Rule Clarification

[BigToe]

I worked a game last night. Here is the situation. A1 is holding the ball in his front court. B1 slaps the ball away from A1. The ball hits A1 on the foot and then rolls into A1's back court. A1 is the first to touch the ball in A1's back court. My partner blows the whistle and calls over and back. A coach doesn't agree and asks if R can ask for help. My partner asks me and I tell him it is not over and back because once the ball got knocked away, there is no team control. My partner disagrees with me, says that because the ball hit A1's foot, it is still team A possession and since A1 was the first to touch the ball in the back court, it is over and back. Then my partner says he is the R and it is over and back and we moved on. I should clarify, the call was in his area as well.

Question: Is the situation I described over and back or just a loose ball?

Thanks for the help.

[Dewey1]

It is over and back.

here is a good rule of thumb to remember - "last to touch first to touch". Who was the last to touch it is the front court? In this case Team A, as it hit A1's foot. Then would was the first to touch it in the back court? Again in this case Team A. Therfore it is over and back.

If the last to touch in the front court would have been Team B then Team A could get it in the back court without a penalty.

[IREFU2]

SECTION 9 BACKCOURT
ART. 1 . . . A player shall not be the first to touch a ball after it has been in team control in the frontcourt, if he/she or a teammate last touched or was touched by the ball in the frontcourt before it went to the backcourt.

According to the above, it was backcourt.

[ChuckElias]

Originally posted by BigToe
I tell him it is not over and back because once the ball got knocked away, there is no team control. . .

My partner says that because the ball hit A1's foot, it is still team A possession. . .

Well, you and your partner were both wrong in these assertions. The fact that the ball was batted away by a defensive player makes no difference to team control (in FED or NCAA rules). Once a team has control, that control continues until a try is released or until the other team gains control or until the ball becomes dead. Those are the only ways to lose team control.

Your partner is wrong b/c the ball hitting A1's foot makes no difference to team control either. If team control really had been lost, then touching A1's foot would not re-establish team control. To establish team control, a player on that team must establish player control. And in HS, there's only 2 ways to do that: you must be holding or dribbling a live ball inbounds.

Just wanted to clarify those points. They're extremely important this year, since we must always know whether there's team control in order to properly administer team control fouls.

[BigToe]

Thanks for the help everyone. I had a similar call in my game last night and got it right this time.

[ChuckElias]

Originally posted by BigToe
Thanks for the help everyone. I had a similar call in my game last night and got it right this time.

Glad to help. By the way, it's nice to see our new "BigToe" -- Sgt. Hulka -- posting on the forum.