Intramural sports like 4 vs. 4 flag football are one of many offered at Texas A&M that attract a competitive field of players and a way for students to compete athletically without being on an NCAA or club athletic team.
On Sunday, March 27, 6 Guys and a GST competed in the 4 vs. 4 Men’s Competitive 1st Division that plays Sundays at 7:45 p.m. While they lost the final regular season game to the Cookie Monsters 27-34, the team came close to closing the scoring gap in the final minutes of the game. Entering Sunday’s game 0-3, the team’s quarterback said they hadn’t expected it to be a competitive game.
Quarterback Braeden Gausden summarized the team’s mentality as happy with their play despite the loss.
“Going into the game we didn’t have very high hopes, so when we came out and played the type of game we did, it was a lot of fun,” Gausden said. “It was back and forth all game with a lot of highlights, and even though it ended in defeat, it was still a great game.”
Many of the team’s highlights came in the second half when Gausen’s team nearly erased a two-score deficit in the game’s closing minutes. A lack of substitutes was a problem, and when multiple players were unable to attend Sunday, the team could only field a four-man team. Player Davis Golden noted everyone did their best, despite the lack of team members.
“I’m so tired,” said Goldern.“You know we’re playing hard; we’re doing our best out there. That’s all you can really ask for. Like my [basketball] coach used to say, leave every bit of it on the court.”
The 6-foot-7 player lined up at receiver and safety for the game where he had impact on both offense and defense. After a turnover on a second-half interception in the end zone, Golden came up with an interception of his own on a deep pass over the middle of the field.
“So, I saw the ball going up, I just knew I had to snag it and bring it down,” Golden said. “Once I caught it, I took off with it, my team was yelling, ‘Davis! Davis!’ So, I was like, ‘Oh, you know I [have] to bring this back for my team,’ so I ran it back and tried to pitch it at the last second, but they called it a forward pass.”
On the following drive, the team capitalized on the turnover with a touchdown. The excitement was short-lived as the Cookie Monsters responded with a touchdown of their own, increasing the lead to 15.
With around 30 seconds remaining, 6 Guys and a GST cut the lead to seven with a touchdown and two-point conversion. The team then converted an onside on a Hail Mary jump-ball. The handbook defines an “onside kick” as a “1-play conversion from the 20-yard line during which they must get the ball into the end zone.”
Despite the successful conversion, the team was unable to score on the final possession. The game ended with a turnover on downs with six seconds remaining, sealing the 7-point loss.
According to the Texas A&M Intramural Sports Staff, the regular season will officially end on Tuesday, March 29, with playoff brackets being published on Wednesday, March 30. Playoffs will begin Sunday, April 3, with all games played at Penberthy Rec Sports Complex. All teams in good standing qualify for the playoffs.