Last year's Fort Knox flag football championship team, U.S. Army Human Resources Command's Team Devastation, beat 1st Theater Sustainment Command 39 to 6 at Turf Field Nov 14 to retain the trophy.

Coach Horace Perkins said Devastation had to bring an entirely new philosophy to this year's season after the loss of last year's coach and several pivotal players. "The last coach [transitioned] out as did the quarterback, several [defensive backs] and the wide receivers turned out, but everyone else came back," he said. "We had a nucleus of players, but when I took over as coach, we had some holes to fill." Perkins largely reinvented the team to cater to the leadership and style of the new quarterback.

"We were much more regimented last year with the routes," Perkins said.

According to Perkins, several holes were filled last-minute, which meant some players still vied for positions on the team.

One player, Kendrick Woods from U.S. Army Cadet Command, just wanted to play.

"He didn't even tell me what position he played, but he asked me, 'Where can you use me?'" Perkins said. "The only request he asked was, 'Can my wife play, too?'"

Essentially a 'free agent' since his unit didn't field a team this year, Woods could have chosen to walk onto any team. His wife had her preference.

"My wife wanted to play for [U.S. Army Recruiting Command,] but they had too many players," Woods said. "Anyone who took her, got me."

Perkins said he knew Woods was a good pick before seeing him play.

"I'd never seen Woods play, but I could tell right away that he was an athlete," Perkins said. "It wasn't too long into the season before I picked him to quarterback."

According to Perkins, the decision was a win-win because Woods' wife Abigail plays tackle football for the Derby City Dynamite, a semi-pro women's team in Louisville.

"We jokingly say that while other couples go out to dinner to eat, these two run pass routes in the backyard," said Adrian Bogle, Fort Knox intramural sports director. "This was the team to watch. They consistently won games by three or more touchdowns, and you never knew what you were going to see."

With a mix of old and new players, Perkins saw an opportunity to keep his players on their toes while keeping the opposition on their heels.

"We already had a quarterback, so we'd play our more [conventional] quarterback for the first half, and then after the other team was used to that [style], we'd play Woods in the second half," said Perkins. "One quarterback stayed in the pocket and had set plays that he'd run, and the other had a different flow. He'd run -- shake and bake you -- and still throw for a touchdown -- they didn't know what to do with us."

After a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Bobby Windham, it was Woods' run-and-gun style that saw the team into the playoffs, Perkins said.

"It was a much different team than the last year's more regimented team," Perkins said. "The players seemed to like this year's 'scrabble' style better. They seemed to be having more fun this season."

The championship game proved to be no different.

During Team Devastation's championship win Woods passed to Joshua Beyer for a touchdown, Aaron Coney for another and Stephen Turner for two more. Woods also ran one in as quarterback and returned an interception to score another.