Unabated to the Quarterback + Illegal Formation

[bisonlj]

Originally Posted by PackersFTW

you sure this is right? this would not be the right call in the nfl. pretty sure this is wrong because it is not illegal to be lined up in the neutral zone before the snap. who says the WR wasn't going to step back a half second before the snap? nobody knows because the defense committed a penalty FIRST. the offense basically gets the benefit of the doubt until the point of the snap (you don't see whistles before the snap on the offense, except a false start), but if the defense commits a penalty that stops the play (encroachment), then technically the snap never happened. and in this case, the ball was never even snapped right? so i don't think this was right.

As aschramm points out, my play was a high school game where the rules are different. Technically, no player can line up in the neutral zone after the ready for play. Most officials use common sense and give the player the opportunity to line up properly if he's not gaining an advantage at the time. If he's still in the neutral zone at the snap, he may kill the play and penalize the offending team if he's well into the neutral zone. This is where discretion comes into play and I think most HS officials use this same philosophy.