By John Harden/sports editor
SE’s flag football championship team, AK, beat the South and NE teams to win the TCC District Cup Championship.
AK’s first opponent in the tournament was South’s team, Squad Up.
Squad Up’s defense could not contain AK’s quick offense. AK ran its offense with few mistakes and maintained the lead the entire game.
AK quarterback Devin Williams read the field well while under the pressure of Squad Up’s constant blitz.
He delivered the ball to his teammates with accuracy, only throwing two interceptions the entire game as opposed to Squad Up’s six.
Squad Up’s frustrations affected its usual style of play and led to many mistakes. The frustrations also led to unsportsmanlike conduct on the field. Two members from Squad Up were ejected from the game for unnecessary roughness against AK.
“ It was tense out there,” said AK team captain Dung Nguyen. “But at the end of the day, we’re just here to play.”
AK won its first game over Squad Up 32-22.
“ I give the South team credit,” Nguyen said. “They’re good. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t have made it this far.”
With only a 10-minute break, AK had to play another game against the championship NE team The Knights.
Even though AK had a short break before playing another 40 minute game and the well-rested Knights, AK took the field without any complaints.
The Knights dominated early in the first half, scoring the first two touchdowns, leading 12-0.
With AK’s team just coming off a win and playing a fresh Knights team, it would seem the Knights had an easy win, but AK didn’t think so.
Before the end of the half, the Knights maintained its lead, but AK managed to close the gap 20-18.
AK played with only an eight-man roster while the Knights played with 17. Even with the Knights’ ability to make substitutions to bring in rested players during the game, they were still outmatched by AK’s style of play.
AK played a short passing game while the Knights mostly relied on frequent Hail Mary passes, which led to few touchdowns and more interceptions.
In the end, AK fended off the Knights, winning 33-20 and capturing the district tournament.
“ It was a good game,” said South intramural director Michael Daniels. “The SE team was good. They played two games back-to-back and they deserved to win because they came to play. The NE team was just outmatched.”
Nguyen contributes his team’s wins to his player’s experience and knowledge of the game.
“ We put up a good fight against a good team [the Knights],” said AK team captain Dung Nguyen. “We’ve been playing for quite a while together, and we just know how to win games.”
The Knights early lead required AK to change its initial strategy, which proved decisive in the game.
“ We just had to tighten our defense more and open up our offense,” Nguyen said.
“ We stayed calm and composed even though we were down, but it was just about finding the right strategy and we eventually came back to win.”
