THE CZECH IS IN THE MAIL
There are times when six-man football can be referred to as “basketball on grass.”
The term arises from the fact that sixman football is played hard and played fast, like a basketball game.
The Sept. 19 contest between Taylor’s St.
Mary’s Catholic School and Austin Not Your Ordinary School sixman football teams was one of those times. The hometown Rams won the contest, 91-45. The funny thing is no one tried to dribble a football during the game. If it were an actual basketball game, traveling would’ve been called every two seconds.
Besides having fewer players on the field, there are other differences between six-man and the traditional 11-man game.
Have mercy
In six-man football, there is a mercy rule.
The game ends at halftime or any time in the second half if a team has a lead of 45 points or more.
In 11-man, they keep playing. However, there are some instances where a running clock will take place in the second half if a game is too lopsided.
Conversion reversal
A placekick after a touchdown is worth one point in 11-man football, while the offense scoring on a run or pass from the 3-yard line following a touchdown is worth two points. It’s the exact opposite in sixman.
If the offense stays on the field after a touchdown, it gets one point for a successful run or a pass in the end zone. If a placekick goes through the uprights after a touchdown, the team gets two points.
Defensive conversion
In 11-man football, the defense can return a blocked kick, fumble or interception for two points on a botched conversion attempt. No such rule exists in sixman football and the play is whistled dead.
Go for 4
Field-goal kicks in six-man football are worth four points but only three in 11-man.
First and 15
The offense gets four downs to gain 15 yards for a first down in six-man football.
This is a little longer than the 11-man version where it’s 10 yards in four plays.
Shorter field
The goal line to goal line distance in 11-man football is 100 yards.
It’s 80 yards in six-man football. However, both versions have end zones that are 10 yards in length.
Longer onside kicks
A kickoff must travel 10 yards to be a live ball in 11-man football. That distance increases to 15 yards in six-man.
Quarterback sneaks
This short-yardage situation play is common in 11-man football but illegal in six-man. In the latter version, one exchange from a quarterback to a running back must be made to advance the ball.
Anyone interested in checking out a sixman football game can go to Memorial Field, 1213 Davis St. in Taylor, at 7 p.m. Oct. 3 to see St. Mary’s take on Waco Christian Academy. But don’t be disappointed if you don’t see any dribbling of a basketball on
grass.
Chlapek is the area editor of the Elgin Courier and Taylor Press. He can be reached at jason.chlapek@ granitemediapartners. com.
