2nd SFS and 2nd AMXS battle for flag football championship

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Sean Martin
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  On a calm Monday evening, two teams stepped onto the field with the same goal; become the 2014 intramural flag football champions and the 2nd Security Forces Squadron did just that, clenching the title in a hard fought two-game series at the Bryan R. Bell Fitness Center on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Jan. 13.

The 2nd SFS came into this game undefeated and had one team standing in their way; the 2nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

In order to secure the title, 2nd SFS had to beat their opponents just once. The 2nd AMXS had other plans. They defeated their opponent in nail-biting fashion, giving 2nd SFS their first loss.

In game one, 2nd AMXS came out strong and defeated the 2nd SFS 13-12 which forced a sudden death game.

Staff Sgt. Andrew Walton, 2nd AMXS wide receiver, opened the game with a touchdown, giving his team the lead.

The entire game was a toss-up. As the clock wound down, the 2nd SFS drove the ball downfield in the hopes of scoring and putting them back in the lead. It looked as if they were going to score until 2nd SFS intercepted the ball.

This interception sealed the game for 2nd AMXS, forcing 2nd SFS Squadron to play a tie-breaker game.

"Going into the second game, I emphasized to my team that we needed to change our focus on man coverage," said Capt. Clifford Piernick, 2nd SFS wide receiver. "We had to make that defensive shift. We also focused on team mantra and making those clutch plays count.

This game opened up with a touchdown run from Piernick.

"This score was important for us," said Piernick. "It allowed us to set the tone for this game. We needed to set an early lead and play off of that."

The 2nd SFS continued this run and defeated 2nd AMXS 13-0.

"We were able to work together as a team and pull out the win giving us the title for the fifth year in a row," said Piernick.

Following this win, the morale of the 2nd SFS was running high.

"On an intramural team, each member has their own input, and their own individual talents," said Master Sgt. David Patch, center, 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron head referee. "By placing members in certain position where they excel or giving them a voice, morale is automatically increased. The member feels a sense of pride knowing that the coach put them there because they know they will better the team and themselves."

Maintaining a positive morale allows Airmen to conduct their jobs and complete the mission.

"Morale has a lot to do with the productivity in the work center," said Patch. "If morale is low, Airmen will not want to come to work. Airmen should want to come to work, not feel like they have to."