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Queens can add one more feather, or in this case – flag – to its cap.

The older boys division of the NY Panthers, a flag football organization affiliated with the New York Jets, beat out 10 national boys teams to score the coveted 2008 NFL FLAG Football national champions award. On Nov. 22, the boys, whose ages range from 12 to 14, flew to Florida to compete alongside their younger comrades, the NY Panthers Co-ed team, whose ages range from 9 to 11. Jimmy Gavalas, who coaches the older division, has taken his team to the nationals five times and won the title three years in a row, a success he says has more to do with skill than aggression.

“My partner, Eddie Roscigno, and I have been coaching these guys and teaching them the fundamentals of the game since 2004,” Gavalas said. “Flag football is the grassroots approach that the NFL uses to introduce football to kids. It uses the skills and positions of football – catching, running, throwing – as opposed to tackling.”

More than 115,000 young boys and girls from across the country participated in NFL FLAG this year. Though the game’s rules borrow heavily from NFL Football, a few tweaks have been made.

The offense plays for a first down at midfield and a touchdown in the end zone. Running and passing plays are allowed, though there are “no-running zones” at midfield and near each goal line. The defensive team can cover receivers, rush the passer and grab flags to make “tackles,” according to the NFL’s Web site. And, of course, the NFL also enforces several precautions designed to ensure the safety of its young players. Tackling and elbowing are prohibited, mouthpieces must be worn at all times and coaches are not allowed to speak to or coach their players during a national game.

“You can only talk to your players before a game, during halftime and after a game,” said Mark Crames, the coach for the Panthers 9 to 11 division. “You have to teach them how to focus and coach themselves. The idea is to keep the tournament a little less intense. The kids are already in competition. The last thing the NFL wants is crazy fathers sitting on the sidelines screaming at their kids.”

After a strong season, Crames’ team lost the championship by just one point to the Cincinnati Recreation, an affiliate of the Chicago Bears. After acquiring the younger division from Gavalas last year, Crames said he is still learning the ropes of coaching. He leads a tight knit group of just seven boys, including his son Ross, whom he said are “way beyond their years as far as physical skill and wisdom.” One of the most important traits he tries to instill in his team is the ability to handle themselves like gentlemen and rise above losses, something Ross has mastered.

“We lost this season, but we’re definitely not going to let that happen again,” Ross said.

While the younger Panthers team practices twice a week, Gavalas’ boys sharpen their skills by playing weekly games in local leagues. The older boys’ regular drills cease to exist the older they get because, as Gavalas jokes, they become much more interested in girls than practice. Judging by their stellar record in the national championships, Gavalas may be on to something.

“I follow the NFL lead in trying to make these young boys into mature young men,” he said. “I allow them to coach themselves and call their own plays. We correct them along the way, of course, but by now they know even more than we do.”

To learn more about the NY Panthers, visit panthersflagfootball.com.