Second-seeded Kickers upset top-seeded Morgan Stanley to capture the San Diego Hoops championship 58-56 on March 16. Morgan Stanley had previously defeated Kickers twice during the regular season, but knew they would have their hands full against the second best team in the league. Coming into the championship, Kickers handed Morgan Stanley their only loss earlier in the season, and the other two games were extremely close.

Morgan Stanley went on a 7-0 run to get out to their biggest lead of the game and led 28-23 at the half. Kickers sharpened their shooting in the second half and took a 31-28 lead after Robert Simmons hit a 3-point shot. Coach/captain Paul Demke hit a few baskets and free throws to help Morgan Stanley hold a 37-31 lead.

Kickers took the lead late in the game as Morgan Stanley’s shooting began to break down. Kickers remained ahead with a key layup from Rich Stevenson and two crucial free throws by Simmons for a 51-45 lead with 3:30 left on the clock.

Morgan Stanley missed a few more 3-point attempts, while Kickers hit most of their free throws to go up 58-53 with eight seconds left. Demke hit one last 3-pointer in the final seconds.

Kickers’ coach/captain Dwight Dunn, who also scored 21 points, was satisfied with their drive and control of emotion out on the court. “Our intensity – we definitely wanted the game. We played as a team, stayed focused without being too emotional and we came out with the win,” he said.

Demke reflected on the closeness of the game and their season overall: “We had a number of opportunities down the stretch to win the game but we fell just a little short. We won and lost with class all year, and you can’t ask any more than that. It was great just to have an opportunity to play in the championship game in front of a packed gym full of GLBT and GLBT-friendly fans.”

Kickers finished the season at 17-3 and Morgan Stanley at 18-2.

After breezing through the round-robin portion of the tournament and earning a number-two seed in the Women’s Alternative Division, America’s Finest City Softball League’s Fit 2B Tyed faced an uphill battle during the 29th annual “Fun in the Sun” Gay Softball World Series, which took place in San Diego Aug. 14-20.

Fit 2B Tyed needed to win six games in order to stay in contention for the title, and not only did they win those games, the San Diego team went on to win three additional contests, upsetting the number-one seed in the process to capture the Women’s Alternative Division World Series Championship on Aug. 20.

“We came into Friday with nothing to lose,” said Fit 2B Tyed coach Tina Prato. “I said consistency is going to be the key to winning the [Gay Softball World] Series. Consistency for every single game we step on the field for, and don’t let up.”

In the championship, Fit 2B Tyed faced the only team who had beaten them in this tournament – the Long Beach Lady Sharks. They slipped by with an 8-4 win, but it wasn’t over yet. Since this was a double-elimination tournament, the Long Beach Lady Sharks needed to lose another game in order for Fit 2B Tyed to be crowned the champion. The pressure was on, and Fit 2B Tyed came through with solid plays and offensive runs in a close 7-5 win.

“Consistency was the key to our success,” Prato said. “When one of us wasn’t getting the job done, the next one would. I believed every single day that we were the team to beat this year – since the start of the season.”

The Gay Softball World Series brought over 180 teams to America’s Finest City. Teams were comprised of players in 39 softball leagues from 35 cities across the U.S. The North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association also held their summer meetings here.

The Pecs Gators captured the San Diego American Flag Football League Championship over the Brians’ American Eatery Bears with a 25-12 win on July 9, at the Linda Vista Recreation Center. In the first game of the day, the Gators slipped past the Hamburger Mary’s Cowboys 18-12 to advance to the finals. The Bears made it to the finals with a close 13-12 win over the Bourbon Street Hurricanes.

The Bears scored first during the championship game but the Gators came right back to tie the game at 6-6. After a Bears’ touchdown pass was blocked in the end zone, the Bears watched the Gators capitalize and score another touchdown to lead 12-6. Just before the half, however, the Bears drove down the field to even the score 12-12 with a touchdown pass brought in by Brian Wilburn.

The second half was a defensive battle, with neither team scoring immediately. The Gators eventually scored a touchdown with a short pass by Dave DiGiacomo to take a 19-12 lead, and added one more touchdown to seal the deal.

The SDAFFL also hosted GayBowl V, the national gay American flag football tournament championships, Oct. 7-9 at Tidelands Park in Coronado. In B Division single-elimination play, the San Diego Sharks dominated Alabama 74-6 in the first round and got past Salt Lake City 34-13 in the semi-finals to reach the finals, where they crushed the Chicago Crew 40-6 to capture the B Division title.

The So Cal Scorpions finished with an impressive 10-2 record in the Women’s Professional Football League. After a 27-14 playoff win over the Los Angeles Amazons on Oct. 29, the Scorpions fell 48-19 to the Dallas Diamonds on Nov. 5 in the American Conference championship.

“I am very proud of what this team accomplished this season,” Scorpions team owner Ann Bagala said. “In one year, we completely turned the organization around from 1-9 to 9-1, a playoff win and winning the Western Division Championship. No one expected us to be above .500, let alone in the conference championship.”

The San Diego Sparks Soccer Club enjoyed an extremely successful start to their 18th season playing in the San Diego County Soccer League, proving they were a force to be reckoned with in the predominantly straight soccer league. By March, the Sparks posted an impressive 8-1 record. The Sparks ended up finishing in fifth place with a respectable 9-5-3 overall record for the 2004-05 season.

As the only gay team in a straight league, Sparks coach Leslie Randolph said the Sparks gained and received respect from other teams.

“For the most part, given our history of the team, we are reasonably well known by most of the teams who are there,” Randolph said. “We have no problems with raising the flag of our colors while we are there. We are a well-respected team because of our skills; because most of these teams we’ve beaten at one time or another.”