The rugby players at PS/MS 282 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, hit the schoolyard in an explosion of energy every afternoon, tearing up and down the field in a free-form practice drill. Freed at last from long hours at their desks, the players race, dodge and feint until Coach Zebulon Alexander moves in to bring form and focus to all that vitality.

Teams are chosen and the middle school athletes — boys and girls — strap yellow and red flags around their waists, eager for action. This is flag rugby, a fast and furious game with no tackling. Instead, the ball changes hands when an opposing player grabs the ball carrier’s flag.

As the coach reminds them, “Everyone is welcome. No one came here knowing what to do.”

And so the young athletes learn the rules and practice the skills of how to get the ball down the field to score, unaware of all the other life skills Alexander is patiently instilling.

Academics are part of the package. Those who make the official teams — boys and girls are separate then — for the January to June tournament season are required to turn in weekly progress reports on grades and behavior signed by teachers and parents. A supervised homework hour precedes practice, putting the emphasis on the student in student athlete.

Alexander, a special education teacher, is credited with making rugby, once unheard of in city school athletic programs, the most popular sport at the school. “The game really caught on when we started recruiting six years ago because it gives everyone a chance to play,” he explained. “It’s fast, and there’s no down time.”

Besides, there’s nothing like bringing home the Mayor’s Cup three times in the citywide competition against 80 other youth rugby teams to boost interest and school spirit.

“Students want to play for ‘Mr. A’,” said Kelsey Anderson, a homework tutor for the Sports and Arts in School Foundation, an after-school program provider at PS/MS 282. ”He’s a father figure, and they look up to him.”

Kaylee, a 6th-grader, loves the game and the action. “I love the speed and making new friends,” she says, and, with a sparkle in her eye, points out how good the girls are.

Alexander works in partnership with Chapter Leader Kyle Plant, the dean and a former physical education teacher, who handles the program’s logistics, such as funding, scheduling and transportation.

In off-the-field conversations with players, Plant said he challenges any player pleased with a grade of 75 to “talk about 75 becoming 85.” Or when a player has failed a test, he uses rugby talk: “Play what you see,” which translates to “figure it out.”