FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- The 2016 Fort Rucker Intramural Football Season officially kicked off last week as teams went head to head to find out who the contenders are for this year's championship title.
The 6th Military Police Detachment team took on and narrowly took down the 1st Battalion, 11th Aviation, 19-18, during a game Sept. 29 that had both teams on the edge of their seats.
Sgt. Bennie Morris, coach of the 6th MP team, said the game for them was more mental than physical, which allowed them to stay ahead of their opponents throughout most of the bout.
"We had a pretty good game," said Morris. "We know these guys and we played them throughout the summer. We're really competitive, but we keep it clean.
"They were too focused on arguing with the refs and we just focused on the game," he continued. "They were almost able to catch up at the end because we started running our mouths. We started arguing back with them and lost control of the mental game, but we got it back."
The game started as the MPs received the kickoff and pushed downfield early on. They managed to push through to the goal line within just minutes of the start of the game, but a penalty set them back to the 20-yard line.
The MPs wouldn't be slowed, though, as they were able to repeat their success and get through the 1-11th's defense to score a touchdown and get on the scoreboard first.
On their first possession, 1-11th Avn. aggressively pushed against their opponents and managed to get right up on the opposing goal line, but an interception on the next play stopped them in their tracks.
The MPs took their newfound possession and managed to push for 1st down after 1st down to inch closer to the opposing end zone. They managed to get a clean pass into the end zone for their second touchdown and extra point to take the lead, 13-0.
The 1-11th Avn. had their work cut out for them as the 2-minute warning sounded for the half, and though they managed to push downfield during their possession, the 6th MP's defense proved to be too strong as they kept the pressure on.
The MPs managed another interception to retake possession just before the clock ran down, but they couldn't manage another touchdown before the half ended, still leading 13-0.
The 1-11th received to start the half and got off to a good start, managing to push against their opponents for a 1st and goal opportunity.
This was their chance to get back in the game, and the 6th MPs held strong, but their defense wasn't enough to stop the 1-11th from breaking through for their first score.
The MPs took possession and were determined to maintain their lead, but the 1-11th Avn. defense started to tighten up, slowing their opponent's advance, but it wasn't enough to stop the 6th MP's advance as they pushed closer to the end zone.
The 1-11th defense managed to hold the MPs to a 4th down, but they left two receivers wide open near the goal line on the play, allowing the 6th MPs another touchdown to extend their lead to 19-6.
The 1-11th came back strong during their possession and managed a 35-yard run to set them up with a 1st and goal opportunity. The 1-11th quarterback managed to push past the opposing defense to score on the play and make the score 19-12 with less than 2 minutes in the game.
The MPs took possession determined not to give up their lead, but 1-11th's defense managed to hold them off and force a punt and regain possession with a few precious seconds remaining in the game.
The 6th MPs managed an interception on the next play, but a penalty for roughing the quarterback returned possession to the 1-11th, offering another chance at redemption.
With seconds remaining, the 1-11th managed to get a long bomb off into the opposing end zone for a touchdown to close the score to 1 point. They couldn't complete the comeback, though, as the extra point attempt was unsuccessful.
The 6th MPs retook possession and ran down the remaining 12 seconds of the game for the victory.
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