2019 Rule Changes

[Sportsnut17]

I posted this on Ask the Ref, but feel like it gets little or no traffic, so I decided to post again under football boards.

1..40 seconds play clock similar to college. Starts as soon as run ends ( in bounds or out of bounds) , incomplete pass, first downs. 25 seconds,Any stoppage of play, time out, injury, change of possession, new quarter.

2. Offensive requirements: 5 on line (must meet number requirements 50-79. Must have 4 in backfield to be legal. Yes offense can play with 9 if they meet these requirements.

3. Tripping a runner is now illegal.

4. Horse collar now has added placard section of back of jersey.

5. Illegal kicking and batting, penalty reduced from 15 yds. To10 yds.

6. QB can now spike ball from shotgun, must be an immediate act. (This a NCHSAA rule only, NC is a test site for this rule)

Any announcers out there are going to love the uniform changes in 3 years. Numbers will be visible.

 

[PrepFanNC]

At first glance, I can live with the 40 second play clock. Kind of takes some of the load off of the refs. Now if we can just find the right people in the press box to hit the reset button, we’ll be fine there.

I do like the idea of making jersey numbers legible. The terrible stuff that North Davidson uses (font and color) is tough to read. Both announcers struggle to keep track of who’s who.

A number should be one solid color that doesn’t blend with the jersey.

 

[Realville Shelby]

I agree on the jersey, haven't been able to read Shelby's in years.

 

[XChamp15]

Burns light blue jerseys with light yellow numbers unreadable from press box as is Crest gray unis.

 

[Slasher Killer]

Surry Central's road uni's are all white, so glad they passed that rule. They look bad and they are hard to see who's who. I had the hardest time in 2017 figuring out which player was which for them. Is it an immediate requirement or do they have another year to replace the jersey's? That I hate for all the schools who fit in that category.

Not crazy about the spike rule.. you'll see some teams use it as leverage for trick plays now. Don't mind the 40 second play clock, it's just finding people who can run the clock properly. My school has a great one, some schools are lucky to have people who do it. That may be troublesome.

 

[Sportsnut17]

Surry Central's road uni's are all white, so glad they passed that rule. They look bad and they are hard to see who's who. I had the hardest time in 2017 figuring out which player was which for them. Is it an immediate requirement or do they have another year to replace the jersey's? That I hate for all the schools who fit in that category.

Not crazy about the spike rule.. you'll see some teams use it as leverage for trick plays now. Don't mind the 40 second play clock, it's just finding people who can run the clock properly. My school has a great one, some schools are lucky to have people who do it. That may be troublesome.

Not immediate, NFHS always puts uniform changes several years out so teams will have time to conform.

I have been told without a rather expensive upgrade to 25 second clock, current ones will be deemed not usable. You might confirm with AD about cost.

Clock operators , I have witnessed many a football game that was being excellently played by both teams and also officiated excellently suddenly go to crap because of a clock operator.

 

[Squirrel Gravy]

Hopefully the Dan Marino fake spike is illegal. I'm pretty sure that in all levels of football a faked spike counts as a spike.

 

[Sportsnut17]

Hopefully the Dan Marino fake spike is illegal. I'm pretty sure that in all levels of football a faked spike counts as a spike.

Must clearly be possessed. Must be an immediate act.

 

[PrepFanNC]

Not immediate, NFHS always puts uniform changes several years out so teams will have time to conform.

I have been told without a rather expensive upgrade to 25 second clock, current ones will be deemed not usable. You might confirm with AD about cost.

Clock operators , I have witnessed many a football game that was being excellently played by both teams and also officiated excellently suddenly go to crap because of a clock operator.

Amen to that... I’m usually pretty calm at a game... but you throw in a bad clock operator who can’t get the simplest of things done... I come unhinged. It’s embarrassing. It requires paying close attention, but it isn’t difficult.

I saw a few schools struggling with an inept chain gang too. Now THAT is embarrassing for sure!

 

[ocdavis31]

Not immediate, NFHS always puts uniform changes several years out so teams will have time to conform.

I have been told without a rather expensive upgrade to 25 second clock, current ones will be deemed not usable. You might confirm with AD about cost.

Clock operators , I have witnessed many a football game that was being excellently played by both teams and also officiated excellently suddenly go to crap because of a clock operator.

If it's true that the retrofit is expensive, did the change agents take that into effect before making the decision?
Sounds as if dozens, maybe hundreds of schools will have a big bill to pay. Or worse, no visible play clock and it's up to the official to keep time on the field and communicate well to both benches.
I think this may be a bigger deal than it appeared on the surface.
Anything on a change to the eight quarter rule?

 

[Sportsnut17]

Anything on a change to the eight quarter rule?

OC, not sure if this is a change in 8 quarter rule, but this is copied and pasted directly from handbook.

