Girl flag football players should not be trying to stop the banned-131-years-ago flying wedge play

My son Dan’s high school varsity flag football team got knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by a play that was used against us multiple times over the course of the season. It is essentially impossible to stop because of the NFHS rules and the way the officials interpret them. And it is an illegal in TACKLE football flying wedge that was outlawed in 1894!

I hasten to add that after 48 minutes of regulation and one overtime where the score was still 13-13. That means the two teams were quite equal. Furthermore, after any close game, you can find dozens of plays each of which would have changed the winner had they gone better. So this is not we were robbed. It is an article explaining why the NFHS need to pull its head out of it ass.

The National Federation of High Schools rules committee is so ignorant of football history and so blind to what’s happening when this play is run that they now have totally unprotected by any equipment teenage girls being confronted by a mass of seven tightly-packed offensive players who surround their ball carrier and charge at the defenders at full speed.
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I would like to put a video clip of the play here but I am not sure how to do that. You will probably see it in 90% of girls flag football games
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In the late 1800s and early 1900s, football was very popular but deadly. Every year then, multiple college football players were killed literally by a play called the flying wedge. There was a growing outcry to outlaw the sport because of the deaths.
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Theodore Roosevelt, a Harvard college grad, loved the sport and opposed outlawing it, but he did order the football leaders to fix the problem. Here is an article about Roosevelt’s actions:
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https://www.history.com/articles/how-teddy-roosevelt-saved-football
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He got the rules changed in part by allowing far more passing as a way of making the game more athletic and less brute force. That was genius. We cannot imagine football without forward passing today.
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NCAA Rule 9, Section 3, Article 2b, specifically bans players from assisting a runner's forward progress in a mass-momentum fashion.
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Roosevelt also created the neutral zone which is the length of the football in tackle. But in girls flag NFHS rules, the neutral zone is wider—one yard—which is sometimes the distance to the goal line!
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Most important for death prevention was outlawing mass formations. In 1905–1910, they banned dangerous, interlocking offensive formations like the "flying wedge," where players would group together to charge headfirst into the defense, causing numerous injuries and deaths.
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Google AI says, “Pressure for reform peaked in 1905, dubbed the "Death Harvest," when as many as 19 college players were killed and more than 150 were seriously injured. In response, several universities, including Columbia and Stanford, temporarily suspended their football programs, while others threatened to do the same unless the game became safer.”
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My son played football for Columbia in 1999-2003.
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Google AI says, “The "flying wedge" was a dangerous mass-momentum play in early American football that was reformed through a series of rule changes... 
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”The reforms banned key components of the play and led to the evolution of modern football. These changes occurred in several stages and were driven by safety concerns.
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”Initial flying wedge (1890s)
The play: The original flying wedge, invented by Harvard's Lorin F. Deland, was a kickoff play where the kicking team's players would form a "V" shape behind the ball, link arms, and charge down the field as a single mass ahead of the ball carrier.
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”The problem: With little protective equipment, defenders trying to stop the wedge were at high risk of serious injury from the coordinated, high-speed collision. The sheer violence of the play nearly led to football being banned entirely.
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”The 1894 reforms

• The kicker was required to send the ball at least 10 yards downfield.
• No more than three players could mass together more than five yards behind where the ball was put in play.
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”The 1910 reforms
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”No interlocking arms: This rule prohibited players from linking arms to form a solid mass of blockers.
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”Banned pushing or pulling the runner: This prevented the offensive team from using their weight to propel the ball carrier forward.
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”Continued reforms and modern rules
Even with the early reforms, wedge-blocking formations continued to evolve on kick returns. More rules were needed in the 21st century to address the ongoing player safety risks.
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”Kickoff-return wedge banned: In 2009, the NFL banned three-or-more-player wedges on kick returns.
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”Two-player wedge banned: Both college football and the NFL have further tightened restrictions on kick returns, with college football banning two-player wedges in 2019.
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In other words, a ball carrier may have one lead blocker, not two or more side-by-side charging down the field with a ball carrier behind them.
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”Modern limitations: Current rules define a wedge as two or more players aligned shoulder-to-shoulder within two yards of each other. Blocking in this formation on kick returns is now illegal.”
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The formation of the NCAA: After a particularly violent season in 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to abolish college football if reforms were not made. This led to the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, which later became the NCAA. 

