The New York State flag football championship semifinals and finals will be played at Cortland Jr./Sr. High School and Homer High School this weekend. These will be the second championships as flag football continues to be a fast-growing sport for high school girls around the country.
This is first year with three divisions, as four teams will compete in Class A, B and C.
Cortland bid on and won a three-year contract to host the event, beginning last year.
“We thought we were well suited to host,” said Machell Phelps, ... of the Cortland Regional Sports Council. “We already did girls state lacrosse and girls state soccer championships, so when there was a new sport brought on we felt it was something we could host well. There’s a lot that goes into it. We have to have the right facilities, hotels and restaurants, along with the ability to showcase the games.”
Flag football has some different rules than the more traditional tackle football. New York State currently uses its own rulebook, developed by the NYSPHSAA. Starting next season, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) will develop and implement its own rules.
Seven players are on the field for each team and the field is 80 yards long and 40 yards wide. It contains four 20-yard zones and a 10-yard end zone on each end.
The games feature two 25-minute halves. There is a running clock period for the first 23 minutes of each half. The clock will only stop after scoring plays, for penalty administration and team or referee timeouts. In the last two minutes of each half, it will also be stopped when there is a dead ball from an incomplete pass, the ball goes out of bounds, on a fair catch, on a touchback or briefly on a first down.
Many terms used to describe plays or actions are the same as tackle football, but there are some new terms used just for flag. Screen blocking is how offenses prohibit rushing defenders from reaching the quarterback. The blocker can obstruct an opponent without initiating contact with any part of their body, similar to a screen in basketball. The blocker must take a position so that a moving opponent can see the blocker and avoid contact. A rushing defender is also not allowed to initiate contact to try and get past the blocker. If there is contact in the rushing sequence, a foul is called and a 10-yard penalty is enforced on the player that initiated contact.
If a flag belt falls off a player, tagging comes into play. Tagging is placing one hand anywhere between the shoulders and knees of an opponent with the ball. Leaving your feet to make a tag is permitted, but if a player trips the runner in a tag attempt, it is a foul. If a player uses their lower leg or foot to obstruct an opponent, including the runner, tripping is called and a foul is assessed.
Flag guarding is an offensive foul that can be called. A runner can not use their arms, hands or the ball to deny opponents from grabbing the flag and stopping the play. If a runner flag guards, a foul is called and a 10-yard penalty is enforced. Flag guarding is also enforced if runner makes use of the stiff arm to initiate contact with a defender.
Offensive and defensive pass interference remains relatively the same, but an early flag pull foul can be called if the defender removes or tags a receiver prior to them touching the ball on a pass thrown beyond the line of scrimmage.
The offensive team must have at least four players within 1 yard of the scrimmage line at the snap and all players must be within 15 yards of the ball. The quarterback can not take a snap under center, but must be at least 2 yards behind the scrimmage line. All players, including the one who snapped, are eligible to catch the ball. Once a receiver has caught the ball, they become a runner and cannot dive with the ball. A fumble cannot be forced by the defense. If contact is initiated with the attempt to stop a player or jar the ball loose, a 10-yard penalty is enforced.
All touchdowns are six points and the offense has the option to attempt to score one point from the 3-yard line, two points from the 10-yard line or three points from the 20-yard line. There are no extra points or field goals.
The offensive team can punt — called a protected kick — on fourth down if they declare their intention prior to the snap, and the kicker must be at least 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. The receiving team may advance a protected scrimmage kick if caught in the air. If the ball hits the ground after a kick, the play is dead where the ball initially lands.
The Class A semifinals and final will take place at Cortland Jr./Sr. High School. The first matchup features Section III champion Fayetteville-Manlius (10-5-2) and Section I champion Scarsdale (20-0) at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Fayetteville-Manlius knocked off Section III’s top seed, Syracuse East, to win the sectional title. The other semifinal is between Section V champion Penfield (10-3) and Section XI champion Half Hollow Hills East at 11 a.m. Saturday. Penfield scored 32 points to advance to the semis. Half Hollow Hills East won its quarterfinal game 6-0.
The two winners of the semifinal will play at 11 a.m. Sunday for the state title.
The Class B semifinals and final also take place at Cortland Jr./Sr. High School. Section II champion Columbia (15-2) will take on Section I champion Tappan Zee (19-0) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Columbia is coming off a dominant 45-12 quarterfinal win over Section III’s Central Square. Tappan Zee knocked off Minisink Valley 13-7 in the quarterfinals. The second semifinal features Section V champion Webster Schroeder (14-1) and Section XI champion Sayville (16-0) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Webster Schroeder enters after knocking off Clarence 26-14 to reach the semis. Sayville took down Levittown 33-0 in the quarterfinals.
The two semifinal winners will play for the state title at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
Class C will hold its semifinals at Homer High School, then move to Cortland Jr./Sr. High School for the title game. Section VII winner Beekmantown (17-1) will take on Section IV winner Owego Free Academy at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Both teams had blowout wins in the quarterfinals, as Beekmantown took down Section III’s Oneida 56-21 and Owego Free Academy beat Hendrick Hudson 40-14. The second semifinal is between Section VI champion Pioneer (14-1) and Section VIII champion Plainedge (10-7-1). Pioneer beat C.G. Finney 12-6 in the quarterfinals. Plainedge beating John Glenn 12-7 to reach the semis.
The two winners will play in the state final at 1:15 p.m. Sunday.
Flag football continues to grow among the high school sports community, and Phelps is excited to host one of it’s marquee events locally.
“We got a lot of interest from local students,” Phelps said. “Girls at the high schools showing interest in potentially bringing a team to their school. It also helps that the NFL has joined in on the initiative. If you turn on an NFL broadcast, they’re always mentioning flag football. We had a great turnout last year and we’re hoping to see that again.”
