By Sam Ellsworth
The Scoreboard
Winners listed first.
Sutton – Green 20-8
Martinez – Hargrave 26-20
Bradford – Hodges 36-25
Cadena – Sheffield 18-0
The Rankings
1. Cadena
This year’s Cadena squad set the precedent for what it means to be both an unstoppable force and immovable object in this league. Cadena maintained a commanding 18-0 lead into the latter part of the second half before the game was cut short due to injury. But for now, they sit alone at the top of the Week 1 rankings.
2. Bradford
If I could sum up this Bradford team in three words, they would be offense, offense, offense. Behind the leadership of quarterback William Nisimblat and the raw talent of two-way star Dalton Porter, this team showed firepower reminiscent of the famed 2001 St. Louis Rams “Greatest Show on Turf” squad. The defense remains a question mark in many regards, but the disruptive presence of pass rusher Emma Little should be enough to keep offenses at bay throughout the season.
3. Sutton
This Sutton team plays the game the way it was meant to be played. Behind defensive players like Jackie Cheng who have no qualms doing the dirty work, don’t be surprised if this team flies under the radar and quietly wins some games. Sutton doesn’t play flashy football, but what they do play is good football.
4. Green
Green came into this season as the odds-on favorites to win the Society Flag Football Championship, running a campaign behind former SEC standouts Henry Zimmer and Kyle Brubacher. This team didn’t look the part in Week 1, but the sheer ability of this group presents enough of an incentive to keep them in the top half of the power rankings (for now).
5. Martinez
In our most highly contested outing of the week, Martinez was able to squeak out a 6-point victory over a scrappy Hargrave team. While this team will be ahead of Green in the official standings, I’ll need to see a little bit more from a squad that, frankly, failed to blow me away in Week 1, before I’m comfortable putting them any higher in my rankings. This team has bright spots on both sides of the ball, and I imagine their identity will continue to become clearer and clearer as the season progresses.
6. Hargrave
Hargrave came out on the losing end of a tightly contested matchup with Martinez in Week 1. While I’m sure fans of this team are sick over the loss, there’s a lot to be excited about here. Look for defensive standout Michael Blaine to become more of a factor as the weeks go by.
7. Hodges
Hodges strikes me as a team lacking in discipline. The sneaky athletic ability and lunch pail mentality of James Lucky is a reason for optimism within this squad. Still, frequent drops and costly penalties are issues that must be addressed this week in practice if this team plans to keep its playoff hopes alive.
8. Sheffield
This Sheffield team’s Week 1 performance left a lot to be desired on both sides of the football. The defense’s 18-point concession ranked among one of the lower totals in the league. but one could argue it had the potential to be a lot uglier if the game had not been called with 10 minutes remaining in the second half. This team seeks a more inspiring performance from quarterback Sam Fadel to help motivate an offense that is still looking for its first points of the season.
If your favorite team didn’t fare too well in week 1, don’t let it get you down; there’s a lot of football left to be played. Society flag football may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but it’s sure as hell our favorite sport here at the University Texas School of Law. It should be a season full of towering triumphs, devastating heartbreaks, and endless action, so, if you haven’t come out to experience everything society flag football has to offer, I suggest you do so. (At the very least, it’s more entertaining than your torts homework.)
Next Week in Society Flag Football
6 p.m.
Sutton (#3) – Martinez (#5)
Green (#4) – Hargrave (#6)
7 p.m.
Hodges (#7) – Cadena (#1)
Bradford (#2) – Sheffield (#8)
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