At 7 p.m. every Thursday night, Bacon Pancakes line up on the field against their opponents in hope for a win. Multi-colored waistbands, several referees and one football is all they need to dominate the game.
The coed intramural flag football team played their second game of the season on Oct. 9 with a 16-0 win against Arch’s Replacements. Despite their win, Bacon Pancakes continued to practice and put in their best efforts to win again. The next game will determine whether they make the playoff round.
Sophomores Josiah Money and Ana Martinez both joined Bacon Pancakes this semester and said they have benefited from playing on the team by meeting new friends and staying involved in a sport.
“It’s definitely more of a challenge playing with girls. I’m used to playing with guys so it’s a different intensity than playing with girls,” Money said. “It’s more fun playing on a coed team because if you see a girl do a really good thing you get hyped up. As someone who’s played football before you’re like ‘wow’… seeing them doing a good thing kind of transfers to the field.”
Money played quarterback in high school and has been able to continue his enthusiasm for football by joining a flag football team. He joined the team to incorporate the team aspects he had in high school and remain fit.
“I’d say it definitely helped me keep up my passion for football by playing and keep playing it,” Money said.
Money still holds his position as quarterback for Bacon Pancakes but said there are many differences from playing in high school to now. Although it’s been an adjustment, Money has adapted to being on a coed team and enjoys it.
“It’s a little different obviously because when someone’s running at me I just want to run them over,” Money said. “The intensity on offense plays the same in terms of having to make decisions for the quarterback because it’s way easier in flag football to rush a QB than it is in actual contact football.”
Flag football can be an outlet for players from school work, mental health and other rising forms of stress. Martinez said flag football has become a great outlet since joining this semester and has helped her maintain her love for sports.
“If I’m studying a lot during the week or working or doing whatever, flag football is the relief to just have fun, come out to exercise and play with my friends,” Martinez said.
Money also expressed that being a part of the team helped give him an outlet from school work and other studies that kept him preoccupied.
“I usually do more things and tie in other sports like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on the weekends, but right now I’m busy so this is a good weekday sport I can go to and have fun with my friends and just play some football,” Money said.
Playing on a coed team comes with different factors that tie into the game, but Martinez said that working together and creating bonds is what makes the sport enjoyable.
“I think playing with guys and girls is fun because there’s different rules than flag football in general like the no contact thing…but the best part of being on a coed team is the different levels of athleticism in each teammate. That’s my favorite part,” Martinez said.
Intramural flag football isn’t just about the team, but the team spirit that comes with it.
One way Bacon Pancakes incorporates team spirit is by cheering “sizzle” to each other on the sidelines. The culture of team spirit is all around campus, but in flag football the spirit comes from within the players and their combined passion for the sport.
Martinez said her team builds close connections with one another by showing up, working together as a team and ultimately having fun. By coming to each game and playing, the team bond becomes closer on and off the field.
“It keeps our friendships strong especially now that we’re all in apartments, it’s harder to hang out as often so having a team to come every week can keep up our friendly vibes,” Martinez said.
