The Sloppy Roast Beef Eaters stomped GoonSquad 20-7 in the final game of Loyola’s flag football playoffs. The win marked another notch in the belt of the SRBE’s 41-game, undefeated record.
The team began their career as the Monday Night Saints, named because the team’s first game was the same day as a Saints game. In 2006, after a brief split due to Hurricane Katrina, the team reformed as the SRBE, a name the team considers “naturally N’awlins.”
SRBE went on to play in the Voodoo Bowl, a playoff of the top four flag football teams from Loyola and Tulane. In the championship game, SRBE faced-off against the Illuminati, a team chocked full of seasoned Tulane athletes. In a close game with a final score of 35-33, SRBE sealed their win by running down the clock after a successful fourth down pass that gave the team a first down. The victory earned them a championship trophy that remains on display at Loyola’s Recreational Complex and marked the start of the team’s undefeated streak.
The success of the team is attributed to the performance of its individual players and their ability to function as a cohesive team. Each member is a fine-tuned athlete with years of competitive experience. Most members played football or basketball in high school. Five SRBE members are Loyola baseball alums, while two other members are basketball alums.
Defensive back/receiver of SRBE Slade Sanders, management junior, is a current member of the Loyola baseball team, second base and centerfield. Before transferring back home to New Orleans, defensive back/center, Adam Jeanfreau, CIVD for law freshman was a lacrosse goalie for Western State in Colorado who earned the name “Cajun Curtain” for his ability to prevent the competition from scoring.
Aside from tossing around a football, team practices are rare. One of the keys to SRBE’s domination on the field is the selflessness of the players. No member would be considered a “ball hog” because it is never predetermined who will receive a pass on a specific play nor does a player demand that a pass be thrown specifically to him.Loyola alumni quarterback, Trey Fury, throws to the player who is in the right place at the right moment.
According to Fury, his brain works overtime to survey the field and execute his pass. In the spirit of great quarterbacks such as Joe Montana or Tom Brady, Fury possesses the ability to read the opposing team’s defense and quickly determine their actions.
Above all, teamwork is most responsible for SRBE’s accomplishments.
“We play as a team,” said Cassedy Bass, rusher/receiver. “A lot of other teams have good players, but we feel we’re the only team that plays solely as a team- no one is more important than the team. While everyone we have is good, it’s the team, the team, the team that’s puts us over the top,” Bass said.
SRBE earned the best sportsmanship rating in the league this season, finishing first out of 13 teams.
SRBE is considering a move to PLAYNOLA, a recreational sports league for New Orleans area athletes. Members said the league would offer them a chance to play against a more competitive group of athletes, giving other teams in Loyola’s league a chance to sample the sweet taste of glory.
Scott O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
