The NC State club flag football teams played two games against rival UNC-Chapel Hill this past weekend, one each by Team Wolf and Team Pack, and secured two wins over the Tar Heels.
Team Wolf ran wild on the Tar Heels, smoking UNC to the tune of a 40-14 victory. With the win, Team Wolf is now 2-0 in its last two games against UNC with a total margin of victory of 46 points.
In a polar opposite game of Team Wolf’s beat down, Team Pack pulled out a thrilling come-from-behind victory over its Triangle rivals.
Down 18-6 with under four minutes to go in the fourth quarter and with UNC trying to ice the game away, sophomore Trey Utrup came up huge for Team Pack, snagging an interception to give his team the ball and then catching a touchdown on the ensuing drive, bringing Team Pack back within one score.
As UNC again tried to wind down the clock, a sack and pass breakup forced a punt and gave Team Pack the ball with around a minute left and a chance to tie or win the game.
With 40 seconds left, sophomore quarterback Jaylen Smith found sophomore Brian Pike for a highlight-reel catch in the end zone. Falling backwards in the corner of the end zone, Pike was able to snag Smith’s pass while keeping his toes inbounds for a toe-tap touchdown to tie the game up at 18-18.
Team Pack opted to go for the one-point conversion for the lead and Smith found sophomore Carson Eaves for the go-ahead conversion. With the game on the line and UNC driving down the field to win the game, Utrup played the hero role one more time, picking off another UNC pass to seal the deal and give Team Pack an exciting 19-18 win.
“I’m proud of our guys on Team Pack for fighting to the very last whistle and not giving up despite being down two touchdowns in the final minutes,” said Daniel Lee, the club flag football president. “They showed a lot of heart.”
Closing out games has been an emphasis in practice for Lee and his coaching staff, and to see Team Pack fight through adversity and close out the game was a huge step in the right direction for the program.
“Garrit [Soney, defensive coordinator] and I have been working on our guys’ discipline and effort this season,” Lee said. “The last few minutes of Team Pack’s game showed us that we are making successful progress. It is moments like these you strive for as a coach.”
With the two wins, Team Wolf and Team Pack are now a combined 4-0 against UNC in the teams’ last four meetings, with an average margin of victory of over 15 points.
