Player not on Roster
 

Player A is not on the team's checked roster - the coach has her scratched before the match. During game #2 Player A shows up (from a wedding rehersal) and the coach wants her now to play. Can the coach put her in with a penalty or is she inelligible? This is NFHS rules.

Coach would have to change the roster, which would be a penalty of a loss of rally. Player would now be able to play.

On a side note, I'm not sure why coach would scratch her in the first place. There's no rule that states that a player on the roster would need to be there during warmups, so in this situation, had the coach just left the player on the roster, there would be no need for another roster change.

It never made sense to me why a coach would do this either.

If a player was not present, we usually have the coach "scratch" her from the roster just in case we encounter an abnormal substitution situation. If she is still on the roster but not present, should an abnormal substitution situation arise, the team would have to play short-handed because the roster indicates that there is an eligible sub who could enter the game.

However, if there is a possibility that she is going to be there sometime during the match, I would leave her on the roster.

In NCAA, the team may never play short-handed, correct? NCAA 5.2.1.1