Memory Lane ~ THC’s 2012 Laz Bowl Champs!

Question: What was one of the most exciting events held on the boys’ side of camp this past summer?
Answer: The Laz Bowl!!!

That’s right – the Lazarus Bowl, our annual flag football tournament!  Every summer, in Mid-July, buses carry in football teams from other camps that come to compete for Laz Cup glory.  Here’s how the tournament played out this past summer…

Trail’s End, Wayne, and Westmont were eager to upset the six-time defending champs.  It was clear that Tyler Hill would not have an easy road to a seventh straight title.

The first game started in the morning as Tyler Hill kicked off against Westmont.  Captains Ben Rashbaum, Spencer Shapiro, Max Helfman, and Harrison Lax did their best to get their squad fired up for a huge day.  Immediately Tyler Hill burst out of the gates with a big lead and never looked back.  THC captured an easy first victory and gained a great deal of confidence moving forward.

In the second game, Tyler Hill squared off against  Camp Wayne, always a competitive opponent.  Wayne matched Tyler Hill’s first touchdown drive with a return touchdown of their own, striking fear into the hearts of the THC faithful.  But as it seems like they always do, the boys were able to rally and eventually stormed out to a big lead.  Linebacker Alec Emert commanded the defense and led a dominating second half effort en route to a convincing Tyler Hill victory.

The final game of the round robin portion of the tournament pitted THC against our longtime Wayne County rival, Trail’s End.  CIT quarterback Spencer Shapiro delivered a virtuoso performance, tossing four touchdowns and guiding Tyler Hill to an easy victory.  Tyler Hill was poised to make a run at yet another title.

In an easy semifinal game, THC thrashed Westmont once again, jumping out to an early lead behind two Rocco D’Amelio receiving touchdowns.  Cornerback Jonathan Kratz and defensive end Dylan Pins made it near impossible for Westmont to move the ball on offense.

After dinner, the whole camp came down to the bleachers to watch the final game.  The atmosphere was electric: campers decked out in face paint, jerseys of former players, and all sorts of THC gear.  Head General Counselor Zack Coleman led the camp in cheers throughout the game.  The opponent was Trail’s End, whom we had defeated handily earlier in the day.  This time, however, the game was much more evenly matched.  Trail’s End held a 12-7 lead before THC added a quick touchdown to make it 14-12 at the half.  The fans knew that they needed to cheer their hearts out if they wanted to see THC win a seventh straight championship.  In the second half, the boys came out firing and eventually were able to build up a big lead.  As the clock ticked down to zero, the fans were screaming with excitement.  Tyler Hill had sealed another Lazarus Bowl championship.

Flag Football has become a way of life here at Tyler Hill and the competition keeps getting better and better.  This sport is what it is at THC because of people like Chris Beltz, THC’s head referee and Michael Davidowitz, the announcer.  These guys always bring professionalism, excitement and fairness to the game.   In the end, all the teams hard work paid off as Tyler Hill beat Trail’s End, bringing home the Laz Bowl title yet again!

Although the summer is over, our Laz Bowl Champions deserve a shout-out once again remembering what an incredible feeling it was to have our players bring home our 7th Laz Bowl title. Congrats to all of our Laz Bowl players!!!