Tuesday February 16th was a big night for the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. Defeating Phi Delt in the finals brought SAE their first flag football championship in recent memory. The game went differently than the rest of the season had, but the result was still the same, a victory.
As the two seed in the playoffs, SAE got to the finals by beating Pi Kapp in the first round and then defeating PIKE in the semi finals, 13-0. They came into the finals with a lot of momentum and really felt like it was their time due to their preseason expectations.
“We had a heartbreaking loss in the quarters in the fall, but we thought we were better than that,” SAE head coach Chris Hayes said. “We refocused, knowing how much talent we had and came together as a team. We made sure we were focused on a championship.”
SAE got through the regular season and playoffs with stellar defense and timely offense. The defense came into the finals without letting up a single point all season. Phi Delt had other plans though, eventually getting out to a 14-6 lead.
The defense stepped up in the second half though, coming up with key interceptions. After another touchdown and failed extra point, SAE had tightened the score to 14-12. The defense intercepted the Phi Delt quarterback leaving SAE with the ball down 2 points. They drove down the field and found the end zone to go up 18-14, which would eventually be the final score. Quarterback Michael Crow threw three touchdowns to three different receivers and Safety Mike Marinelli had two interceptions in the final. It was a great game that ended in a huge SAE crowd celebrating on the sidelines.
SAE loses just one starting player and is looking forward to attempting to defend their title next season, which will take place in the fall.
Michael Lazarus may be contacted at mlazarus@themiamihurricane.com.