Prepare for confusion in new flag football season: 'Crazy stuff is going to happen'
Confusion among all the stakeholders — coaches, players, officials, parents — is certain to take place in the early games.
That was evident during a meeting on Wednesday. City Section coaches received a briefing from Nelson Bae, the section's rules interpreter. There were so many questions that City Section commissioner Vicky Lagos had to halt them or the meeting would have lasted for hours. Coaches were told to submit their questions later.
A national rulebook was established by the National Federation of State High School Assns. and some of the changes are massive, such as the addition of punting and screen blocking.
"Crazy stuff is going to happen," Bae told the coaches. "All of us are going to have to adjust. I've already seen some things, 'This is going to be a problem.'"
Screen blocking could be a vocal point of confusion because, as Bae said, penalties could be called on every play similar to holding in 11-man football. No contact is allowed when blocking but deciding who made the contact and who receives the penalty will be the judgment call that could have parents yelling in the bleachers if they don't understand the correct interpretation.
Coaches are having to train players not to use their hands and rushers can't run into moving screens or a penalty is supposed to be called.
"Go around," Bae advised.
It will be confusing in early games, particularly until everyone adjusts.
There will be four playoff divisions, up from three last season, as the sport enters its third season in the City Section.
Coaches have been seeking out soccer players to serve as punters. Prepare for the unexpected this fall.
Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson shine for Steelers in preseason opener
Aaron Rodgers recently said "preseason football is not necessarily real football." And he's right. Still, in August, preseason football is the closest thing we have to real football. And, on Saturday night, the two Steelers quarterbacks who played against the Jaguars did a pretty good job playing not necessarily real football. With Mason Rudolph taking only 15 snaps and Skylar Thompson handling 51, both performed very well. Rudolph, who got the start, completed nine of 10 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Passer rating? 135.0. With rookie Will Howard injured, Thompson handled the rest of the game. He completed 20 of 28 passes, generating 233 yards and three touchdown passes. Rating? 132.0. "Good to be back in the black and gold, man," Rudolph said after the game in a one-question press conference. (It was one more question than coach Mike Tomlin got.) Ideally, neither Rudolph nor Thompson (nor Howard) will handle anything more than garbage time this season. But maybe, if one or more of them are needed to play, the cause won't already be lost.
CBS News
25 minutes ago
- CBS News
Noah Cameron leads Royals in 2-0 win over Twins
Noah Cameron and four relievers combined on an eight-hitter, Mikel Garcia had two hits and an RBI, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 2-0 on Saturday night. Cameron (6-5) pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up six hits and striking out four. Carlos Estévez struck out two in the ninth for his 29th save. The Twins left 10 men on base and were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Garcia broke the scoreless tie in the third with an RBI single, and the Royals added an insurance run in the ninth on an RBI single from Jonathan India. Twins starting pitcher Bailey Ober (4-7) pitched six innings, giving up four hits and allowing one run. Second baseman Adam Frazier scored on India's hit in the ninth, his 30th run of the season. Twins catcher Matt Jeffers extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He went 3 for 4, with one strikeout. Ryan Bergert (1-1) will start for the Royals in the final game of the series against the Twins on Sunday afternoon. The Twins have not yet announced their starter. NOTE: The original airdate of the video attached to this article is July 14, 2025.
CBS News
25 minutes ago
- CBS News
McCarthy makes brief return to help lead Vikings to 20-10 preseason win over Texans
J.J. McCarthy was solid in his brief return for the Vikings, going 4 of 7 for 30 yards while leading a scoring drive in his only series and Minnesota topped the Houston Texans 20-10 on Saturday in the teams' preseason opener. McCarthy, who missed all of his rookie season after tearing the meniscus in his right knee in last year's first preseason game, took the field to a rousing ovation from the home crowd. The first-round pick in last year's NFL draft out of Michigan completed his first four passes, three to Jordan Addison, who made a sliding grab for an 18-yard gain on the third. McCarthy also ran 8 yards for a first down on fourth-and-4 at the Texans 43 to keep alive a 58-yard scoring drive capped by Will Reichard's 48-yard field goal that put the Vikings up 3-0. "It was great to get things done from an operational standpoint," McCarthy said. "There's a lot we can build on off that — a lot more areas we can grow, me specifically, for sure. But I was really happy to string together (a drive) and get some points on the board." Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell also felt good about what he saw from his starting quarterback. "We don't do a lot of game-planning for these games," O'Connell said. "But we also want to give our guys a chance to go out there and have success. So there are going to be some plays where guys have to rise up and make some plays above the scheme, and he did that a couple of times with his legs. "It didn't really feel like he put the ball at harm's risk very much in that sequence of plays." The Texans responded on their own opening possession. Davis Mills, who got the start at quarterback after head coach DeMeco Ryans elected to sit starter C.J. Stroud, marched his team 74 yards in 10 plays to score on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Braxton Berrios that put his team in front 7-3. "I was really pleased with our first offensive group," Ryans said. "The way they stepped out very efficiently. I liked everybody just being very calm and composed. Davis did an excellent job of driving the ball down the field, commanding the huddle, putting the ball in really good placement." McCarthy, meanwhile, was replaced by backup Sam Howell before the Vikings' second possession. Howell played the rest of the first half, finishing 11 of 13 for 105 yards. He led Minnesota to a pair of scores: a 38-yard field goal by Reichard and his own 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Vikings a 13-7 halftime lead. Not all went the Vikings way, however. Wide receiver Rondale Moore, signed this offseason, was carted from the field after suffering what O'Connell said appears to be a serious left knee injury on a punt return early in the second quarter. He'll have an MRI on Sunday. Moore, who missed the entire 2024 season while with Atlanta after injuring a knee in the preseason, was expected to add receiving depth for Minnesota. The Vikings will be without Addison for the first three games of the regular season after he was suspended for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. "It's heartbreaking," O'Connell said of Moore's injury. "I think anybody in the ballpark (today) could feel the emotion. It's one of the most painful things for me as a head coach. I make a life out of trying to leave others better than I found them, and in that particular situation, there's really nothing you can do." Houston's final two drives ended in interceptions of rookie Max Brosmer by Kahlef Hailassie, sealing a win for the Vikings in McCarthy's first game in almost exactly a year. "It felt amazing being back out there," said McCarthy, whose team has a pair of joint practices with the New England Patriots scheduled for this coming week. "Just really playing football again and being out there with the guys. There's nothing like it. I loved the way we played as a group collectively." Among the several Vikings veterans who didn't play were wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who's still recovering from a mild left hamstring strain he suffered late last month, and offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw, who continues to work his way back from a season-ending knee injury a year ago. Houston running back Nick Chubb, who signed with the team in the offseason, didn't play. He missed practice time during the week after taking a shot to the head. O'Connell said the Vikings also lost rookie center Zeke Correll to what X-rays showed was a right ankle fracture in the second half. Texans: Host the Carolina Panthers next Saturday. Vikings: Host the Patriots next Saturday. NOTE: The original airdate of the video attached to this article is Aug. 1, 2025.
