Students play football in the Quad area to relieve stress and play for fun
Rachael Freeman
-Staff Writer-
STLCC-Meramec student Aaron Daniel jerks to the right. Santiago Elia jerks to the left. They swivel, bob and weave on the field imitating the moves of NFL players.
They are joined by several other football enthusiasts for five-on-five and six-on-six football games in the Quad.
In between classes, students look foward to their games, three times a week.
“It really all just started with me and a few friends playing catch outside of the gym one day,” Elia said. “Realizing that a lot of people kept wanting to join and play a real game, we got about ten people [and] went to the Quad.”
The game of catch played outside the gym amongst friends Elia and Daniel, along with Armand Hayes, Tommy Graven and Alex Fikar turned into a weekly two-hand touch football game. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m. in the Quad, the five friends along with others who join in in between class get together.
“What I hope to accomplish from this,“ Hayes said, “[is] to not only have a good time, but give people a show while they’re waiting for their classes, while interacting with new people and still having fun at school.”
The Quad is filled with students yelling play-action formations. It is filled with players and friends laughing, spectators watching and everyone smiling. It has also become a place where students can blow off steam without being injured. They can knock each other down and help each other up.
“If I’m feeling [angry] about anything, I know around 1 p.m. I have a place to blow some steam off,” Hayes said.
The effect that football has on the students allows the game to be therapeutic for the mind and challenging for the body.
“It’s an intense physical sport [that] everybody loves. It requires a lot of skill. Football to me is the greatest sport ever,” Elia said.
Although Meramec does not have a football team, come rain or come shine the students still blow off steam in the Quad. The game is an open invitation to everybody who is ready to compete and show off the latest touch down celebration without being penalized with a flag being thrown.
“We’re going to continue to play and we’re going to go hard every time,” Hayes said. “To everyone who wants to either join in or watch, [they’re] free to join us, no charge.”
