In what has been a long qualifying process, involving 32 qualifiers in 5 countries, the EA Madden Challenge Finals in Honolulu, Hawaii have wrapped up and a champion has been crowned. Ayan "Fool" Tariq from Ridgefield, NJ, winner of the Pittsburgh, PA qualifier, worked his way through the bracket to take the tournament. With him, Tariq will be taking a check from the EA Madden Challenge for $100,000 and all of the bragging rights for next year. Ayan Tariq, the youngest of the 32 qualifiers, is only 16 years old and is the younger brother of Shayan Tariq, became the youngest ever winner of the finals.

Tariq's victory in Hawaii came over William "Secret" Wolf, who finished 3rd-4th in last year's finals. Tariq's win in the finals over Wolf was not entirely unexpected. Going into the match, Wolf was heavily favored by the crowd. Tariq had been playing well all tournament, but Wolf was the fan favorite and had the experience of a strong finish last year. However, Wolf's utilization of Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons proved to be his downfall.

Considered by some to be "Michael Glitch" for his ability to dominate a game of Madden beyond his abilities in the NFL, Vick and the Falcons are an overall fan favorite and prefered team of many challengers. However, it was the lack of Vick that proved to be Wolf's achilles. In the finals match against Tariq, Wolf lost Vick on the fourth play of the game, forcing him to utilize Matt Schaab for the remainder of the game. Without the mobility of Vick to keep Tariq on his toes, the loss was nearly inevitable for Wolf. Despite a respectable effort, Wolf fell to Ayan "Fool" Tariq 23-10.