I believe there are good reasons not to allow 7th graders. MOFO makes good points for allowing, but let's examine the other side. 1. Puberty: Boys in 7th grade hit this milestone somewhere around this age, some earlier, some later. The point is that this event completely changes the physiological and physcological aspects of a player. More aggressive, hits harder, stronger, etc..... There is no comparison between a post 7th grader and a 10 year old 5th grader. 2. Too much activity: Most pediatricians will frown upon two sports at the same time at this age especially two contact sports. Twice the practice time, twice the game time equates to greatly reduced time for the body to heal. Additionally, how does the extra time on the practice field affect their school work. 3. Fairness: I brought this point up earliering. It really does not make for a fair playing field when some schools encourage 7th grade participation and others discourage/disallow participation. This is no fault of the local Lonestar program. Any team will be better off with experienced 7th graders on a youth football team. I believe MOFO mentioned that the 7th grade school football programs are in many cases not given proper attention with lack of coaches, short games, etc.. I personnally would prefer that the schools drop the 7th grade teams and let the local youth football program take these kids in. I doubt that happens, so basically from a fairness perspective, I think Lonestar should follow suit with other leagues and allow up to 6th graders. Just my thoughts.