CHAPEL HILL — High school football rules are updated annually, with emphasis at a minimum and often times change.
The N.C. High School Athletic Association referees conduct rules clinics with teams prior to scrimmages. In addition, a PowerPoint presentation from the national federation office is made available.
The following are select, but not all, points of change or emphasis for 2019:
• The name plate area (directly below the back collar) has been added to the criteria for an illegal horse-collar tackle. It is a foul to grab the inside back, name plate area or side collar of either the shoulder pads or the jersey of the runner and subsequently pull (backwards or sideward) that opponent to the ground, even if possession is lost. The horse-collar is enforced as a live-ball foul.
• The foul for tripping has been expanded to include the runner. It is now illegal to trip any opponent. Tripping is the intentional use of the lower leg or foot to obstruct an opponent below the knee. The penalty is 15 yards.
• North Carolina has an experimental rule. It is legal for a player positioned directly behind the snapper to conserve time intentionally by throwing the ball forward to the ground immediately after receiving the snap that has not touched the ground. This changes the need to be under center for the snap; the association said it was in keeping with trends that many high schools run spread formations, taking all snaps in the shotgun.
• Key points of emphasis are proper procedures for weather delays, and the free-blocking zone and legal blocking.
In weather delays, halftime must still be a minimum of 10 minutes, even if there were a delay — for example — with four minutes to go in the second quarter.
The free-blocking zone is a rectangular area extending laterally 4 yards either side of the spot of the snap and 3 yards behind each line of scrimmage. A player is in the free-blocking zone when any part of his body is in the zone at the snap.
• Among the rules reminders for 2019, face guarding (without contact) in and of itself is no longer considered an act of forward pass interference.
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