News is "in" from Sarasota and the Atlantic Sectionals, and it's not good for the 3-time US National Champions from Tampa.

The first game of the final day of competition saw the Atlanta-based 'Shepherd Smash' beat the EPVA New York Jets by a comfortable 13-point margin, 35-22.  Both teams maintained their seeding.  Meanwhile, teams from Florida and Philadelphia, led by their travelling Canucks, came up against each other to decide what is likely the best team which won't make it to the USQRA Nationals.  The South Florida Rattlers came up on top, beating the Philadelphia based Magee Rolling Rebels by a four-point margin, 33-29.

The Carolina Crash and the 3-time former US National Champions from Tampa met on Saturday morning, with the higher seeded Tampa Generals going down by two.  The game this morning had a similar outcome, although the margin was shaved to a single point.  Tampa will have another chance against the Crash at the Division 2 Nationals in Phoenix.  It hasn't been a banner year for the Generals, who didn't win a game at their home tournament this year, the Coloplast International.

3rd - CIR Carolina Crash (4) (#3 – #4 qualify for Division 2 USQRA Nationals)
4th - Tampa Generals (2)

5th - South Florida Rattlers (5) (#5 – #8 eliminated)
6th - Magee Rolling Rebels (6)
7th - Shepherd Smash (7)
8th - EPVA New York Jets (8)

A number of teams have made some improvements since the 2002 season, the results of which appear below:

2002 Atlantic Sectional Playoffs
Final Standings

1 - Suncoast Lightning (renamed the Hoveround Lightning this year)
2 - Tampa Generals (slipped to 4th)
3 - Boston Pitbulls (did not compete due to injuries... back next year)
4 - CIR Charlotte Crash (better by one)
5 - Casco Bay Navigators (improvement of 3-4 spots this year)
6 - Magee Rolling Rebels (same result)
7 - South Florida Rattlers (improvement of 2 spots in 2003)
8 - Connecticut Jammers (eliminated in Northeast Regional in 2003)

The battle for first place in the 2003 Sectionals is on as I compose this journal entry.