Seniors honored as intramural season comes to a close

Last Saturday was "Senior Day" for intramural basketball as parents came from all over the country to honor their sons and daughters. For some, it marked the end of careers, as it was their final game ever in a Tufts Intramural reversible jersey. For others, there is still one last chance to win a championship.

"It was really sad standing there as they announced my name," senior Matt Berlin said. "Knowing that it was my last game because we aren't going to make the playoffs; it really hit me during the ceremony."

Others, however, were disillusioned by their senior teammates who failed to attend on this most cherished day.

"When the dust settled, the fact that our senior and prime leader on the team, Ed Edson, decided to attend a one dollar baseball game to watch the worst team in the league made us realize that leadership can come in many forms," junior Jamie Meyers said. "In Ed's case, he's just like Antoine Walker. He's good at letting his teammates down."

Once the seniors were honored, the games began. While most of the playoff teams had already been determined the previous weekend, there were a few games that still carried significance. Big Guns and BIU both entered the weekend with identical 3-3 records and were battling for a final playoff.

A sweltering defense and a barrage of three point shots helped BIU bury the Big Guns 58-38, securing themselves a spot in the post-season. Big Guns, on the other hand, are currently in a three-way tie with Special Sauce and Ballers for the last seed in the Brown Division. These teams will have to rely on the magic coin flip system to get them into the playoffs.

With much of the playoff bracket established before Saturday's games, most of the games had little meaning other than a chance for some players to make their first basket of the season. When someone on Hill Hallstars finally scored after missing his first ten attempts there was sheer pandemonium. JAP Funk All Stars and Tappa Kegga continued playing not nice by destroying their opponents by a combined 88 points.

In other sports, soccer continued to provide goal-to-goal excitement as the regular season came to an end. While some teams had already clinched playoff spots with undefeated records, there were still over seven different positions up for grabs. With everything on the line, the competition was heated and included some incredible games.

Team Hot Sauce's 5-3 victory over Schmuckers solidified their undefeated season, while also knocking the Schmuckers out of the playoffs. The Slackers and ZBT were also bidding for the final playoff spot in the Blue Division. Ironically, the teams actually ended in a tie and eliminated themselves completely. This writer would like to use this game as an opportunity to point out why soccer is worthless since any sport that ends in a tie is really not a sport at all.

Teams that made it into the playoffs due to victories this past weekend included Zeta Psi, Blazers, and STD's. While there was much celebration for these winning squads, others had to face the sad realization that their season was officially over.

Intramural football has also begun and the past few weeks of rain have created perfect playing fields. Although most football players would find the conditions ideal, intramural athletes are of a different breed. Many decided to stay inside rather than brave the elements, making games difficult to coordinate.

"Team PimpJuice struggled to find enough players to brave the conditions as lesser competitors, such as Elliott Wiley, stayed indoors rather than face the hurricane-like situation outside," senior Pete Shungu said.

The games that were played produced instant classics. Included in these grudge matches were victories by PimpJuice over Zeta and Dearborn over Jumbo Package, both with 35-28 scores.

Playoff games for both basketball and soccer begin this weekend.

Full brackets and insider analysis can be found on the Tufts Athletic website under keyword "intramurals."