The Spartans in action (Photo: Guilherme Ribeiro / CtrAtk)

On June 17, the São Paulo Storm and the Spartans Football will compete in the championship game of the SP State League - LPFA, the III Sampa Bowl.

The event will take place at the Mayor José Liberatti Stadium (a.k.a. "Rochdale Stadium") in Osasco, and will begin at 2p.m. The Championship game is scheduled to crown a 18 game season and will feature raffle giveaways, a FG contest and live music at halftime, an electronic scoreboard, a top-notch structure, and, most importantly, a confrontation between the two best records in the regular season.

The Spartans Football team reached its second consecutive Sampa Bowl and will try to win its first state title. During their campaign, they beat almost all opponents, stumbling only against the Storm, as their attack just could not manage to score. With four wins and only that defeat, the Spartans stood out for their passing game, led by QB13 Peninha and WRs Jesus and Moss. When they were able to establish rhythm on their aerial game, the Spartans dominated their adversaries.

The Storm remained undefeated during the regular season. The strength of their line of defense, led by DE91 Johny Bravo, and its strong LB corps suffered an average of only five points per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the ground attack with agile RB20 Matheus "Manning" Bessa remains the biggest threat for adversaries to deal with. The sheer threat of the run game also has opened plenty of room amidst opponents' DBs for national team player QB10 Gustavo "Urlacher" Campos to have his best season yet, connecting TD passes to practically every receiver that has started.

Last weekend in Taubaté both teams stamped their ticket to the III Sampa Bowl with victories over the Brazil Devils and the Itatiba Priests. On Saturday, the Storm trampled over the Devilz by a 34 x 6 margin. The return from injury of all-round athlete DE/DT/RB97 Gardenal who blocked and recovered a punt in the endzone for a TD, showing he will need no time to get back to the top of his game. With him healthy, the Storm arrives at the Sampa Bowl III with one of the meanest defensive lines in the country, consisting of three of the starting four players in the Brazilian national team squad.

The Spartans had more difficulty to surpass the Priests, scoring only once with their Special Teams, in a beautiful Kick-off return that went from Endzone to Endzone. The lone score, along with a brilliant presentation of the LB87 Prophet, sealed the 7-0 win and ensured the presence of red-black squad in the championship game.

The Sampa Bowl III promises a great struggle between the two top teams in São Paulo's Football. During the regular season game, the Spartans couldn't get their offense to spark, but the review in game plan and the 3-game winning streak since should have given QB13 Peninha and his receiver corps some good rhythm.

The officiating of the Championship game will be held by the Associação Paulista de Árbitros e Estatísticos de FA - APAEFA and Contra Ataque Sports Marketing is in charge of the organization of the event. The sponsors will be the KG Sports and Conti Bier, which will provide a VIP box for media and special guests during the Sampa Bowl III.

Cronograma do Evento
13h00 - Opening of the Gates
14h00 - Event Starts
14h30 - Kickoff
16h00 - Halftime show and FG contest
16h30 - 2nd Half Kickoff
18h00 - Award Ceremony
18h30 - End of the Event