Eight Quarter Participation: In emergency or “lack of depth” situations, freshman and/or sophomore (9th and 10th graders only in 3A & 4A; 1A & 2A schools may use 9th, 10th or 11th graders) junior varsity football players will be allowed a maximum of 8 quarters per season of “on the field” play as a varsity football player. Note: Anytime a player participates in 8 quarters of Varsity competition, that player is no longer eligible to be an 8-quarter player. If the 8 quarter limit is reached during a contest, that player is immediately ineligible for further participation in that contest.
(1) This is an allowable exemption from the rule counting dressing for a game as participation in a varsity contest and will enable a junior varsity player (9th/10th graders only) to be avail- able for emergency or lack of depth participation in the varsity contest.
(2) The intent of the rule is to give coaches some alternatives for junior varsity players (9th/10th graders only) to continue to gain value game experience at the junior varsity level and still be available as a backup player in the varsity game. The following conditions must be met:
(i) A maximum of ten (10) players for 1A/2A schools and five (5) players for 3A/4A
schools may be 8-quartered during the regular season
(ii) Such players must be pre-determined prior to dressing for participation — comple-
tion of the 8 Quarter Pre-Approval Form containing signatures of a licensed athletic trainer or medical doctor, principal, athletic director, and parent/legal custodian. (If a designated player or players participated in the junior varsity contest, medical infor- mation shall include evidence that player(s) is adequately hydrated and void of injury that would render player(s) unfit to play.) The form must be filed at the school and with the conference president on the day of the scheduled game.

 

[ocdavis31]

OC, not sure if this is a change in 8 quarter rule, but this is copied and pasted directly from handbook.

Eight Quarter Participation: In emergency or “lack of depth” situations, freshman and/or sophomore (9th and 10th graders only in 3A & 4A; 1A & 2A schools may use 9th, 10th or 11th graders) junior varsity football players will be allowed a maximum of 8 quarters per season of “on the field” play as a varsity football player. Note: Anytime a player participates in 8 quarters of Varsity competition, that player is no longer eligible to be an 8-quarter player. If the 8 quarter limit is reached during a contest, that player is immediately ineligible for further participation in that contest.
(1) This is an allowable exemption from the rule counting dressing for a game as participation in a varsity contest and will enable a junior varsity player (9th/10th graders only) to be avail- able for emergency or lack of depth participation in the varsity contest.
(2) The intent of the rule is to give coaches some alternatives for junior varsity players (9th/10th graders only) to continue to gain value game experience at the junior varsity level and still be available as a backup player in the varsity game. The following conditions must be met:
(i) A maximum of ten (10) players for 1A/2A schools and five (5) players for 3A/4A
schools may be 8-quartered during the regular season
(ii) Such players must be pre-determined prior to dressing for participation — comple-
tion of the 8 Quarter Pre-Approval Form containing signatures of a licensed athletic trainer or medical doctor, principal, athletic director, and parent/legal custodian. (If a designated player or players participated in the junior varsity contest, medical infor- mation shall include evidence that player(s) is adequately hydrated and void of injury that would render player(s) unfit to play.) The form must be filed at the school and with the conference president on the day of the scheduled game.

Thanks. Someone mentioned a change, perhaps for 1A only. Doesn’t look like it. It’s complex enough that I can see where teams with low numbers could mess up. I’m surprised it’s used very often.

 

[Rameses]

At first glance, I can live with the 40 second play clock. Kind of takes some of the load off of the refs. Now if we can just find the right people in the press box to hit the reset button, we’ll be fine there.

I do like the idea of making jersey numbers legible. The terrible stuff that North Davidson uses (font and color) is tough to read. Both announcers struggle to keep track of who’s who.

A number should be one solid color that doesn’t blend with the jersey.

Agreed on ND's uniforms they wear now, they are TERRIBLE! The helmet looks really bad too. I remember a few years ago that Ledford's away uniforms were a white jersey with silver numbers. Seriously, you could not read the number from the stands, much less the press box. They now have black numbers on those jerseys.

 

[Rameses]

This is still my favorite ND uniform.

 

[PrepFanNC]

Agreed on ND's uniforms they wear now, they are TERRIBLE! The helmet looks really bad too. I remember a few years ago that Ledford's away uniforms were a white jersey with silver numbers. Seriously, you could not read the number from the stands, much less the press box. They now have black numbers on those jerseys.

Amen on the helmet. The interlocking “ND” is too good of an emblem to replace it on one side with “Marvin the Martian”, as it is unaffectionally referred to in some sections of the stands.

I’ll always be a fan of using the orange. It was nice in the 70s and 80s... they lost sight of it in the early 2000’s... With Cline even taking orange totally out in 92. (Looked too much like Ledford)

 

[Pisgah Bears]

They used the 40-second clock at Tuscola scrimmage. The only time it was a problem was on a long run when everyone had to get down the field and line up. Tough on those big linemen.