Flag football season kicks off Sept. 26
Written by Chris Davis, Sep 27, 2011, 0 Comments
It’s that time of year again. The air feels cooler, leaves cover the ground, and pigskins are flying through the air. NFL and college football have arrived, and along with it, intramural 7-on-7 flag football at USF St. Petersburg.
Flag football is free to play and free to watch. If the Bucs games are blacked out and attending a Bulls games is not an option, look no further than intramurals.
The season kicked off Sept. 26 and games will be played on Mondays on the field across from Barnes & Noble.
“I’ve always liked the league,” said Knight Riders captain Jamal Wise. “I feel like it brings the best competitively out of the students here.”
The league consists of 10 teams, all with their own stories and personalities. Some are experienced. The reigning champion, Mercy Rules, boasts the most veteran-laden roster and contends for the league championship every season.
“Certain teams have more experience, which I think will help them,” said Todd Clark, intramural sports and fitness coordinator. “But to be honest, until I see all the teams play, it is hard to tell [who the favorites are] because a lot of them added new players. I will say it will be very open to who will win the overall league. I’m looking forward to it.”
Another contender to watch this season is Wise’s Knight Riders. They were the runners up last season and the team is confident that this will be their year.
“I feel very good about my team’s chances this year,” Wise said. “There’s a different feel to my team. To come so close to a belt last season and fall short is still on a lot of [our players] minds. We’re ready.”
In past seasons, the teams with the greatest disadvantage were free agent teams. These groups consisted of players who signed up for the league as free agents—players without a team—and were thrown together as one team.
“We try to get the free agent teams time to practice, figure out who is who, and get a game plan together,” Clark said. “The new teams will play each other the first few weeks to get accustomed to the rules and procedures.”
With a mix of experience and inexperienced teams, and student-only participants allowed, each team has a fair chance of winning the champion title. The added practice time may give the free agent teams, Blitz and Free Agents, enough time to organize a winning season.
A new team with former free agent players, Ball Air Out, might be a threat in their first season. The top dogs, Knight Riders and Mercy Rules, may continue to dominate the league standings.
