Another good question and you make the call

HighSchoolWhiteHat · #1 (**permalink**) Thu Dec 12, 2002, 08:59pm

A10 punts out of his end zone.
Punt only travels 20 yards
R20 fair catches on the 20 yard line.

Can the offense try a free kick from the 20 for 3 points right after the fair catch???

NFHS rules only

ABoselli · #2 (**permalink**) Thu Dec 12, 2002, 09:07pm

You betcha. They can even run a play that begins with a snap, but if there is an accepted penalty during or before that play, they can still choose to free kick and score a FG.

JimNayzium · #3 (**permalink**) Thu Dec 12, 2002, 09:13pm

Why would anyone think they could not??? i think NCAA you cannot but NFL you can...I was a FG kicker in high school so this was relevant to us...

Here is my question...back in 1988 when i played, we fair caught a punt outside the hashmark...they let us attempt our free kick, but made us kick from the hashmark...this was wrong right? a free kick i should have been able to put into play from anywhere between the hashes right?

Also, does the returning team have to catch the ball or can they just signal fair catch and free kick from where it rolls dead....

here is afunny story, One of my best friends in high school moved to NJ and played football....MIke Groh, former UVA qb...well in his sr year state championship game, his team had won like 44 games in a row and with eight seconds left the other team leading by 1 punted....he fair caught it, then kicked a 37 yard fg from a scrimmage kick...wow, the coach that had the streak going had passed away and i guess the interim coach did not know he really could have kicked a thirty yard free kick, instead of a 37 yard field goal...he drilled it nonetheless and they won....

For the record, i do think Field goals and free kicks should be different in fg distance records and they are not..because i hav eth estate record in my home state with a 61 yard field goal, but the free kicks get listed in there too...which i think is ridiculous....should be a free kick record and a scrimmage kick record, dont yall think?

AndrewMcCarthy · #4 (**permalink**) Thu Dec 12, 2002, 09:34pm

does the returning team have to catch the ball or can they just signal fair catch and free kick from where it rolls dead....

The fair catch must be made, not just signaled.

However- you can free kick if awarded a fair catch due to a kick-catching interference call.

they let us attempt our free kick, but made us kick from the hashmark...this was wrong right?

Right- they got it wrong. After a fair catch you can snap or free kick from anywhere between the hashes (inbounds lines).

HighSchoolWhiteHat · #5 (**permalink**) Fri Dec 13, 2002, 06:33am

The reason I asked this question is because when we run coaches clinics on the NFHS rules, you should see the stares we get when we tell them a free kicked is allowed.

Same thing when we tell them a tight end can't catch a pass if hes covered. We always get but hes a tight end, isn't the tight end a receiver? what is covered? The best is when a coach says, If the defender is covering my man he can't catch it. Thats when we have to explain covered to him. Yopu'd be surprised at how many coaches or officials don't understand these rules.

ABoselli · #6 (**permalink**) Fri Dec 13, 2002, 12:37pm

I have yet to see a high school team try one. The Bills kicked one in New England back in either the late 70's or early 80's.

After a while, a wrong formation just stands out like a sore thumb. Teams tend to run the same formation over and over, just flipping it from side to side. My pet peeve this year was splitting a guy out to my side and running the play the other way. I got to count B and mark the other guys spot. Yippee. It seemed like this year that's all I saw. Oh, and on the goal line, they'll split a guy way out so I'm standing right on the sideline. Sheesh! Didn't seem to matter short side, long side of the field. Oh well, enough of my rant.

Middleman · #7 (**permalink**) Fri Dec 13, 2002, 06:23pm

Quote:

Originally posted by ABoselli
Oh, and on the goal line, they'll split a guy way out so I'm standing right on the sideline. Sheesh! Didn't seem to matter short side, long side of the field.

Sheesh? Don't you stand on the sideline every play? In our association we always work from the sideline.

JimNayzium · #8 (**permalink**) Fri Dec 13, 2002, 06:39pm

Rafeal Septian kicked a free kick in the nfl in the 80s..i remember, cause i saw it on Monday Night i think...

coaches who think the TE is the TE are guys i love coaching against....

my formations are always unorthodox...we split tackles all the time like air force...we even fake passes to him as he hitches up behind the line, then throw downfield...

if you are explainind covered and uncovered to coaches this is really sad...

ABoselli · #9 (**permalink**) Fri Dec 13, 2002, 11:48pm

No, we don't. I know that's a college mechanic, the wings glued to the sidelines. I will pinch in on goal line (if not spread out by a wideout) and 3rd and 4th and short plays. I still keep my distance but I'm not on the sideline.
Not only do I get split out, they put the kid on the LOS so I have to kind of look through him to my tackle or end, then pick up the ball and goal line. I'll spend a good portion of the game right on the sideline, but on plays from the far hash or far post, I'm in.