Published: 12:02 AM, Wed Jul 07, 2010
Prep football's sideline belt rule given teeth
By Earl Vaughan jr.
It's been six years since a Texas high school football coach suffered severe injuries after stepping onto the playing field during a game and colliding with an official.
That case helped prompt a change in national high school football rules. Starting two seasons ago, coaches and players were forbidden from entering a two-yard belt around the field, except in special situations and in limited numbers.
The penalties for violating the rule are being stiffened in North Carolina this season - a coach can be ejected after a second violation. Still, some officials say players and coaches need to observe the rule better.
Like some of his peers, Mark Edwards, who's been officiating for 16 years, says he's seen improved team enforcement of the restricted zone. But he added that whether or not players respect the rule largely comes down to the attitude of the team's head coach.
"If he buys into it, he's got a guy who takes care of it, and they don't fool around with it,'' he said.
Edwards was referring to what many officials call "the get-back coach,'' an assistant charged with making sure everyone stays out of the restricted zone.
But until all coaches take the rule seriously, Edwards said, officials will be distracted from their other game duties.
"It's annoying for us to do this kind of sideline policing,'' he said. "If they would just do it, it wouldn't be a problem.''
Further complicating the matter are non-team members who hang out on the sidelines. Eddie Melvin, who has been officiating for eight years, says boosters, fans and media members who are given sideline access often creep too close to the action. "The problem increased dramatically over the course of time,'' Melvin said.
Getting people to accept the rule was tough, Melvin said. "It's hard to reverse habits of 20 or 30 some odd years,'' he said. "After the first couple of weeks, coaches began to see it as a tool. We saw more teams with a get-back coach. It made for a cleaner game.''
Unique perspective
Jack Hussey has a unique perspective on the sideline belt rule. He's been a football official since 1985 but he also spent 15 years as a football coach.
"I don't understand why a guy can't see just as well three feet away from the sideline,'' Hussey said.
Hussey said the scariest plays for side judges are those where the ball changes possession unexpectedly, and the other team starts running down the field in the opposite direction the play started.
"You look up and half the jayvee coaching staff is on the field. You have so many coaches. They even have sideline passes for some of the fans,'' he said
Errol Daniels has been officiating 12 years. He said coaches and players who get on the field during live ball situations could hurt themselves and their team.
"It hinders me as an official and sometimes it can influence what goes on in the play,'' he said. "It becomes a dangerous situation.''
Last year, the initial violation drew only a team warning and no penalty. If there is unintentional contact between a non-player and an official in the restricted area during a play this year, the offending team will be penalized 15 yards.
If it happens a second time, another 15-yard penalty will be called and the coach will be disqualified for the rest of the game.
"There are teeth in the rule this year, and I think it will alleviate a lot of that,'' Daniels said. "The rule is made to protect everybody, not just officials.''
Scholastic sports editor Earl Vaughan Jr. can be reached at vaughane@fayobserver.com or 486-3519.