combined 10 TDs so far but having Peter Bakopanos and Denis Koutavas as support is a great cast to have. The defence may not get a lot of plays but cause teams to not score. With the speed of Lucas Diamantopoulos at rusher and playmakers around the field, all that matters is if the opposition scores and that’s what this team prevents.

This game might have David vs Goliath vibes from their seedings but I think that’s far from the truth. Both teams have won close games and have dominated games to be at this point. The slow and careful play from Luke Moreau will be challenged by the deep ball of Mathew Yanakoulias. The physical and aggressive defence of Bend Don’t Break will be against the calm, patient defence of Uncle Rico’s Ryders. The one thing these two teams have in common is they both have very fast rushers in Josh Notte and Lucas Diamantopoulos. The top heavy receiving room of Bend Don’t Break will be against the depth of Uncle Rico’s Ryders. If either QB throws 2+ INTs, they will lose but I doubt that will happen given with how each QB has played. Uncle Rico’s Ryders have receivers all over the field without weakness but Bend Don’t Break have playmakers on defence to match. I think this game will come down to the playmakers. Weidner should have a heavy role and on the contrary, I expect Lerner and Migdesyan to be involved early and often. Bend Don’t Break have had a great run but I think the better all-around team will win a close one and I’ll predict Uncle Rico’s Ryders to grind out to their first championship together.

That’s all for my final article for Tier 4. I appreciate all the support I’ve gotten from everyone as it truly keeps me motivated to keep writing. I hope to be writing for your division in the winter wherever you are playing and if you see me around or are playing against me, come say hi, I love talking to you guys. Once again, good luck to Bend Don’t Break and Uncle Rico’s Ryders, you both deserve to be in this spot. The final podcast episode is up on Youtube so check it out! If you have any comments or suggestions, you can always reach out to me on Facebook or on Instagram @keyoncyrus!