Correctable Error And Held Ball ...

[Nevadaref]

The governing NFHS rule for awarding possession after a contest is interrupted is 4-36 Point of Interruption.

As a veteran official, you must note that 2-10 clearly predates 4-36 becoming part of the NFHS rules, yet understand that once the concept of POI was added to NFHS play, it needs to work with the text of 2-10 in order to properly award possession in the cases you present.

2-10 by itself is no longer the only rule to consider in these cases as 4-36-1 specifically tells us to use POI to resume play following a correctable error. Therefore, we must heed what is within 4-36-2 when continuing play.

Now let’s examine the situations in the case plays with reference to 4-36-2.

The ruling in 2.10.1A is just wrong. The NFHS messed up. It is as simple as that. You can’t stop the game with Team B in possession of a live ball, take the ball away from Team B in order to award a FT to Team A, and then continue with normal rebounding from that FT. Possession of the ball must be returned to Team B following the FTs. That is clearly what 4-36-2a of the POI rule states. The ball goes back to the team that was in possession when the stoppage occurred. The NFHS needs to fix this case play.

2.10.1D is correct because the POI is that Team B is entitled to a throw-in following the goal scored by Team A when the stoppage occurred. This is 4-36-2b.

The same principle holds for 2.10.1F. Consider which team is entitled to the ensuing AP throw-in when the error is recognized. In part (a) this means that no change in possession will occur and the game may be resumed and continued from the FTs now awarded to Team A according to 2-10-6. However, in part (b) the ensuing throw-in to Team B will cause a change in possession, so the exception in 2-10-6 cannot be employed and 4-36-2b governs how play is resumed.