Maryland Girls Flag Football: Rules, Season, and Stats

Maryland girls flag football is now an MPSSAA championship sport. The move gives coaches a statewide fall season, three postseason classifications, and a championship destination at M&T Bank Stadium.

It also raises the standard for team records. A sanctioned season needs more than a final score. Coaches need consistent rosters, complete box scores, and player statistics they can review, share, and report.

The quick answer for Maryland coaches

The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association governs girls flag football as its 26th championship sport.

The MPSSAA season runs in the fall and ends with three state championship tournaments based on school enrollment. The association publishes the controlling calendar, tournament documents, bulletins, and rules materials on its girls flag football page.

Before the opening game, every Maryland coach should confirm:

• The current MPSSAA rules and state adoptions.
• The team's classification and postseason path.
• School and county reporting requirements.
• Roster names and jersey numbers.
• Which stats the staff can score accurately all season.

Maryland moved quickly from emerging status to a statewide championship. Building the stat process early will keep the program from rebuilding its records later.

How Maryland reached a state championship

Maryland's growth was not hypothetical. MPSSAA reported a progression from 10 participating schools, to 53, to 91. The association projected 132 schools for the first sanctioned championship season.

The last figure is a projection rather than a completed participation count, but the climb through the first three reported totals explains why the sport cleared the threshold for full state championship status.

The expansion was supported by both the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders. The Ravens helped grow the program county by county. The Commanders supported teams in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. Those investments helped schools add equipment, uniforms, programming, and participation opportunities.

Maryland is no longer operating as a collection of disconnected pilots. Coaches now work inside one MPSSAA championship system.

See the state-by-state sanctioning tracker for the broader national picture.

How the MPSSAA fall season works

MPSSAA places girls flag football on its fall calendar. The regular season feeds regional rounds, state quarterfinals and semifinals, and three state championship games.

The three championships are based on school enrollment. A Maryland coach needs to understand the team's assigned classification and regional path, not just the statewide calendar.

Use the current MPSSAA calendar for operational decisions. Confirm:

• The first practice and first play dates.
• The last contest that counts toward seeding.
• Regional and state-round windows.
• The classification assigned to your school.
• Tournament-entry requirements.
• State and local result-reporting procedures.

The MPSSAA page is the best calendar reference because the association can revise the schedule, seeding information, and tournament documents in one place.

Which rules apply in Maryland

MPSSAA publishes the rules materials that control Maryland competition. Coaches should use those documents first.

NFHS provides the national high school flag football framework, but it also leaves several choices to state associations. A rule used in Pennsylvania, Virginia, or Washington, D.C. is not automatically a Maryland rule.

Before the season, compare the current Maryland documents with the NFHS rules overview for high school coaches. Write down every Maryland-specific choice that affects scoring.

Maryland's preseason review should center on the way the new championship is actually organized:

• Classification and region. Confirm the team's enrollment-based classification, its regional assignment, and the route from regional play to the state bracket.
• Seeding games. Identify which contests count toward seeding and who is responsible for entering results before the MPSSAA deadline.
• County procedures. Maryland grew through county-based programs. Check whether local operating rules remain in place or have been replaced by the statewide adoption.
• Championship consistency. Make sure the staff understands the rules that will apply from the regular season through M&T Bank Stadium, especially overtime and game-ending procedures.
• Reporting ownership. Assign the person who will finalize the box score, submit results, and prepare any MaxPreps file after each game.

The association documents are the source of truth. A tournament rule sheet or youth league rulebook is not a substitute.

The stats Maryland coaches should track

Start with a core set that one scorer can maintain during live play.

Team and scoring

• Final score.
• Score by period.
• Touchdowns by type.
• Try attempts and successful conversions.
• Safeties.
• Turnovers committed and forced.
• Offensive possessions and scoring drives.

Passing and receiving

• Attempts.
• Completions.
• Passing touchdowns.
• Interceptions thrown.
• Receptions.
• Receiving touchdowns.
• Passing and receiving yards when using Yardage Mode.

Rushing

• Rushing attempts.
• Rushing touchdowns.
• Rushing yards when using Yardage Mode.
• Fumbles.

Defense

• Flag pulls.
• Assisted flag pulls.
• Flag pulls for loss.
• Sacks.
• Interceptions.
• Pass breakups.
• Forced fumbles.
• Fumble recoveries.
• Defensive touchdowns.

The result is a useful box score without asking the scorer to invent details the staff cannot verify.

For definitions and priorities, read Flag Football Stats: What Coaches Should Track.

Build the season record before the first game

Most stat problems begin with setup, not scoring.

Standardize the roster

Use each player's full name and jersey number consistently. The same player should not appear under a nickname in one game and a formal name in another.

Choose the scoring mode

Classic Mode is built for fast game scoring and counting stats. Yardage Mode adds passing, rushing, and receiving yards.

Yardage Mode is worthwhile only when the scorer can enter distances without losing the next play.

Assign the scorer

One person should own the live record. Other coaches can help identify players or clarify a play, but the scoring process should not rotate randomly from snap to snap.

Set a postgame review

Before the game is marked final:

• Confirm the score.
• Review every touchdown and try.
• Check passing attempts against completions and interceptions.
• Confirm receivers on completed passes.
• Review defensive takeaways.
• Resolve duplicate or missing players.

Five minutes of review can protect the entire season record.

Preparing Maryland stats for MaxPreps

StatHawk creates a MaxPreps-ready file for eligible final high school games. The coach saves or shares the file, then imports it through the MaxPreps workflow. This is not automatic sync and not an API integration.

The process is:

1. Finish scoring the game.
2. Review the box score.
3. Create the MaxPreps export file.
4. Save or share the file.
5. Upload it through the MaxPreps import tool.
6. Review the imported totals.

This is not an automatic background sync. The coach decides when the file is ready and controls the upload.

Follow the full process in How to Export Flag Football Stats to MaxPreps.

What good records give a Maryland program

A consistent stat record helps a coach move from isolated game results to a season view.

You can answer:

• Which players are creating the most scoring opportunities?
• Which quarterback is protecting the ball?
• Who is making stops on defense?
• How often does the offense turn a possession into points?
• Which players are improving across the season?
• Do the totals reported externally match the team's game logs?

A varsity program can answer those questions without an analytics department. It needs the same definitions and the same process every week.

FAQ

Is girls flag football sanctioned in Maryland? Yes. MPSSAA governs girls flag football as a state championship sport with three enrollment-based classifications.

Is Maryland girls flag football a fall sport? Yes. MPSSAA places the regular season and state tournament on its fall calendar.

Where should a Maryland coach check a rule question? Use the current MPSSAA documents first. They apply the national high school framework to Maryland competition and control when a state choice differs.

Where are Maryland's state championships played? MPSSAA identifies M&T Bank Stadium as the championship venue. Coaches should confirm current event information through the association.

Who sends the game statistics to MaxPreps? The coach or designated team reporter reviews the final box score, creates the file in StatHawk, and uploads it through MaxPreps. StatHawk does not submit an unreviewed game in the background.

Do Maryland teams need to track yardage? Use the requirements set by MPSSAA, the school, and the team's reporting process. If yardage is not required or cannot be scored reliably, Classic Mode still produces a complete counting-stat box score.