NFHS Ruling on Penalty at End of Game

[kdf5]

Originally Posted by voiceoflg

Please educate this broadcaster. In my 10 years of calling high school games, I've never seen a player run an interception out of the end zone. They always down it. Thus I always thought once the ball breaks the plane of the goal line, the ball becomes dead, just like in a kickoff or punt, except the ball becomes dead on the catch, not immediately when the ball breaks the plane in mid air.

High school ruling: once a free kick or scrimmage kick breaks the plane of the goal line the ball is dead. You are correct there. However, a pass breaking the plane is still live. If a player intercepts a pass in his own EZ he is free to down it, resulting in a touchback or he can run it out if he chooses. He can even run around in the EZ, get tackled, and it would still be a TB. He can fumble it in the EZ and have it go over the endline and it would still be a TB. The ball remains live until the down ends. In my years it seems like most of the time when a defender intercepts in his own EZ he usually goes down right away. Maybe that's where you got that.