Is the NFHS going to finally adopt post scrimmage kick foul enfoecement this year? Every year, I hear it's close, but no cigar. This continues, in my opinion, to be the biggest inequity in NF rules. The reasons I hear for it's not being instituted seem quite lame - mostly skill level differences between college and high school.

Within the next few years!!!
 

One of the fellas in our association attends all the rules review sessions for the NFHS. He has been attending for approximatly 10+ years. While he is not a voting member, he is "IN" on the logic and thinking of the rules makers.
He predicts it will pass within the next three to five years. The reason it has not passed as of yet is the thinking of the "Braintrusts" of the NFHS is it is "too complex" and adds exceptions to the "All but one" principal, yadda, yadda, yadda!
While I agree that current NFHS rules are intentionally simple and therefore do not contain an entire appendix of acceptions such as the NCAA book, I concur with you 100% that the time for adjustment is at hand. Hell if you can't remember the four requirments for PSK, THEN WRITE THEM ON YOUR HAND!!!
The vote has been very close in recent years including two or three years ago when it missed passing by five or less votes. It will be on the table again this year and hopefully it can make it through some of the "loggerheads" that call themselves voting members.
Who knows maybe this is the year! Just think, no more will we have a 4th and 4 for A turn into 1st and 10 for A for a stupid invalid fair catch signal! Or, 4th and 9 turned into 1st and 10 on a defensive holding call!

Other changes you will most likely see "soon":
1) OPI will be reduced in severity! Several states experimented with it this year. Don't know what the penalty was they experimented with but any change sounds great to me.

2) 4 players required on each side of the kicker on Free Kicks when the ball is kicked. Live ball foul, Illegal Procedure, 5 yards. This was is merely or safety on onside kicks.

Once a change in OPI starts I predict it will be played with for a few years similar to when the "ADJUSTED" Ineliglible reciever down field. Remember when "inelibible" was 15 and LOD? (I think I may have just dated myself) Then it went to 15 and no LOD, 5 and LOD, and currently (for the last 10 or so years) it is 5 yards.
I think a good "Start for OPI would be either 5 and LOD, or 15 and no LOD!

My 2 cents

Ohio experimented last year with 15 yds and no LOD for OPI. Also experimented with PSK, am not aware of any problems in our area with either experiment. Have not heard how it went state wide.

### Possibly next year, maybe the year after.
This season several (at least five) states were allowed to enforce a PSK foul against the receiving team.

The OPI change was to delete the Loss of Down. Not a big deal to learn if approved.

kick rule experiment
 

Oregon experimented with the “four man each side of the kicker at the kick” this year. We talked to the coaches about this pre-season during scrimmages and jamborees. Seems to work pretty well. I Saw it flagged a couple of times. Both times the coaches ended up grumbling because they’d forgot… LOL.

BTW ……remember guys, this is a live ball foul. Just toss the flag and let the free-kick stay live. 5 yards from the PS if accepted.

Just my 2 cents worth:

I think PSK is a good enhancement to the rules. It's not very difficult to administer and, as I said in another thread, coaches will "accept" the penalty to keep the ball.

It dosen't matter to me that OPI would reduced to yardage only as long as DPI is equally reduced.

I don't like the KO rule! I don't see any real need for this rule. I suppose that it would "reduce" problems with onside kicks (what those problems are I don't know), but, in the great scheme of things, onside kicks are rare. I thought the rule that R had to have at least 5 players between the 45-50 yard line was asinine.

I'm with you. I see no reason for the change. I think someone somewhere said something about injuries? I don't remember ever thinking to myself, "Dammit, another onside kick injury!"

KO Rule
 

Agreed, AB.

Sounds like another solution to a problem that doesn't exist!

I'm for most rules that help with player safety, but I can't remember an injury on an onside kick in my career. Do we really need this? Am I missing something?

I believe the reason was to give team-R a fairer chance to recover any on-side kick attempt when Team-K overloads one side. It wasn't an injury or safety change.

You see, unlike NCAA rules, the team-K kicker can start a slow roller on the way and basically surround the ball all the way to R's free kick line. Team-K can block away any attempt by R to recover. With at least four on one side or the other, that advantage is somewhat reduced.
(not that you care, but NCAA prohibits this blocking until team-A is eligible to touch the ball and that is something they cannot do in the 10 yard area).


((opps, have my K's and R's mixed up))

[Edited by Theisey on Dec 17th, 2002 at 11:20 AM]