This is part 1 of a multi-part series that will discuss the rule and case references used to arrive at the correct answers on the multiple choice IHSA Football Exam (PI). The series will run through the final testing day (September 5, 2011) and be comprised of 10 separate articles that will ultimately address all 50 questions in the IHSA test bank.  The 5 questions appearing in each individual post will be selected at random. While many of the questions will have a single rule or case reference that can be used to discern the correct answer, some will require the ability to combine and apply multiple rules to arrive at the correct answer.

When page numbers are given after rule references, you can refer to the corresponding pages in the 2011 NFHS Football Rule Book. When page numbers are given after case plays, please refer to the corresponding pages in the 2011 NFHS Football Case Book.  When unsure if a rule or case play is being referenced, please keep in mind that rules are referenced with dashes (e.g. 1-5-1) and case plays are referenced with dots (e.g. 10.1.2).

Without further ado, let’s get started on the exam questions:

Q15

Once the referee signals the ball ready for play, the ball must be snapped or a free kick must take place within:

A. 20 seconds
B. 25 seconds
C. 30 seconds
D. 40 seconds

Rule 3-6-2 (p. 45) discusses delay of game, which can be described as action or inaction that prevents promptness in putting the ball in play.  The rule goes on to discuss six separate actions or inactions that constitue delay of game (a-f). According to 3-5-2 (a), the failure to snap or free kick within 25 seconds after the ball is marked ready for play constitues delay of game.

Answer B. 25 seconds

Q39

A free kick shall put the ball in play:

A. after a safety.
B. when a free kick down is replayed.
C. both A and B.
D. none of the above.

Rule 4-1-2 (p. 46) indicates when a ball should be put in play via free kick.  Rule 4-1-2 (a) states that there will be a free kick after a safety and Rule 4-1-2 (b) states that a free kick will take place when a free kick down is replayed.  Therefore, both A and B are correct.

Answer C. both A and B.

Q47

A56 pulls A33 to assist in his forward progress. What is the foul?

A. helping the runner.
B. illegal use of the hands.
C. illegal participation.
D. none of the above.

Rule 9-1 (p. 67) addresses helping the runner.  The section states that “an offensive player shall not push, pull or lift the runner to assist his forward progress”.

Answer A. helping the runner.

Q4

Team K’s punt is blocked on fourth down with the game clock running. K87 picks up the ball behind the line of scrimmage and advances it 20 yards for a first down. The clock should next start on the:

A. ready for play signal.
B. snap.
C. none of the above.

Rule 3-4-3 (p. 42) specifies the following reasons which would result in the clock being started on the snap:

a. The ball goes out of bounds.
b. B is awarded a new series.
c. Either team is awarded a new series following a legal kick.
d. The ball becomes dead behind the goal line.
e. A legal or illegal forward pass is incomplete.
f. A request for a charged or TV/radio time-out is granted.
g. A period ends.
h. A team attempts to consume time illegally.
i. The penalty for a delay of game foul is accepted.
j. A fair catch is made.

Since the kick was legal and A was awarded a first down, the clock will start at the snap.

Answer B. Snap

Q34

A Coach-Referee conference must be held:

A. in front of the team box and on the field of play.
B. in the team box.
C. anywhere on the field of play.
D. at the 50 yard line in the center of the field.

Rule 2-6 (p. 26-27) defines both Coach-Referee and authorized team conferences.  Rule 2-6-1 (p. 26), in particular, discusses Coach-Referee conferences. The rule states that the referee confers with the coach at the sideline in front of his team box in the field of play.

Answer A. in front of the team box and on the field of play.

Five questions down and 45 to go. If you have any comments or questions regarding the questions covered or simply think I’m wrong, please let me know.

It seems the slam call at about 1:10 of the video above has a few of the fine citizens of Kansas in a tizzy. A sampling of the comments on the Kansas Wrestling talk forums includes the following gems: “what a joke”, “(t)hat was embarrassing” and “(f)urther evidence of the pussification of America“.  The last one is my personal favorite, but I digress. The discourse goes downhill from there.  There’s talk of “no accountability”, “circling in the wagons” and other nonsense.  I love the mob mentality of most internet message boards.

