David “TheeDavidT” Tampellini won his first Madden Championship Series (MCS) title belt, defeating Jacob “Cobo” William Clause 38-31 in the final of the Zero Chill Challenge on Wednesday in Orlando.
Leading by three points, TheeDavidT made a fourth-down stop with 58 seconds remaining, then got a 52-yard touchdown run from a virtual Josh Jacobs on the next play to increase the margin to 10.
Cobo kicked a 63-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining, but TheeDavidT recovered the ensuing onside kick to lift the championship belt.
“Feels good, man,” TheeDavidT said. “I mean, I’ve been playing Madden for a long time, you know. This is like my third or fourth year of playing MCS extensively, my fifth event, and I finally made it.”
He said of his response after the onside kick: “I was reflecting on years of work. It was over at that point. That was it.”
TheeDavidT, from Long Island, New York, recorded his previous best MCS finish when he was fifth at Madden Bowl 2025.
Cobo, a Californian with more than $100,000 in Madden career winnings, won the Madden 24 Harvest tournament.
In the semifinals, TheeDavidT earned a 31-23 victory over Michael “Gabagol94” Lorito of Staten Island, NY.
Cobo beat Anthony “sYoDrip” Fahy of Coral Springs, Fla., 35-31 in the semifinals on a 9-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with five seconds remaining. After the kickoff, sYoDrip connected on a long pass, but Cobo was able to make the tackle to preserve the victory.
The Madden Championship Series continues in January with the Last Chance Qualifier leading up to the Madden Bowl, which will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area before the Super Bowl in February.
–Field level media
