Rule Question

A team is in punt formation and ball is snapped to kicker. Kicker drops ball and picks it up and kicks ball. A defensive player runs into kicker. Is this a penalty in high school?

 

I dont know the answer , but this is my guess...

I think it would be considered a fumble and a free hit for the defensive player , unless the defender is a Kannapolis player, then he gets a penalty...
They always get us on stuff like that...

I wouldnt think the punter is protected once he has dropped the ball .

Remember this was an uneducated guess... I did go to Northwest Cabarrus ya know.. didnt learn a thing there..

 

Yes it is a penalty. 5 yards running into the kicker or 15 yards roughing the kicker and an automatic 1st down. The kicker is still a kicker even if he drops the ball and is awarded proctection.

 

mtnman, do you know that's for sure the rule, or is that your personal assessment of the scenario?

 

That East Burke win still sucks, doesn't it?

 

That is the rule. It is hard to call that when the kicker takes off running around the end and then stops and kicks the ball.

What play are you guys talking about? What game?

 

Here is a copy of the senerio from the NC Preps board and the Ruling on the "You Make The Call" that is done by a high school football official. I am not sure if this will clear up the East Burke game you are referring to, but I hope this helps a little.

SENERIO:

Team K is in punt formation and the ball is snapped to K1 who is in position to punt the ball. However, the snap is bad and K1 is forced to chase the ball down. K1 gains possession, begins to run and then punts. R1, who has been chasing K1, is unable to avoid contact and wipes out K1, without touching the ball.

You make the call!

RULING:

A potential kicker is NEVER "fair game" or "open season."

Also, he isn't a kicker until he begins the normal motions associated with kicking the ball. When a player runs with the ball, he is a runner, just like a running back on a designed running play.

Whether the snap hits the ground or is fielded cleanly really has nothing to do with this play. But in this situation, it is "not necessarily certain that a kick will be made." In such cases the benefit of any doubt is given to the defense. The bottom line and the judgment that the referee must make is, is the contact avoidable? If the contact is unavoidable, no foul. If it is avoidable and the defender chooses to simply run the kicker over, it would be roughing.

In this play, there is no foul, as I included that the contact was unavoidable.

 

Thats pretty strange that there isn't a ruling for a punter landing on top of a defender and screaming bloody murder, that could have helped a few weeks ago. :huh: Its also strange that the same guy caught a pass 30 or 40 yards down field 2 or 3 plays after he was "roughed". I commend the kicker for his acting ability, it saved his team the game. but thats just the way the cookie crumbles

 

punters belong in hollywood, not on the field!

Well from being in that game a few weeks ago when our player was called for roughing the kicker on a lousy call, I agree there was no penalty on the play. For one the ball hit the ground and the punter picked it up. He then tried to kick and our player tried to block it... OUr player never even hit the kicker... He landed on the ground. The punter came down and pretty much took 2 steps, tripped over our player and then fell down and yelled. The ref turns around and sees the 2 on the ground and calls a penalty on something he saw no contact at all and just made an assumption. I wish I would know who that particular ref is because im sure hes a strong supporter for the kerry party... lol srry :applause: I just hate to see a game won or lost because of a ref. Even if it was not AC. But its aight cause East Burke wont win the conference anyways

 

I'll guess we will see in 2 weeks, cause they are still playing for the conferenc championship.