Staff Reports
Upsets, blowouts, Cinderella stomping and record voting numbers. Round 4 of TallyMadness had all that and more.
The head-to-head between Duke Energy lobbyist Chris Flack vs. FSU lobbyist Clay Ingram delivered a stunning blow to Seminole fans as Ingram went down like the Noles did vs. the Wolverines. It was a stunner, considering Ingram was fresh off a double-digit win in the Sweet 16. There’s a silver lining, however. As an FSU alum, Flack keeps the Noles in contention for the title.
Charter Communications lobbyist Albie Kaminsky has put on quite the show in his TallyMadness debut, but Joe Anne Hart of the Florida Dental Association snuffed out the Cinderella story in what could only be described as a rout. To her fans, it was no surprise — she’s made it look easy all tournament, notching 60% of the vote or more in each of the first three rounds.
Florida Health Care Association lobbyist Toby Philpot is headed to the Final Four after a convincing win over Danielle Scoggins of the Florida Realtors. While the victory is reason enough to celebrate, the Governor’s signature on the COVID-19 liability bill meant he was already due for a Gatorade bath.
While those matches were exciting, the bout between Florida School Boards Association lobbyist BillieAnne Gay and Justin Thames of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants was the highlight of the Sweet Sixteen.
It was an absolute barn burner and, if the bracket were just a bit different, this could have been an epic championship game.
Both recorded insane vote totals — more than 12,000 between them — and were only separated by a handful at the final whistle. If games had five quarters (quinters?), Thames might’ve won a spot in the semifinals and a chance to win the title he came within inches of securing a year ago.
But they don’t, and it’s Gay who will get the Final Four repeat.
The semifinals are on. Cast your votes to decide who heads to the title game before midnight Tuesday.
