The 11th Annual Hike It & Spike It Roswell Gridiron 4-on-4 Flag Football Tournament will feature an impressive 350 teams on Memorial Day weekend. This number is even more remarkable when you take into consideration the fact that the population of Roswell is a mere 45,000 (as of the 2000 census). The city is best known for the 1947 UFO incident which spawned famous conspiracy theories, a television series, countless movie references, and a booming tourism industry. With the size and appeal of their annual tournament, Roswell should also be known as host to one of the largest 4-on-4 flag football events in the world.

For the uninitiated, the tournament is a well organized, efficiently run event which receives an immense amount of support from the local community. The event is hosted by The Roswell Chamber of Commerce, and presenting sponsors include Bank of the Southwest, Desert Sun Motors, Eastern New Mexico Medical Center, Dr Pepper and Powerade. Additional event sponsors include PrimeSource Mortgage, the United Way, Southwest Dairy Farmers, Xcel Energy, the Roswell Chamber of Commerce, Image Group Marketing, Sprint Sports Rehabilitation Clinic, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Cattle Baron, Subway, Arby's, McMurry University, the New Mexico Tourism Department, Newman Outdoor Advertising, KPSA News Radio, Hot 97 KBCQ, KSFX FM, Cable One, Comcast Spotlight, and CiCi's Pizza. As you drive into the city of Roswell down the main strip (which is only about a mile long), you'll notice that almost every billboard at every place of business makes a reference to the event. It is estimated that the tournament brings over three million dollars to the local economy.

Last year's Show Me The Money division champion, NX Level (Phoenix, AZ) will face some stiff competition in their quest to defend their title and take home the $12,000 first prize. Teams will travel in from California, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Florida, and other states in to try and dethrone the champs and take home the cash.

In all, 28 of the top teams in the country will compete this weekend. The tournament format is double-elimination (Full Bracket from the RoswellGridiron.com site). Here is a look at some of SetHut.com's favorites to win it all.

NX Level (Phoenix, AZ)
The defending champs will have to bring their best game to Roswell in order to repeat. The big advantage they have over elite teams that are coming to Roswell for the first time is their familiarity with the somewhat quirky rule-set used. In addition to last year's Roswell championship, NX Level have won a Fast Action National Championship, and were 40 seconds from putting perenial powerhouse M.O.B. out of ZFOOTBALL Nationals this past February. Look for NX Level to be in the final four in Roswell.

The Franchise (Lubbock, TX)
The field has gotten much stronger for this year's event, and last year's runner ups from Lubbock will have to step up their game in order to have a repeat performance. The rubber will hit the road in their second game against Game Time (Miami, FL).

Amaraillo Avalanche (Amarillo, TX)
The Avalanche had a great run last year before being derailed and finishing in third. This year they will be tested in their second game against the winner of Team Skin and ZFOOTBALL.com.

Da Bullies / Coca-Cola (Phoenix, AZ)
Da Bullies were left wondering what could have been last year after injuries to key personnel left them short handed for their playoff run. Da Bullies will be tested early with Voodoo and the winner of Rams/4on4FlagFootball.com.

Team Skin (San Diego, CA)
One of the best 4-on-4 teams to ever come out of the state of California, Team Skin (aka Swarm) will have all of their horses for their run at glory in New Mexico. They are in the more dificult half of the bracket, and will have to face the ZFOOTBALL.com (aka Dallas Freaks), who beat them soundly twice at the Houston Texans event in February. Look for Team Skin to make a strong showing this weekend.

Rams (Fort Worth, TX)
They dominate in Dallas, but have yet to win a big national tournament. This may be the weekend that they break through, as their quick-hitting offensive style and lightning fast pass rush will benefit from the unique rule set.

Mental / Fast Action (Phoenix, AZ)
Although they face possibly the most difficult path to the championship, the up-and-coming Mental team could step up and shock some people this weekend.

4on4FlagFootball.com (Dallas, TX)
If they gave the money to the team whose quarterback had the strongest arm, you could just write 4on4FlagFootball.com the check right now. This is one team that is at a disadvantage because of the shortened pass clock. They will travel all the way to Roswell to face Dallas powerhouse Rams in their first game. If they can get past this one, they could cruise all the way to the semi-finals.

Game Time (Miami, FL)
No, not that GameTime. Mark Moore's quarterbacking days are over. This is the new Game Time. The Miami team that was 30 seconds away from $25,000 in Las Vegas, only to see it all slip away on a mental error by one of the greatest to ever play the 4 on 4 game. $12,00 would go a long way towards erasing those memories, and the way the brackets are laid out, they will probably not face a real test until the semi-finals.

The Way We See It
Look for the four undefeated teams to be NX Level, Rams, Game Time, and Team Skin. Our finals prediction: GameTime vs. Rams. In the end, Game Time will win a close final against the Rams, and will go undefeated to win the 2006 Roswell tourney.