Joke jukes into Madden NFL 20 Bowl quarterfinals

Despite a last-minute loss in his final game Wednesday, Raidel "Joke" Brito won Group A to earn a spot in the Madden NFL 20 Bowl quarterfinals. Michael "VoLTeRaX" Bryant came in second place and Pavan "Pavan" Lakhat finished third, with both advancing to the wild-card round. Joke, VoLTeRaX and Pavan also went 2-1, but Joke emerged on top thanks to the point-differential tiebreaker.

Reginald "Boogz" Brown finished 0-3 and was eliminated, but he had a chance late in his last game to advance. Trailing VoLTeRaX 7-3, Boogz had possession deep in his opponent's territory, but he threw a game-sealing interception with seven seconds to go. Joke, a 26-year-old from West New York, N.J., opened his finale against Pavan with a first-minute interception return for a touchdown, and he led 12-6 into the final minute.

Pavan drove into Joke territory, then got a 22-yard touchdown pass from Michael Vick to John Ross with seven seconds left when Joke overcommitted to the run. The extra point sealed a 13-12 victory for Pavan, a 19-year-old from Yuba City, Calif. Joke earlier downed Boogz 22-6 and defeated Volt 31-14.

VoLTeRaX, a 22-year-old from Williamstown, Mass., topped Pavan 17-6. Pavan posted a 28-7 victory over Boogz, a 32-year-old from Atlanta. Madden Bowl group play continues Thursday with Group B, Friday with Group C and Saturday with Group D.

The wild-card round will be held May 14, followed by the quarterfinals on May 15. The semifinals and final will be held May 16, airing from 5-9 p.m. ET on ESPN. All matches are available for streaming on the EA Sports' Twitch and YouTube channels plus the ESPN app.

Madden Bowl group standings, with win-loss record and point differential Group A (played Wednesday)

1. Raidel "Joke" Brito, 2-1, +16 2. Michael "VoLTeRaX" Bryant, 2-1, -6

3. Pavan "Pavan" Lakhat, 2-1, -10 4. Reginald "Boogz" Brown, 0-3, -41

Group B (scheduled for Thursday) Shay "Young Kiv" Kivlen

Zack "Serious Moe" Lane Drini "Drini" Gjoka

Jordan "Millz" Thompson Group C (scheduled for Friday)

Noah "Noah" Johnson Dwayne "CleffTheGod" Wood

Justin "Lil Man" Barone Mark "Schemin" Samuels Jr.

Group D (scheduled for Saturday) Henry "Henry" Leverette

Daniel "Rage" Loftin Wesley "Wesley" Gittens

Daniel "Dcroft" Mycroft --Field Level Media