Texas Border Business
McALLEN, Texas – Kicking off the new year, South Texas College student Randy Ginez said he jumped at the chance to participate in a national intramural tournament held for the first time since 2020, when it was abruptly postponed due to COVID.
A longtime fixture in the intramural scene, Ginez says he and three other friends travel year-round across the state playing primarily in various flag football leagues in Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, typically competing in eight-on-eight or five-on-five teams.
This year Ginez had a personal agenda. As a part of STC’s flag football team, the King Fish, he sought sweet revenge against Georgia College, he lost to by one point for the national title in 2020.
Over the weekend Ginez and the team would make STC history by bringing home a national championship following the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) National Flag Football Championship in Round Rock, Texas Jan. 7-9.
“Everybody sees us as this small school who is playing against the University of Maryland and Georgia College and much bigger schools, but we’re just playing ball. Just representing STC is so much fun,” said Ginez, a team captain. “It was a great experience to bring this national title home for STC.”
The tournament was hosted by St. Edward’s University Campus Recreation, Southwestern University Intramural and Recreational Activities, The University of Texas at Austin Recreational Sports and official host partner, the City of Round Rock.
STC’s King Fish defeated the Rochester Institute of Technology, Texas Southern University, Trinity University, Georgia Southern, then University of Maryland and finally Georgia College, which initially beat STC for the title in 2020.
STC students Robert Tovar, Lupe Perez and Joshua Garza were named All-Americans during the tournament. Tovar was also named MVP.
“Playing with the guys I had around me, we had a blast out there and STC just gave us an awesome opportunity to go out there and compete,” Tovar said. “Intramural may just be for fun, but once I found out there was a competition it was jut really fun to get out there and compete against teams from across the nation.”
Luis Banda, STC Coordinator of Student Activities & Wellness, called it a historic moment for STC.
“This is history in the making,” Banda said. “Although we have participated in regional tournaments and past national tournaments, this is the first time they win it. Prior to two years ago, the last time we had gone to a national tournament was in 2006. This is something major that this organization puts on, and we look forward to participating in Round Rock again next year.”
STC’s women’s team, the Lady Jaguars, also participated in the tournament but fell to Central Florida.
Traditionally held out of state, NIRSA brought the national tournament to Texas two years ago.
Intramural Sports are offered districtwide and allow students to participate in sports such as flag football, basketball, soccer, softball, indoor & sand volleyball, ultimate frisbee, dodgeball, disc golf, video games, ping pong, etc. All registration is done online through www.imleagues.com/SouthTexasCollege or through the IMLeagues app.
STC’s Student Activities and Wellness department also hosts an Early College High School Sports Tournament for partnering school districts where teams can compete in soccer, basketball and sand volleyball.
This 2022 Spring semester, STC’s men’s soccer club will also participate in the Texas Collegiate Soccer League with opponents from Trinity University, Incarnate Word University, UTSA, University of Texas and Sam Houston State University starting in February.
“Participation in our campus programming enhances the student experience and leads to great opportunities,” Banda said. “Competing for a national championship is only one example of the many exciting things possible at South Texas College.”
For more information visit the intramural website at https://life.southtexascollege.edu/intramural-sports/ or contact Luis Banda, Coordinator of Student Activities & Wellness 956-872-3525 or email at lmbanda@southtexascollege.edu