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The current NFHS rules for BOYS TACKLE are more protective of the heavily-padded boys than the girls flag rules are protective of the totally-unprotected girls.
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Google AI says, “The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rules ban the "mass momentum play," where multiple players move forward before the ball is put into play, and the "wedge formation" where three or more players intentionally form a wedge to block for the ball carrier after a free kick.
• Mass momentum plays: The rules outlaw any play where more than three players on the team possessing the ball start moving forward before the ball is put in play.
• Wedge formation on free kicks: After the ball has been kicked on a free kick (punt, kickoff, etc.), it is illegal for three or more members of the receiving team to intentionally form a wedge to block for the ball carrier.
Rule context: These rules were implemented to address player safety concerns associated with high-speed collisions and are distinct from older formations that were outlawed in the 1890s.
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Rules requiring seven players on the line of scrimmage were also instituted to break up these mass formations. NFHS girls flag rules make ALL players eligible.
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NOTE: Linking arms was ONE of the things outlawed, NOT the ONLY thing that was outlawed You cannot even have more than one player running side-by-side.
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More Google AI: “AI Overview

The NFL rule that bans mass momentum plays dates back to a rule prohibiting players from "helping the runner" which existed from 1920 until 2005. This rule, designed to prevent safety risks associated with mass plays, banned players from pushing or pulling a ball carrier forward after contact. While this specific rule was changed in 2005, the debate over "Tush Push"-like plays has led to recent discussions about possibly reinstating it.
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Let’s make sure everyone understands this. Wedge plays were outlawed absolutely. NFL, perhaps understandably simplified that ban down to one all-purpose ban on aiding the runner. Wedges are a form of aiding the runner. But then not long ago, they got rid of that to allow the Tush Push but forgot that the deadly wedge play was the original may-not-aid-the-runner rule.

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• Current Status: The NFL has not reinstated the old rule, but there are ongoing discussions about a potential ban of all pushing of ball carriers, as NFL owners are divided on the issue. 

