Sam Pierce '10


In a room lovingly referred to as the ‘Brothel’ hangs a banner that reads: “Intramural Champions Phi Delta Theta.” It is a tantalizing encouragement for current Phis to recapture the long lost IM Highpoints championship. The road to Highpoints glory begins with 7-on-7 football. We entered this football season eager to play.

After days of game planning and strategizing, led by the coaching staff of myself, IM Chair Chris Stine ('10), and cunning all-state high school quarterback, Reed Arnold ('11), Phi Delt’s football team took the field with tremendous talent and determination. Reed ran the offense with precision, mandating that all receivers memorize a passing tree complete with flys, stops and slants. We showed up to the Park meaning business.

Phi Delt did well in the regular season and entered the playoffs with a #7 seed, earning a tough first round draw in Kappa Sig. In that game we jumped out to an early lead, 21-7, but then allowed two quick scores. Reed soon turned things around with a bullet to William Landess ('12) on the sideline. Will ran sixty yards to set up a short touchdown. Peebles Massie ('10) caught a low pass in the corner of the end zone for a much needed extra point conversion. Our sidelines went crazy. More than twenty brothers had shown up to support our team for the first playoff game. The opposing captain asked me: “Is this a mandatory brotherhood event for you?”

Then Kappa Sig managed to score on its following drive with no time to spare. It came down to the extra point conversion. Before the snap, all I could hear was our guys exerting all their effort to whoop, holler and yell. Through the noise the opponent’s quarterback rolled out and lobbed a dump pass to an open receiver. Bolting from the opposite side of the field, Landess saved the game by knocking the pass out of the air. Phis erupted in triumph as the scoreboard read 28-27.

Our march to the championship continued with a victory the next week over Phi Society, 21-12. Nothing nearly as dramatic. Just Phis taking care of business. This victory brought us to the semifinals, one step away from 300 highpoints. But on a cold night under the lights, Delta Upsilon proved to be too much for our playmakers. We mounted a valiant comeback, but our efforts fell short in a 29-20 defeat.

Since our re-charter in 2001, no Phi Delt football team has ever made such an epic run. We picked up 125 points and currently stand in third place in the fraternity rankings. Our march to the Championship continues, and by April, we hope to hang another satin banner in the Brothel. But even if we don’t, it’s nice to know that we had a lot of guys out there making some incredible plays while having a whole lot of fun.

Just another aspect of college life I’m going to miss when I’m gone.