Oct. 26, 2009 (The Yomiuri Shimbun) -- Hidetetsu Nishimura hit a 38-yard field goal--his fifth of the game--as time expired to give the Fujitsu Frontiers a dramatic 22-20 victory over the Kajima Deers on Sunday and the Central Division title of the X-League.
Motoki Yoshida threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Brad Brennan in the third quarter for Fujitsu's lone TD as the Frontiers avenged a 21-19 loss to Kajima in last year's playoffs and denied the Deers a third straight division title.
The win before 1,445 at Kawasaki Stadium put Fujitsu (5-0) into the second-stage group with the Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers, who finished second in the West Division, and the surprising East No. 3 Nihon Unisys (NYSE:UIS) Bulls.
Under this year's new format, the top three teams in the three divisions are regrouped in the second stage into three blocks, from which the four playoff teams will be determined.
Kajima (4-1) will face East champion Asahi Beer Silver Star and the West No. 3 Suita Marvies in the second stage, which begins Nov. 7. The third block consists of the defending champion Panasonic Impulse, the Obic Seagulls and the IBM (NYSE:IBM) Big Blue.
Fujitsu, which overcame a 14-6 deficit to take a 19-14 lead early in the fourth quarter, fell behind when Yosuke Ozaki and Naoki Maeda connected on an 80-yard touchdown pass with 4:24 left in the game.
The Deers' two-point conversion attempt failed, opening the door for Nishimura, who also converted from 37, 28, 41 and 20 yards, to boot the game-winner.
Nihon Unisys, playing its first season in the X-League's top tier, finished an impressive third in the East with a 13-3 win over the Fuji Xerox (NYSE:XRX) Minerva.
