There are a few things that you wouldn’t expect walking into the gym on Tuesday night, one of them being an intense dodgeball match that had teams pumped and excited. Team So Fresh and So Clean! were taking on Team Rhymenoceros. With yells as team members got out and cheers when an opposing player was eliminated, it was almost as though you were at a Philadelphia Eagles game and not intramurals. After an epic and hard fought battle, Team Rhymenoceros finally won.
Junior Andrew Reynolds of Team So Fresh and So Clean! was not happy with the outcome. “We look pretty good if we play our A game,” he said. “But when you are on top there’s nowhere to go but down.”
With the playoffs coming up on Feb. 26, teams are now preparing for the finals. Only the top three teams in each division, along with a wildcard, will make the playoffs.
Sophomore Ben Jones, coach for Team Sloths, was very confident about his team’s ability to make a run for the championship. “We’ll see you in the playoffs,” Jones said.
The Negative Nancy’s prepare for games by chanting “1-2-3, America!”
“We always cheer for America because America always wins,” junior Ryan Ward said. “We beat other teams because they are freedom-haters.”
Referees are a big part of dodgeball games because they have the final say in determining who is out. “It’s very fast paced,” senior intramural direcor Ryan Matteucci said. “It gets hard, but it is my favorite sport to ref.”
For the most part, dodgeball games go pretty smoothly, but there are always some things that could be changed. “I wish we had stands, like in the main gym,” Matteucci said. “Also, I’d institute instant replay.”
Even spectators are extremely interested in the games. “Bryan Jaeger has a cannon for an arm,” sophomore Paul Macerino said enthusiastically.
Team Squad Deep currently sits in last place but still faces each game with excitement. With enough time to turn things around, first-year Ryan Fineran gave the game plan on how they can accomplish their goal of making it to the playoffs.
“I feel like we can perform in the playoffs,” he said. “With hard work and team spirit we can go all the way.”
Teammate and first-year Jarrod Wiggins however was not so optimistic. “I’ll consider us very lucky if we even win a few games.”