While much of this weekend’s focus will be on Western’s game against Morehead State on Saturday afternoon, it will not be the only gridiron event taking place this weekend in Bowling Green.

The fifth annual American Collegiate Intramural Sports (ACIS) “Battle of the Bluegrass” Regional Flag Football Tournament arrives this weekend.

Intramural teams from Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Arkansas, Iowa, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, West Virginia and Georgia will be participating in the weekend-long event.

“(The tournament) gets (Western’s) name out there among the collegiate ranks and puts it up there with bigger schools,” said Adam McKnight, ACIS flag football coordinator.

The Hattie L. Preston Intramural Sports Complex will be filled with men’s, women’s and co-recreational teams competing for the right to advance to the national tournament in New Orleans from Dec. 29-31.

Each of the teams will be guaranteed a minimum of two games, beginning with round robin play on Friday. The top two teams from each pool will advance into a single-elimination tournament.

The champion and runner-up of each division in the tournament will each receive a paid entry to New Orleans for the championships as well as a travel stipend.

Six men’s teams as well as three co-rec teams will represent the Toppers this weekend. They are all looking to follow the lead of “Winning Tradition,” the women’s team from Western who took the championship in the women’s division of last year’s tournament.

“Right now there are 17 states represented among staff, players and officials,” McKnight said. “It should be a pretty great weekend if the weather holds out for us.”

Games will be played on Friday from 6-8 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Reach Corey Ogburn at sports@chherald.com.