2023 AOS Football Meeting Content

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8/14/23 – 2023 Rule and Mechanic Changes – Jim Glueckert

8/28/23 – Dealing with Field Related Injury Claims – Ralph Kubek

9/5/23 – (Tuesday) Working In the NFL – Brett Anderson (No Content)

9/11/23 – Timing Errors – Bill Orris
9/11/23 – You Make the Call – John Bosco

9/18/23 – Game Management – Dave Lopshire

Dave Lopshire – Game Management – September 18, 2023

Always Be Ready – You Never Know What Could Happen!

DO NOT SIGNAL PENALTIES WHEN THROWING YOUR FLAG – Conflicting signals by Officials

John Bosco – You Make the Call – September 11, 2023

Last 7 Seconds – Why did the clock stop?

Catch & Fumble? TD or Safety?

Legal or Illegal – What do you have?

Sideline Fumble

Pass Interference?

Pass Interference?

Block Below Waist?

Blindside Block?

Intentional Grounding?

Legal Tackle of Receiver?  Foul or No Foul?  Targeting?  Defenseless?

Legal Tackle of Receiver?  Foul or No Foul?  Targeting?  Defenseless?

Hit Legal or Not?  Targeting?

Pre-Snap – Can he do that?

Who Won the Game?

Bill Orris – Game Timing, Mistakes Were Made – September 11, 2023

Ralph Kubek – Be Prepared, Injuries Happen to Officials – August 28, 2023

Play One – April 11, 2022 – Lacrosse

Play Two – August  27, 2022 – Football

Click Here for more information on IHSA Officials Insurance

2023 Rule and Mechanic Changes – Jim Glueckert – August 14, 2023

Topics (Click on link to go directly to topic)

Penalty Administration
Intentional Grounding Exception
Contact Restrictions for Receivers
Definition of Out of Bounds
“Intentional” Pass Interference
Player Equipment – Towels
Helping the Runner

Penalty Administration

Game Card available at Referee.com

Play #1 – Team A Fouls – Run Ends Behind LOS & Foul is Behind LOS

The basic spot is the previous spot for a foul by A when the run or related run ends behind the LOS and there is no change of possession.

Play 1: It is first and 10 at team A’s 48 yardline. A1 is flagged for holding at team A’s 45 yardline. A2 is downed at team A’s 42 yardline.

Ruling1: Enforce the penalty from the previous spot. It will be first and 20 from team A’s 38-yardline.

Play #2 Team A Fouls – Run Ends Beyond LOS & Foul is Behind LOS

If the foul occurred behind the line of scrimmage and the run ends beyond the line of scrimmage, enforce the penalty from the previous spot.

Play 2: It is first and 10 from A’s 48-yardline. A1 is flagged for holding at team A’s 45 yardline. A2 is downed at team B’s 43 yardline.

Ruling 2: Enforce the penalty from the previous spot. It will be first and 20 from team A’s 38 yardline.

Play #3 – Team A Fouls – Run Ends Behind the LOS & Foul is Beyond LOS

If the foul occurred beyond the line of scrimmage and the run ends behind the line of scrimmage, enforce the penalty from the previous spot.

Play 3: It is first and 10 at team A’s 48 yardline. A1 is downed at Team A’s 42 yardline. A3 is flagged for holding at team B’s 40 yardline.

Ruling 3: Because the run ended behind the LOS and the foul occurred beyond the LOS, the penalty is enforced from the previous spot. It will be first and 20 from team A’s 38 yardline.

Play #4 Team A Fouls – Run Ends Beyond the LOS & Foul is Beyond LOS

If the run ended beyond the line of scrimmage and the foul occurred beyond the line of scrimmage but behind the end of the run, enforce the penalty from the spot of the foul.

Play 4: It is first and 10 from team A’s 49 yardline. A3’s run ends at team B’s 40 yardline. A1 is flagged for holding at team B’s 47 yardline.

Ruling 4: The end of the run and the spot of the foul are beyond the LOS. But the foul occurred behind the end of the run. Enforce the penalty from the spot of the foul. It will be first and 16 from team A’s 43 yardline.

Play #5 Team A Fouls – Run Ends Beyond LOS & Foul is Beyond the End of Run

If the run ended beyond the line of scrimmage and the foul occurred beyond the line of scrimmage but beyond the end of the run, enforce the penalty from the end of the run.

Play 5: It is first and 10 from A’s 48 yardline. A1’s run ends at team B’s 48 yardline. A3 is flagged for holding at team B’s 40 yardline.

Ruling 5: The end of the run and the spot of the foul are beyond the LOS. The foul occurred beyond the end of the run. Enforce the penalty from the end of the run. It will be first and 15 from team A’s 42 yardline.

Play #6Exception for End Zone Fouls – Team A Fouls

The same exception applies if team A fouls in its own end zone. In those cases, it is a safety if the penalty is accepted.

Play 6: First and 10 from A’s 15 yardline. A1 is flagged for holding in team A’s end zone. A3 is downed at his own five yardline.

Ruling 6: If B accepts the penalty, it scores a safety. Declining the penalty yields second and 20 from team A’s five yardline.

