Every year collegiate athletes get together at a university to compete in a state-wide extramural tournament. This year, Northern Illinois University played host as they invited all colleges in the state to compete in a flag football tournament. Schools sent their best players to take on other schools’ best players. Northeastern Illinois University was well represented and brought a group of talented, athletic guys to carry NEIU on their backs and put NEIU on the map.
For the first time in school history, team captain Tyler Heidtke assembled 11 of the best players in the Flag Football league with hopes of bringing the gold and pride back home. He brought Kyle Grisius, Pat Gallagly, Bobby Daniels, Steve Sachen, John Hohenadel, Nader Elmasri and Mike Perricone.
It was a 12-team tournament and no one expected the NEIU Golden Eagles to do well. Obviously, the Golden Eagles are from a commuter school, and the group of players they had with them never played with each other. With that already known, they still came out with a fury. Unfortunately for them, the Golden Eagles had a tough draw in pool play and faced Augustana College in their first game. They lost by only 8 points against the team that would end up winning the entire tournament. They lost due to a turnover in the 4th quarter, with only 1:50 to go. Although it was a heart breaking loss, losing to the champions can always be a moral victory. It shows that you belong in the upper echelon of the competition.
Tyler Heidtke remarked after their loss, “For the first flag football team that NEIU has put in a state tournament, we had a pretty good showing. It would have been nice to get a couple of wins, but we showed that with a little more preparation we could have beat anyone.” The first game was a close game and although NEIU lost, they made an impression on the other teams that were watching them.
The extramural tournament as well as intramural sports altogether emphasizes fun through a healthy spirit of competition, and encourages sportsmanship and teamwork. Intramural programs are the perfect way to get or remain active and involved. NEIU knows this because they focus on their Intramural programs all year. They have different sports to fulfill all student needs. The extramural tournament was made to expand the boundaries and increase competition. The best of the best played against each other.
Teams that were assembled there were former champions, fraternities and groups of friends. Through all of this, NEIU’s Golden Eagles put up a valiant effort in their first year. They kept every game close, but got eliminated in the playoffs. They learned a lot, they had a lot of fun, but most of all, they competed hard and showed that they belonged amongst some of the top schools in Illinois. Nader Elmasri, the team’s starting quarterback, said, “It was a great experience to attend the extramural tournament at Northern and represent my school, unfortunately we were unable to bring any hardware home with us but I think next year with a little practice and hard work we’ll have a better showing.” Hopes were high coming into the event, and got higher after the fact. Now they know that they can compete, and that they can win it next year.
Dave Merrill, associate director of programs for Campus Recreation, said after the tournament, “I am very proud of how hard the guys played. They did a wonderful job of representing NEIU. I hope their participation will lead to continued participation in the flag-football tournaments.” With all this being said, your Golden Eagles began painting a picture that will one day turn into a masterpiece. They have been given only a small bite out of a gourmet dish and they want more. The sweet taste of glory was on the mouths of the athletes and the craving is still there. It means a lot to people who have school spirit. In times like these, our school is faced with many hardships and trying times, if coming together for a common purpose is the appetizer, then Northeastern Illinois Golden Eagles Flag Football team is already on the main course. Victory never tasted better.