GSDM Flag Football Team Advances to Nationals after Region I Championship Win

It was a nail-biter ending. The BU Dental Intramural flag football team Nothing Personal was in quadruple overtime in the championship-deciding game against the two-time regional champion (2011 and 2012) Bloomsburg University. Nothing Personal had the ball first. They scored on third down and converted the extra point, pressuring Bloomsburg to score on their next possession or face defeat. Bloomsburg was able to score on their next drive, but not wanting to go into a fifth overtime, they elected to go for a two-point conversion and, potentially, the win. The Bloomsburg quarterback’s pass sailed through the end zone, but the try was no good.

So, after two hours and four overtimes, Nothing Personal—representing Boston University—defeated Bloomsburg by a final score of 32-31 to become the 2013 National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Region I champions and earned a bid to the National Championships.

As the Region I Champions and ambassadors for all of Boston University, the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) team, will represent MA, ME, DE, NH, VT, NY, PA, MD, CT, NJ and RI, at the University of West Florida in Pensacola at the NIRSA National Championship in January 2014.

The Nothing Personal team members are Andrew Brattain DMD 16 (#2), Eamon Chory DMD 15 (#4), Christopher Connell DMD 15 (#10, co-captain), David Garazi DMD 15 (#7, co-captain), Matthew Garcia DMD 15 (#14), Ibrahim Lakkis DMD 15 (#13), Ramandeep Samra DMD 15 (#5), and Joshua Williams DMD 15 (#9).

In addition to the outstanding final win, Nothing Personal shined throughout the NIRSA Championship Series Region I tournament, held November 1–3, at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Nothing Personal advanced to the playoffs after two blowout games—66-0 against University of Massachusetts Amherst and 82-0 against Southern New Hampshire University.

The team’s impressive point differential (+148) earned them the 1st seed and a bye into the playoffs, in which they continued to display impressive skill. In the quarterfinals, Nothing Personal beat Rochester Institute of Technology 38-7 and in the semifinals they defeated Assumption College 49-7.

Three Boston University players were named to the all-tournament team for their performance over the Region I tournament: Andrew Brattain, Christopher Connell, and David Garazi.

In addition to being a part of the all-tournament team, David Garazi was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Said co-caption David Garazi, “This year was a great year overall and we cruised to victories in BU intramurals and through most of the teams in the regional tournament.” Garazi continued, “In the finals, we were finally challenged, but showed a lot of resiliency after falling behind 13-0 at halftime. The team stuck together every play until the final whistle and we were fortunate enough to come out on top. Now, we are honored and privileged to be representing our region and our school at the national tournament in January.”

Co-captain Christopher Connell said, “Last year’s loss in the quarterfinals of the regional tournament was extremely disappointing and this year we only had one goal: win.” Connell continued, “All of the guys worked hard and contributed to each win. We had a feeling that it would come down to us and Bloomsburg in the championship. We are just glad that it was us. Each of us is excited and humbled at the opportunity to represent BU on the national level.”

“Congratulations to our team on their championship win. I am very proud to have the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine represent all of Boston University and the region in the national tournament,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. “The entire school will be rooting for you in January,” he promised.

Photos are available on Facebook and Flickr.