The first round of the intramural dodgeball playoffs started Monday at the Student Recreation Center, with a total of five games being played.

Teams in the intramural dodgeball league compete with seven or eight players on the court.

The two teams play a best of five series. The team with the most players remaining after five minutes in one game wins.

With 1:30 remaining in a game, the boundaries are extended to the next line drawn on the court.

If a one-on-one situation occurs, all boundaries are erased.

If a player catches the ball, the person who threw that ball is out. Headshots are not allowed, but if a player intentionally ducks to get hit in the head, that player is ruled out.

The first game of the night was a play-in game between Old Wrinkly Balls (5-1) and Phi Kappa Theta (3-2). After Old Wrinkly Balls won the first game, Phi Kappa Theta battled back in the second, to tie the series at 1-1.

In game three, Phi Kappa Theta found themselves up two men to one with twenty seconds left, securing the win.

The second game featured The Firm (5-1) taking on Alpha Tau Omega (3-1). In game one, The Firm found themselves quickly outnumbered by Alpha Tau Omega, putting Alpha Tau Omega up 1-0.

In the second game, Alpha Tau Omega quickly beat The Firm to go up 2-0. It wasn’t until the third game that The Firm finally found some rhythm, and recorded a win, preventing an Alpha Tau Omega sweep.

The Firm tied the series at 2-2 in the next game. During the final game, both teams played a conservative style, spread out and backed up towards the wall.

The Firm used defense to win the final game of the series and advance further into the playoffs.

Team Purple Jelly was awarded a forfeit victory after the Delts failed to report to the game.

The next game featured the No. 1 team on campus, Child Please (6-0), against play-in winners Old Wrinkly Balls.

A member of Old Wrinkly Balls, junior Jason Englehart said despite having played earlier, the team did not feel fatigued and were ready to play.

Old Wrinkly Balls showed they were not fatigued, as they were able to take the first game of the series by elimination with just twenty seconds to go.

Despite a late charge in game two, Old Wrinkly Balls was unable to get the win, leaving the series tied a 1-1.

During game three, Child Please managed to have three-man advantage with 2:00, giving them an easy win, and putting them ahead 2-1. A solid defensive effort from Old Wrinkly Balls in game four sent the series to a final game.

During the deciding game, Child Please used the strategy of playing nothing but defense until the 1:30 mark. Then, the team implemented its offensive attack.

At the end of five minutes, each team remained at four players, sending the game into sudden death.

The rules for sudden death in intramural dodgeball allow each team to select one player to represent their team in a no boundaries match. Only two balls are in play for the sudden death period.

Child Please selected junior Mike Witkowski and Old Wrinkly Balls selected senior Charles Graves.

It was Graves’ defense that carried Old Wrinkly Balls past Phi Kappa Theta in the play-in game and now into sudden death in game five of this series.

Witkowski’s Child Please teammates urged him from the sidelines not to throw first, knowing Graves’ ability to make diving catches.

Witkowski listened to his teammates and waited for Graves to throw first.

After Graves misfired on his throw, Witkowski was able to chase down Graves and tag him with the ball, winning the game for Child Please.

Senior Nate Farber, a Child Please member, said he was not surprised by the challenge presented in the playoffs.

“If you make the playoffs, you’re not going to be competing against slouchy teams,” Farber said. “I thought we played well as a team, and that’s a key to winning, especially in a sport like dodgeball.”

The final game of the evening featured Sigma Alpha Epsilon against The Pedestrians.

After losing the first game, The Pedestrians found themselves with a one-man advantage at the 1:30 mark, allowing them to tie the series at 1-1.

In game three, The Pedestrians found themselves falling fast, but freshman Leo Clark almost single handedly brought the team back.

However, Sigma Alpha Epsilon took a 2-1 lead.

In game three, Clark was the last man standing for The Pedestrians, but was still unable to rally a comeback by himself.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon won the series.

Intramural dodgeball playoff action continues on Tuesday with the semifinal match-ups and concludes on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. for the All-Campus Championship.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-7944 or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu