In an offense-heavy contest that helped kick off Penn College's 2012 Homecoming celebration Thursday night, a squad of upperclassmen decisively avenged last year's flag football loss to rival freshmen. The first-year students started out with the ball, picking up a first down on their very first play ... but it was all downhill from there, according to a recap from intramural assistant Jeremy R. Bottorf. The upperclassmen intercepted a pass on the next throw and, a few plays later, struck on a long touchdown pass. The freshmen got the ball back and, attempting to punt on fourth down, fumbled the snap. Retaking possession, the upperclassmen found the end zone again (a theme that would echo the rest of the night) to lead 14-0 after the first quarter. A back-and-forth second quarter included a freshman quarterback sneak with 29 seconds left, offering the team false hope that it would finish the half with a surmountable 14-7 deficit. "The problem was, they left some time on the clock," Bottorf said. "The upperclassmen threw up a prayer that was answered in the end zone, taking back the momentum and going into halftime leading 21-7." The third quarter held plenty of action, but only the upperclassmen found the end zone: After three quarters, the score was 35-7. As the air grew colder, Bottorf said, the freshmen began to wake up. They ran back the fourth-quarter kickoff to make the score 35-14, then attempted an onside kick to catch the upperclassmen off guard. The strategy paid off as the freshmen recovered the ball, but a turnover gave their opponents one more scoring opportunity. With that, the clock and the freshmen ran out of time, with the upperclassmen winning 42-14. Bottorf, who also provided photos, offered a "big 'Thank you'" to everyone who played and worked the third annual Homecoming game.