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High school football points of emphasis released for 2015 season
The Missouri High School Activities Association in conjunction with the National Federation of State High School Associations has released its annual points of emphasis for the 2015 high school football season.
The five areas of emphasis for the upcoming season are: risk minimization, defining excessive contact, the free-blocking zone, illegal equipment and sideline interference.
Risk minimization calls for coaches, players, game officials and spectators to respect NFHS Football Rule 1-1-1 which states the following: "Football is a game with the stated objective of one team carrying or passing the ball across the opponent's goal line or kicking the ball through the opponent's goal by a place kick or drop kick. The game is won by the team which accumulates the most points."
Coaches, players, game officials and spectators are asked to do the following in an effort to guarantee risk minimization:
- Coaches should continue to educate their players about the risks of unnecessary or excessive contact regardless of whether or not the contact occurs during a legal block or tackle. While the committee does not believe players are coached to make unnecessary or excessive contact with opponents, coaches should clearly instruct players to avoid such unsafe contact.
- Players need to have respect for the game and their opponent. Any action which includes identifying and taking aim on an opponent who is not aware of any pending contact increases the potential for serious injury to one or both of the payers and must be avoided. If the contact is judged as flagrant, the offending player will be disqualified and, in most states, miss the next contest.
- Game officials need to be aware of situations that are likely to produce unnecessary or excessive contact. Blindside blocks, peel-back blocks and airborne receivers attempting to secure the ball oftentimes provide windows of opportunity for these potentially dangerous contact situations to occur. Players leaving their feet and initiating contact with opponents should be penalized immediately as unnecessary or excessive contact.
- Spectators, players and coaches should not promote nor celebrate any act that endangers the safety, health and welfare of an opponent. Players should always be treated with the utmost respect. The safety, health and welfare of all players should be everyone's priority.
The second area of emphasis focusing on the definition of excessive contact defines excessive contact as 'conduct that is judged to be unnecessary, or an effort to injure or take out an opponent.'
According to a press release provided by the National Federation of State High School Associations: "Situations involving contact that exceed what is usual, normal or proper must be eliminated from the game."
The third area of emphasis calls for stricter enforcement of the free-blocking zone by officials.
The free-blocking zone is defined as 'a rectangular area extending laterally four yards on either side of the spot of the snap and three yards behind the line of scrimmage.'
Guidelines for enforcing the free-blocking zone are :
- A player is in the free-blocking zone when any part of his or her body is in the zone at the snap. All players involved in the block must be on the line of scrimmage, in the zone at the snap and contact must take place within the zone.
- Blocking below the waist is allowed by offensive and defensive linemen from the time the ball is snapped until the ball leaves the zone. Backs, linebackers and receivers are not allowed to block below the waist.
- If a ball is snapped hand-to-hand to a back a block below the waist is allowed as long as the blocks are between linemen who were in the zone at the snap, the block is in the zone and the ball has not left the zone.
- In the shotgun formation, a block must occur immediately after and nearly simultaneously with the snap because when the ball is snapped to a back in the shotgun formation the ball leaves the zone and the zone disintegrates almost immediately. The NFHS points out it is nearly impossible for a lineman in a two-point stance to legally block below the waist in this situation because of the time required for a lineman to drop from an upright position and block an opponent below the waste.
- In order to ensure proper enforcement of the free-blocking zone the NFHS calls for officials to be aware of whether the ball will be snapped hand-to-hand or to a back in a shotgun formation, player position and alignment, and which players may legally block below the waist.
The fourth area of emphasis calls for greater attention to illegal equipment. Illegal equipment now includes items that the umpire determines dangerous, confusing or inappropriate, and requires coaches to present all casts, braces and other items to game officials in pre-game verification so they may be examined. Players not wearing required equipment or wearing illegal equipment will not be allowed to participate.
The fifth area of emphasis calls for strict enforcement of sideline interference penalties. Game officials should give a sideline warning when non-players are on the field or in restricted areas in live play. A second offense should result in a five-yard penalty and subsequent offenses result in a 15-yard penalty. In addition, if a game official unintentionally contacts a coach or other non-player in the restricted area while the ball is live the team should be assessed a 15-yard penalty for a non-player, illegal personal contact foul.