3800 Manayunk Ave Philadelphia, PA 19128
215-483-9340
The defense may rush the quarterback automatically if there are two or more additional players in the backfield with the quarterback or when the ball changes hands in the backfield.
The defensive team may blitz the quarterback once during each set of downs. Only one defensive player may blitz. Upon the ball being snapped and touched by the quarterback, one defensive player may blitz the quarterback. The defensive player blitzing the quarterback must call BLITZ for all to hear, including both teams and the referees, before it rushes the quarterback or the play will be ruled off-sides on the defense. Only the player calling the blitz may execute the blitz. The blitzing player may not cross the line of scrimmage until the quarterback touches the snapped ball. The penalty for an illegal blitz is considered off-sides on the defense and will result in a penalty of 5 yards and replay of down.
BLITZING IS NOT PERMITTED IN RECREATIONAL DIVISION GAMES!
The quarterback, or offensive player receiving the snap, must call out a cadence and/or snap to start each play. Silent snaps are illegal. The penalty for illegal snaps is 5 yards and replay of down.
If games are canceled because of poor weather and/or field conditions, team captains will be contacted via email or telephone at least one hour before scheduled game times, unless the weather has changed too quickly to allow us to do so. Please call our voice mail at 215-483-9340 or check the PSSC Website Weather Center if there is any doubt that games will be played.
If a game is canceled, please follow the schedule as it is written. Games canceled will be made up at the end of the season if time permits us to do so.
A coin toss before the game will determine how the game begins. The team that wins the coin toss may choose which team receives the ball first or which goal line his/her team will defend in the first half. If the winner of the coin toss decides which team receives the ball first, the opposing team decides which goal line it defends in the first half and vice versa.
Teams switch sides of the field in the second half. The team that started the game on defense will start the second half on offense.
There are no kick-offs. Play starts 8 yards from the goal line.
The Commissioner of the league holds the right to override any and all league rules if he/she deems necessary to do so to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of league participants and the league itself.
A defensive player may not interfere with an offensive players attempt to catch a pass. The penalty for defensive pass interference is 15 yards and an automatic first down. If the infraction is in the endzone, the ball will be spotted on the 1-yard line.
The offensive team has 30 seconds to snap the ball after the ball has been spotted. If the offensive team does not snap the ball within 30 seconds of the ball being spotted it will be penalized 5 yards for delay of game.
A player with the ball in his/her hand may NOT dive for a first down marker or the endzone. If a player dives for a first down marker, the ball will be spotted where the player left his/her feet.
Any player without the ball may dive to make a catch, interception, or touch, etc
If a player is ejected from a game for any reason, he/she is suspended from the following game as well, including playoff games. If a player is ejected from the final game of the season, his/her suspension will be served the first game of the following season.
Fighting will not be tolerated. Fighting will result in the immediate ejection of all persons involved as well as a one-game suspension or removal from the league entirely as judged by the Commissioner.
The offensive team shall have four downs to earn another first down or score a touchdown. First downs are earned by crossing the designated first down markers in four or less downs.
If the offensive team fails to earn a first down or score a touchdown, possession of the football will go to the opposing team. Offensive teams may elect to punt the ball to the opposing team on any down.
DIVING FOR A FIRST DOWN MARKER IS PROHIBITED! If a player dives for a first down marker, the ball will be spotted where the player left his/her feet.
Any team causing a forfeit without at least 48 hours notice to the PSSC will be responsible for both teams Referee fees. Referees are to be paid at the start of the game, as game play will not be permitted until fees are paid. Team who forfeits will not be permitted to play its next game until forfeited games fees are received.
If a team forfeits a game during the regular season, the following penalties apply:
First offense: Loss of game and warning that additional forfeits may result in teams removal from the league. Ref fees must be paid before a team can play their next game.
Second offense: Loss of game and the league reserves the right to remove team from the league without refunding league fees.
Third offense: Removal from the league without having league fees refunded.
Fumbled balls may not be advanced. A fumbled ball is spotted where it hit the ground. A muffed snap that is dropped is considered a fumble, the ball is ruled dead, and the ball is spotted where it hit the ground.
A lateral intercepted in the air is NOT considered a fumble and may be advanced.
Ball stripping to cause a fumble is NOT permitted.
Game balls must be adult size. No youth or Junior balls are permitted to be used during games.
All games are played in two 20-minute halves. There will be a 5-minute halftime between halves.
Games will start no later than 15 minutes past the scheduled game time.
To ensure coed participation in all games, a female player must be the operative player on offense at least once every three plays.
An operative player is defined as a player who:
A pass intended for a female, as judged by the referee, that is deflected by a female player and caught by a male player is ruled a female play.
A pass deflected by a male player and caught by a female player is ruled a female play.
An operative player is NOT defined as a player who:
The offensive team will be penalized with a loss of down if a female is not the operative player at least once every three plays. The following play remains a female play as well.
