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Western Mass. Flag Football League season set to open

What do former local high school standouts do when their playingdays are over?

Many of them take to the field in the Western Mass. Flag FootballLeague, which begins its 11th season Friday with two night games atHolyoke High School.

"It's a range from 18 to guys who are 36, 37 years of age," saidChad Gibson of Chicopee, the league's commissioner andsingle-season sack leader. "The majority of high school standoutsfrom the past 15 years have all played in the league."

The 11-team WMFFL plays a 13-game regular season over 15 weeks. Thefirst four weeks and the playoffs are held at Holyoke High School,with the remaining games at Van Horn Park in Springfield. When playshifts to Van Horn, two games are held simultaneously on Saturdaysat 8 and 10:30 a.m.

Gibson, who is in his sixth season as commissioner, hopes to take agroup of all-stars to a World Cup qualifying event, sponsored byflagmag.com, a leading resource on flag football.

The league plays 8-on-8, using NCAA rules. The sidelines areconsidered live, which leads to some pretty spirited tackling thatborders on full contact. High school and college officials call thegames.

"I anticipate in probably five years, my main goal is to have thisleague with approximately 20 to 24 teams," Gibson said.

The 2008 WMFFL campaign begins with a rematch of last November'sSuper Bowl, as Gibson's Maximum Capacity Bears open defense oftheir championship against the No Fear Falcons. The Bears arearguably the league's elite team, having won the last two SuperBowls and four of the eight individual postseason awards in 2007.

Gibson and top defensive back Nate Mercier anchor the defense,while the combination of reigning MVP K.J. Walsh at quarterback andreceiver Juni Delgado give the Bears offensive firepower. Otherelite quarterbacks in the league include the Falcons' RichieSantiago, the Eagles' John Frasco and the Redskins' Tim Klett.