Question on force in HS

[goodsir]

Thanks for help with my last post
Once again I am not a High School Football Official

NF: 2-13-3, "The muffing or batting of a pass, kick or fumble in flight is not considered a new force".

A's ball on A's 5 yard line. A1 throws a backward pass to A2. While the backward pass to A2 is in the air at the three yard line B3 bats the ball into A's end zone where the ball rolls out of the back of the end zone. (does it matter if the backward pass had it been untouched by anyone, gone out of bounds at A's 1 or in A's end zone)


A1 is running towards B's end zone in possession of the ball. Around the five yard line A1 loses his grip on the ball and begins to juggle the ball in the air and B2 bats the ball through his own end zone where the ball rolls out through the back of the end zone.

just want to know the rulings. my understanding that in the first scenario it would be a Safety and in the second one a touch back. Thanks for your help as well as why the ruling is what it is.

[Warrenkicker]

You are correct in your rulings. The batting of the ball by B in both situations is ignored by rule as to what caused the ball to go into the endzone, force. The batting by B is also not a foul due to the fact the ball had not yet hit the ground. After a fumble or backward pass touches the ground B could be guilty of illegal batting. So the ball was in the endzone due to A's backward pass and fumble in the two situations. In the first situation this results in a safety as it was A's endzone and in the second it results in a touchback as it was B's endzone.

In your first situation if A's backward pass went out-of-bounds at the 1 then it is A's ball there and we are ready for the next down.

Force 2-13
ART. 2 . . . Responsibility for forcing the ball from the field of play across a goal line is attributed to the player who carries, snaps, passes, fumbles or kicks the ball, unless a new force is applied to either a backward pass, kick or fumble that has been grounded.
ART. 3 . . . The muffing or batting of a pass, kick or fumble in flight is not considered a new force.