Well, all the spring leagues have finally drawn to a close. It was a bumpy ride, for sure; but an enjoyable one as well.

This Spring has also been a learning experience, at least for me. I have learned what it takes to make a championship team. I know it's a cliche, but the one thing that every league champion has in common is team chemistry. A team can be loaded with athletes and playmakers, but if they aren't all on the same page, then success will be hard to come by, especially when playing against top-level competition. This season I have lived both sides of this coin. On one side, I coach/play for Rapid Fire in the outdoor league. We had a respectable finish in the standings, but couldn't come through in the clutch. The main reason is a lack of chemistry. I don't think I put the same starting lineup on the field twice in the entire spring season. When your players can't concentrate on their position because they don't know what their position is, you're going to find it hard to win the tough games.

On the flip-side, I play for the 5 Stars in the indoor league. Week-in and week-out, for the most part, we knew who was playing what position, and what had to be done. The gameplan never had to change because the important pieces were always the same. The result? With the exception of the two forfeits due to the fight with the Falcons, an undefeated season(* see explanation) and league championship. * (I believe, along with the other 5 Stars players, that we would have beaten the Falcons in that fight-shortened game (we were up 24-6 at the time, I believe). I also think that, with no disrespect to Flossin', we would have won our last regular season game as well; the odds were overwhelmingly in our favor.) In my opinion, Rapid Fire and 5 Stars are equally talented teams, but the edge in chemistry has to go to 5 Stars. I consider myself extremely lucky to be a part of two groups of great young (and a few old) football players. Maybe someday both teams will meet on the field. The question is, who would Lance and I play for? Maybe we could just play full-time offensive line for both teams. Think the refs would allow that?

LEAGUE RECAPS
Since all of the leagues have completed, I can now present you with the final standings from the 4 on 4, 8 on 8 Outdoor and 8 on 8 Indoor leagues.

4 on 4 Indoor
1. 5 Stars
2. Cincy-Replacements.com
3. Cowboys
4. Spiders
5. Wildout
6. Destroyers

8 on 8 Outdoor
League Champion - Run 'n Gun

North Conference
1. Run 'n Gun
2. Rapid Fire
3. Patriots
4. Warriors

South Conference
1. Cincy Tigers
2. Vikings
3. Cowboys
4. Bengals

8 on 8 Indoor
1. 5 Stars
2. Cowboys
3. Flossin'
4. Tri-State Falcons
5. Lobos
6. Titans

That's it for this week, and possibly until the Fall season (set to start on September 6th - mark your calendars!).
I will hopefully have a report after this weekend's Cincinnati Summer NIT Tournament.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has taken the time to give me feedback on this column, whether good or bad. I'm always open to constructive criticism, so if you see something that could use some improvement, or if you just want to let me know that you like what I'm doing, please drop me a line!

Until next time, keep your flags on!