FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- With the Fort Rucker Intramural Football season well under way, teams continue to battle it out to be named season champions, and two teams went head-to-head to try to position themselves for the upcoming playoffs.
The 164th Theater Airfield Operations Group Warhawks took on the 1st Battalion, 11th Aviation Regiment Control Freqs Oct. 24 in a game that had both teams fighting for the lead, but it would be the Control Freqs who would come out on top in overtime, taking the win, 32-26.
"We started off a little slow, but it's all about the comeback. We came back real hard and gave it to them, and we went out there and we did what we needed to do," said Spc. Kenneth Weaver, player for Control Freqs. "We pretty much overwhelmed them with our athleticism. They came out to compete, but we played a little better than they did."
Although the Control Freqs received the ball to start, they didn't get off to their best start as they were unable to make much headway against the Warhawks' defense, which managed to get a quarterback sack on the first play.
Try as they might, the 1-11th was unable to make a first down and the 164th TAOG forced a turnover just minutes into the game.
The Warhawks had better luck with their possession, managing a first down on their first play, and continued to connect with their receivers as they pushed toward the opposing goal line. They managed to slip through the Control Freqs defense for their first touchdown and extra point to get on the scoreboard and take the lead, 7-0.
The 1-11th took possession and managed a small return, following up with a series of runs to push toward the opposing end zone.
The Warhawks' defense wasn't as much of an obstacle during this possession, and they managed to slip through the cracks for their first touchdown, but were unsuccessful with their extra point, trailing 7-6.
The 164th TAOG wouldn't be outdone, though, and made sure their offensive prowess was known as they pushed downfield for their second touchdown within three plays to extend their lead, 13-6.
Not to be counted out, the 1-11th took possession and pushed hard against the opposing defense, slipping passed toward the goal line. They managed a 15-yard pass to get first and goal, and shortly after pushed through the Warkhawks' defense for their second touchdown, still trailing 13-12 with less than two minutes in the half.
The Warhawks needed to keep a strong offense to stay ahead of their opponents with little time left in the half, and they managed to hold on to a first down with a series of runs before slipping through the opposing defense for their third touchdown with only 30 seconds left on the clock for the half, leading 19-12.
The Control Freqs had one more chance before the end of the half to even up the score, and started their possession strong with a 30-yard return. Tensions were high as the clock wound down and the 1-11th pushed toward the opposing end zone as they made it to first and goal with four seconds in the clock, and although the Warhawks managed to intercept a pass, a penalty against the 164th TAOG, gave the Control Freqs another shot.
Despite the extra time, the 1-11th weren't able to capitalize and the half ended with Warhawks still in the lead.
The 164th TAOG had the advantage going into the second half as they took possession to start, but only managed a small return. They got off to a rocky start for the half as their offense seemed to falter and the Control Freqs forced a turnover.
The 1-11th tightened up their offense and managed to get to first and goal within two plays followed by a complete pass into the end zone for a touchdown, but couldn't secure the extra point, still trailing 19-18.
Not to be outdone, Warhawks came back with a touchdown straight off the kickoff return to secure their lead, 26-18.
The Control Freqs weren't giving up so easily, though, and came back with a 20-yard pass for a touchdown, and secured a two-point conversion to tie the game for the first time, 26-26.
It was still anybody's game and both teams were bringing out their A games to stay one step ahead, but the teams were evenly matched.
The Warhawks pushed hard downfield for first down after first down to get to first and goal, but the opposing defense wasn't making it easy, forcing the 164th TAOG to inch toward the goal line.
The 1-11th managed to bring the Warhawks to a fourth down with less than two minutes remaining, putting pressure on the TAOG team, managing to halt their advance.
Fortune was on the Control Freqs' side as they took possession, but the Warhawks' defense held strong to keep the opposing team from advancing.
The 1-11th couldn't push through as the Warhawks brought them to a fourth down, but rather than punt, the Control Freqs chose go for it, which ended badly with a quarterback sack, giving the 164th TAOG possession on the opposition's 8-yard line.
The Warhawks were set up perfectly to retake the lead, but the Control Freqs' defense fought hard, managing to bring them to a fourth down with 5 seconds on the clock, and stopped them with a quarterback sack to send the game into overtime.
Each team got four downs each to score with no time on the clock and the Warhawks took first possession and managed to push to get within one yard of the goal line on their fourth down, but couldn't manage to break through the opposing defense, giving the Control Freqs their chance.
The pressure was on and the 1-11th managed to connect with their receivers and secured a touchdown within two plays to take the win, 32-26.
Despite the win, Gary Conley, civilian player for Control Freqs, said the team needs to refine their play style if they hope to take the title of season champions and eventually post champions.
"We've got to play way better," he said. "We've got to tighten up the defense a little bit and focus on offense. We should go undefeated though - this season is our season."
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