It’s 11:40 a.m. on Friday, December 14th and junior Oliver Manilow anxiously makes his way through the bustling fourth floor hallway. When he finally arrives in the junior locker room, he quickly grabs his black North Face jacket and a football.

He rushes down the Southwest staircase and through the Math Wing. As he opens the door to the courtyard, the crisp air whips his face. The biting cold doesn’t slow Manilow down as he finally mets with a group of 20 boys huddled on the field, waiting for him.

He’s late.

Manilow was rushing to the H-Break Football League, more commonly referred to as the “HBFL” by the players. The League was created by Manilow and junior Ethan Rosenberg after they had an argument. “There was a lot of dispute on who was the best football player in the grade,” Manilow said. “The idea was originally ignited by Ethan, who had the idea to organize four teams in a league. I handle more of the business side.”

The “business side” that Manilow manages consists of overseeing game scheduling and drafting players. When Rosenberg and Manilow started planning the league in November, they had four boys willing to join. After a month, they have four teams of five players.

The league consists of 20 “drafted” junior boys, meaning they are on one of the four teams. In addition, they have “free agents,” boys that aren’t technically on a team, but are willing to play if a drafted player can’t make it.

The football league meets every H-break on Friday–– that’s the only time that every player has free––and holds three games so each of the four teams plays each other once. They play five versus five and play two hand touch. The games are refereed by the players themselves.

Like the National Football League (NFL), each player’s stats are recorded. Unlike the NFL, the stats find their home in a spreadsheet created and are updated by junior Micah Derringer.

Also like the NFL is the drafting process. The HBFL has a “drafting committee” that consists of the three captains of the teams with the most wins. The captain of the team with the fewest wins does not get invited to the meeting, and their position is revoked.

Choosing the fourth captain is a process. “The committee votes on who should replace him based on who played the best that season and overall leadership characteristics they’ve shown,” Manilow said.

Junior Ryan Humphrey was voted in captain by the committee. “I was honored,” Humphrey said.

The three old captains, plus the fourth new captain, then hold another meeting to draft their respective “squads.”

Humphrey reflected on the experience of picking his teammates. “It wasn’t awkward choosing between my friends,” Humphrey said. “It’s strictly business.”

Because of the number of players wanting to join the league and the limited number of spots, some players are left without a team. Drafted player Noah Rauschenberger can see the exclusion of the league. “Life isn’t fair,” Rauschenberger said. “Not everyone can get drafted. We aren’t purposely excluding anyone, but in order for the league to work, it’s a necessary evil.”

For example, last season a player who played particularly well didn’t get drafted. “A member on a team that played well,” Manilow said, “had four touchdowns during the season, didn’t get drafted. He can be a free agent and do his homework.”

Junior Gabe Rothschild was drafted but decided not to play. “I find it boring,” Rothschild said. “I’d rather spend the time inside doing my school work.”

As Rothschild spends his Friday in the library, outside on the turf, two games of football simultaneously play. Boys wear gloves and their down jackets. A junior boy throws a long pass, and it’s caught by his teammate.

Touchdown.

The HBFL has not only served as a pastime but a stage for students to show off their athletic abilities. “A lot of us have opinions on who’s the better player and whatnot,” Rosenberg said. “I think that’s what fuels players to showcase their abilities, and in pick up games it isn’t as competitive as it is when we have organized teams.”

As the snow starts to come down and temperatures start to drop, Manilow hopes that the elements don’t stop players from showing up. “Some people won’t show up,” Manilow said, “but the people that love the sport will be out there, and that’s what matters.”