It’s “goal to go” for Gino Bona.

The sales director for Portland’s Garrand & Co. has made the final cut in an ad contest sponsored by the National Football League. His pitch – a tongue-in-cheek farewell to the season – beat out thousands of others for a chance to impress fans and NFL promoters alike in a contest called “Pitch Your Idea for the Best NFL Super Bowl Commercial Ever.”

“I’m a big football fan,” said Bona, whose Buffalo upbringing keeps him rooting for the Bills. “When I heard about the contest, I said, ‘I have to do this.'”

His pitch, titled “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye,” follows forlorn fans – some of them sobbing – as they put away foam hands, let the air out of inflatable chairs and pay a $6,000 bar tab, all sadly marking the end of their beloved NFL season. The Boyz II Men ballad of the same name provides the background music.

The inspiration for the ad came from Bona’s own experience … perhaps as a hapless Bills fan.

“The Super Bowl is the biggest game, the biggest stage, but usually it’s a letdown after all the hype,” he said. “Once it’s over, I get a little sad.”

Bona, who wrote a freelance column for four years for ESPN.com, had to make his pitch in front of a panel of three judges at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. There were at least 2,000 other contestants there and 4,000 more at locations in Denver and Dallas. The judges picked 12 finalists and put the videos of the pitches on a Web site, www.nfl.com/superad.

Now Bona needs to get the crowd on his side. To win the grand prize – a trip to the Super Bowl and a chance to have his ad produced and aired during it – Bona has to beat out the other 11 finalists. Seventy percent of the decision is based on the judges’ selection, but 30 percent is based on online voting. As of Thursday afternoon, Bona’s pitch had 22 percent of the online votes, bested only by a woman named Vanessa, whose pitch had 28 percent.

“Hers is so emotional,” said Bona of his adversary’s ad. The Arkansas college student describes a deaf child’s touching experience at an NFL game.

“Our concepts couldn’t be further apart,” said Bona. “I feel kind of bad going up against her.”

But Bona’s playing to win. He’s hoping Mainers will rally to his side and vote for his pitch – despite his allegiance to the Bills. To underscore local loyalty, Garrand & Co.’s marketing agent notes that the firm is owned by Auburn resident Brenda Garrand. Voting is open until Jan. 7. (Readers can go to www.sunjournal.com to link to the NFL poll.)

After that, the judges, who include NFL promoters and producers, will make their pick and the winner will be announced Feb. 1. Bona can hardly contain his excitement, but he’s got plenty to keep him grounded.

The same day he was notified he’d made the final cut, his wife gave birth to their second child. Then his 17-month-old daughter spotted his pitch’s video on a segment on the NFL network.

“She used to beg for her Elmo video,” said Bona, with a laugh. “Now she wants Daddy AND Elmo.”