Football

Football Rules

•  Football requires a minimum of 9 days of practice before an athlete may participate in a contest.
  • a) 3 days no contact-helmet only, 2 days light contact (bags) and 6th day begins full contact.
•  Equipment cannot be issued for use prior to the start date.
•  Length of quarters: 7 minutes for 7th grade and 8 minutes for 8th grade.
•  Half time will be 5 minutes with an additional 3 minutes for mandatory warm-up (8 total). There will be 8 minutes between games. There are no pre-games in football.
• 8th grade games are played first followed by the 7th grade games.
• Tie games for 8th grade will use the California tie breaker system: each team gets the chance to score from the opponent’s 10 yard line in four downs until there is a winner. Games ending in a tie for 7th grade will end in a tie.
  • Play-off tie breaker rule (8th grade –refer to general rule #14)
• Mercy Rule: In the second half, if at any time the score differential is 30 points or greater; the clock will run continuously for the rest of the game except for scores, penalties, injuries, and timeouts (SPIT rule).
• If a game is postponed due to weather, the league will use the CHSAA guidelines and continue from where the game left off unless there is a mutual agreement between coaches in conjunction with Athletic Directors.
• All teams will have a game the semi-final week.
  • The 7th grade team will follow their 8th graders and play the opposing 7th grade team in the semi-final week. This is the 7th grade team’s 6th and final game of the season.
• Only the top 2 teams in each division will have the opportunity to play in the championship game.
• Keep players’ boxes clear of fans and parents, with a physical boundary to keep spectators away from the playing field and sideline.
• Schools use a TDY sized football.