Intramural male and female flag football teams are readying for practice as cooler weather sets in.
As fall approaches, the fauna will change, the temperatures will lower, and students will have to trek to the practice fields, instead of the Mini-Dome, if they want to watch ETSU football.
Intramural flag football began with signups Sept. 22, and league play is now under way.
There are five leagues: competitive women’s, competitive men’s, recreational men’s, co-ed and a fraternity league. “Anyone wanting to play was welcome to sign up,” said Intramural Athletic Coordinator Chris Meister.
Teams must pay $20 to participate, but it is refunded as long as the team shows up and does not forfeit.
“After the first forfeit, the team will lose the money, and after the second, the team will not be allowed to participate in the tournament,” Meister said.
“We had 61 teams this year, with 800 to 900 (students) participating,” she said.
Each team is guaranteed four games plus a spot in the tournament. Weather permitting and with sufficient staffing, there is a possibility of more.
Making schedules for this many teams is a long process, and this is why they cannot guarantee any more games.
Games are played on Sundays from noon until 9 p.m., and Mondays through Thursdays 3 p.m. until 11 p.m.
Nine games are played on Sunday, and during the week 14 games will be played per day. Meister has a staff of 30 people to help her make this happen.
The Sigma Phi Epsilon Raiders compete in the fraternity league and have signed up again with revenge on their minds.
Last season, they lost in the semifinals to Dem Boys, 20-14. In the game, quarterback Brent Burns broke his clavicle and could not finish.
“It was unfortunate that I got hurt last year, but we have other guys that can step up, and we are back for revenge this year,” Burns said.
The team took the loss personally and will look for payback.
For those who wanted to play and missed the signup dates for football, there are still other intramurals this semester. three-on-three and five-on-five basketball.
For more information, call Meister at 439-7982.

Author