PAYSON — The Arizona State Sun Devils didn't have a full-scale practice Friday, Aug. 14, a day before the annual scrimmage at Camp Tontozona, but that doesn't mean the players were not in competitive mode. In fact, it was the opposite.
After the 90-minute walk-through was complete, it was time for the team's annual dodgeball tournament, which has become a tradition in head coach Kenny Dillingham's tenure. Yes, the head Sun Devil loves competition.
It was the Seal Team 6, headed by defensive coordinator Brian Ward, defeating LTSU in the championship game.
There was a new wrinkle this season. The teams were decked out in colorful T-shirts with their team nicknames on the back. Each of the 10 teams picked nicknames — the same as those used for other
team competitions.
Seal Team 6, adorned in baby blue, didn't just win that competition but is in first place in the overall tally. Among the other teams, the Mukie Mohnsters, dressed in orange, with the name a nod to tight ends coach Jason Mohns.
The winning team Ward headed included ASU quarterback-turned-assistant-wide-receivers-coach Trenton Bourget, who was on the winning team two years ago and the runner-up last year. The fact that he was on the winning team should not be a surprise.
"Growing up, my dad actually played in a dodgeball league," Bourguet said. "So I was 4 or 5, I was playing with them, so when they bring up dodgeball up here, I get super excited. People come up here for Camp T for the football and everything. I come for the football plus the dodgeball.
"A lot of fun. A lot of new faces. Just a little sneak peek at what the competition is going to look like this season."
Ward did not actually play, as he is nursing an injury. But he went into true coachspeak afterward.
"We didn't think we could go very far," he said with a straight face. "We had to overcome a lot of adversity. We had some injuries early on, and we overcame a lot. We had an uphill climb from Day 1.
"But our guys rallied, and I couldn't be prouder of our group."
Defensive lineman C.J. Fite, part of the Mukie Mohnsters, looked on as the lineman Niniva Nicholson ballooned a throw well out of bounds in a semifinal.
"That's the worst throw I've ever seen," Fite chided.
After the final game, Boogie Wilson and Cory Butler, both members of the runner-up team, dressed in royal blue, hijacked a microphone from a television reporter and started in with their own account of the final.
The move from a regular practice to just a walk-through was because the team held a full, physical practice a day earlier. The artificial field, installed in 2019, is not in the best shape, so Dillingham is trying to lighten the load.
There were some light-hearted moments as the players gathered on the field early on. Linebackers coach A.J. Cooper and sophomore Tristan Bacon had a quick tussle, which ended with Bacon bodyslamming his position coach at midfield, much to the delight of the others gathered around.
Bacon, a championship wrestler in high school, was probably the last player Cooper wanted to call out.
Defensive lineman Clayton Smith tried kicking a field goal, which barely got off the ground and squirted left of the goalpost.
The annual scrimmage begins at 9 a.m. MST and is open to the public.
There is no admission for the scrimmage, but fans are encouraged to arrive early as parking is limited, with the prime viewing spots filled two hours ahead of the start.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Here's who led the way for ASU football on dodgeball day at Camp T
