Momentum Exception Rule in Highschool Football

[GoBigGreen]

Well I learned something today that I did not know before concerning Highschool football rules. In the Summerville-AR game this past Friday night, in the second half Summerville kicked off to AR following a TD and the ball was fielded around the 1 yard line but the returner's momentum carried him into the endzone. Both feet and the ball were in the endzone. The returner was AR's star wide out #6. Well he proceeded to return the ball to around mid-field. I am not sure if some of the Summerville special teams players thought the play was over because he was standing in the endzone, but #6 made an excellent return for AR. You play until you hear the whistle so no excuses. Needless to say the Summerville coaching staff was very upset. The momentum exception rule basically states that if you field a kickoff/punt/recover a fumble within the 5 yard line and your momentum carries you into the endzone, you can return the ball. Had #6 kneed the ball down in the endzone, AR would have started at the 1 yard line which is where ball control was gained. So hats off to the officiating crew on knowing the rules and making the proper call. I spoke to the white hat today about the game who provided me the explanation. He also said there were 176 plays in the game in which Summerville turned in 2 for review to the SCHSL. One was the above play and one was a facemask call on Summerville in the 2nd half. The face mask call was wrong as the player was tackled by his jersey and not the face mask. I believe AR may have also submitted some calls for review which included a no call on pass interference on the last play of the game. Not sure of the analysis of this call.

I would not ever want to be a ref and know there is a statewide shortage. They have a job in which they are basically ticking a group of players,coaches and fans off with every call. With that, here is to hoping we have a game this Friday between Summerville and Fort Dorchester not impacted by officiating. Come on Friday!!!

[CITYSLICKER]

U GREEN CHEATING SWINE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN EXCEPTION TO ALL THE DAMN RULES.

[Justafan]

Well I learned something today that I did not know before concerning Highschool football rules. In the Summerville-AR game this past Friday night, in the second half Summerville kicked off to AR following a TD and the ball was fielded around the 1 yard line but the returner's momentum carried him into the endzone. Both feet and the ball were in the endzone. The returner was AR's star wide out #6. Well he proceeded to return the ball to around mid-field. I am not sure if some of the Summerville special teams players thought the play was over because he was standing in the endzone, but #6 made an excellent return for AR. You play until you hear the whistle so no excuses. Needless to say the Summerville coaching staff was very upset. The momentum exception rule basically states that if you field a kickoff/punt/recover a fumble within the 5 yard line and your momentum carries you into the endzone, you can return the ball. Had #6 kneed the ball down in the endzone, AR would have started at the 1 yard line which is where ball control was gained. So hats off to the officiating crew on knowing the rules and making the proper call. I spoke to the white hat today about the game who provided me the explanation. He also said there were 176 plays in the game in which Summerville turned in 2 for review to the SCHSL. One was the above play and one was a facemask call on Summerville in the 2nd half. The face mask call was wrong as the player was tackled by his jersey and not the face mask. I believe AR may have also submitted some calls for review which included a no call on pass interference on the last play of the game. Not sure of the analysis of this call.

I would not ever want to be a ref and know there is a statewide shortage. They have a job in which they are basically ticking a group of players,coaches and fans off with every call. With that, here is to hoping we have a game this Friday between Summerville and Fort Dorchester not impacted by officiating. Come on Friday!!!

Dude a couple years ago.
Jr was face masked and drug down by west ashley 4 times .I about got kicked out. I still have video kid was huge got beat rolled then drug him down.
Then we'd go to snap we'd have to wait for big boy to get off field .we didn't substitute at all.
I need a copy of that rule book to read.

Hopefully we get a good crew.

[GoBigGreen]

He is sending me the verbiage tomorrow straight out of the regulations.

[wave 80]

Half of the players body was already in the end zone when he caught the ball.
It was just a matter if all the ball was over the goal line .
Should of been a touch back....
Offensive holding was another issue this crew had ...but it was 12 calls against one team and only 1 against the home team.
2 calls of unsportsmanlike after the play when the visiting team stopped the home team on 4th down
And they give the home team the 1st down.
Group had alot to be desired....
But hats off to Ashley Ridge they had a good enough team to win without the help....

Go Wave.

[Justafan]

He is sending me the verbiage tomorrow straight out of the regulations.

Cool

[GoBigGreen]

Here is the response from "The White Hat"(no need for names ). And just so everyone is aware, Summerville has agreed with the explanation so the ball was controlled in the field of play and his momentum carried him into the endzone at which point he was eligible to return the ball.

Below is the rule word for word out of the rule book.


It is a safety when:

A. A runner carries the ball from the field of play to or across his own goal line, and it becomes dead there in his team’s possession.

EXCEPTION: When a defensive player intercepts an opponent’s forward pass; intercepts or recovers an opponent’s fumble or backward pass; or an R player catches or recovers a scrimmage kick or free kick between his 5-yard line and the goal line, and his original momentum carries him into the end zone where the ball remains in the end zone and is declared dead in the end zone in his teams possession or it goes out of bounds in the end zone, the ball belongs to the team in possession at the spot where the pass or fumble was intercepted or recovered or the kick was caught or recovered.


Notes below from The White Hat:

Keep in mind that the exception said “where the ball remains” which means that if he possesses the ball in the field of play and his original momentum carries him into the end zone he has the opportunity to run it out of the end zone.


R-is a receiver

Scrimmage kick-is a punt

Free kick- is a kick off, like after a touchdown and extra point or to start either the first half or second half.

[NHSTrojan]

Thank you for sharing this. We had this happen Friday night, Northwestern v Southpointe. Northwestern receiving, fortunately the player played through and returned the kick. Not as successfully as AR, but we didn’t start from the 1 yard line. In the moment I was shocked it was not whistled down as a touchback.

Officials make mistakes, miss calls and make bad calls. However, the more time I spend with them the more I understand they know the rules better than anyone in the stadium or on a message board. This includes coaches. They get it right way more often than not.

[GoBigGreen]

Absolutely the case here too. Many fans thought having both feet in the endzone meant touchback. I was thinking it was the ball but still thought the ball was in the endzone too. Turns out it was. What I did not know was the momentum exception rule. Thankfully the White Hat is someone I know and he explained the rule to me and backed it up with the rule above.