With the spring semester in full swing and the days getting longer, the NC State club flag football team is gearing up for its spring season. After its season ended with two early exits in the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association Southeast Regional on the campus of UNC-Wilmington the weekend before Thanksgiving, the team will start a brand new season soon.
The club’s Team Wolf had a successful fall season, finishing second in the inaugural Battle of the Atlantic tournament on NC State’s campus, beating rival North Carolina in a rivalry game. They also went 2-0 in pool play at the NIRSA Southeast Regional before bowing out to eventual runner-up High Point in the quarterfinal.
This semester, the club has expanded to 30 players spread out over two teams and has continued to garner interest and grow since its founding nearly a year ago.
The club’s first game will be on Saturday, Feb. 15 when it takes on UNC Pembroke, a team it’s played some tight games against in prior seasons. UNCP is a solid team that can give Team Wolf and Team Pack both runs for their money, but went 0-2 in pool play in Wilmington and failed to make it out of their pool, unlike both NC State squads.
Next up, after its battle against UNCP, will be a revenge game for Wolf when it takes on High Point on March 1. High Point knocked Wolf out of the NIRSA Southeast Regional in a thrilling game that came down to the very last second, with Wolf failing to convert the game-tying extra-point and its last-ditch comeback effort falling short as it ran out of time near midfield and lost 14-13.
Both teams will compete in an April tournament on UNC’s campus. If one or both teams faces the Tar Heels, a win should be the likely result. Both teams beat North Carolina in the fall, with Wolf blowing out the rival Tar Heels and Pack pulling out an exciting come-from-behind win with a last-minute touchdown to win by one point.
As the club flag football team continues to grow, so does its competition on the field. Club flag football around the area is getting better and better, and the NC State club flag program is no exception. It plans to increase its schedule and play a number of new teams in individual games this season, including UNC-Charlotte, Pitt Community College, East Carolina and UNCP.
