This weekend, female athletes from all 4 grades took to Cronin Field in the annual Women’s Flag Football competition.

The Student Government-organized competition is played tournament style, with each class competing in two different rounds. The event was open to the public to cheer on the teams, donate to the ongoing Coat & Blanket Drive, and listen to Mr. Falkner’s engaging announcements.

While varsity fall sport athletes were not allowed to compete, many chose to participate through coaching.

“Ever since I talked to seniors last year who coached, I knew it was something I wanted to do,” senior coach Sean Khouri said. “I had a lot of fun teaching plays and running practices with the girls, and even though the outcome wasn’t what we wanted, I’m happy with the experience.”

The first game challenged the seniors against the freshmen. When the 25-minute game limit was completed, the grades were tied 7-7, sending the overtime rules of kicking field goals for a tiebreaker into play. The teams had to designate up to 4 players to represent their grade and kick a successful field goal for the win. However, the teams were evenly matched yet again, and almost 5 rounds of going head-to-head through valiantly kicking goals occurred.

While both teams demonstrated tremendous stamina and effort during the tiebreaker, the referees called for a game of rock-paper-scissors to allow the rest of the competition to proceed in a timely manner. It was during this game that the freshmen clinched the victory from the senior class.

“I’m very proud of my team, because no freshmen team has beat the seniors since 2000,” freshman Ashley O’Neill said. “I think our team worked really well together.”

The next game that took place put the sophomores against the juniors. After leaving it all out on the field, the younger grade rose up yet again to take the victory 14-7.

The following round of the competition had a bit of a different goal than scoring touchdowns. All teams were instructed to choreograph a halftime dance to potentially win 7 points towards their next game. Teams chose to display dances ranging from advanced tumbling routines to classic moves from TikTok. In the end, the seniors’ energetic rendition of “Juju on that Beat,” choreographed by Alessandra Savarese, took the win.

“I had a blast choreographing the dance,” Savarase said. “Our class really brought the energy, and that clearly made a difference.”

After the halftime show, the second round of games begin. The upperclassmen, each seeking third place, took the field, and the seniors redeemed themselves from their previous loss by beating the juniors 14-7.

The final round of competition to be named the winner of the 2022 Flag Football Competition was between no other than the underclassmen. After efforts from both grades, the sophomore team took the winning title.

“Sophomore year feels so much different than freshman year, as our class is starting to get a lot closer,” sophomore Kate Paine said. “The winning experience felt a lot more special because our class bond is now a lot stronger.”

The Flag Football Competition is a long-lasting Jesuit tradition that welcomes spirit, athleticism, and teamwork from its participants.

“Building up community isn’t going to be solved overnight,” Activities Director Ms. Blumhardt said. “[Flag football] was just another great way to spend time with one another, be outside, and get to know people in different grades.”

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