Photo: Derek Tam
For all the flack we caught for not picking enough upsets, or not giving love to teams with undefeated records ranked outside our top ten (El Cuatro), as we get set for the final weekend of intramural flag football, our predictions don’t look so bad. For the most part, the favorites have held up in both Purple and White league (well, except for Pike). Sunday might be the most exciting day on the flag football schedule — the semifinals in Purple and the Elite 8 in White. Below is a comprehensive look at how we got here and what to expect from this weekend.
PURPLE LEAGUE
#4 Delt 13, #5 Sig Ep Two 12
It’s never over ‘till it’s over. Down six with under a minute to play and no timeouts, Delt drove 60 yards and scored the tying touchdown with a mere two seconds left in the game. The all-important one-point conversion became controversial when a Delt receiver caught the pass in the end zone, but was knocked down by a Sig Ep defender. The ball came loose when the receiver hit the ground, but the sideline referee ruled the point-after try good. He explained that the receiver established possession before the ball popped out and Delt held on for a one-point victory and a date with OE in the semifinals.
#7 Beta 7, #2 Pike 6
In the first major upset of the IM football playoffs, Beta scored on its first possession of the game and held on to upset the purple league #2 seed. Pike, who played without two of its better athletes, was out of synch offensively. For a team that put up big point totals during the regular season, Pike managed only one score and squandered what might’ve been its best chance at a purple league title. Beta’s up-and-down season continues with a surprising semi-finals berth and now suddenly poses a threat to MJR.
#1 OE 27, #8 Tha Squad 13
OE looked human for one half of play, as Tha Squad manufactured a 12-minuted scoring drive out of nowhere to take a 6-0 lead. The second half was a different story, though, as OE got back to basics and ran through Tha Squad’s disorganized D with ease.
#3 MJR 27, #6 Sig Ep One 0
MJR didn’t mess around with Sig Ep 1, who apparently didn’t learn anything the first two times they played. MJR is gaining momentum every week, and with Pike out, MJR and OE are the clear favorites to go head-to-head on Tuesday night at 8:30 for all the marbles. Perhaps no finals matchup could have more drama, should they win Sunday, since the key cogs of the MJR roster were members of the 2008 version of OE.
WHITE LEAGUE
Fighting Quakers Region
What happened: In a bracket that lacked any real upsets, the most noticeable outcome was Mat Sci’s complete domination of the previously undefeated El Cuatro squad. For a team that talked about a lack of respect in the rankings, El Cuatro showed absolutely no fight in their second-round matchup with last year’s runner-up. On the top half of the bracket, the Quakers were pestered by Sigma Kill in the first half (going down 6-0 early), but their defense stepped up and turned a close matchup into a relative blowout.
What to watch for: In a rematch of last year’s finals, the Quakers face Mat Sci — these teams are familiar with each other’s playing styles. Both teams have lost key players from the previous season, but managed to cruise through the regular season unblemished. The decisive matchup could be Quakers QB Andy Bank vs. the Mat Sci pass rush. If Bank can effectively scramble and avoid costly sacks like he’s done all season, Mat Sci could be in trouble. But don’t underestimate the Science dudes’ speed and athleticism on offense; Mat Sci might be able to take advantage of a Quaker defense that is clearly not as good as last year’s.
EQ Ballers Region
What happened: It seems odd to call Old Balls’ victory over YoMama’s All-Stars an upset, since Old Balls was ranked ahead of YoMama’s in the standings, but nonetheless it was s surprise win. After YoMama’s gave up a safety on the first play of the game via a botched snap, they scored twice to go up 13-2. But a QB change for Old Balls made all the difference in the second half, propelling them to two scores and a 16-13 win. In other action, EQ Ballers cruised past SAE 1 after looking shaky in the first half of their first round game with E3.
What to watch for: Sunday’s quarterfinal pits The Balls vs. The Ballers, with the winner heading to the Final 4 and a Tuesday night matchup with whoever survives the DU region. For Old Balls to pull the upset, they’ll need to disrupt things in the backfield for EQ’s Jared Wendorf, who can pick teams apart when given enough time to scan the field. Wendorf and the Ballers need to come out strong, after having two lackluster first halves through two playoff games. So far, they seem to only kick things into high gear when sensing danger.
DU me in the asquatch Region
What happened: With the DU region only scheduled through to the Sweet 16 before this weekend, there was little drama in the first round. The top four seeds – Evans Scholars, DU, Sigma Chi and SAE 4 — all took care of business, posting mercy-rule scores and allowing a combined six points between them.
What to watch for: The deepest region in white league will play out three great matchups on Sunday at Long Field (second round games at 11AM, quarterfinal at 3PM). Evans Scholars has rebounded from their sole regular-season loss to reassert themselves as a potential spoiler, and they present DU with its first legitimate opponent all season — how they handle any adversity will tell a lot about their championship potential. SAE 4 put up 47 points in the first round, the largest point total in the white league playoffs so far. They face Sigma Chi, who laid a 35-0 beatdown on E2 in their first playoff game, despite the absence of their starting QB. Now, that’s scary.
Fumblerooski Region
What happened: Like DU’s region, this corner of the bracket has only reached round two, and so far it’s been relative chalk, save for a minor upset by Steph’s Brists, who took down Phi Delt 1 in an ugly albeit competitive game last Sunday. Fumblerooski and ZBT, the clear favorites in this region, cruised to victories by a combined 64-0. Barring a miracle upset, those two are on a collision course scheduled for 1PM Sunday.
What to watch for: Both of this region’s second round matchups are rematches form the regular season. And, in both cases, the higher seed held on. Fumblerooski took care of Steph’s Brists 33-0 last time they hooked up, while ZBT beat Delta Chi 13-0 in a sloppy game that ZBT will likely look to avenge. Assuming the big guns can survive another round, we could be looking at the best matchup in White League so far.
Co-Rec Extra Point
We don’t normally show much love to Co-Rec football, but this can’t go without mentioning: on Wednesday night, the Co-Rec version of the Fighting Quakers intercepted a Hinman-Lincoln pass in the red zone, giving them possession of the ball on their own six-inch line. No sweat, right? On the next play, Quakers QB Andy Bank connected with WR Jeff Weishaar on what is without question the longest TD in intramural history — 79+ yards. Ah, the beauty of the Open play.