Play #7 Team B Fouls – Run Ends Behind LOS & Foul is Behind LOS

If the foul occurs behind the line of scrimmage and the run ends behind the line of scrimmage, enforce the penalty from the previous spot.

Play 7: It is first and 10 from A’s 48 yardline. B4 is flagged for grasping and twisting A3’s facemask at team A’s 45 yardline. A1 is downed at team A’s 40 yardline.

Ruling 7: Enforce the penalty from the previous spot. It will be first and 10 from B’s 37 yardline.

Play #8 Team B Fouls – Run Ends Behind LOS & Foul is Beyond LOS

If the foul occurs beyond the line of scrimmage and the run ends behind the line of scrimmage, enforce the penalty from the previous spot.

Play 8: It is first and 10 from team A’s 48 yardline. B4 is flagged for grasping and twisting A3’s facemask at team B’s 43 yardline. A1 is downed at team A’s 40 yardline.

Ruling 8: Enforce the penalty from the previous spot. It will be first and 10 from team B’s 37 yardline.

Play #9 Team B Fouls – Run Ends Beyond Los & Foul is Behind LOS

If the foul occurred behind the line of scrimmage and the run ended beyond the line of scrimmage, enforce the penalty from the end of the run.

Play 9: It is first and 10 from team A’s 48 yardline. B4 is flagged for grasping and twisting A3’s facemask at team A’s 44 yardline. A1 carries to team B’s 44 yardline.

Ruling 9: Enforce the penalty from the end of the run. It will be first and 10 from B’s 29 yardline.

Play #10 Team B Fouls – Run Ends Beyond LOS & Foul is Beyond LOS

If the foul occurred beyond the line of scrimmage and the run ended beyond the line of scrimmage but behind the end of the run, enforce the penalty from the end of the run.

Play 10: It is first and 10 from team A’s 49 yardline. B4 is flagged for grasping and twisting A3’s facemask at team B’s 40 yardline. A1 carries to team B’s 45 yardline.

Ruling 10: Enforce the penalty from the end of the run. It will be first and 10 from team B’s 30 yardline.

Intentional Grounding Exception

7-5-2 Exception #2: The intentional grounding Exception for throwing the ball to the line of scrimmage after the passer has been outside the lateral boundary of the free block zone is now limited to the player that first possesses the ball after the snap.

Contact Restrictions on Receivers

2-32-16(d) – Definition of defenseless player for a receiver (including a defender intercepting a pass) that is attempting to catch a pass who has not had time to clearly become a runner has been expanded to limit forceful contact to:

• Incidental contact as a result of making a play on the ball;
• Initiated with open hands;
• or An attempt to tackle by wrapping arm(s) around the receiver

Penalty: 15 yards – Unnecessary roughness
Disqualification for Flagrant Foul – NOT MANDATORY

Out of Bounds

2-29 Definition of Out of Bounds has been expanded — once a player touches out of bounds, the player must touch inbounds with no body part touching out of bounds to reestablish inbounds.

Intentional Pass Interference

7-5-2(c) – the penalty for “intentional” Pass Interference has been eliminated.

Player Equipment

1-5-3(a)(5) Players on the same team are not required to have the same color towels.

Helping The Runner

Rule changes have been made at higher levels of football allowing offensive teams to pile in behind and directly push the runner. Because of these changes, we are now seeing similar plays at the high school level. As guardians of the game, it is imperative that all stakeholders work together to remove “helping the runner” from our high school game.

Administrators, coaches and football game officials all have a responsibility to know, respect and teach/enforce the NFHS rules of high school football. Football is a vigorous, physical contact game and, for this reason, much attention is given to minimizing risk of injury to all players. Each respective rules code (NFL, NCAA and NFHS) has rules that coincide with the physical development of competing athletes and their goals for the game.

The NFHS Football Rules Committee’s main focus is risk minimization, followed closely by assurance of a balance between offensive and defensive rules. Because the players on defense must guard against the pass, they are not able to counter the advantages created by “helping the runner” formations. Allowing teams to help the runner by illegal techniques swings the balance heavily in favor of the offense. Football game officials need to change their view of “helping the runner” to a risk issue (clipping, chop block) and remove it from the “pioneer call” category and refocus on ending plays when forward progress is stopped. Pushing the pile is legal; direct contact and pushing, pulling, lifting of the runner is not.

The NFHS Coaches Code of Ethics states: “Coaches shall master the contest rules and shall teach the rules to their team members. Coaches shall not seek an advantage by circumvention of the spirit or letter of the rules. Coaches have a tremendous influence, for good or ill, on the education of the student, and thus shall never place the value of winning above the value of instilling the highest ideals of character.”

If school administrators/athletic directors truly believe that activities are an extension of the classroom, they must be actively involved with programs they supervise and redirect coaches when they observe them teaching prohibited tactics.

Removing “helping the runner” from high school football will at times be met with resistance. School administrative support of football game officials, re-focus of coaches and education of players will lead to a smooth transition. All those directly involved in our great game must stay committed to trying to minimize risk to all players and maintaining the balance between offensive and defensive play.