3rd/4th/5th Grade 11 man Football

1. Kids must attend the school (virtual or in person) to be on roster.  The only exception is if a school cancels football and a kid joins another school who is playing.  Home School kids are also allowed.

2. All Kickoffs and Punts are live.  On kickoffs, all kicks traveling 10 or more yards are live balls.

3. Teams can opt to turn the ball over on downs and move the ball 25 yards instead of punting

4. Officials can & will enforce foul language or lude behavior w/ unsportsmanlike penalties. 2nd unsportsmanlike is an ejection and 1 game suspension.

5. Heads Up rules will be enforced for the safety of ALL players.  

   • No using the crown of a helmet as a weapon for both players safety.

6. No lining up over center unless is less than 5 yards to go.  This is meant for player safety.  This includes the “A” gap, must line up over the guards!

   • However, if a team runs QB sneaks, the official can stop play and let the opposing team know they’re now allowed to line up over center for the remainder of the game.  

   • The center must still be protected and not engaged until his head is up.

   • NO BLITZING ANY GAP.  DEFENSE MUST READ AND REACT.

7. Games will be (4) 7-minute quarters.  Clock will stop on the following:

• Change of possession

• Touchdowns and point after TD tries

• Incomplete passes

• Runner out of bounds

• Penalties

• 1st downs until the chains are set at the new yardage

• Time Outs- 3 per half, no carry over.

• RUNNING CLOCK when a team goes up 24 points.  NO BLITZING ON D, & vanilla offense 

It will be hard to implement a delay-of-game without licensed officials and a play clock.  Teams need to be in and out of the huddle quickly.  If the referees feel that this is a problem, clock stoppages can be implemented 30 seconds after a play ends and the ball is spotted for the next play.  We don’t want a team that is leading to “run out the clock” in the huddle.

Points-after-touchdown:

• From 3-yard line = 1 point

• From 10-yard line = 2 points

Referees are encouraged to do some “preventative coaching” as the referees.  Backing kids up out of the neutral zone, warning kids about holding, helping receivers get on or off the LOS correctly will help the games.  We don’t want referees flagging everything and bogging down the games.