For the culmination of the 2017 intramural flag football season, teams made their way to Reser Stadium for a cold, crisp night of championship games.

The sellout crowds packed the sidelines, hoping to catch a glimpse of the finest flag football talent Oregon State has to offer. The atmosphere was electric.

At the end of the regular season, teams with a 2-2 record or better advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket, leaving two teams standing at the end. Those teams would meet in Reser Stadium to compete for their respective division title.

The women kicked off championship week in Reser with a showdown between The Ultimate Flag Football Team and Rule #5. Rule #5 opened the the scoring with a 30-yard touchdown run involving three laterals. The Ultimate Flag Football team answered with a 35-yard throw and catch, but would never take the lead in the game.

Rule #5, composed of members of the OSU women’s club rugby team, used timely turnovers and a pounding run game to secure a 26-12 victory. Their quarterback, Mel Bristow, threw for two touchdowns and was able to avoid disaster after throwing five interceptions.

“I believe that the thing that brought us such success against the other teams were the backward pitches down the field,” team member Addie Miller said. “It’s an uncommon tactic used in football that us rugby players idolize.”

The Men’s championship involved Team Lovos and Bunch of Dudes. Both teams heavily relied on deep passes, picking up large chunks of yards through the air. They would trade scores throughout the first half.

Bunch of Dudes came out of halftime ahead 18-13, and used an early interception to build a 24-13 lead late in the third quarter. But Team Lovos wasn’t done yet.

After a 50-yard drive, a 1-yard touchdown pass would bring them within one score. Bunch of Dudes got the ball back looking to run out the rest of the time, but their drive stalled out. Team Lovos received the ball from a turnover on downs, and proceeded to go the length of the field in seconds to take a 26-24 lead.

Bunch of Dudes would throw an interception on their next play, securing the comeback victory for Team Lovos.

Sigma Chi and Varsity House squared off for a chance at the Greek champion title. Varsity House would score first, going 35 yards on their first possession for a touchdown. The game would never be closer than that, as Varsity House used efficient offense and a heady defense to cap off a 40-0 victory.

The win marks the second championship in a row for Varsity House, after winning the 2016 title.

“The season was a blast,” said wide receiver and team captain Josh Baugh. “We play well together on the field because of our close friendships off the field. We truly want to see each other succeed and it shows in how we play.”

Varsity House would be named All-Campus Champions after a forfeit by Team Lovos.

Championship week was capped off with the Co-Rec final, a 39-33 overtime thriller between Varsity House and Total Flag Football Move.

A close game from start to finish, both teams would go score-for-score through four quarters. Total Flag Football Move got on the board first with a steady drive and short touchdown pass. Varsity House would answer on their next drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass. The score would be 20-19 at half, in favor of Total Flag Football Move.

With less than a minute in the fourth quarter, Varsity House took over down by a touchdown. They would engineer a 40-second touchdown drive to tie the game. With the score 33-33 at the end of regulation, the players were met with overtime.

On their second play, Varsity House threw a pass to the corner of the endzone, but was picked off. Total Flag Football Move would win the game with a touchdown, and they did just that with a short pass over the middle to the center.

With that, the 2017 flag football season comes to a close. It was just another example of the talent that the Oregon State student body has to offer. As for the off-season, expect daily practices, film sessions, and a lot of strength training as teams prepare for the 2018 season.

Or they might just go back to studying.