CHSFL adds 7-on-7 flag football this fall
Flag football does not allow tackling and instead requires the defense to remove the flag around the ball carrier's waist. Credit: Steven Sunshine
The CHSFL is adding 7-on-7 flag football this fall after moving its traditional tackle football season to March of 2021 because of the pandemic. Many Long Island high schools are expected to join the newly formed league.
The New York State Catholic High School Athletic Association approved the addition of flag football as a fall sport on Wednesday. Practices will begin on Sept. 21 and competition for a season of approximately five games will run from Oct. 10 through Nov. 7.
According to CHSFL president Chris Hardardt, the athletic director at Holy Trinity, member schools have until the end of this week to determine if they will participate. Several football coaches and athletic directors at Long Island Catholic schools contaced by Newsday did not want to comment until their school is approved to play by the principal.
"Flag football was deemed a moderate-risk sport when the state classified all the sports," Hardardt said of the state guidance issued this summer. "And our league wants to give our students any opportunity we can to participate."
Hardardt said the CHSFL plans to offer flag football at the varsity, JV and freshman levels.
"We think it could also help our students on the recruiting front because they will have some film of them playing seven-on-seven and college coaches know the game and can evaluate players on what they see," he said.
In flag football, there is no tackling or blocking. Defenders must remove a ball carrier's flag, which hangs from a belt. There is no line play and predominately a game for athletes who play the so-called ‘skill positions’ and a center to snap the ball. Hardardt said "it’s unfortunate that it’s not a game for linemen, but we will play whatever we are allowed to play."
In addition to the Catholic schools on Long Island, the CHSFL membership also includes schools in the five boroughs and parts of Westchester. With a schedule of only five games — and the potential complications of team travel with coronavirus-mandated measures — it appears likely that most contests will be played between teams in a single diocese. Hardardt explained "regional play will be emphasized depending on which schools decide to play."
The CHSFL will not use the ability-based classifications of AAA, AA and A because line play isn’t a part of the game. It more likely will have every school in a single classification.
There are nine Catholic high schools on Long Island — St. Dominic in Oyster Bay, St. John the Baptist in West Islip, St. Anthony's in South Huntington, Chaminade in Mineola, Kellenberg in Uniondale, Holy Trinity in Hicksville, St. Mary's in Manhasset, Our Lady of Mercy in Syosset and Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
