Got a high school football rule question?

[footballref]

bump

[Pudding]

Hey ref. 

Since I'm bored to death with basketball, any new rules or rules being changed by the TSSAA or national federation rules this coming 2014 season?  Anything that will surprise coaches?  As I have witnessed here, most high school coaches pay little attention to the yearly rule changes, and don't really know the rules anyways.  For example, pass inteference just changed so it isn't an automatic first down anymore on defensive pass interference.  Or in the case of offensive pass interference, it isnt a loss of down anymore.  I heard of coaches raising cain on Friday nights to start the season, because they ignored these changes and were ignorant.  Just curious if there's any big changes coming. 

Stay warm.

[footballref]

Hey ref.

Since I'm bored to death with basketball, any new rules or rules being changed by the TSSAA or national federation rules this coming 2014 season? Anything that will surprise coaches? As I have witnessed here, most high school coaches pay little attention to the yearly rule changes, and don't really know the rules anyways. For example, pass inteference just changed so it isn't an automatic first down anymore on defensive pass interference. Or in the case of offensive pass interference, it isnt a loss of down anymore. I heard of coaches raising cain on Friday nights to start the season, because they ignored these changes and were ignorant. Just curious if there's any big changes coming.

Stay warm.

There are meetings each year in January. They have taken place but nothing has come out yet of what, if anything, has changed. Hopefully we'll hear soon.

[footballref]

The new rules for 2014 are out. Here is the release.

 

In an effort to reduce contact above the shoulders and lessen the risk of injury in high school football, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Football Rules Committee developed a definition for “targeting,†which will be penalized as illegal personal contact.

The definition of targeting and its related penalty were two of 10 rules changes approved by the rules committee at its January 24-26 meeting in Indianapolis. All rules changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

Effective with the 2014 high school season, new Rule 2-43 will read as follows: “Targeting is an act of taking aim and initiating contact to an opponent above the shoulders with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulders.â€

Bob Colgate, NFHS director of sports and sports medicine and liaison to the Football Rules Committee, said the committee determined – in its continued effort to minimize risk of injury in high school football – that it was important to separate and draw specific attention to this illegal act.

“Taking aim with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulders to initiate contact above the shoulders, which goes beyond making a legal tackle, a legal block or playing the ball, will be prohibited,†Colgate said.

A new definition for a “defenseless player†was also added to Rule 2 for risk-minimization purposes. Rule 2-32-16 will read as follows: “A defenseless player is a player who, because of his physical position and focus of concentration, is especially vulnerable to injury.â€

In an effort to reduce the risk of injury on kickoffs, the rules committee approved two new requirements in Rule 6-1-3 for the kicking team. First, at least four members of the kicking team must be on each side of the kicker, and, second, other than the kicker, no members of the kicking team may be more than five yards behind the kicking team’s free-kick line.

Rule 6-1-3 also notes that if one player is more than five yards behind the restraining line and any other player kicks the ball, it is a foul. In addition to balancing the kicking team’s formation, the change limits the maximum distance of the run-up for the kicking team.

“The Football Rules Committee’s actions this year reinforce a continued emphasis on minimizing risk within all phases of the game,†said Brad Garrett, assistant executive director of the Oregon School Activities Association and chair of the Football Rules Committee.

In other changes, new language was added to Rule 8-5-1 and states that “the accidental touching of a loose ball by a player who was blocked into the ball is ignored and does not constitute a new force.†In addition, roughing the passer fouls now include all illegal personal contact fouls listed in Rule 9-4-3, which result in automatic first down in addition to a 15-yard penalty.

The remaining changes approved by the Football Rules Committee are as follows:

Rule 1-1-7: Provides state associations authority to require game officials to be on the field more than 30 minutes prior to game time.

Rule 2-24-9: The intent of an illegal kick was clarified. Now, when an illegal kick occurs, the loose ball retains the same status that it had prior to the illegal kick.

Rules 3-3-3 and 3-3-4: With this change, in order to extend or not extend a period with an untimed down, time must expire during the down.

Football is the No. 1 participatory sport for boys at the high school level with 1,115,208 participants in the 2012-13 school year, according to the High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the NFHS through its member state associations. In addition, the survey indicated there were 1,660 girls who played football in 2012-13.

[footballref]

bump

[footballref]

Time to bump this back up. It's that time, the season is upon us.

[glock22]

I'm pretty sure football in Tennessee is played under NFHS rules, not TSSAA rules.

 

And regarding the band playing, if their playing does not violate a rule, how can site administration have them stop playing?

 

You can't just make up rules.

Edited August 17, 2014 by glock22

[The Drunken Sailor]

I'm pretty sure football in Tennessee is played under NFHS rules, not TSSAA rules.

 

And regarding the band playing, if their playing does not violate a rule, how can site administration have them stop playing?

 

You can't just make up rules.

The Ref can address this better and correct me if I am wrong which I very well could be.  You are correct in that it is the NFHS rules that Tennessee high schools go by, but the NFHS rulebook says:

 

Member associations of the NFHS independently make decisions regarding compliance with or modification of these playing rules for the student-athletes in their respective states.

 

I take that to mean that the individual state associations can make some changes to parts of the rules.  Also, I am not aware if there are any NFHS rules concerning bands playing but again footballref can help out here.  Also, if you check it out you will find that most states do have some rule in place concerning when bands can and cannot play as well asother little nuiances.  In one state drums cannot be played unless the whole band is playing. Another state outlaws the home team's band from sitting behind the visiting teams benches and so on.

Since there is no specific rule I guess it would fall under the category of unfair acts.  If the band playing is causing trouble with the other team hearing then it could go by this rule

 

A player or nonplayer or person( s) not subject to the rules shall not hinder play by an unfair act which has no specific rule coverage.

 

Just my thinking on it.

 

[glock22]

So, if the home team's crowd is too loud, you have site administration ask them to be quiet?

 

I'd love to see some of the TSSAA rules regarding this.

[footballref]

I'm pretty sure football in Tennessee is played under NFHS rules, not TSSAA rules.

 

And regarding the band playing, if their playing does not violate a rule, how can site administration have them stop playing?

 

You can't just make up rules.

You are right, NFHS rules. We so have TSSAA mechanics as far as where we're positioned.

[footballref]

So, if the home team's crowd is too loud, you have site administration ask them to be quiet?

 

I'd love to see some of the TSSAA rules regarding this.

No such thing as the crowd "being too loud."

[Solomon]

Is a player with the ball hurdling a player a penalty?