High school flag football is coming; here's what to expect

Girls flag football is the newest sport that will be added to the Sac-Joaquin Section this fall. Teams have begun practicing in preparation for the season, which will begin in mid-August. In total, 68 schools will take the field for the inaugural season, with more to follow in the coming years. "Sixty-eight is more than a third of our schools and when it comes to tackle football, its nearly half of our schools so it is a great turnout and allows us to have a postseason," said Sac-Joaquin Section Assistant Commissioner Will DeBoard. "There are definitely quite a few more schools that are going to be adding flag football in the next year or two, but it's a pretty good sign that this is a sport that's that's going to have a lot of participation right away." There are multiple rules differences between flag football and tackle, most notably that flag football will be played with seven players on the field rather than 11. While gridiron players rely on a variety of skills to avoid a defender, flag football players will have to rely on agility, as they are not allowed to swipe away a defender's hand. Offensive players will be limited in how they get around defenders as well, as hurdling, spinning and diving will result in a 10-yard penalty. Ball carriers won't have the assistance of blockers paving the way, which will mean teams have to get creative to get playmakers into open space. "In terms of the X's and O's, you're taking out the whole blocking scheme and there's situations where you can't run," says Placer coach Joey Walker. "It's really fun. We can get creative and do a lot of neat things." The running game won't be obsolete in flag football, but it will be very limited. Quarterbacks are only allowed to tuck the ball and run once per series of downs. Teams also cannot run the ball within five yards of the first down marker or the goal line, meaning short-yardage situations will always be a passing play. Defensively, perhaps the most notable difference will be how defenses can rush the quarterback. Defenders must begin their rush seven yards from the line of scrimmage and cannot make contact with the quarterback's arm while in the throwing motion, making a sack even more challenging. "At first when they talked about rushing the passer, the rule was that the defender only had to be three yards out," says Del Oro coach Steve Birch. "Now it has to be seven, which changes everything. There is a big difference there." Defenders are also not allowed to make excessive contact with an offensive player in order to pull a flag, although some contact is allowed. While the new rules probably will be confusing, Birch is optimistic about the sport, noting many of the rule changes and uncertainty is a part of the growing process and learning curve. "We are going to try to be as flexible as possible," Birch says. "In the first year, there's gonna be a lot of bumps in the road, but we just want the girls to have a great time, have a ton of fun and learn about the game." There are two field layouts teams can use, an 80-yard field that is 40 yards wide and the other a 50-yard field that is 30 yards wide. End zones for both fields will be 10 yards deep. Games will be fast-paced and there will be a running clock until the final two minutes of each half. Each game will have two 20-minute halves for standard play and two 15-minute halves in tournament play. Scoring will be standard, but there will be no extra-point kicks. Instead, teams attempting a point after touchdown have the option to go for one from the 5-yard line or for two from the 10. The section plans to field a full postseason with a large school and small school division that will consist of eight teams in each bracket. While the postseason will end at the section level, there are hopes that as the sport grows there will be an official state championship. "I really see this becoming the biggest women's sport in the state if it continues to grow the way we've seen it grow already," Birch says, noting it's already the biggest girls sport on campus. "I think if every other section has as much participation as we do, it's only going to be a matter of time for stuff like regional championships and state championships," said DeBoard. " I think that's definitely coming in the next few years." Games are scheduled to begin Aug. 18 and teams can have up to 28 regular-season contests. Leagues in the Gold Mountain California News Media coverage area include: Capital Athletic League: Capital Christian, Christian Brothers, Del Campo, El Camino, Grant, Rio Americano, Vista del Lago. Capital Valley Conference: Antelope, Bella Vista, Inderkum, Oakmont, Roseville, West Park, Woodcreek, Yuba City. Pioneer Valley League: Center, Colfax, Cordova, Foresthill, Placer. Sierra Foothill League: Davis, Del Oro, Folsom, Granite Bay, Oak Ridge, Rocklin, St. Francis, Whitney.