With only 7 seconds left in the game, down 14 – 7, as Prospect Girls’ Flag Football toed the red zone in a last push to tie their opening game against the King College Prep Jaguars, junior quarterback Libby McDonough spiked the football, throwing away a down. This play culminated a previous minute of commotion as coaches and fans yelled toward the refs to stop the clock.
“[Coach Hettel] told me to spike the ball because we were running out of time, and we needed to settle down,” McDonough said. “[It] let him cool us down and … call a play.”
Throughout the game, there was much uncertainty about the rules. There was confusion regarding how many players should be on the line of scrimmage at one time, blitzing before the ball was snapped, and a delayed stoppage of the clock toward the end of the game when time became crucial.
Instead of seeing the missed calls as malicious, head coach Monica Donner-Fogle sees the confusion around the rules as a learning experience rather than an issue.
“It’s all brand new to us; everybody is brand new to this,” Donner-Fogle said. “We’re going to be learning; there’s trial and error for things, and you just take it play-by-play.”
While the two sports are very similar, there are a few key rule differences between traditional football and girls’ flag football. Firstly, the sport is 7v7 rather than 11v11. Touchdowns are still worth six points, but there is no kicking. Instead of an extra point attempt after a touchdown, teams can choose to go for a one or two-point conversion. For one point, the ball is snapped from the five-yard line; for two, it’s snapped at the eight.
Instead of beginning with a kickoff, every drive starts at the offense’s 20-yard line. In flag football, there is no tackling and no offensive line. The defensive team must line up with at least three players on the line of scrimmage. Defensive players can also rush the quarterback as long as they start seven yards behind the line of scrimmage.
The offense still has four downs to advance the ball, just like traditional football. However, in girls’ flag football, it takes 20 yards to gain a first down, not 10. Once a team reaches their fourth down, they can either punt or go for the first down. Running plays are allowed except within five yards of the endzone or first down line. After each stoppage in play, the team on offense has 25 seconds to snap the ball and restart play.
Timing-wise, instead of four 12-minute quarters with a stopping clock, girls’ flag football utilizes two 20-minute halves with a running clock. However, in the last minute of each half, the clock stops after every play. Delayed clock stoppage in the final minute became an issue during Prospect’s first-ever flag football game. The Knights were one score away from tying the game and all of a sudden, after a lot of yelling and confusion on both sides, the referees signaled for a 10 second runoff. Many players and coaches on the sidelines expressed dissatisfaction with lost time in the last minute.
“That clock is just nonstop; those two 20-minute halves run by so fast, so you just want to utilize every single [second],” Donner-Fogle said. “I don’t know what happened when we lost 10 seconds … but [we] make the best of it.”
Despite the loss and commotion toward the end of the game, players such as McDonaugh view the game as a positive experience. In the first half, McDonough connected with one of her receivers, Amalia Andrews, to throw for the first touchdown in Prospect Girls’ Flag Football history.
“I felt relief lifted off my shoulders just because that first [drive] was all nerves,” McDonough said. “After that first touchdown, we could relax and just play the way that our coaches know we can play.”
Furthermore, McDonaugh feels that throwing the first touchdown has put the sport on the map.
“It feels so good to have a title on this sport and know that it’s going to continue,” McDonough said.
On the defensive side, junior Gianna Catanzano also made some memories during the historic game. Catanzano made multiple decisive plays on defense, including a sack in the second half, which led to a crucial fourth down.
“I remember running at the quarterback and seeing [she] still [had] the ball when I got to her because most of the time, they just throw it away,” Catanzano said. “I just thought it was super cool to be able to throw the flag. Then everyone came up and hugged me, and it was just an epic moment.”
Catanzano plays both offense and defense. She attributes this ability to her love of the sport and her desire to help the team as much as she can.
“I just love playing,” Catanzano said. “I want to go all in and play every second of the game.”
Despite the Knights’ best efforts, two touchdowns by Emmanuella Marseille and Janyla Lee gave King the edge to win, 14-7.
Although they lost their first game, Donner-Fogle is optimistic about the rest of the season.
“We are incredibly blessed with so much talent on this team, and I can’t be more proud of each and every one of them,” Donner-Fogle said. “We know going into this season that we are incredibly blessed and [we’ll] use that.”
