FMU Flag Football Ready To Open 2022 Season With Doubleheader Saturday

AT A GLANCE
FMU Lions vs. Webber International University Warriors
FMU Lions vs. Warner University Royals
When: Saturday, February 12, 2022
Where: Miami Gardens, Fla. | Bunche Park Field
Kickoff: 2 p.m. vs. Webber International | 4 p.m. vs. Warner
Last Meeting: vs. Webber, First Meeting | vs. Warner, Feb. 27, 2021, Loss, 12-47
Live Stream: Link

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – After having its inaugural season cut short due to health and safety reasons, Florida Memorial University's flag football program has been champing at the bit to get back on the field.

The Lions will return to the gridiron this weekend and be looking to prove the preseason rankings wrong as they open the 2022 regular season with a pair of home games, hosting Webber International University and Warner University Saturday afternoon at Bunche Park in Miami Gardens – beginning at 2 p.m.

Florida Memorial made "herstory" this past year when it played its first flag football games, ultimately playing three games before the remainder of the season was canceled due to COVID-19.

Flag football was added to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) list of sanctioned sports in May 2020 thanks to a two-year partnership with the National Football League (NFL) and Reigning Champs Experience (RCX). Since then, the NAIA has worked to develop league infrastructure and operations for the first women's flag football competition governed by a collegiate athletics association.

Florida Memorial was among the initial schools to start a flag football program, joining four other Sun Conference schools.

Teams will compete in 7-on-7 action with mostly standard flag football rules.

No deliberate contact, with players making "tackles" by pulling one or both of the flags worn on a players' side by a belt. All passes must be forward and received beyond the line of scrimmage; the quarterback has a seven-second pass clock to get rid of the ball or the play is whistled dead. No kicks will occur in the game, a pregame coin toss will determine which team begins with the ball while extra points after touchdowns will either be a 1-point play from the 5-yard line or 2-point play from the 10-yard line.

Games will consist of four 12-minute quarters. The team that gets the ball first will begins on its own 5-yard line and has four downs to cross midfield for a first down. If the offense fails to advance after three tries, they have two options: they can "punt," which means they turn the ball over to the opposing team who starts its drive from its own 5-yard line, or they can go for it. But if they still fail to cross midfield, the opposing team takes over possession from the spot of the ball. If the offensive team crosses midfield, they have three downs to score a touchdown.

Florida Memorial head coach Jonathan Alvarez has continued to shape the program, rebuilding the roster with a solid mix of freshman recruits and returning student-athletes that either are currently or at one point were a part of other FMU athletic teams.

Freshman quarterback Amia Badgett and graduate senior Linsley Francois have already built chemistry in the passing game while Aryanna Alvarez, who is also a member of the competitive cheerleading team, and Amealia Smith (a women's soccer player) also add athletic pass-catching options on offense.

Still, the Lions were picked to finish sixth among the six Sun Conference teams that compete in flag football. Webber International was voted the No. 2 team and Warner was picked to finish fifth.

If Florida Memorial can overcome any early-season jitters, it's added depth and progression under Coach Alvarez should prove enough to put the Lions in position to earn its first victories in the program's history.

Follow Florida Memorial University Athletics on social media
Instagram: @GoFMULions/@FMUFlag | Twitter: @GoFMULions | YouTube: Official FMU Lions

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Players Mentioned

Linsley Francois: 5' 5"; Senior

Aryanna Alvarez: 5' 7"; Freshman

#17 Amia Badgett: QB; 5' 5"; Freshman

#15 Amealia Smith: RB/R; 5' 3"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Linsley Francois
: 5' 5"; Senior

Aryanna Alvarez
: 5' 7"; Freshman

#17 Amia Badgett
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: QB

#15 Amealia Smith
: 5' 3"; Freshman
: RB/R

Florida Memorial University Athletics

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned