onsides kick on the free kick
 

Okay guys not a football official, but you all know how it goes, when ever there is a call that your friends don’t understand they all ask you even in sports you don’t work. So here’s my question that I got asked:
NFHS Rules, can a team perform an onsides kick on the free kick after a safety?

Sure... it's the same as any other free kick, with the exception that a punt is allowed (not required) to be used.

Yes.

If fact, over the weekend I watched a team down 14-10 with 4 min to go in the game take an intentional safety and then recover the onside kick, they then proceeded to drive down the field to win the state championship.
Perfectly Legal.

Jasper

That Lynden coach is a pretty smart cookie...

True, but he shouldn't have had to make the decision to take the intentional safety in the first place, his QB threw the ball away on 3rd down and it should have been grounding.
I had people around me who couldn't figure out why he did that until I explained the 4 pt difference was the same as 6 and he felt he had a better chance getting back an onside kick then converting 4th & 20 from his own 1.

The crew working that game was very disappointing, the marched off DPI for 14 yards twice and for 10 yards once (half the distance didn't apply) the Ref marked the ball ready for play on a punt before the HL had called for them to even move. As a WOA official I was embarrassed that the best played game was officiated at an almost JV level.

Jasper

To be honest, as a football coach I was not really even paying attention to the officials in any of the games. I couldn't tell you who they were or what they did - I was impressed with some of the coaching and disappointed in others. Guess it's all a perspective thing...in basketball, I watch the officials. Not in football.

Canadian Ruling
 

CANADIAN RULING:

Legal.