Everybody loves a Cinderella story.

The Grand Canyon University Flag Football team won its first-ever Scottsdale Adult Flag Football League Division II Championship, 13-6. The Lopes entered the playoffs with the lowest record at 2-4 verifying their underdog status.

"We knew coming into the playoffs we were the underdogs," said Lopes' Head Coach Dylan Sanchez. "I knew the only way to build a name for the program was to bring home the championship, and anything less wasn't an option."

Quarterfinals

The first matchup paired the Lopes against the second-best team in the division, who they had lost to during the regular season, 12-7.

"Knowing their play style and what worked best against them, we made some adjustments going into the game," said Sanchez. "We worked hard the whole game and our defense had a standout performance."

Despite the opposing team having six red zone opportunities, the Lopes' defense never flinched, keeping their end zone untouched. The opponent's defense stayed on par with the Lopes until GCU got tricky, using freshman left tackle Brody Levine on a "lineman release" – using him as an eligible receiver to catch the only touchdown of the game.

Semifinals

The next matchup pitted the Lopes against a team they hadn't seen since early in the season, when they lost by a "Hail Mary" touchdown, 13-12.

The Lopes came out firing on all cylinders this time en route to a 26-12 win.  Lopes' sophomore Silas Elison's interception on the opposing team's first drive led to an immediate score by GCU freshman Kristian Fralich. Sanchez added another score before halftime to give GCU a 13-0 lead.

The Lopes started the second half where they left off as freshman Caleb Speier scored a touchdown to extend the lead to 20-0. After allowing a quick score to their opponents, Sanchez reeled in a deep pass scoring the final touchdown to seal the Lopes' victory.

"With this win, we were able to get our revenge," said Sanchez. "However, it was short-lived, because we would only have a two-minute break before the championship game would start."

Championship

With minimal rest, the Lopes faced a team in the division championship game they had lost to twice in the regular season.

Their opponent was also the No. 1 team in the division.

Despite those obstacles, the Lopes' defense matched their opponents stride for stride in the first half until a key interception by Lopes' freshman J.W. Baker led to a Fralich touchdown on the following drive to give the Lopes a 7-0 at halftime.

In the second half, the opposing team thwarted the Lopes' opening drive and turned it into six points of their own after missing their extra point.

"We knew this game was going to come down to the wire," said Sanchez. "We hoped to kill the clock, but our next drive, Caleb Speier connected on a slant and went 60 yards for the touchdown."

With time winding down and protecting a seven-point lead, the Lopes' defense came up with four crucial stops in the final 30 seconds to win the game and the title, 13-6.

"We were ecstatic when the final whistle blew - knowing what we had just accomplished as a team," said Sanchez. "This win fortified not only GCU Flag Football culture, but shows that the brotherhood that formed from both seasons created something that I know will carry on for future years."