Donkeys stomp Thunder/Intramural hoops tourney begins Monday Published April 15, 2016 By John Parker Staff Writer TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The Swamp Donkeys delivered plenty of kick April 5, racking up more than 10 sacks in a 21-0 shutout of SCMS Thunder. Supply Chain Management Squadron started with bad field position after a four-and-out start, opting to pass on fourth and 12. The Swamp Donkeys got their first possession on the Thunder 28. Thunder coach/player Kelvin Ervin, aka "Coach K," said the team has a great punter in Ian Thompkins. But with 30 mph winds gusting to 39 that day they were hoping to hold the Donkeys off with their defensive assets. "We learned our lesson -- to punt no matter what," he said with a smile. Donkeys quarterback Christopher Sanders faced fourth down after three incompletes, but gained a first with a 15-yard pass to Kyle McGoffin. Sanders later scrambled up the middle for a seven-yard TD followed by an extra point. Quarterback Mike Elliott showed Thunder's threat potential on the next possession. He hit Matt Starzenski for a 23-yard reception, but the Donkeys got possession on downs four plays later. The Donkey drive fizzled, but McGoffin booted a 35-yard punt to put Thunder on their own six. Thunder didn't keep their backs to the wall for long. Elliott connected with Starzenski again for a 43-yard gain to the Donkeys' 41. David Croker parlayed a big reception on the next play to the eight yard line. The Donkeys defense, though, stepped up in the next two plays, knocking back Thunder 14 yards with back-to-back sacks. The Donkeys regained possession on the 22 after a failed fourth-down-and-goal attempt. The half ended 7-0. The Donkeys went three and out on their first drive of the second half, giving the ball to Thunder on the 50. SCMS roared on offense again. Travon Limbrick turned a quick scrimmage-line pass into a 31-yarder after breaking three "tackles" in the flag game. Several other runs and passes got Thunder to the five yard line with fourth and goal to go. A Donkey defender squashed that drive when an errant pass bounced off his chest. The Thunder offense impressed a third time in the fourth quarter as the Elliott/Starzenski combo struck again for a 38-yard reception to the Donkeys' 25. Starzenski piled up 100-yards-plus in receptions for the day. Four downs later and with no punt, however, the Donkeys welcomed the ball back on their own 24. QB Sanders' second play from the 20 struck pay dirt. A Donkey player pulled down a pass at the 45 and ran it in for an 80-yard TD. The extra kick made it 14-0. Only two plays later, Donkey Levi Burgett intercepted a lob at the 30 and ran it back to the Thunder's two-yard line. A shovel pass to Donkeys co-captain David Theophilos and a kick ended the game 21-0 at the two-minute mark. Theophilos praised the team's consistent defense. "Tuesday was our first win, and I am happy that we could come out with the win," he said. Coach K said a key misstep for the Thunder offense was not finishing scoring threats. "We have to be aware as a team of the situations we are in to capitalize in the red zone," he said. "We were there four times with no score." Intramural hoops tourney begins Monday Eight teams will battle it out next week for the 2015-2016 intramural basketball championship. The top four teams from the Monday-Wednesday night league and the Tuesday-Thursday league will play Monday through Thursday on the Gerrity Fitness Center's main basketball court. The final game is set for the following week at 5 p.m. April 25. The undefeated Flight Controllers are the No. 1 seed in the Monday-Wednesday league and the tournament favorite. The Controllers will face tough competition from the other seeds in their group: No. 2 72 MDG, No. 3 Showtime and Bunch of Losers, No. 4. Garbage pulled off the only other undefeated record, winning the Tuesday-Thursday regular season 11-0. Their No. 1 seed is followed, in order, by SCW-1, VQ-7 and 552 OSS. After next week's play, the following week will feature the final games leading to the championship match. As a double-elimination tournament, the winner may have to be decided in two final games involving the same teams. . That happened last year when the 38th CEIG Honey Badgers snatched a Cinderella championship. Below are the playing schedules for the first day of the tournament. Teams will advance to other games next week that are scheduled for 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; and 5 and 6 p.m. Thursday. Monday's games · Flight Controllers vs. 552 OSS, 5 p.m. · Showtime vs. SCW-1, 6 p.m. · 72 MDG vs. VQ-7, 7 p.m. · Bunch of Losers vs. Garbage, 8 p.m.