Halftime will be five minutes, time permitting. The referee holds the right to shorten halftime if the game is running behind its schedule allotted time to be completed.
Holding an opposing player by any portion of his/her body, including their jersey, to prevent them from making a play, is illegal. The penalty for holding is 10 yards from the line of scrimmage and a replay of the down. The offense may decline the penalty if it wishes.
There is to be NO intentional contact between opposing players at the line of scrimmage or down field, including a Bump & Run. The team of the player who initiated the illegal contact will be penalized 5 yards from the point the illegal contact was made. If the illegal contact is made at the line of scrimmage the play will be replayed as well.
If contact is deemed excessive by the referee, an unnecessary roughness penalty of 10 yards may be assessed in addition to the illegal contact penalty, thus making the penalty 15 yards. Rough play will not be tolerated and may result in an ejection from the game and/or removal from the league as judged by the Commissioner.
The quarterback may not throw a pass once he/she has crossed the line of scrimmage. The penalty for an illegal forward pass is 5 yards from the line of scrimmage and loss of down. The defense has the option to decline the penalty and accept the result of the play.
Players may not be in motion in the direction of the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. The penalty for illegal motion is a dead ball, 5-yard penalty and repeat of down.
Receivers need only one foot in bounds while in possession of the ball for a passing play to be considered a legal catch.
If, in the judgment of the referee, a receiver would be able to legally catch a pass, but was pushed out of bounds by a defender while in the air, a catch will be awarded.
Receivers intentionally leaving the field of play are ineligible to receive a pass. This includes running out of the back of the endzone in an attempt to avoid a defender.
An offensive player may not interfere with a defensive players attempt to intercept a pass. The penalty for offensive pass interference is a 5-yard penalty from the line of scrimmage and repeat of down.
The team of a player that crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped or before the rush call has been completed will be called for off sides. The penalty for off sides is a dead ball, 5 yard penalty, and repeat of down.
There is no overtime in regular season games. Tie games during the regular season remain tie games.
Post-season overtime games will be decided by an alternating 4-downs-and-out format. Each team will receive an offensive possession on its opponents 10 yard line. The team that scores the most points during its possession wins the game. If the game is tied after each team has an offensive possession, the process is repeated until there is a winner.
All games are played according to PIAA high school rules unless otherwise stated.
An offensive team player may not set a pick for a fellow receiver. The penalty for a pick is 5 yards from the line of scrimmage and loss of down. If the penalty occurs on fourth down, possession of the ball will go to the opposing team.
If a catch is made after a pick has been called by the referee, the play will be ruled no-catch.
Note: Some acceptable incidental contact will occur while players are running routs and within the normal course of play. Picks will not be called after incidental contact.
Teams will be comprised of men and women, 18-years old or older. There is no limit to the number of players on a teams roster.
All teams are eligible for the playoff tournament. However, the league reserves the right to eliminate one or more lower ranked teams from the playoff tournament if scheduling problems deem it necessary to do so. Teams are seeded in the playoff tournament based on winning percentage and strength of schedule. The higher seeded team is the home team throughout the playoffs.
Head-to-head competition is the first tie-breaker in the event of winning percentage ties. The second tie-breaker will be the strength of schedule. The winning percentage of the teams your team defeated will be compared to the winning percentage of your opponents to determine who played the stronger teams.
Teams that forfeit more than two games are not eligible to play in the playoff tournament.
A player must be on a teams roster and have played at least three games for his/her team during the regular season to be eligible to play in the playoff tournament. A team using illegal players during the playoffs will be forced to forfeit the game.
Seeding for the playoff tournament will be determined by winning percentage. Tied records will be broken first by head-to-head competition, and then strength of schedule, points scored, and points allowed in this order. Strength of schedule is determined by the sum of games won by a teams regular-season opponents.
A punt must be declared before it is executed and all punts are free punts, as they cannot be blocked. Fake punts are not allowed.
Punts are open plays and may be executed by a male or female player.
The punting team does not have to snap the ball before punting. All punts must be kicked. The team punting the ball may not cross the line of scrimmage until the ball is punted. There is no minimum number of players that must be on the line of scrimmage at the time the punt is executed.
Downfield blocking after the punt is not allowed.
The receiving team may not block an attempted punt.
A caught punt is a live ball and may be returned up field.
A punted ball that touches the ground is a dead ball.
A punt kicked through the endzone will be spotted on the 10 yard line.
A punt downed in the endzone by the receiving team will be spotted on the 10 yard line.
The use of excessive profanity will not be tolerated. The referee may call an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on any player for using excessive profanity. The penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct is 10 yards from the point where the ball has been spotted at the time of the infraction.
The ball must be snapped to the quarterback to begin a play. Quarterbacks may not snap the ball themselves.
The ball must be touching the ground when the center snaps the ball to the quarterback.
