Illustration by Alexandra Nelipa
A team from this college won the tournament last fall.
By Mario Parker Menchaca III
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
More than 40 students have signed up for coed seven-on-seven intramural flag football including more than a dozen returning for another season.
The season is six weeks long and games are at 3:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Thursdays at Olmos Basin Park, 651 Devine Road.
The first games were scheduled Sept. 22.
Marisa Martinez, senior specialist in the office of student life, has been directing the club since it started in fall 2014.
Students can form their own teams or sign up as individuals by calling Martinez at 210-486-0129 or via email at mmartinez135@alamo.edu.
“I hope one year I will be able to organize a spring season, but right now it is only during the fall,” Martinez said in a meeting Monday in the craft room of Loftin Student Center.
Each team can play with a minimum of five players, but no more than 12 can be on a roster, she said.
The only requirements are players have to be registered students and this college must be their home campus.
There are no scheduled practice times; however, each team may coordinate any extra playing time as they see fit, she said.
After the meeting, players began dividing themselves into teams. Some teams were already partially organized from last fall.
“I haven’t played here before … but I have played football my whole life,” automobile technology freshman John Sanchez explained to his new team, The Hail Mary’s.
“I am playing to stay in shape and I would like to play at Texas Tech,” Sanchez said.
Flag football is a coed sport and there are 10 females currently signed up to play.
“The only differences we make between sexes regarding the rules are touchdowns count as 9 points if a female student makes a score,” Martinez added.
“I haven’t played in years, but I am excited,” freshman Rose Kasnouty said.
Joey Palomo, a former student who works part-time in the office of student life, will be a referee this season.
“We are looking for one more referee position to be filled,” he said, noting referees are paid $12 per game. Referees do not have to be students at this college, he said.
At the end of the season, there will be a tournament between students from this college, Palo Alto College, the University of Texas at San Antonio and Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
The teams students have created will be broken up and seeded into new teams based on skill and availability to represent this college for the final tournament, Martinez said.
The tournament last year spanned four weeks and consisted of two teams from each of the colleges.
One of the teams from this college won the tournament and received individual medals, T-shirts and a trophy with the members’ names on display in the student center.
A Most Valuable Player award will be voted on by all members of the club and presented to one player who shows the most skill and teamwork.
“We are all here just to have fun … but you have to play hard for the win,” Martinez said.
