127 children, 14 teams, 28 volunteer coaches, 150 practices, 49 games, four or five PTA moms, one Recreation Department, and many patient parents: This is what our community is all about. And this is what Friday Night Lights is all about on Sanibel.

We just competed our ninth season of the NFL sanctioned Sanibel Flag Football League. There were are a record number of boys and girls participating this year, and we played games under the lights on the fields at the Sanibel School on Friday nights this winter. The experiences this year ranged from kids learning which way to run, what a first down is, and how to complete a pass to reverse sweeps, play action passes, head fakes on stop and gos, and even a trick play where the center hands the ball to a running back claiming the ball is flat while the runner takes off.

In the younger division, the Packers beat the undefeated Lions to take first place. In the middle division, the other Packers beat the Panthers to win first place. Maybe the real Packers in the NFL could take some lessons from the Sanibel coaches! And in the older division, the dream team first place Jets were upset by the Dolphins in a close game.

On behalf of the Sanibel Flag Football players and coaches, we would like to thank our sponsors: Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, Sanibel Captiva Trust Company, Cooper Construction, Island Pizza, Kiwanis, Island Sun, Lazy Flamingo, Nick Adams Photography, and Pfeifer Realty Group.