The center does not have to snap the ball between his/her legs. The ball may be snapped in a backward lateral type fashion.
All games will be refereed by officials hired by the PSSC. Referee Fees are paid before the game starts. Refs reserve the right to cancel any game due to non-payment. Referee fees per team is $20-$25 per game. If a team does forfeit, the team that forfeits is responsible for payment of both teams referee fee ($40-$50). You will be notified at the beginning of the season the exact ref league fees.
Each team shall field no more than eight players, with at least three women on the field at all times. Teams not able to field a full team may play with a minimum of six players (4 men & 2 women). Teams not able to field the minimum number of players (6) may play a legal game with the consent of the opposing teams captain. The opposing team also has the right to elect to receive a forfeit win in such a case.
Games will start no later than 15 minutes past the scheduled game time. At that time, the referee and/or a PSSC Staff Member and opposing captain will determine if the game will be played.
A player must play in at least three regular season games to be eligible to play in the playoff tournament. Teams violating this rule will be forced to forfeit all games played with ineligible players.
PIAA high school rules will be used in all games unless otherwise stated in league rules.
Referees are responsible for calling the rush count for both teams.
The rush will be as follows:
1-one thousand, 2-two one thousand, 3-one thousand, 4-one thousand, GO!
A defensive player who rushes the quarterback before GO!! is shouted will be penalized for being off sides.
The defensive team may blitz the quarterback once during each set of downs. Only one defensive player may blitz. Upon the ball being snapped and touched by the quarterback, the defensive player blitzing the quarterback must yell BLITZ before it rushes the quarterback or the play will be ruled off-sides on the defense. The penalty for off-sides on the defense is 5 yards and replay of down.
If a quarterback is sacked, the ball is spotted where he/she was tagged.
If a male is the quarterback on a play which could either be to a male or female player and he is sacked, the ball is spotted where he was tagged and the play stands as a male play, no matter who was the intended receiver.
If the play was a designated female play and the male quarterback is sacked, the ball is spotted where the quarterback was tagged and the following play must again be a female play.
A two-point safety will be awarded if a player from the opposing team:
As a result of a safety, the defensive team receives two points and the offensive team must punt a free kick from its own 10 yard line.
A player having intercepted a pass or received a punt in the endzone cannot be tagged in the endzone for a safety unless he/she has previously crossed the plane of the endzone with the football.
There will be six or seven regular-season games and a playoff tournament at the end of the season. Each team is guaranteed to be scheduled for at least seven games during the season, including playoffs.
Touchdowns are worth 6 points. The team scoring a touchdown has the choice to attempt a 1-point or 2-point PAT (Point After Touchdown). A 1-point PAT attempt is made from the 3-yard line and a 2-point PAT is made from the 10-yard line.
Balls intercepted during 2-point PAT attempts may be returned for a two-point touchdown by the defense.
Safeties are worth two points.
No metal spikes are permitted. However, it is suggested that all players wear plastic cleats.
Shovel passes are legal forward passes.
Substitute players may NOT stand on the sidelines on fields that share sidelines with other fields. All substitute players must remain beyond the endzones during these games so they do not interfere with the playing of the game or the referees.
The Sleeper Play, an offensive player sneaking onto the field and not joining the huddle in an attempt to run downfield without being covered by the defense, is illegal. The penalty for executing such a play is 15-yards from the previous spot of the ball and replay of down
Play will continue until:
Games will be divided into two 20 minute halves. There will be a running game clock, except for the last minute of the first half and the last two minutes of play, maintained by a referee. During the first 19 minutes of the first half and the first 18 minutes of the second half, the game clock will run continuously except during time-outs, serious injuries and/or disputed calls, as judged by the referee.
Each team is permitted two 1-minute time-outs per game.
During the final minute of the first half and the final two minutes of play, the referee will stop the game clock:
Halftime will be five minutes, time permitting. The referee holds the right to shorten halftime if the game is running behind its schedule allotted time to be completed.
If one team is ahead by more 17 points or more, the clock will run continuously during the last two minutes of the game.
Unnecessary roughness, such as rough-touching and grabbing jerseys, will not be tolerated. Unnecessary roughness will result in a 10 yard penalty from the point of infraction and automatic first down. Extreme roughness may result in the ejection from the game and/or league as determined by the referee and/or League staff.
Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated. Any unsportsmanlike conduct as judged by the referee will result in a 10 yard penalty from to point of infraction.
Unsportsmanlike conduct includes, but is not limited to, taunting, excessive arguing with the referee, a fellow player, or an opposing player, pushing, biting, scratching, fighting, the use of profanity, etc.
Each player must sign a waiver to be permitted to play in PSSC games. Waivers will be provided and must be completed and handed in to the PSSC no later than the first week of play. Waivers will also serve as playoff rosters. If a player is not listed on a teams waiver, he/she may not play in playoff games.