Who needs Big Ten athletics at Northeastern Illinois University when we have intramural sports? The 2009 flag football season began Sept. 29 which saw four teams battle for supremacy on the athletic fields by the Physical Education Complex. The two fields played host to opening day for flag football.
The returning champions, set to defend their reign as the “Last Men Standing,” took on a newly assembled team with quarterback and captain Nader Elmasri at the helm. Team “We’re 40” put up a valiant effort but lost to the champions 20 to 34. Field 2 saw another one of the favorites to win it this year, team “Killer Biscuits,” destroy the packed team of “They Coming!!!” 38 to 0. Fans got to see an amazing array of trick plays and sound fundamentals to an astounding win. Nipun Patel, starting quarterback for the Biscuits said after the win, “We’re gonna win it all”.
Day two quickly matched the excitement of day one where fans got to see a nail biter between “We’re 40” and “They Coming!!!” In a defensive struggle, “We’re 40” edged out a victory and got their first win 12 to 6. A frustrated Omar Sidiqian, captain of the 0 in 2 “They Coming!!!” said, “I know that once we practice more, we’ll be better. We’re gonna blow every team out.”
While the players play and the fans cheer, none of it would be possible without the intramural sports staff that train student officials, prepare the fields and keep everything organized. Opening week of flag football also saw the debut of new officials, who are all looking forward to a season filled with excitement and competition. It can be a very tough job but without them there would not be a league. When asked about opening week of Flag Football, Edric Cruz, one of the supervisors in the Intramural department said, “although there are few teams, the competition is fierce. Players and officials alike both had a great start to the season. This looks to be the start of something special.”
Games are held during activity hour Tuesdays and Thursdays on the athletic fields. If you’re not fully satisfied with NCAA football on Saturday or NFL football on Sunday, Tuesdays and Thursdays should be just the thing to satisfy your football fix.