As a senior, there are certain things I’ve managed to learn at this school, despite all my efforts to the contrary. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that there are often experiences you have during college that are more important and that you can learn more from than any class you’ll ever take. Fortunately, there have been a lot of great experiences along the way for me so far, not the least of which is the season my flag football team had this year. This may sound absurd, but starting at cornerback for the AEPi flag football team this past fall was one of the most fun and educational experiences I’ve ever had at this school.
Our football team was made up of a few guys who are athletes, including a current member of the track team and a former baseball player-and our one player who played both offense and defense was an all-state goalie from California. For most of us, though, the most actual sports experience we’ve had is playing football in our backyards; we did not, however, let this lack of talent or knowledge stop us from trying our hardest. For the past two years, our house has won the overall point league championship for fraternities, and-driven by the desire to make it three years in a row-we set high goals for this year. These goals seemed attainable, as we managed to go undefeated in the regular season and beat Kappa Sig in our first playoff game.
In the semi-final, we faced the Patriots to our Colts, SAE, who had beaten us the past two straight years in the semi-final. We fine-tuned our offense and added a wrinkle to our defense (a constant double-team of their best receiver due to his height) and were determined that we would not lose a third straight year to the same team. The game was a hard-fought battle the entire way, a low-scoring game where each point was important. Ultimately, the game was tied at the end of regulation and went into overtime. With college overtime rules in effect (each team gets a chance to score), the game was only getting started. In the first overtime, both teams scored (SAE on a controversial call that we heavily disputed and, thanks to one of our pledges, had videotaped proof that they didn’t score); in the second overtime, neither team did (thanks to the refs’ incorrect ruling that our quarterback didn’t cross the goal line on a run). Finally, in the third overtime, our offense managed to punch the ball in and our defense stopped SAE one last time, getting the monkey off our back and sending us in to the championship game the next day.
In the championship game, we found ourselves in almost literally a David and Goliath situation: AEPi (the Jews) against Phi Delt (the football players). Since it was the final, this game was on the strangely spongy turf of Francis Field in front of a crowd of about 100, between brothers from both houses and other assorted groupies (not too far off from the average attendance of an actual University football game). This game, sadly, was not as close or competitive as our semi-final; sparked by an interception returned for a touchdown early in the game, Phi Delt went on to win 18-0.
Even though we lost in the final, we still managed to make it farther than any flag football team in AEPi history. With organization, practice and teamwork, our team managed to go as far as it possibly could (I mean, honestly, was there any way we were going to beat a team with players who had actually been on the varsity team here?), and achieving the absolute maximum amount we could was very fulfilling. There is little doubt in my mind that between all the time I spent thinking about, practicing and playing IM football this fall, I worked harder on this sport that I have in some of my classes. Even though this might seem totally ridiculous (and understandably so) to others, the benefits I got out of football team also outweigh those I’ve received from some classes here. Not only did I get some exercise, but I got hands-on practice in working as a team, giving my all and being innovative, all of which are much more interesting and helpful than writing yet another six-page analytic paper for another lecture class. So, thanks for the memories, AEPi football; maybe next year, we’ll even manage to beat Phi Delt.
Matt is a senior in Arts & Sciences and a Forum editor.