Tigers. Cats. Hawks.

People in Big 12 country would assume these three team names equal hostile rivals.

Instead the trio of different nicknames actually symbolizes one Futsal soccer team’s desire to play the name game.

This week, under the moniker of Frogs, John Haynes’ Kindergarten squad defeated the Jayhawks 4-1 Saturday morning at Holcom Park Center.

“At the beginning of the year so many kids gave options for names that we decided to just vote on a new one each week,” Haynes said.

It’s a fun way to create team unity with a group of kindergartners who really just want to enjoy themselves and run around. The Jayhawks, on the other hand, voted unanimously on their name and one could easily assume that a nearby university influenced their decision.

After scoring a couple goals in the first half, the Frogs came out in the second half with the same energy, but it was Jayhawk Curtis Wesley who fed off his own energy and scored his team’s first goal to pull within one of the tie. Wesley and teammate Grayson Gilbert led the charge but were unable to get another ball in the net during the game.

Jayhawk forward Grayson Gilbert heads up the court during the second half.

Frog forward Alex Haynes exemplified the creativity of his team after scoring a goal late in the game. On the way back to midcourt Haynes bent down and hopped along imitating the actions of his team’s namesake. In terms of having fun, both teams looked to enjoy every moment on the court and with their teammates, before bolting for post-game snacks and drinks at the final whistle.

“I try to teach two things,” Coach Haynes said. “First, have fun, and second try to learn something new in each game and practice.”

One player learned how to hop like a frog, others how to spread out and play as a team and yet others how to be an effective goalkeeper. The Jayhawks tried to pump up their teams and push for the victory with a chant of “Let’s go Jayhawks” from the bench, but the Frogs held on and ran to the snack room with a 4-1 victory.