Excitement, tension, and anticipation filled the air as the intramural flag football championship games kicked off at 9pm last Thursday.
The women’s flag football league started the night with the undefeated Monstars playing Victorious Secret. Victorious Secret defeated Lizzo A team 20-0 and the Monstars defeated Lady Terrapins A 40-0 in their respective semifinals.
With one championship already under their belt, the Monstars were looking to clench another one. They traveled to Western Kentucky in Bowling Green, Ky., to win the Battle of the Bluegrass tournament on Nov. 18.
First possession was awarded to the Monstars. Some tough rushing plays by Victorious Secret left the Monstars’ quarterback scrambling to connect passes to the offense. After a few well placed passes the Monstars’ offense started to come alive.
A series of passes and carries down the field put the Monstars in good scoring position on third down and goal. A complete pass and run into the end zone gave them an early lead. After a failed attempt at a one-point conversion the score was 6-0.
Victorious Secret offense tried to gain momentum down the field during their first possession. The quarterback threw an interception on the second down resulting in a turnover near the end zone. The Monstars were once again in a good position to score.
Senior Monstars player Kate Winthrow said that the turning point was the interception that gave them that “spark” to gain momentum.
It was first and goal within the first six minutes of the first half. A successful throw into the end zone after three incomplete passes widened the Monstars’ lead. After a complete one-point conversion the score was 13-0.
A series of incomplete passes and failed attempts at running the ball forced Victorious Secret to punt the ball down the field on a fourth down. The Monstars’ offense continued dominating the field with two complete passes to place them in good scoring position.
With nine minutes left in the half, the Monstars ran the ball into the end zone further widening their lead. The score was 20-0 after a complete one-point conversion.
Despite their early and large lead, the Monstars maintained good sportsmanship and helped both teammates and opponents up after falling on the field. Winthrow commended Victorious Secret for their football skills and class on the field.
“Poise is the most important quality a team should have and is the one word I would use to describe our team,” said Winthrow.
Another interception was thrown by the Victorious Secret quarterback and it resulted in a Monstars’ player sprinting the length of the field and dropping the ball right before crossing the end zone line. It was first and goal with less than a minute remaining. The Monstars scored another touchdown further widening their already large lead 27-0.
After halftime, Victorious Secret showed improved rushing and put more pressure on the Monstars’ quarterback. The Monstars maintained their momentum throughout the second half as they scored two more touchdowns. The game was called with two minutes remaining; the score was 39-0.
The men’s game began at 10 p.m. with Racer Hoops playing Sigma Pi. The undefeated Racer Hoops defeated Small Town Prospects 18-7; Sigma Pi defeated Sigma Phi Epsilon 13-7 in their respective semi-finals.
Freshman Racer Hoops’ player John Morris attributed the team’s success this season to his coach and team’s drive to win.
“We try to treat every game like a championship, and not get lackadaisical,” Morris said. “We approached this game like every other one and work hard to win.”
Sigma Pi opted for first possession. Excitement was in the atmosphere after a successive series of interceptions were thrown in the first two minutes.
First, Sigma Pi quarterback threw an interception in the first 30 seconds. Then the Racer Hoops’ quarterback threw an interception. After that a Racer Hoops’ defender caught the ball in the end zone and took a knee.
After a series of well-placed throws and first downs, Racer Hoops was in good position to score. A complete pass and run into the end zone put Racer Hoops on the scoreboard first. After a complete one-point conversion the score was 7-0.
Despite attempts by the Sigma Pi offense to move the ball down the field, the quarterback threw another interception to a Racer Hoops player. With six minutes left on the clock, Racer Hoops offense moved the ball swiftly down the field to score another touchdown making the score 13-0 after a failed one-point conversion.
With two minutes left on the clock, Sigma Pi’s offense once again attempted to carry the ball down the field. For the fifth time that night the quarterback threw an interception to a Racer Hoops defender that resulted in a run into the end zone.
“The biggest challenge in this game was not getting too relaxed,” said Morris. “Usually we get up (the score) pretty high and then relax, but we didn’t this game.”
The score was 20-0 going into the second half. Racer Hoops started with possession. Their offensive line kept up momentum and scored another touchdown after two minutes.
Sigma Pi rallied and responded with their first touchdown of the night. Bringing the score 27-7. Racer Hoops responded with another touchdown bringing the score 34-7 with eight minutes left in the half.
Another interception thrown by Sigma Pi gave a Racer Hoops’ defender possession and allowed them to score another touchdown. The seventh and final interception thrown by Sigma Pi’s quarterback gave Racer Hoops another opportunity to score a touchdown.
A run into the end zone by a Racer Hoops’ player brought the score 47-7. The game was mercy-ruled with four minutes left.
Both champion teams, the Monstars and Racer Hoops remained undefeated throughout their seasons and playoffs. Although this marks the end of flag football season at Murray State, the Monstars are preparing to travel to Pensacola, Fla., for the National Intramural Flag Football Championship on December 29-31. Basketball is the next intramural sport offered at Murray State and will start in the spring of 2013.
Story by: Laura Kovarik, Staff writer