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The Tush Push should be eliminated because the officials cannot see where the ball is. It is also going to get someone badly injured. But the NFHS girls flag bunch play is far more dangerous and unfair to the defense.
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Google AI says, “The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rules ban the "mass momentum play," where multiple players move forward before the ball is put into play, and the "wedge formation" where three or more players intentionally form a wedge to block for the ball carrier after a free kick.
• Mass momentum plays: The rules outlaw any play where more than three players on the team possessing the ball start moving forward before the ball is put in play.
• Wedge formation on free kicks: After the ball has been kicked on a free kick (punt, kickoff, etc.), it is illegal for three or more members of the receiving team to intentionally form a wedge to block for the ball carrier.
Rule context: These rules were implemented to address player safety concerns associated with high-speed collisions and are distinct from older formations that were outlawed in the 1890s.
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Rules requiring seven players on the line of scrimmage were also instituted to break up these mass formations. NFHS girls flag rules do NOT require ANY number of players on the line of scrimmage other than the snapper thereby allowing dangerous unfair mass wedge formations.
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NOTE: Linking arms was ONE of the things outlawed, NOT the ONLY thing. You cannot even have more than one player running side-by-side.
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More Google AI: “AI Overview
As mass plays threatened the future of football in the 1890s ...
The NFL rule that bans mass momentum plays dates back to a rule prohibiting players from "helping the runner" which existed from 1920 until 2005. This rule, designed to prevent safety risks associated with mass plays, banned players from pushing or pulling a ball carrier forward after contact. While this specific rule was changed in 2005, the debate over "Tush Push"-like plays has led to recent discussions about possibly reinstating it.
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• 1920-2005: The NFL had a rule in place that prohibited pushing or helping a runner, a rule that originated from concerns about safety and the dangerous mass momentum plays of the past.
• 2005: This rule was eliminated, which created the opening for plays like the "Tush Push" to develop.
• Current Status: The NFL has not reinstated the old rule, but there are ongoing discussions about a potential ban of all pushing of ball carriers, as owners are divided on the issue.
Key takeaway: The ban on mass momentum plays is not a single, current rule but a historical one that was in place for decades and is now the subject of renewed debate due to the rise of plays like the "Tush Push,"
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The Tush Push should be eliminated because the officials cannot see where the ball is. It is also going to get someone badly injured. But the NFHS girls flag bunch play is far more dangerous and unfair to the defense.
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1. The girls in flag football have less padding protection than even girl soccer players. The only protective gear worn by girls flag players is a mouth/lip/teeth guard.
2. The flag bunch play is a tightly packed huddle that charges forward at full speed with the ball carrier hidden inside the middle. That arguably obviously violates the following NFHS flag rules:
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Rule 2 Section 3 Blocking
Article 1 Blocking is obstructing an opponent by contacting them with any part of the blocker’s body. Blocking is illegal 10-yard penalty
Article 2 Screen blocking is taking position to obstruct the path of an opponent without contacting the opponent with any part of the blockers’ body.
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Rule 9 Section 2 Article 2 The runner shall not: PENALTY: Flag Guarding 10 yards
c. Use hand or arms, or the ball where contact occurs between the runner and an opponent that denies the opportunity for an opponent to pull or remove the flag or flag belt. [The flying bunch formation does not use the ball carrier’s hands to flag guard, but it DOES use the bodies of the six blockers to far more effectively prevent the defenders from pulling the ball carrier’s flag. When the ball carrier is tightly surrounded by teammates, the defenders cannot even SEE the ball carrier’s flag, let alone pull it.]
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Rule 2 Section 20 Line of Scrimmage
The line of scrimmage for the team on offense is a vertical plane through the point of the ball nearest that team’s goal line. The line of scrimmage for the team on defense is 1 yard beyond the vertical plane through the point of the ball nearest that defensive team’s goal line... [This gives the flag bunch formation a running start at the defense in short yardage situations because if the defense charges forward across the one-yard-wide neutral zone after the snap, they will be penalized for illegal contact. But although the same illegal contact rule applies to the offense, the offense invariably charge and the officials do not penalize them.]
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Rule 9 Conduct of players and Others
Section 1 Helping the runner
An A player shall not push, pull, or lift the runner to assist the runner’s forward progress. [The tightly packed bunch likely has bodies of the non-ball carriers touching and thereby pushing the ball carrier.]
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Rule 9 Section 2 Article 3 A defensive player shall not:
a. Initiate contact with an opponent. PENALTY: Illegal use of the hands or arms 10 yards
d. Initiate contact with an eligible receiver. PENALTY: Illegal use of the hands or arms 10 yards [ALL the players in the flying bunch are eligible receivers.]
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Section 3 Blocking
Article 1 Blocking by any player is illegal unless it is a screen block. PENALTY: Illegal blocking 10 yards
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Article 3 No player...shall fight.

b. Charge into or throw an opponent to the ground.
d. Position themselves on the shoulders or body of a teammate or opponent to gain an advantage.
g. Make any other contact with an opponent, which is deemed unnecessary or excessive and which incites roughness
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NFHS Flag rules must be changed to prohibit surrounding the ball carrier with teammates who essentially prevent defenders from being able to grab the ball-carrier’s flag. Existing rules against the offensive bunch formation from initiating contact with defenders must be enforced. To enable defenders to stop the offense in short-yardage situations, the one yard neutral zone for defenders (which pushes defenders two feet back from the forward point of the football) must be replaced with the tackle-football neutral zone which is only the length of the football. At present, allowing the flying bunch formation play has turned short yardage situations into “gimmes” for the offense.