Curtiss Dokey (So.-Manitowoc, Wis.) won the Lakeland University Esports team's first-ever individual title, defeating Carroll University's Danny McGee in five games to win the 2020 New England Collegiate Conference PS4 Madden Championship.

The sophomore won the NECC's first-ever Madden Championship to cap off a perfect 11-0 season, also the first-ever undefeated season for a Lakeland Esports competitor.

Dokey won the decisive fifth matchup in convincing fashion by a 36-14 score over McGee. It followed McGee winning the opening game 28-21, with Dokey taking the next two games 24-21 and 24-16 before McGee evened the series with a 28-18 win to send it to a fifth and final game.

Dokey got off to a big start in the fifth game, scoring the first 21 points of the game, including an interception he returned 50 yards for a touchdown. McGee clawed his way back into contention, however, as two quick touchdowns in the final two minutes gave Dokey a slim 21-14 halftime lead.

Dokey picked off another pass on the opening drive of the second half and ran the ball five yards for the score. After lining up for the extra point, Dokey shocked McGee with a successful fake field goal that pushed Dokey's lead to 29-14 with just under five minutes remaining in the game. McGee had three chances to score in the quarter, but a 34-yard interception return for a touchdown pushed Dokey's lead to 36-14 with 1:41 remaining and secured the 3-2 series victory.

In what turned into a back-and-forth series, Dokey and McGee traded touchdowns in the first quarter of game one. Dokey and McGee then scored three touchdowns in the final minute of the first half which led to a 21-14 halftime lead for Dokey.

McGee's strong defense held Dokey scoreless in the second half, while McGee scored 14 unanswered in the second half to win a tight game one 28-21. Two costly interceptions prevented Dokey from entering the end zone as McGee secured a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

Game two once again began with the two players trading touchdowns before Dokey took a 14-7 lead on a 49-yard touchdown pass with five seconds remaining in the first half. Both players added touchdowns in the third quarter before McGee tied the game at 21-21 with a 13-yard dash to the end zone with just under two minutes to play.

After marching up the field and getting to the 5-yard line with ten seconds remaining, the Madden servers crashed, bringing the game to a sudden and surprising stop. After getting back online, the two players agreed to give Dokey two plays to score from the five-yard line. A 4-yard rush led to an 18-yard game-winning field goal that tied the series at 1-1.

Dokey kept the momentum in the Muskies' favor in game three as he took a 14-7 lead to start the second quarter. McGee had the chance to tie the game with just under two minutes remaining in the half but missed the extra point after scoring a touchdown to make it 14-13. Dokey tacked on another touchdown to lead 21-13 at the break.

Both teams added field goals in the third quarter to make the score 24-16, and a late interception thrown by McGee gave Dokey his first lead in the series going into game four.
Dokey once again led at halftime, this time by a score of 10-7 following a 24-yard field goal at the 0:33 mark of the second quarter. Danny McGee scored two touchdowns to open the second half and take a 21-10 lead, but a 74-yard pass followed by a successful 2-point conversion cut Dokey's deficit to three. McGee would find the endzone again and intercept a pass from Dokey at 1:20 in the fourth to stave off elimination with a 28-18 win and force a deciding fifth game.

Dokey won seven of the nine individual games he played during the tournament, starting with wins over teammates McNemon Vincent and Byron Dean. While he averaged a strong 24.6 points per game in the tournament, staunch defense is what propelled Dokey to the title as he scored 35 points off nine interceptions in the championship series.

The victory concluded Lakeland's inaugural Madden season that saw four Muskies make the NECC tournament. Besides being the first in program history, the Madden championship is the first title for Ahman Green as Lakeland Head Esports Coach.

Fans can watch the thrilling championship series on the NECC Twitch channel at: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/809890800?t=03h14m27s.




Curtiss Dokey quote transcript:
Dokey [on how it feels to be the champion]: Yeah, it feels great, you know, me and Ahman, we've been grinding since early August, putting in a lot of work and not having that interview last night worked for me because now I get an extra day to celebrate.

Dokey [on mentality going into game five]: Yeah, for me the first four games, the turnover differential did not go in my favor. I threw a couple picks in that first game that I lost and I knew in game five I needed to get at least one or two picks to get it back in my favor, and that's what ended up happening, and it worked out pretty well for me.

Dokey [on Ahman Green's coaching]: Yeah, you know with the NECC this was Year 0, but for Lakeland, this was Year 0, too, for us. Ahman came in and it wasn't just simply gaming, you know, we had workouts, we had film sessions, we did it pretty much how he did it in the NFL, and he wanted to instill values in us and that's what he did. The whole time we were playing last night he was texting me to let me know what I had to do, trying to keep me focused. He's been an amazing coach.

Dokey [on teammates]: Yeah, definitely, it was funny coming into the season, we only had myself as the only player, and the next thing you know it started growing on campus. Byron Dean, he's the guy that I played in the semifinals, he actually moved into my apartment, he transferred from a different college, and we struck up a friendship and he joined and he's probably one of the best Madden players other than Danny [McGee, who Dokey beat in the finals] that I've ever played. I wouldn't have been as good as I was this season if it wasn't for him.

Dokey [on how he'll celebrate]: We're going to get together that whole week and celebrate. We had a big group call after the game and we just had a good talk. It'll be nice to see them, you know, we left campus about two weeks ago because of COVID, so it'll be nice to see everyone back once again.