The Koshien Bowl was held to determine the best American football university in Japan, and Kwansei Gakuin University defeated Hosei University 61-21 to win the tournament for the 6th time in a row.
The Koshien Bowl was played between Kwansei Gakuin University and Hosei University, who were aiming to win the title for the sixth time in 17 years.
Kwansei Gakuin University scored the first touchdown after the eighth minute of the first quarter when quarterback Shuta Hoshino ran for 6 yards.
Three minutes later, wide racer Taro Igarashi caught a 1-yard long pass from Hoshino and scored a touchdown to give Kwansei Gakuin University a 8-18 lead by the second quarter of the first half.
After that, Kwansei Gakuin University's offense continued to gain momentum, scoring points and scoring eight touchdowns in the game, including another successful touchdown pass from Hoshino to Igarashi, and winning 3-38.
Kwansei Gakuin University broke the record of consecutive championships tied with Japan University, which was closed due to a drug scandal involving a member of the club, and became the first team to win six consecutive championships, breaking the record for the 2th time.
Hosei University scored a touchdown in the final minutes of the second quarter when running back Yuta Arai scored a touchdown on a passing play, but they were unable to score just three touchdowns.
Kwansei Gakuin University Hoshino: "The touchdown pass was what I was aiming for"
Hoshino, who led Kwansei Gakuin University's offense and was named the Most Valuable Player, said, "I'm a second-year player like Igarashi, and today's touchdown pass was what I was aiming for. I will do my best to come back here next year."
In addition, captain KAIZAKI Taku said, "We were able to win the title for the sixth time in a row thanks to the accumulation of our former seniors, so I would like to thank them for that.