Flag football has opened the door to thousands of kids across America and has given them the opportunity to learn the great sport of football. For the past five years, the Alma-Pepin Eagles have joined forces to create yet another competitive team. It consists of three co-ed teams for the third and fourth-grade division and another three teams for the fifth through sixth-grade division. The Eagles have more than 50 players on their entire team!
No sport is without rules, and Flag Football is no exception. Flag football is a five-on-five game with two 12-minute halves. The team starts with the ball on the 40-yard line. Once the team advances to the 20-yard line, it's a first down. Rather than tackling, they pull flags to determine if the player is down.
Flag football relies heavily on parent involvement and volunteers. Due to the continuous success of the Eagles Varsity Football program, many young Eagles aspire to become a varsity football player. Without the coaches and volunteers continuous hard work and dedication, the Eagles football program would not be what it is today. The Eagles are coached by volunteers Bob Jumbeck, Chad Traun, Brad Noel, Scott Noll, Reuben Syfeirt, Josh Sterry, and many others.
Just like varsity football, these players have stats and positions too. Playing defense, quarterback, and wide receiver, Magnus Noll says, “Flag Football is fun and easy.” Magnus is proof that Flag Football has become a terrific feeder program to our varsity sports. He has one touchdown and three interceptions this year. Another player, Finleigh Kosik states, "Flag football is really fun and intense." Finleigh plays wide receiver, center, and running back. She has one touchdown this season and has had at least 20 flags pulled.
In each game, which happens almost every Thursday, 16-20 teams show up to play. At the end of each season, the West League and the East League come together to play a final tournament. The West League consists of Durand, Elmwood-Plum City, Alma-Pepin, Wabasha, and Lake City, while the East League consists of Stanley-Boyd, Thorp, Abbotsford, Greenwood, Loyal, Owen-Withee, and Colby. The final tournament for the season was held on Saturday, October 14th, at Regis High School.