The College of DuPage hosted the fourth annual NJCAA Flag Football Invitational as six teams came to Glen Ellyn for the tournament between May 7 and May 9. The Chaparrals came into this tournament with a 4-9 record, with their last game being a 2-27 loss against Purdue University Northwest on April 27. DuPage hoped to make a splash in their first tournament.
The NJCAA Flag Football Invitational begins with pool play on the first day. Each team plays two games against different opponents. Based on those results, the top two teams receive byes to the semifinal and the bottom four play against each other in the quarterfinals. The tournament from the quarterfinal onwards is single game elimination. The losing team in the quarterfinal plays in the fifth place matchup, while the semifinal losing teams play in the third-place matchup.
On day one, the Chaps’ first game was against Daytona State College (9-4), losing 0-20, followed by a 21-0 win versus Roxbury Community College (2-3). DuPage headed to the quarterfinal seeded third.
During day two, the Chaparrals played their quarterfinal match against Harford Community College (5-8) in a very close, hard fought game. The Chaps came out on top, winning 27-20.
In the semifinal game, DuPage played against Daytona State again and lost 0-57 as Daytona State cruised their way to the final.
The Chaps then competed in the third place game versus Bryant & Stratton College (8-4), losing the game 0-30, finishing the tournament at fourth place and the overall season with a 6-11 record.
In the finals, Daytona State played against the three time defending champions, Florida Gateway College. Florida Gateway dominated the game, only allowing Daytona State to score two touchdowns, while Gateway themselves continued scoring. The game ended with a 53-13 win for Florida Gateway as they became four-time back to back championships and remain the only team to win the NJCAA Flag Football Invitational.
