EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 96th Maintenance Squadron stomped the 96th Communications Squadron 15-6 in intramural football competition here Nov. 29. Their 7-1 record guarantees them a playoff spot for the first time in three years.
The win gives Ammo an opportunity to capture two intramural titles in the same year. They took home their first-ever softball championship trophy in August.
Ammo, with a then-6-1 record, squared their shoulders against Comm, at 5-3.
Both teams struggled on offense early. Ammo nosed out in front with a 2-0 lead on their first possession. Their 10-play drive resulted in a safety after Comm’s Cody Gunton drew a flag-guarding penalty on his end zone interception.
Comm reached the goal line in four plays on their second possession, but Ammo’s Chris Smith intercepted a first down pass in the end zone to deny the score. They were held scoreless through the first half.
“We’re hanging in there,” Gunton said at halftime. “We’re a little shaky on offense. Our defense is holding it down for now. “We plan to throw some short passes in the second half to get our momentum going. Maybe something big will open up for us.”
Dylan Brown, one of Ammo’s quarterbacks, also had some offensive frustrations.
“We’re playing sloppy, too many drops,” he said. We’ve got to get our hands working again. We’re reading the defense pretty well, though.”
In the second half, Ammo posted the game’s first touchdown in six plays, when Jacques Lawler stormed to the house on a four-yard pitch from Gage Walsh. The extra point widened the lead to 9-0.
More than 12 minutes passed before Ammo scored again with 1:40 left for a 15-0 advantage.
Facing a shutout with three seconds left, Comm finally got on the scoreboard after an eight-play drive, with a five-yard touchdown strike from Leven Tomey to Anthony McGinnis. Comm’s three-point conversion attempt failed and Ammo clinched the 15-6 victory.
“This wasn’t our best game,” Walsh said. “We played just well enough to win. We scored when we had to.”
Walsh, a member of Ammo’s intramural championship softball team, was optimistic about the football team bringing a second trophy home to his squadron.
“We just have to keep doing the same things we’ve been doing all season, and work on passing and catching,” he said. “With a little improvement on those things, we can win the title.”
The playoffs begin Dec. 6.