Intramural flag football team lives up to their name “Savage Season” takes home 2016 championship 

By Jack Clark, ‘19

Photo courtesy: TAMUG flag football team

TAMUG Intramural flag football team, “Savage Season”, wraps up the season with a record of five wins and one loss. The team won the championship game 28-0.

Intramural flag football has come to an end for the season with the overwhelming win by the team Savage Season. This rag tag team bred straight from Louisiana brought a new vigor to the muddy field on Pelican Island.  They finished the season strong at the championship game with a score of 28-0. This completes their season with a record of five wins and one loss.

As with any team that takes the field, there always needs to be a focal point. Someone to guide the team to victory under the prevailing circumstances and conditions. For the Savage Season this was head coach Cody Mire, ’19, of New Orleans, La.

As Mire explained, “We trained hard. We did speed drills on the beach in the sand. We were a high intensity team. We never gave up, we did what we had to do to win.”

From the sidelines spectators can see the chemistry boil into success. Mire expressed that he looks up to LSU’s interim coach Ed Orgeron for his style of leadership on game day.

Throughout the season the team developed both light hearted and serious traditions. Before every game the team would stretch to “Eye of the Tiger.” At half time coach Mire would expand upon weaknesses he saw while the team was on the field. While the team is made up of mostly native Louisianans, they all indulged in a classic Texas football postgame tradition —Whataburger on 61st street.

As Mire led the team from the sidelines, Thomas Pivach, ’19, from Belle Chasse, La., talked about his perspective as the team rusher, “at first we always went for the win but then the defense would get motivated from blocks, picks, and sacks.”

Perhaps the strongest strategy the team has against the opposition is their overwhelming roar of energy. On game day, the sidelines would be equipped with friends eager to see nothing but victory. The spirit from the fans would infringe upon the field and Pivach said they would, “always get riled up on the first drive, capitalize on it, so the motivation could be in our hands.”

Since the season is over, it’s time for the team to rebuild, regroup and prepare for next fall. Pivach said that the goal is to, “pick up new people so everyone can focus on their own position.”

One of the challenges the team faced was the difference in culture out on the field. As Mire said, “the team had a chip on their shoulder being from Louisiana, we had to prove that we were the best in the league.”

When teams look back at intramural flag football history, they’ll see the Savage Season secured the 2016 championship. The team’s motto is, “Play every game like it’s your last,” and their 2016 record reflects that mantra. One thing TAMUG can expect next year is that no win will come easy; every team will have the championship on their mind and a fight in their eyes.