Newport Beach teenager wins $250,000 after capturing Ultimate Madden Bowl

Newport Harbor High School senior Peyton Tuma returned to school on Wednesday, just two days after his life was changed.

Tuma, who goes by the online handle “Dez” in honor of former Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, was the big winner at the Ultimate Madden Bowl video game tournament on Monday.

Tuma’s Cowboys defeated Henry Leverette of Georgia’s Bears, 24-14, in the championship game at the Electronic Arts studios in Redwood City. Tuma won the $250,000 grand prize, becoming the youngest Ultimate Madden Bowl winner ever.

It was a convincing win for No. 2-seeded “Dez” against top-seeded “Henry,” who owns the all-time record of five Madden Championship Series belts and was last year’s Ultimate Madden Bowl champion. In this year’s final, Tuma built a 17-0 halftime lead.

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“I was definitely a little bit more nervous going into the game, just because of his reputation and what he’s done in the sport,” Tuma said in a phone interview Thursday. “I was just way more prepared than him, I felt like, going into the game. Getting a stop on [his] first three drives, I was way more loose at the start of the game. I felt like that’s what won me the game.”

Leverette received $150,000 for second place. Tuma said he considers Leverette, 19, a friend and mentor, and he congratulated him after the game. All five commentators on the webcast had picked Leverette, not Tuma, to win prior to the contest.

The trip back to the Bay Area was fun for Tuma, who lived there before moving to Newport Beach last year. Before the title game, he said he spent the weekend at his grandpa’s house and visited with friends, though of course he brought his video game console to prepare.

Monday’s win gave him his second belt in his last three tournaments.

With college around the corner next year, the money will be pretty nice, too.

“It’s life-changing, obviously,” Tuma said. “It hasn’t really set in for me yet. Obviously, I haven’t gotten paid yet, but it probably will when that hits. That’s going to be wild.

“I love what I’m doing already. The money’s just a bonus, in my opinion.”

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