The Boston Bandits’ attempt to win a third straight NEFL Championship fell short as they were narrowly defeated by the New England Hawks 24-20 in Raymond, New Hampshire. The Bandits took their opening possession the length of the field and capped off the drive when Clarzell Pearl found Jay Blot open for a 4 yard TD pass. Andrew Nelson’s PAT gave the Bandits a quick 7-0 lead. The Hawks overcame a bobbled kick off and drove 95 yards to tie the score on a 46 yard screen pass by Jeff Gregoire to Stephen Lewis. The Hawks would take the lead in the second quarter when David Crutchfield dove in from1 yard out and a 14-7 advantage. The Hawks drove the ball deep into Bandit territory but the drive stalled after a sack by Jason Milton. The Hawks, however, would up the lead to 10 points right before the half when Matt LaPolice connected on a 22 yard FG and a 17-7 score. The Bandits held the Hawks initial drive behind strong run stops by LB Terrence Pennington, and drove into Hawks territory only to see the snap sail on their 28 yard FG attempt. When DE Basil Ledgister intercepted a Gregoire pass early on the Hawks’ next possession, Pearl wasted no time going deep, finding Daryl Hodge open for a 35 yard TD strike. The score cut the lead to 17-14. The Hawks would up their lead back to ten early in the fourth quarter when Crutchfield squirted through the middle for a 40 yard touchdown gallop. The Bandits answered right back as Pearl found Blot again in the end zone, however, the PAT failed leaving the score at 24-20. The Bandits were able to strip the ball lose from the Hawks and were poised to win the game. They got the ball down to the 6 yard line, first and goal but were unable to punch in the score on four attempts as time expired. The Bandit season ends with a 7-6 overall record. Stay tuned for more off season svent information and Bandit Allstar announcements.