Hitting the Gridiron with Fourth-Grade 'Rowan Bowl' Championship Game

still is a few months away, but fourth-grade students at  cavorted in their version of the big game Wednesday at Graham Park in Cranberry.

Played under the park lights as rain poured down, the 2011 Rowan Bowl Championship flag football game featured students from the classroom of Jennifer Fiscus matched against students from the classroom of Meghan Costanza.

Physical education teacher Mike Maniople played quarterback for both teams. Depending on which classroom they belonged to, the players who darted across the field to receive his passes were dressed in s black and Columbia blue-colored home or away jerseys.

The Rowan Bowl was the final payoff to the fourth-grade flag football tournament the past two weeks. To earn the right to Wednesday’s finale, students from various classrooms squared off against each other in the "playoffs" after school.

Mark Hefferan said his son Matthew, a student in Ficus’s classroom, was eager to play under the lights. So were his son’s friends. 

“The kids were all ready excited about it,” Hefferan said. “This is like the big leagues.”

Huddled under their umbrellas, Mark and Marti Evelsizer said they attended Wednesday’s rainy game at the insistence of their son, Mark Jr. The younger Mark, who is in the first grade, plays on a youth flag football team, and he spent the evening with his eyes glued to the field.

“In three years, he wants to be out there playing, too,” Marti Evelsizer said.

Despite the rain, the Evelsizers didn’t mind attending Wednesday’s event. Dozens of parents packed the stands at Graham Park, cheering loudly when their team scored points.

“This is great what they do for the kids,” Mark Evelsizer said.

The Seneca Valley Junior Football Association kept the concession stand open for snacks during the game. The students were presented with trophies at the bowl’s conclusion.