By halftime, the crowd was as divided as the teams were close, with Team Grimm leading, 14-12. The teams exchanged touchdowns, but Team Mering then grabbed the advantage with a Luke Atkinson (鈥26) interception followed by Jozef MacKinnon (鈥26) touchdown run. From that moment on, Team Mering never gave up the lead, despite a fierce battle, winning the game by a final score of 31-27.
Players and spectators reunited on the sidelines afterward amid smiles, laughs, and congratulations. Mering鈥檚 team was elated. 鈥淗e鈥檚 quick and he鈥檚 smart, and he鈥檚 good at organizing a team,鈥 lauded teammate Joseph Emrich (鈥27). Team Grimm, meanwhile, was forlorn but bore the defeat graciously. 鈥淚t was disappointing to lose,鈥 said Kevin Guinee (鈥26), 鈥渂ut in the end, it鈥檚 just a game.鈥