Homecoming week was underway and the green and gold spirit was flowing when the students and staff met on the gridiron to face off in the Students vs. Staff Flag Football Game. Students claimed victory over the staff after scoring off of three turnovers. The final score for the night was 25-13 in favor of the students.

The game, taking place in Strawberry Stadium on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. after the Minute to Win It event, puts students from organizations participating in Homecoming against the  team made up of Southeastern staff.

According to Beth Richardson, assistant director for Student Engagement, the purpose of the game is to get students in the spirit for Homecoming week.

“Getting the students in the spirit of Homecoming is what it’s all about and I think we did that,” said Richardson.

It is easy to see how an event like this could get overly competitive, but thanks to the light hearted commentary by Student Government Association (SGA) Senator Branden Summers, the game maintained a fun and open atmosphere that attendees could enjoy.

“I look more at it as you only live once so you might as well have a good time while you’re doing it and it was kind of quiet so I thought, ‘let’s bring some humor to the game, lighten up the mood’,” said Summers about his commentating duties. “Homecoming is all about having fun. It’s not about being all uptight so I just like to make people laugh because when people laugh, everybody’s happy.”

Adding to the light hearted spirit was the music being played over the speakers. A group of students from the Women’s Fraternity Alpha Omicron Pi laughed and danced to the song “Footloose.” Katie Illg, a sophomore double majoring in Biology and art education explained how much fun it was to attend the game with her sorority sisters.

“Dancing with everyone and just doing goofy cheers was so much fun,” Illg said. “Homecoming isn’t about just doing what you have to do. It’s about going to the events and having a good time while showing your Southeastern pride.”

The game was competitive and both teams put on a well thought out performance for the attendees. Students on defense called out plays and team members put each other in the correct position to make plays on the ball. Both teams used a number of trick plays, pitching the ball to each other to misdirect the opposing defense.

Student team member Jordan Leggett, a junior vocal performance major, expressed his excitement for playing the game and the result his team was able to create, but was impressed with the aggression the staff played with.

“Playing against the faculty was so much fun. I didn’t know they could be that aggressive, it was pretty funny to watch,” said Leggett.

As far as next year’s game is concerned, each side had a message for their opponent.

“The staff is going to bring it, the two-a-days start tomorrow. We’re stacking our team so you better get ready. They’re going to graduate and we’re still going to be here,” said Richardson about next year’s game.

“To the faculty there’s always next year. Take your vitamins and stay healthy,” said Summers.