Shoulder Width Screen ???

[BillyMac]

IAABO (not the NFHS) came out with an interesting ruling on a recent "Make The Call" play:

For a player to establish a legal screening position, They must ensure their feet are no more than shoulder‑width apart (NFHS 4-40).

In this play, the screener's feet are clearly wider than shoulder width, which would seem to support a team-control foul being ruled on this play.

The NFHS Rules Committee recently approved a new rule interpretation that supports a screen to be legal, (even if the screener's stance is wider than shoulder width), if the only contact that occurs is on the screener's torso.

So beginning with the 2024-25 season, the contact we see in this clip will be legal incidental contact.

If the contact occurs below the torso in the leg area, the contact will continue to be illegal if the freedom of movement of the player being screened is inhibited.

It will be important for officials to learn this new interpretation, which will be supported through a casebook play. The rule itself will not change, which could be misleading.

We hope this play summary helps you apply this new interpretation accurately to this type of screening situation going forward.