Youth league benches 11-year-old for scoring too many touchdowns (video)

When you think about it, it’s kind of an honor. Meet Demias Jimerson, an Arkansas 11-year-old who is so good that his youth football league has dug up an old rule to prevent him from scoring too many touchdowns. After Jimerson scored seven touchdowns in a recent game, the Wilson Intermediate Football League revived its old “Madre Hill Rule”, in which a player is prohibited from scoring more than three touchdowns if his team is ahead by 14 points or more. The rule is named for Madre Hill, who played in the youth league and went on to play running back for the Arkansas Razorbacks and Oakland Raiders. Fox 16:

“I got, kinda got shocked because I didn’t know that was gonna happen, but it did,” said Jimerson. Adding, “I’m ok with it.”

Principal Terri Bryant, the defacto commissioner of the Wilson Intermediate Football League, says the rule isn’t meant to punish Jimerson. It’s there to help the other fifth and sixth graders on the field develop as football players too.

“The other players on both teams, 21 are just left sort of, this is all Demias,” she said. “So that’s why the Madre Hill Rule has been implemented.”

But the Madre Hill rule is only for fifth and sixth grades. Next year, Jimerson goes to seventh grade.

“I’m gonna run hard and bring our team to victory,” said Jimerson. Then he added, “but God always comes first, before anything, and grades second.”

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6th grade football player hit with “Madre Hill Rule” [Fox16]
Youth league institutes TD limit to hold back 11-year-old [Prep Rally]