The Renegades were staring at a 20-7 hole before the first quarter was out. They finished the night holding the trophy-level moment that mattered: John Rice found Joshua Towe for an eight-yard touchdown with 23 seconds remaining, and Gregg Zavala’s extra point put Orlando ahead for good in a 24-23 Conference Championship victory over the Breakers.

Orlando struck first after Gerald Hartman intercepted Barton McDonnell, and Rice connected with Towe for a six-yard touchdown. But the Breakers answered in a hurry. McDonnell hit Leslie Culbertson for a 75-yard score, and after the Breakers recovered a Renegades fumble, he found Richard Oliver for another touchdown. A third McDonnell touchdown, to Henry Thorne with eight seconds left in the quarter, made it 20-7.

The Renegades’ response was measured rather than spectacular at first. Zavala’s 30-yard field goal in the second quarter trimmed the margin to 20-10. Orlando’s defense kept giving the offense chances: James Dunbar intercepted McDonnell in the second quarter, and Hartman picked him off again in the third. The latter turnover helped set up Rice’s one-yard touchdown pass to Charles Button, bringing the Renegades within three at 20-17.

McDonnell remained dangerous, finishing with 352 passing yards and three touchdowns, but the Renegades made the turnovers count. Orlando totaled three interceptions and three sacks. The Breakers managed only three conversions on 13 third-down attempts, while the Renegades converted eight of 18.

A 35-yard Paul Cannon field goal extended Boston’s lead to 23-17 with 6:35 remaining. Rice, who threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, had one last answer. With the Renegades facing third-and-8 at the Breakers’ 8, he found Towe in the end zone. Towe finished with 65 receiving yards and two scores; Button added 50 yards and a touchdown.

That final connection completed a comeback built on the Renegades’ ability to absorb an early flurry, turn defensive stops into points and keep pressing. In a championship decided by one point, Orlando’s biggest play came with almost no time to spare—and the extra point made sure the late surge was enough.