Balls opened the 2026 Men’s Recreational Intramural Flag Football League season with a 19-6 loss to My Diggs Huge on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at Penberthy Rec Sports Complex, to start 0-1 in the three-game regular season.
Kickoff came at 9:45 p.m. under cold, blustery conditions, with the temperature sitting at 47 degrees. The real challenge for Balls was having only six players against the seven-member Diggs team. Balls leaned heavily on the connection between journalism freshman quarterback and team captain Aden Madsen to kinesiology junior wide receiver Jayden Randolph all game long.
Balls started the first half on offense and quickly established momentum as Madsen completed multiple early passes to Randolph, including a 16-yard gain on the opening drive.
Randolph, who has previous football experience, noted that receiving a high volume of passes helped him get back into rhythm early in the game.
“Made me feel like I am worth something,” Randolph said.
The opening drive continued with a 30-yard scramble by Madsen, setting Balls up deep in My Diggs Huge territory. Madsen eventually connected with Randolph on a five-yard touchdown pass to give Balls an early 6-0 lead. However, the one-point attempt was unsuccessful.
My Diggs Huge answered on its first possession behind biological and agricultural engineering senior QB Colten Chance, who lofted a pass into the end zone to chemical engineering senior WR Gavin Graham for a touchdown. A successful one-point conversion gave My Diggs Huge a 7-6 lead to conclude the first half.
“It feels great to receive lots of passes and make an impact,” Graham said.
Separated by a single point, Balls continued to battle but My Diggs Huge full defensive roster overpowered and outnumbered the underdogs. With limited receiving targets beyond Randolph, My Diggs Huge’s defense was able to tighten coverage while its offense created separation in the second half.
A key moment came when agribusiness sophomore WR Grayson Dunbar broke through the Balls’ defense, juking two defenders on his way to a touchdown that extended My Diggs Huge’s lead to 19-6.
Dunbar said the play was a highlight for him, marking one of his most impressive performances since high school.
Despite the widening score, Balls showed resilience late in the game when Madsen intercepted a pass and had multiple completions to financial planning sophomore center Dax Burk to keep Balls’ drive alive. However, the numbers finally caught up to Balls as it fell to My Diggs Huge by a score of 19-6.
“We have a stud out there in QB,” Burk said. “I was told in high school I had great hands, and Aden [Madsen] helped prove that tonight.”
Effort and growth are positives moving forward, Madsen mentioned, pointing to late-game physical plays as signs of development.
“We showed some heart in the end,” Madsen said. “Dax laid out a couple guys, had some picks. It was good.”
Looking forward to a full roster, Madsen said the team will focus on building chemistry to improve performance.
“It’s all about team chemistry and finding the right timing when that chemistry hits,” Madsen said. “I believe moving on, we will have that.”
Balls are scheduled to face Monster Moshers on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 9:45 p.m. at Penberthy Rec Sports Complex.
