Flag football team
heads to tournament
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer
The Hightstown NFL Flag Football team, the Titans, won the Northeast Championship this year, and will advance to the finals in Florida in January.
NORTH BRUNSWICK — The Titans football team members hope for more than one flag on every play.
The group of 13-year- olds from North Brunswick, Hightstown, Cranbury, Millstone and East Windsor got so many flags this season that they won the Northeast Regional Championship. They will travel to Orlando, Fla., to compete against other teams for the title of NFL National Flag Football Champions from Jan. 16-18.
North Brunswick resident Brad Nussbaum, 13, who has played flag football for the last two years, never imagined that he would attend, let alone play in the National Championship Tournament.
"I found out about flag football when I saw the national championship game on television a few years ago," Nussbaum said. "It looked like a lot of fun, so I went on the Internet to find a team near me."
Under the supervision of Coach Andy Braun, Nussbaum has played both quarterback and wide receiver positions on the Titans, a Hightstown-based team organized by the East Windsor Youth Baseball League.
In January, the Titans traveled to the Meadowlands bubble where they competed against teams from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and won the Northeast Regional Championship.
"We won five games in one day and scored a total of 46 points, with only 12 points scored against us," Titans Coach Andy Braun said.
NFL Flag Football offers boys and girls ages 11 to 14 the opportunity to play football games using non-contact continuous action and minimal equipment, Nussbaum said.
Flag football is a five-on-five game played on a field half the size of a professional football field, Nussbaum said.
The offensive team tries for a first down at midfield and a touchdown in the end zone, while the defensive team covers receivers, rushes the passer, and grabs flags from a belt worn around players’ waists to make "tackles," Nussbaum said.
"When a flag is pulled, that stops the play," Nussbaum said.
The physical blocking or tackling of one another and offensive language are not allowed in the 40-minute games that place emphasis on the basic football skills of catching, running, formations, pass patterns and different types of defense, Nussbaum said.
"The sport is different than regular football because it is more challenging to gain yards to move up the football field," Nussbaum said. "It’s a lot easier to grab a flag than to make a tackle."
Nussbaum attributes his success with the sport to his speed, accuracy and great throwing arm.
"Although flag football isn’t as rough as regulation football, it is still very competitive," Nussbaum said.
Just in the last few years Nussbaum said, he has seen a growing popularity for flag football among people in his age group.
"I think more towns are going to offer this sport through recreational programs and schools shortly," Nussbaum said.
North Brunswick Township started its own flag football organization this fall. Teams competed every Saturday in Sabella Park.
Anyone interested in making a contribution to the Titans to help them raise some of the $10,000 necessary to make travel arrangements to Florida should call Andy Braun at (609) 443-8733 or e-mail [email protected].