Projects give Panhandlers rude ejection

Anthony Kistmi takes fourth Hyperbowl MVP honor

The Manhattan Projects left little suspense in their crowning achievement, brushing aside defending champion Oklahoma for the league-leading fifth Hyperbowl victory and league title that eluded them the last three years. The Panhandlers, who won the first Hyperbowl and the one before this one to set up their hosting of the 50th edition, were looking to reverse a regular season loss of 38-7 to take their 4th title to tie Manhattan and Monterey. They managed to answer Manhattan's blitz drive to open the game, and from there on out it was all Projects.

Manhattan scored in 6 plays on the opening drive, RB Anthony Kistmi on the end of the last 5 plays. After a 10-yard catch of a QB Oliver Klozov pass, Kistmi ran for 18, 4, 22 and 14 for the TD. With 3 Hyperbowl MVPs already, Kistmi quickly made his bid to dominate the game. The one knock against Manhattan this season was that their individual stats hadn't been as impressive. For the championship game, they brought out all the weapons. RB Avery Nastibooy would add 106 yards and a TD rushing, and a TD receiving with 12 yards on 2 catches. WR Jason Skurtz burned the Panhandlers for 143 yards and 2 TDs on 7 catches. QB Oliver Klozov would end up with 4 TDs on just 13 of 22 passing with 202 yards.

After an Oklahoma punt, then a missed 43-yard field goal attempt by Manhattan kicker Cappy Collarneck, the Panhanders drove 74 yards in 10 plays. Their ace RB Eubie Dedd flexed his muscle, with runs of 14, 19 and 15 yards. QB Bug Zappa connected with WR Jason Shadows for 26 yards to the Manhattan 20, then Zappa himself scored from the one after Dedd's 15-yarder set them up there. Oklahoma had responded, traded blows, but in the 2nd quarter the Projects would quickly douse the spark and take charge.

Manhattan replied with a 6-play drive to 49-yard field goal by Collarneck. Both teams missed field goals, Collarneck a 56-yard attempt, Oklahoma K Thather Doohickey a 51-yarder. Following the latter, the Projects moved to the Oklahoma 39 in 4 plays, and there Nastibooy took it in. On the next possession, Panhandler RB Ed Butt ripped an 18-yard run, but on the next play fumbled and the Projects again were set up on Oklahoma 39. Three plays later, Klozov hit Skurtz on a 30-yard TD pass play. With a 24-7 lead at half, Manhattan was breaking away.

Oklahoma opened the 2nd half scrapping to get back in the game. Zappa picked up Shadows for a 24-yard gain on a pass, then on a 4th down at the Manhattan 45, scrambled for 5 yards to pick up a first down. On a third down, he found Butt for an 18-yard pass to the 22. But on the next play a shot to the end zone intended for WR Prince Money was picked off. The Panhndlers held the Projects on downs, then partially blocked a punt. But Zappa then had three straight incomplete passes and Oklahoma punted back to Manhattan.

The Projects scored on their next three possessions. Klozov scrambled for 28 yards, threw 19 to Skurtz, and Nastibooy ran for 22 to the Oklahoma 3, around a couple of other Nastibooy runs of 4 and 5 yards, and Nastibooy himself caught the 3-yard TD pass. Kistmi had a 27-yard run to the Panhandler 6, and Klozov threw to TE Yudong Hang from there for the TD. Then after Manhattan blocked a punt, Klozov closed the deal 2 plays later on a 33-yard TD pass to Skurtz, to make it 45-7, a TD better than their regular season score.

Oklahoma made a decent effort with a 10-play drive to the Manhattan 33, but turned it over on downs there, then held Manhattan again, but their next drive stalled at the Projects 44. Doohickey missed a 61-yard attempt from there. The projects looked like they might make it even worse, breaking out a 30-yard pass to Skurtz on the next play. They drove to the 23, then turned it over on downs. Dedd would run for 24 yards on the final play of the game, and what might be the final play of his career. He decided against retirement last season for the chance at the repeat Hypebowl win.

For the 50th Hyperbowl, Manhattan became the first team to win a 5th Hyperbowl, and broke the record for the largest point spread, which had been 32 by Flagstaff in 1983. Flagstaff still holds the records for most points, 49 the following year, 1984. It was the first time in the Hyperbowl a team had two players with over 100 yards rushing and another with over 100 receiving. Dedd missed 100 by 2 yards, or there would have been three 100+ rushers in the game.