Outlaws steal championship from Eagles, 12-7

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Richard Starbird
  • 82nd Training Wing
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The intramural flag football season championship came to an end Sept. 28 with the 82nd Mission Support Squadron/82nd Services Division Outlaws winning the trophy with 12-7 win over the 365th Training Squadron Eagles. 

The game between undefeated teams lived up to its expectations as the game wasn't really decided until the last minutes when the Eagles ran out of time and opportunities. 

"This was the perfect season, the team played hard all season long and proved that even with adversity, we were able to win the game," said Outlaw Coach and player Josh Hein. "We never got down on ourselves and played with a lot of heart." 

The Outlaw offense began the game flat and was unable to get a first down on their first possession, forcing a punt to the Eagles. 

But the Eagles offense had no problem marching down the field against the Outlaw defense at will, scoring on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brett "Toad" Wilburn to James Ellis. The Eagles' Dave Pehrson completed the extra point, giving the 365th a 7-0 edge. 

The Outlaws were again unable to move the ball on their next possession, giving the Eagles another series with a short field. The Eagles moved the ball quickly up the field, but on 4th and 5 from the 5-yard line, the Outlaws' Roger Speight made a great defensive play as he pulled the flag on Brett "Toad" Wilburn at the goal line, preventing another score. 

The rest of the first half turned into a defensive battle, as neither team could mount enough of an offense to score. The half ended with the Eagles up 7-0, marking the first time the Outlaws trailed at halftime all season. 

The Outlaws made some defensive adjustments that began to pay off in the second half as the Eagles weren't able to move the ball. After a three-and-out, the 82nd MSS/SVS team began to mount its comeback. 

On their first possession, the Outlaws methodically moved up the field, scoring on a 5-yard scamper by quarterback Paul Murray. The point after attempt was no good, leaving the score at 7-6. 

"Our offense had a tough time moving the ball in the first half, partly to the Eagles defense and partly due to penalties," Murray said. "It seemed like every time we made a play on offense, a penalty would negate it and we were constantly going backwards." 

The Outlaw defense made another strong stand, forcing the Eagles to punt after just three plays. 

Murray began the charge again for the 82nd MSS/SVS team when he lofted a pass over two Eagles defenders to Roger Speight in the corner of the end zone. The extra point was missed, but the Outlaws took a 12-7 lead. 

Stifling defense and poor offensive play by the teams resulted in a change of possession for the next several series. But, the Eagles still had one last opportunity to try to take the lead and the championship. 

With two minutes remaining, Wilburn came on the field and attempted a pass on first down, but pressure from Art "Stretch" Calloway forced an incomplete pass. Wilburn's second-down pass attempt to Cory Baker also fell incomplete. 

The Outlaw defense stepped it up on third down when Rick "Old School" Starbird sacked Wilburn for a 10-yard loss, creating a 4th and 30 situation with no time outs left. Again, the 82nd MSS/SVS team shut the Eagles offense down to seal the win. 

"Our defense kept us in the game and we made some small adjustments after halftime on offense and were able to score," Murray said. "Stretch and Old School created a lot of havoc for the quarterback in the second half, and that allowed the back 6 to get to some passes and knock them down." 

Going undefeated during the regular season and coming close to holding up the trophy might be bittersweet, but the Eagles' Tony Richardson said there was more to the game than just winning and losing. 

"It was a very competitive game, the toughest game we had all year, but it was also a lot of fun," he said. "The mutual respect between the teams was great, this is what intramural sports is all about." 

The Eagles had defeated the 82nd Medical Operations Squadron and the 80th Operations Support Squadron to advance to the championship game, while the Outlaws defeated 82nd Civil Engineer Squadron and the 363rd Training Squadron. This was the third season out of the last four that the teams had met in the playoffs, the first time in the championship game.