A state championship football game in Utah got off to a very interesting start as a helicopter replaced the traditional coin toss before the game got underway.
The game itself was between Monticello and Rich High Schools taking place on the campus of Southern Utah University.
But instead of starting the eight-man football game with the tossing of a coin, the teams got creative and used a helicopter to get proceedings underway.
The chopper flew over half the field before coming to a hover right over the midfield logo – where two captains for both teams were awaiting underneath.
It was then that someone on the helicopter dropped a football from multiple feet up – sending the two players scrambling after the bouncing object.
It appears, according to Sports Illustrated, that Rich recovered the ball to start the game.
According to SI, they ran away with the game from there – pulling away with a 50-14 victory over their rivals.
SI says that this was the fifth time in Utah’s Division 1A history that the two schools met in the title game – with Monticello still leading the overall series.
Social media universally loved the move, with some likening it to the old XFL.
Some called for the NFL to adopt this approach to opening games – but it’s unclear if the league would be interested in such a new approach.
