Bobref

Do you see yourself as a typical fan? How many like you are out there?

It’s not more football. The number of games doesn’t change. But it’s better football when seeding makes it more likely that the matchups get better as the tournament goes along.

One thing I used to love about sectional championships was when it worked out that two good teams were in the finals and you could see all the different schools’ letter jackets in attendance.

I was very impressed with Mishawaka’s offensive line. They absolutely took Northwood to the woodshed.

In some cases it works that way. But be aware of the difference between an official IHSAA interpretation, and anyone else’s interpretation of a rule. If I am passing on an official interpretation from the IHSAA, it’s going to very clearly say that, and its distribution is cleared in advance at 9150 N. Meridian. If it doesn’t say that, then it’s an opinion.

Makes far too much sense.

Won by Elder 59-58!

I suggest you communicate your concern to IHSAA Asst. Commissioner Robert Faulkens. He’s the one who decides whether an official interpretation needs to go out to the officials.

Forced sportsmanship is no sportsmanship at all. If the kids want to walk across and shake some hands, more power to them. But that single file line stuff belongs in tee-ball.

I played QB a million years ago. There was a product called Tuf Skin which was sprayed on your ankles before they were taped. It was incredibly sticky. I had that stuff all over my hands all game. I don’t get the sense that this is much of a problem. Never heard of it happening before. It would be especially ironic, in that Wilson’s agreement with the IHSAA requires the use of Wilson footballs throughout the tournament.

Here’s the Rule: “Illegal equipment shall always include but is not limited to: “2. Slippery or sticky substance of a foreign nature on equipment, towel, uniform, opponent or on an exposed part of the body which affects the ball or an opponent.” I have never heard an official interpretation of this situation. But for me, a leather treatment that is recommended and provided by the manufacturer is not “foreign.”

WTF??? 🤬

I hate the postgame handshake.

Change my mind. 😂

I have a question about the use of the product. Is it applied when you take the ball out of the box? Is it applied periodically, on some sort of a schedule, e.g., before and after the season, or is it used before each game?

It certainly smacks of a conspiracy. I say follow the trail to the ends of the earth. No theory is too fanciful or paranoid to justify follow-up where the reputation of the the Boilers’ football prowess is at stake.

What? Disagreement over holding no-calls in a football game? Egad, man, you may be on to something!

This comes straight from Mr. Faulkens this morning. Context is included, so all will understand. When the Mercy Rule was first implemented in 2019, the directive to the officials was that it constituted the only manner in which normal timing could be altered. Agreements of the teams to the contrary notwithstanding. The idea was to take the decision out of the hands of the coaches, who often had competing motivations. Then the pandemic came and the thinking changed a little bit. It was thought that with lower numbers, quarantines, abrupt cancellations and reschedulings becoming commonplace, it was best to give the local authorities, i.e., game management and the coaches, some additional flexibility when mismatches occur. @Irishman and @SoIndRef are correct, the statements in the video about Mercy Rule timing starting in the 1st half were just part of a larger discussion and not pronouncements of a change in the application of the Rule. So that there can be no doubt, this is the official IHSAA interpretation of the Mercy Rule and the role of coaches' agreement to alter timing: Teams are allowed to shorten periods by agreement in the first half, meaning a period would be less than 12 minutes, and normal timing rules are applied during that shortened period. But they can’t implement Mercy Rule timing until the 2nd half. Once the 2nd half begins, Mercy Rule timing is the exclusive way in which the timing rules can be altered. Thanks to everyone for bringing this situation to light so we could get clarification. I know it got a bit acrimonious at times, and that was regrettable. But on behalf of the officials in Indiana, thanks for helping us make sure what we're doing is right going forward.

Thank you. I will report back.

Can you share the vintage of this particular video?

Thanks for providing that. I will get to the bottom of this inconsistency and report back. Obviously, with the number of games in which the Mercy Rule is involved, there needs to be consistency on this issue.

For those who have never seen it, here is the complete text of the Mercy Rule, which went into effect April 29, 2019: IHSAA Football Mercy Rule The Indiana High School Athletic Association in cooperation with the Indiana Football Coaches Association have created a protocol to expedite the conclusion of football contests when the point differential between schools reaches a particular threshold. These measures are placed to promote proper sportsmanship between member schools and potentially reduce the chances of injury to student athletes when mismatches between teams occur. Rules and Procedures 1. Beginning with the second half of any high school football game, when the point differential between teams is at or reaches 35 points, the game clock shall convert to a running clock. A running clock is defined as a clock that does not stop during play with the exception of timeouts, scores and/or injuries. 2. Once the running clock is implemented, the clock may not revert back to standard timing protocols regardless of the score of the contest. 3. The 40 second play clock shall remain in effect throughout the contest. 4. Coaches do not have the ability to override the implementation of the Mercy Rule during a contest. The Referee shall notify the head coach of each school when the Mercy Rule goes into effect. The home team is responsible for notifying timing personnel of the running clock.

There is only one person (2, I guess, if you count the Commissioner, who has ultimate authority) at the IHSAA with the authority to offer an official interpretation of the National Federation football rules, and that is Asst. Commissioner Robert Faulkens. He has told me personally, face to face, unambiguously, that since the implementation of the Mercy Rule, that is the exclusive manner in which timing rules may be altered. The whole idea was to take the “coaches’ agreement” out of it. There, I named my source. You name yours.

First time I’ve watched Pittsburgh in a while, and I was shocked by the deterioration in Roethlisberger. He was so inaccurate. His mechanics have completely deserted him.

Just because you “can” doesn’t mean you “should.”