JOURNAL SPORTS
Game officials enforce rules, and sometimes, coaches don’t like it.
Not only some of the judgement calls, but rules as they exist in the rulebook. The National Federation of State High School Associations governs how prep football rules are established and enforced.
Every season, there are some adjustments. Local coaches suggested a few in this week’s Shreveport-Bossier Journal Coaches Roundtable.
AUSTIN BROWN, Northwood: “No penalty for lineman downfield on a pass play. That always will be Number 1 on my wish list.”
JUSTIN SCOGIN, Airline: “I want to see officials returning the ball to the original line of scrimmage when they are assessing horse collars and facemask penalties. Two times this year we have committed those fouls in the backfield and our opponents have gotten 22-yard and 40-yard markoffs for what should be a 15-yarder.
“The rule to mark off from the line of scrimmage was put in place for holding but needs to be amended to not give one side an unfair advantage.”
COY BROTHERTON, Parkway: “I don’t like all the rules about where the arm band can be worn, or how much eye black you have on, or how much of your knee is covered up. None of that has any effect on the play or the game. I would like to just play the game and call obvious stuff that affects the outcome.”
STACY BALLEW, Byrd: “I’m a defensive-minded coach and this is a college rule that should apply at the high school level. The defense should have the ability to match offensive personnel changes before the ball is allowed to be snapped. That would be fair.”
Two coaches are irked by the same quirk in the rulebook….
KELLY YANCEY, Magnolia School of Excellence: “I’ve never liked the rule if a player fumbles, and it goes out of the end zone, it becomes the other team’s ball. That happened to us last Friday.
“I think the offense should retain possession at their own 20.”
JOHN SELLA, Loyola: “I’ve always thought fumbling the ball out of the end zone being a turnover and a touchback was a bad rule. Even when I was a kid I thought it was silly.
“What makes it seem even more ridiculous is that when you fumble the ball forward and out of bounds in the regular field of play, the ball gets spotted back to where you fumbled, but if you fumble the ball forward and out of the end zone it’s a turnover and a touchback. It makes no sense.”