With the night’s Torah study focusing on the concept of making decisions for yourself and not just going along with the crowd, Andrew Serkes knew just the right parallel to draw.

“It’s kind of similar to football,” said the 27-year-old. “Don’t listen to the fan noise. Do what you do and what you think is right.”

Standing on the field at the 50-yard-line of the Edward Jones Dome, Serkes’ comparison certainly seemed apt. The St. Louis city resident was one of dozens participating in “Torah and Turf,” an annual St. Louis Kollel league that helps combine the formerly disparate fields of football and religious education. 

Now finishing its seventh season, the unique weekly program features a half-hour of textual study and discussion followed by a six-on-six flag football contest. Last week was the championship Torah Bowl — thanks to St. Louis Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff — was held at the “The Dome,” home of St. Louis’s National Football League franchise.

Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, associate dean and executive director of the kollel, said that he never expected Demoff to respond to his email asking for sponsorship. But surprisingly, Demoff arranged a personal meeting with Soroka, which eventually led to a suite at a preseason Rams’ game for Torah and Turf participants. 

Then the team executive offered to hold the kollel’s final matchup at the dome.

“I said ‘You’re kidding, right?’” laughed Soroka. “He said, ‘No.’”

Serkes’ squad was one of four in the mini-league competing for bragging rights Tuesday evening on the gridiron. The league included about 50 players on five teams this year, one more team than last.

The initiative was originally the brainchild of Rabbi Avi Kula who was honored for his contributions just before play got underway.

Rabbi Shaya Mintz, director of programming at the kollel, said the idea is to engage young Jewish professionals in Torah learning. Most of the players on the field are between the ages of 24 and 35.

“This is the demographic where they still want to get together with their buddies yet they have families,” said Mintz. “Their wives are here tonight. Some of them have brought their little kids.”

Mintz said that topics of study could be anything from Jewish ethics to home life to relationships at the office. The important thing is to link young adults to a rabbi, especially since some of the players aren’t members of a synagogue.

“Here they do have a young rabbi they can relate to who may be going through similar challenges because of their age and who they can talk to in time of need for guidance and what the Jewish approach is when it comes to an ethical challenge,” he said.

The event seems to have inspired a degree of dedication. The previous week’s game had taken place at Parkway North High School during a wintry blast, which brought a coating of snow to the area.

Mayer Klein, president of the kollel, said all the effort seems to be paying off.

“You’ve got Torah which is life and our roots and our heritage and football which is having fun, getting out there and playing with the guys,” he said. “Who would think the two would go together?”

Unfortunately, Serkes was relegated to the sidelines with a knee injury for the evening’s game and was being forced to watch his yellow-jerseyed teammates fall behind by double digits to the red squad.

“We’re down big but we just scored a touchdown so hopefully we can get a little momentum here before it is too late in the game,” he said. 

He also enjoyed the dose of pregame Torah. His father was Jewish and Serkes liked being able to discuss life questions regarding the religious approach to things.

 “It was a great way to really reconnect with my heritage,” he noted.

On the other side of the field from Serkes was the championship game between the black-clad Hebrewsers and the forest-colored Green Machine. The Hebrewsers, looking to chalk up their third championship in a row, were up early by two points on their competitors who had just formed their first team this year.

Hebrewser quarterback Danny Babitz, a United Hebrew congregant from Clayton, said he loved the camaraderie of the event and was hoping to bring home a win for his 27^th birthday, which was only hours away.

“I think we’ve built a lot more friendships then we ever thought we would have,” said Babitz who is now completing his fourth year in the league. “It’s been awesome.”

Babitz was on the team with his brother Andy. Their mother Judy watched from the sidelines.

“It’s important because they exercise their bodies but they also exercise their souls before they play,” she said ducking a bit as an errant pass sailed overhead. “It’s important that young men like this are reminded of their spirituality. Then they go out and have a great time. It’s the most amazing concept.”

For Kyle Kaplan of Ballwin it was the first year he’d participated in the event.

“I wanted to spend time with friends and with the Jewish community,” said Kaplan, 24, who did duty at both wide receiver and quarterback for the Green Machine.

The study session was rewarding as well.

“Everybody got to participate,” he said. “I really liked that. It wasn’t just a lecture type thing.”

Ultimately, Kaplan’s team would prevail as the men in green came from behind to upset the Hebrewsers 12-8, denying the champions their third cup in a row.

Meanwhile, not everyone at the game was playing or had a relative on the field.

Daniel Lefton, an Agudas Israel congregant, was happy to attend as a spectator.

“There is the obvious attraction of just being able to stand on the field at the Edward Jones Dome and watch football up close,” said the 40-year-old. “But it is also a great cause, a great program. The kollel just does amazing things. Every single one of the guys here is not just here to play football but also to grow in their Judaism. It’s outstanding.”