Lake Larsen | Sports Editor
Another year, another west coast region victory. For the second consecutive year Western fielded a sort of “Intramural All Star Team” to compete in the flag football western regional tournament held by the National Intramural-Recreation Sports Association. A group of seniors with a handful of juniors made their way to Arizona State University to defend their title of region champions from the previous year.
The 2018 team, headed by senior business major Matthew Cornish, had a large schedule ahead of them as they arrived in Tempe, Arizona.
Their first match of the day was against Dixie State University. After a hard fought match, the Wolves surcame to a six point loss. But the tournament was far from over. Game after game the Wolves obliterated their opponents. Several of the games were ended due to a mercy rule being called.
“(Our offense) played excellent. We had a three quarterback system… Nobody knew how to play defense against us,” said Cornish.
Paired with the Wolves’s high scoring offense was a fearsome defense.
“Our defense played great. We had…Andrew Valladares nominated to defensive MVP after the tournament, as well as Cody Chimienti nominated to Offensive (honors),” Cornish added.
Because of the Wolves’s dominance in the tournament, they won a bid to compete in the National Championship tournament in Florida. However, due to funding issues and the short turnaround time, the Wolves likely will not be able to travel to compete.
“I would have liked to have seen how we played this year… There’s a couple of guys who are disappointed (we can’t go). But a lot of guys are happy to end the season with a win,” mentioned Cornish.
Overall, Cornish and the team stayed very humble, even after winning the western regional tournament.
“I want to make sure to thank The Health and Wellness Center because this wouldn’t have been possible without them. They were a big help for us, as well as the school because funding-wise we wouldn’t have been able to do it without them,” said Cornish.
Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu
