DeMatha Named Champion! Of Pizza-Eating

Nick Rivers had been preparing for this his entire life. In fact, in fourth grade, he won his first championship.

He hunkered over, as if getting in his three-point stance, and readied his hands – and jaws.

For the DeMatha senior football and baseball Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champion, this was about to be one of his toughest challenges.

And afterwards, wiping sauce from his face and gingerly holding his bloated stomach, the Most Valuable Player declared this his finest title: The First Annual Three Brothers Pizza High School Eating Championship.

“I have to say this one [is the best] because I’m leaving here on a full stomach,” Rivers said, standing outside of the Three Brothers Pizza in the Greenbelt-Beltway Plaza Mall in Greenbelt, Md. “I won’t have to eat anything for the rest of the day.”

DeMatha’s four participants – Rivers, Rob McDowell, Rion Robinson and Aaron Brooks -- earned $4,000 for their school, a portion of which will be donated to a local food bank. DeMatha’s opponent, St. Vincent Pallotti, and its four eaters – Vinny Chillemi, Ryan Alexander, Pat Downs and Matt Anderson – took home $2,000.

“We like to get the people in the neighborhood and the schools involved,” said Michael Repole, one of three brothers who founded the aptly-named Three Brothers franchise.

As a team, DeMatha woofed 24 slices of pizza in 10 minutes. Pallotti swallowed 15 ¼ slices during the same time frame. Pallotti was penalized ¾ of a slice for not finishing three crusts.

Rivers also won a DVD player for being named the individual eating champion for scarfing the most slices of pizza. He downed a hefty seven slices in 10 minutes, leaving just one folded scrap left on his pizza dish at the end of regulation.

It’s Rivers’ second eating championship as he also noted that he won an elementary school pie eating contest while in fourth grade, beating out kindergarteners through fifth-graders.

“Another one to add to the trophy case,” he said.

Before the competition, McDowell was crowned DeMatha’s dark horse as he said he had already proven himself with burritos. But as the competition neared and after the countdown kicked it off, all eyes quickly shifted to Rivers.

“I just thought it was absurd,” said Pallotti’s Anderson, referring to the show the Stags put on. “I was on my third piece and I was about to throw up.”

Contestants had to hold down their food the whole way as the rules were clear: You heave, you leave; You throw, you go.

Nearing the midway point of the eat-off, Pallotti, who fell behind early, stood up as if to intimidate the Stags. Rivers quickly followed suit, returning the non-verbal challenge, and the rest of the Stags followed.

“We just knew that he would be the one,” DeMatha's Robinson said of Rivers. “I couldn’t keep up.”

“We were looking at them for the first minute and then we realized we got this in the bag,” Rivers added.

With DeMatha football coach Bill McGregor cheering the team and large crowd on with chants of “Eat, Eat, Eat!” the Stags really buckled down (after unbuckling their pants right before the gorging began) and finished strong.

“I’ve never seen guys eat pizza like this,” said McGregor, who credited much of the Stags’ eating to off-season conditioning in the weight room. “They rose to the occasion again in true DeMatha style.”

The competition used to be just for amateurs who signed up but in an effort to further reach out to the community and give back to schools, Three Brothers founded the school championship this year.

“The athletes, they eat, but they probably weren’t prepared for today,” Mario Repole said. “It was a little overwhelming. We have some customers that can put some pizza away.”

The day’s festivities included face-painting, free water ice, balloon artistry and prize giveaways before the competitive eating started. Once the high school competition was finished Joe Carlucci and Siler Chapman put on a pizza acrobatics display in which they tossed dough in any way imaginable.

The main event was the 3rd Annual Three Brothers International Pizza Eating Championship, which is the only competitive pizza eating contest on the professional circuit – no joke.

Two-time World Champion Patrick Bertoletti, who is ranked second in the world, defended his pizza-eating championship by throwing down 20 slices in 10 minutes. Bertoletti fell two slices short of his own record of 22 slices in 10 minutes. He earned $2,500 for his efforts. Sonya Thomas, Tim Janus and Bob Shout tied for second with 16 slices.

Afterwards, Bertoletti said he had room for dessert.

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