Personally, I think the slam call was a no brainer.

I haven’t found a single official that disagrees with the call.  The closest I’ve gotten is a single official that isn’t sure that he would have called it, but thinks he probably would have.  The officials on the NFHS wrestling forum are unanimous (which almost never happens) with comments like: “(h)eck yeah, “(a)bsolutely”, “without question” and “for sure”.

While the high amplitude mule kick prior to the lift would have piqued my interest, it was not a component in arriving at the slam call.  The key component of that part of the action is that the offensive wrestler did, in fact, lift his opponent.  The potential for a slam call exists.

Did he return his opponent with unnecessary force?

Of course, he did. The wrestler left his feet adding to the downward force of his opponent and then positioned himself to drive his shoulder through his opponents check upon impact.

Had he kept his left foot on the ground… it would probably have been a different story.

The NFHS Soccer Rules Committee has thankfully (finally?) reduced the number of official signals from a mind numbing 23 down to 8, effective with the 2010-2011 season. The eight remaining signals are the signals that were most commonly used by officials at all levels of play. These signals include starting the clock, time out, direct free kick, indirect free kick, play on, penalty kick/goal kick, caution/ejection & corner kick.

I couldn’t be happier with the change.

While some may disagree, I believe the old signal chart was simply over-communication.

If people are watching the game, shouldn’t they already know that a direct free kick was awarded for tripping rather than pushing? That an indirect free kick was awarded for offsides rather than dangerous play? Is it really a big deal if someone doesn’t know whether a direct free kick was awarded for pushing or striking? Was there some sort of confusion as to when the ball was dead?

For those keeping track, here are the old signal charts:

It has been more than a year since the NFHS, in an effort to quash rolling starts, mandated a new starting sequence be followed when assuming the offensive starting position.  More than a year seems like more than enough time for wrestlers, coaches, and officials to have adjusted to the change.

It took all of 30 seconds on YouTube to find the following video (45 second mark):

While this particular video was posted last year, I still see wrestlers doing this every week.

The offensive wrestler in the video sets his knee and foot, places his head on his opponent’s back, reaches around his opponent’s belly and attempts to place his hand over his opponent’s navel, places the near hand on his opponent’s elbow, becomes stationary, and waits for the whistle.  Instead of waiting for the whistle, he should have been receiving his first caution.

The starting sequence found in 5-20-5 NOTE can be summed up as follows: knees, navel, head, elbow, pause, whistle.

1. set the knee(s) and feet;
2. place the palm of one hand on the opponent’s navel;
3. place the head on or above the mid-line of the opponent’s back;
4. place the palm of the other hand on or over the back of the opponent’s near elbow;
5. both wrestlers shall become stationary; and
6. the referee shall pause momentarily before starting wrestling.

I know that we all make decisions every match about what to caution and what to correct on restarts.  After all, we could be there all night. In the aforementioned video without looking too closely, there could have been at least three cautions on the first restart. While I’m not advocating nitpicking, I don’t think it’s too much to ask that we all know the rule.

Unfortunately, that’s not been my experience.

You see the darnedest things when officiating youth football games.

While I wasn’t present, the above clip was taken at a Bill George Youth Football game in my area and is indicative of something you will see on a youth field that I can’t imagine seeing at the high school level.  It probably seemed like a good idea at the time it was drawn up, but it is simply illegal under NFHS rules.

Rule 9-4-3 (e) states, “No player or nonplayer shall position himself on the shoulders or body of a teammate or opponent to gain an advantage.” While case 9.4.3 SITUATION E (b) does not describe the action completely, it does provide the guidance needed to determine that a foul occurred on this play.  It states that if  ”B1 steps on the back of snapper A1 immediately after the snap as he propels himself into the air to block a punt” a personal foul has been committed.

The rule lists that no player shall position himself on the body of a teammate or opponent.  The case play could just as easily read, “B1 steps on the back of B2 immediately after the snap as he propels himself over the offensive line to make a tackle in the backfield”.

To answer the question in the YouTube posters video title…

No, it’s not legal.

Does anyone see the second foul that occurred as a result of the 9-4-3 (e) violation?