Senior Flag Football

In the midst of a so far great season for your Wildcat football team in Fritz Orr
Stadium, the seniors who do not play for coach Gerry Romberg’s team have taken it upon
themselves to create their own flag football league. Seniors Danny Adkins and Watson
Jackson are co-founders of the flag football league and are very pleased with the success
and entertainment it has brought to the boys not playing Friday nights. While all of the
participants are avid Wildcat football fans, some of them just wanted to have fun with their
friends without the pressures of true southern high school football.
The league holds each contest out on the Back Fields, which are right next are the
Back Tennis Courts. Co-founders Adkins and Jackson have strict rules determining who can
participate; you must be a senior, and you are not allowed to be a football player. Jackson,
who played football as a junior, says that flag football is extremely fun.
“I quit football to play flag football,” said Jackson, jokingly.
There are eight teams participating in senior flag football, each with about seven
players. While in full-contact football you play with 11 players on each side, the players in
flag football seem to like just playing with seven. It gives them a chance to receive the ball
more, and they feel like they are participating. While in a full-contact game you might only
get one or two receptions, you can play a much bigger role in a flag football game.
“We have eight teams with seven people each, so that brings it out to about 56
players in all, but one team has six,” said Adkins.
Each game is played on a 40-yard field, contrasted to a much larger 100-yard field in
full-contact football. However, the end zones are the same length as in full-contact football,
which is ten yards deep.
Although there is not supposed to be any contact made in flag-football, players can
sometimes get aggressive, resulting in injuries. While there have only been a few, and none
too serious, there is always that danger when playing any sport. Flag-football is obviously
much safer than regular full-contact football, but that does not mean there are never
injuries.
“Only for people aren’t in the league right now, and a couple of them are sidelined
due to injury,” said Jackson.
Senior Ajay Manocha is one of the many players in the league, and was actually
traded early on in the season.
When asked how he felt about the trade, Manocha responded with, “That trade is
now known as the worst trade in flag football history.”
He also said, “I don’t want to be on a team where I’m not wanted, so I felt good about
it.”

Adkins immediately responded with, “Good because we didn’t want you.”
There is obviously tension between all the seniors who participate, but it is all in a
good, competitive spirit. They started with eight captains, and those captains each selected
the players who thought would be able to bring them home a championship. Obviously,
there were some disagreements between participants and captains, but in the end it does
not matter.
Adkins said, “I am the captain, I make all the decisions, so it doesn’t matter if anyone
else thinks I’m right or wrong.”
There is no official prize or trophy yet for the winner of the league, but according to
the seniors, what is on the line is intangible.
When asked what the stakes were for the league, Adkins responded with,
“Everything’s on the line, pride mainly.”
Everybody seems very confident in their individual team, however, some teams
might have false confidence. According to Jackson, his team is the best and Adkins’ team is
not very good.
“We’re the best. First of all, I just wanted to let you know that while Danny was
quarterback, his team did not win a game,” said Jackson.
Adkins immediately responds to this ribbing with, “That is not true. We won two
games and lost one.”

However, Manocha agrees with Jackson, stating, “They had to make a change at that
position for the good of the team,”
Adkins, Jackson, and Manocha are really excited for the rest of not only the flag-
football season, but also the Wildcat’s season at Fritz Orr Stadium. While they will be
battling it out on the Back Fields, they will also be in the stand at every home game,
cheering their hearts out for the Wildcats. They hope to finish off their last year at
Westminster on a high point, and look to have fun with flag-football for the rest of the
season.