It wasn’t the Super Bowl on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, but the annual Harwood-Barker football game, played on the rough turf of the Maple-Willow-Larch intramural fields, was close enough for the players involved.

The game, on Saturday, Oct. 11, was the third annual contest between the two floors, which together make up Lyon Hall in the Richardson Court Association. Harwood House won 14-7, their first win in the short series.

Barker resident Bonnie Smith, a senior in animal science and pre-vet, said the previous two years have been much less competitive than this year’s game.

She said Barker romped to a 49-7 victory in 1996, and she said her floor also won in 1995, though she couldn’t remember the exact score.

Smith said the idea for the game came about when Harwood House became a co-ed Honors-only floor in 1995.

“From the very beginning of Harwood House, we’ve wanted to beat them, since they always have the highest GPA,” she said.

Damon Luloff, a sophomore in English who lives on Harwood, also mentioned the history of the two floors.

“Ever since we’ve been around, they’ve been beating us at stuff, and [Saturday] we were finally able to be competitive. It feels good,” he said. “I don’t really like football that much, but I like beating Barker.”

Before the game, former Harwood resident Keith DeJong, a junior in animal science and pre-vet, exhorted the Harwoodian gridders, saying, “Barker beats Harwood at everything. You guys have to win.”

Luloff said Harwood and Barker have a “healthy rivalry,” despite the intense desire to win. “There aren’t any bad feelings between the two floors,” he said.

That sentiment was echoed by Barkerite Hunter Leland, a senior in computer engineering.

“I thought the game was great because I got to know the people on Harwood. I think it’s good for the floors to do stuff together because it builds relationships,” he said.

The game consisted of two 45-minute halves with a running clock.

A Harwood fumble on the game’s first play from scrimmage gave Barker the ball deep in their opponents’ territory, and it seemed the game would again be dominated by Barker.

But their offense stalled, and Harwood drove all the way down the field with the help of short passes, scoring when Matt Kennedy, a freshman in mechanical engineering, passed to Adam Vobora, a sophomore in industrial engineering, in the corner of the end zone.

Minutes later, Brian Decker scooped up a shanked Barker punt and ran it in for another touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

The two quick strikes gave Harwood confidence, Luloff said.

“At the beginning of the first half, when we scored two right off the bat, you could just tell we were going to win,” he said.

However, the game quickly turned into a defensive struggle, and Harwood still led by two touchdowns at the half.

“They put all their big guys on the line, and then we couldn’t score,” Luloff said.

In the second half, Barker put together a number of good drives, but could not hit pay dirt. Twice, their marches down the field were stopped by interceptions, one a nifty pick by Vobora.

The seconds ticked away, and just when it seemed Harwood would coast to victory, Barker’s John Lystig, a freshman in liberal arts and sciences, made the game interesting.

Catching a pass from Mike Each, a freshman in exercise and sport science, Lystig sprinted down the field, made a couple of quick cuts and slipped across the goal line to cut the lead to 14-7.

Harwood couldn’t do anything when they got the ball back, and Barker took possession near midfield.

Employing a no-huddle offense, Barker drove down the field as the fans on the sidelines watched in suspense.

With 20 seconds left, a third-down pass fell incomplete, and Barker hurried to run another play. After the snap, Each dropped back and launched a pass toward Josh Holtz, a sophomore in computer science, who was running a corner route into the end zone.

All eyes focused on the spiraling pigskin as it arced through the air. At the last moment, defender Brian Decker, a freshman in computer science, tipped the ball away to ice the win for Harwood.

Following the game, both floors showed the true meaning of sportsmanship, even if they had different feelings about the outcome. One Harwood resident pulled out her camera, and the sweaty, grass-stained players huddled together for a picture.

“Overall, the atmosphere was great,” Vobora said. “Everybody was just out there to have fun.