Flag football games to start Oct. 1
By Sam Waller
The Albany NFL Flag Football League will have 102 players when the season kicks off Saturday, Oct. 1.
The league will have 12 teams, four in each age division. Organizer Zach Maberry said there will be 34 players in the Kindergarten-First Grade division, 27 in the Second-Third Grade division and 41 in the Fourth-Sixth Grade division.
“I think it’s a good program,” Maberry said. “It teaches lots of good basics and helps the kids understand the game a lot better. On top of that, it’s fun.”
Maberry said the league is making one change this fall.
“This year we’re going to play six-on-six because of the number of kids we have,” he said. “It’s supposed to be five-on-five, which is what we did last year, but since we’ve got so many kids, it will make it easier subbing kids in and out with more on the field.”
Games will be played for six weeks at the Albany High School baseball field. Kindergarten-First Grade games will start at 9:00 a.m., followed by Second-Third Grade at 10:00 a.m. and Fourth-Sixth Grade at 11:00 a.m.
Following the season, a Super Bowl tournament will be played the second week of November at Robert Nail Memorial Stadium.
ALBANY NFL FLAG FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
Kindergarten-First Grade (9:00 a.m.) – Cowboys vs. Ravens, Chiefs vs. Seahawks
Second-Third Grade (10:00 a.m.) – Bengals vs. Titans, Vikings vs. Bills
Fourth-Sixth Grade (11:00 a.m.) – Broncos vs. 49ers, Chargers vs. Eagles
Teams in Kindergarten-First Grade are the Cowboys (Zach Maberry), Chiefs (Glen Hill), Ravens (Ryan Walser and Lee Burton), and Seahawks (Gus Granados).
Second-Third Grade teams are Bengals (Joe Tidwell), Bills (Dylan Rankin), Titans (Mackenzie Viertel), and Vikings (Ryder Peacock).
The Broncos (Spencer Balliew), Chargers (Jacey Shack and Dan Key), Eagles (Ramby Anderson), and 49ers (Morgan Smith and Lee Burton) will compete in the Fourth-Sixth Grade division.
Abilene FCA League
Albany’s sixth grade entry in the Abilene FCA League is 5-1 after three weeks of play.
The team opened its season Monday, Sept. 12, with a pair of victories, defeating Anson 22-6 and Wylie 33-6.
On Monday, Sept. 19, Albany beat the Elite before losing to Wylie Orange. Scores were not available.
On Monday, Sept. 26, the locals defeated the Warriors 56-6 and Breckenridge 34-7.
