Hey-Ref

Anyone care to count how many of those hits are illegal? On the first run through I counted 8 or 9 with the helmet leading alone, and more with the tackler throwing a forearm ahead of the contact. I also saw at least one where the runner could be flagged for spearing when he puts his head down into the numbers of a would be tackler.

Also of note, Cincinnati Elder has only one game listed on their online schedule. Elder will host Concordia DeLaSalle Sept 16 at 8:45pm. No site is listed. I have heard this will be at PBS, with another game to be announced as part of a doubleheader.

I did not mean to imply Colerain is all "ME" players at all. It was just a saying I've heard. My point was being a team versus a collection of individuals. It can take a long time for individuals to function as a team. Tradition also has a lot to do with success on the field, and Colerain is just beginning to build their tradition of winning big games. Apologies for not being more clear on this.

Can you say "team sport"? Sometimes teams are better then the individual talents. Colerain has had a tremendous collection of individual talents for several years, but teams like St. I, Harding, Elder and St. X have had good teams for much longer. Sometimes the individual talents can carry a team, and sometimes they cannot. There is no "I" in "TEAM", but there is "ME".

Thre are no rules in HS governing hair length, or keeping hair inside the helmet. I would probably deal with this player in this manner. I would talk to him about fixing his hair on the sideline the next time he leaves the field. If he kept taking it off, I would tell the coach to handle it.

Offside has it right as far as HS goes. No specific mention, but 9-2-1 atarts... No player shall act in an unsportsmanlike manner once officials assume responsibility for the contest. Examples are, but not limited to... It goes on to list several examples. For removal of a helmet to be a foul it would depend on the circumstances under which the player did so, the words he used or his actions. If a player removes his helmet during a live ball play, he commits a foul for failure to wear required equipment while the ball is live. This is a 5 yard foul. If a player's helmet comes off during play accidentally, there is no foul. If the runner's helmet comes off, the ball becomes dead at that spot, and there is no foul. The NFL rule came into effect years ago after Emiitt Smith, then a Cowboy, scored a tD on MNF, removed his helmet in the endzone, and posed for photographers. This act became written into the NFL code the next year, but it is not specifically for excessive celebration.

Otech, cut blocking is not legal in high school for player safety reasons. You will note that in NCAA cut blocks are only legal under certain circumstances, which I am not an expert on, and won't try to explain. Suffice to say there are some illegal low blocks in NCAA. As physical ability and skills increase from HS to NCAA to NFL, certain rules are modified, or eliminated. Each level has it's own rule making body that makes decisions based on what is appropriate for the level. Be advised that rules do evolve with time and experience. Here are links to a list of rulechanges for HS and NCAA over many years. http://football.refs.org/rules/ SML007, you are not the only one who thinks the penalty for OPI is too severe.

Sml007, keep your 2 cents.

I stand corrected. Defensive Pass Interference is NOT an addon foul, but is always enforced from the previous spot. I should better proof read my self before clicking away. Thanks to FBRules for catching the error.

In order for the kicking team to retain possession of a free kick, the ball must either travel 10 yards and be grounded, or be first touched by a member of the receiving team. If the kicking team touches a free kick in flight anywhere it is automatically kick catching interference. Members of the receiving team can signal for a fair catch of any legally kicked ball.

Let me make this a bit more clear. There is no advantage to trying a long FG versus a punt, and in fact is riskier as FG's are more easily blocked than punts. Here's why. Scenario: A's ball 4th and 5 at B's 35, making this either a 52 yard FG attempt, or a punt. A chooses FG which is short of GL and downed by A at B's 5 yardline. 1st & 10 B at B 5. A chooses punt and the kicked ball is downed by A at B's 5 yardline. 1st & 10 B at B 5. If either kick crosses the GL it is a touchback and B gets the ball 1st & 10 at B 20. Now suppose the missed FG places the ball back at the B 35. A will more than likely punt the ball anyway rather than assume the high risk of missing and giving B the ball on B's 35. B loses nothing in that decision making process, because the FG will no longer be attempted unless inside or very close to the B 20. And good place kickers will not get as many opportunities to try FG's, taking a valuable scoring opportunity away. Most high school kickers cannot make FG's longer than 20-25 yards consistently enough to punish teams for trying and missing, and some teams don't even have placekickers to try. This changes greatly at NCAA or NFL levels, which is why the rule is different.

The penalty for defensive facemask is enforced from the end of the run, so it is an add-on. Other add-on fouls include roughing the passer or defensive pass interference when the pass is completed. Kicks cannot be returned from behind the goal line because they are touchbacks by rule. This is one of the most common suggested rule changes I hear. If a field goal attempt is short of the goal line, it is treated the same as a punt. It can be returned, or downed by the kicking team. If it crosses the goal line it is a touchback, and next put in play at the 20 yardline.

There are some very intersting opposing points of view in this article. This article points at the debate betweeen the playoffs system in OH or KY, which is oftern the topic here. Some say too many teams are in, other say too few, and some say the wrong teams are in. But you have to admit that championships are diluted. For the past several years about 1/3 of KHSAA playoff teams were .500 or worse. Maybe the KHSAA needs to go to an NCAA-like minimum qualifications of 4 or 5 or 6 wins within your classification to qualify. Maybe you eliminate districts, and qualify the best teams in a region for playoff berths. There's got to be a better way.

Bredman, you are not entirely correct about holding being a spot foul. The spot of the foul is important, but it is not always the enforcement spot. The enforcement spot is determined by the action during the play such as a loose ball play or run, and whether team A or B fouled. Holding could be enforced from the previous spot, end of run, or the spot of foul.

If the ball is truely fumbled forward and recovered by a member of the same team in the endzone it is a TD, because possession of the ball in your opponent's endzone is always a TD. However, if someone intentionally fumbles the ball forward it is a pass, and could be an illegal pass under certain circumstances or an incomplete pass if it is not caught. If the pass (intentional fumble) occurs beyond the neutral zone, or behind the neutral to avoid a loss, or if it is not the first forward pass, it is a foul.

No! Orange tinting is not clear. No tinting, reflective material, or smoke on the shield is permissable in NF. Clear has no color.

It must be CLEAR under NFHS rules. No doctors exceptions on this. Illegal equipment list includes "eye sheilds that are not clear, not molded, or not rigid". 1-5-3n