Flag football has arrived in South MS. Here’s how it works and why athletes are so excited
Mississippi’s inaugural flag football season kicks off this month with 12 schools, including five from the Mississippi Coast, taking part in the pilot campaign.
Picayune, George County, Vancleave, East Central and St. Martin are all on the ground floor of the New Orleans Saints-sponsored sport and actively preparing for the first games on March 27.
Athletes and coaches are quickly learning the game and have only had the official rule book in hand since early March. But the excitement and anticipation is palpable from the practice fields.
“It’s blown me away, their want-to,” St. Martin flag football and boys basketball coach Charlie Pavlus told the Sun Herald of his team. “How hard they’re going and how quickly they’re picking things up.”
Why flag football?
Flag football is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and is even picking up internationally. There are 14 states sponsoring high school flag football and the sport is set to make its Olympic debut in 2028.
The NFL is helping build the game across the South. The Atlanta Falcons have provided funding for the fast-growing sport in Georgia and Alabama, where both states now have over 100 schools competing. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have helped make flag football a highly competitive 400-plus school sport in Florida.
And the Saints have turned their sights to Mississippi after completing Louisiana’s 10-team pilot season last year.
At the base of the game’s explosion is the athletes. The sport’s success wouldn’t be difficult to grasp if you attended St. Martin’s initial interest meeting where more than 70 girls showed up to. For them, it’s about an opportunity that’s never been afforded.
“I’ve always been interested in playing any type of football, but we’ve never had flag football down here,” senior quarterback Jalyn Nguyen said. “When I was younger I tried to play football but I couldn’t because I was a girl and they didn’t allow girls on the team. Ever since it came out, I was super excited and I was like, ‘I’m going to try out and I’m going to make the team,’ because it’s always been a dream of mine to do for years now. I finally got the chance and I finally got the moment and here I am.”
The 20-plus girls that make up St. Martin’s first time have only had a taste of the sport, so far, but believe it has the same potential to blow up in Mississippi as it has in neighboring states.
“It’s crazy that this is going to the Olympics and it just shows you how serious people are taking this sport,” senior receiver Lexi Radich said. “It’s just really exciting, especially at our school.”
How does it work?
Flag football separates itself from its tackle counterpart as a 7-on-7 variation that prioritizes speed and agility. But similar to tackle, timing, coordination and having a variety of skillsets on the field are of high importance.
“Really you have to be quick on your feet,” two-way senior Brooke Perkins said. “If you’re not quick on your feet, you have to know how to catch. If you don’t know how to catch, you have to be able to grab a flag. And if you don’t know how to do that then you can kick. There’s something for you to do.”
The rules and dynamics of flag are similar to tackle, but have their unique aspects.
The field is 80 yards long and 40 yards wide. The offense has a quarterback, a center, a running back and four receivers. An important distinction from tackle is the center is always an eligible receiver.
The defense is allowed one rusher and is tasked with pulling one of two flags on the ball-carrier’s belt to end a play.
Possession after a score or opening a half always begins at the 14-yard line. First downs are static and always the 20 and 40-yard lines.
The halves are 20 minutes each and are running clock for the first 18 minutes of both halves. Traditional football clock rules apply after the 2-minute warnings.
Beyond a defensive safety, there are two ways to score: a touchdown and the point-after try. Touchdowns are worth six points and single point conversions are pass-only scrimmage plays from the three-yard line. A two-point conversion attempt can be made from the 10-yard line.
The only kicking involved is if a team chooses to punt on fourth down. There are no kickoffs, but an “onside kick” is allowed in the final five minutes of the game. This is a fourth-and-18 from the opponent’s 38-yard line. Converting continues the drive for the “kicking” team.
Many penalties are the same as tackle, like pass interference, illegal pre-snap motion and encroachment. Unique to the game is flag guarding, disallowing runners to use their hands or arms to protect their flags — this includes stiff arms. Instead, players are encouraged to use spins, jukes and other moves to avoid their flags being pulled.
It is also illegal to intentionally throw the ball out of bounds and the “tush push” is a five-yard penalty.
It’s a lot to digest, but the players are quickly and eagerly getting the hang of it.
“I’ve got girls going home and studying the playbook and they know the plays and the routes before I’m even calling them out,” Pavlus said. “Every day I leave here proud to be a part of this.”
St. Martin and fellow Jackson County schools will get an opportunity to iron out the kinks and see live action before opening week with a three-team jamboree featuring Vancleave and East Central scheduled for Thursday, March 20 at Vancleave High School.
All six regular season games will be played at Picayune High School and Southwest Mississippi C.C. to allow for the Saints to handle game day operations. The MHSAA does have plans to move games to campus locations in the near future, which will open the door for more schools to join.
The seven non-Coast schools participating are Brandon, McComb, Meridian, Oak Grove, Perry Central, Richland and South Pike.
This story was originally published March 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
