February 14, 2012
Hey ref: Rules change 10-second call
Clarifying faceoffs among other minor alterations
by Paul Quill/
The new National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rule book is out, and the good news is that there’s just one major rule change. The 10-second “return the ball to the box” rule has been eliminated, replaced by a “get it in/ keep it in” rule.
For you loyal New England Lacrosse Journal readers, you read all about it in the September issue. In case you missed it, however, here’s a quick recap, along with a few lesser rules changes that you should be aware of.
SECTION 15: Advancing the ball into goal area
Article 1: A team shall bring the ball into the goal area within 10 seconds in each of the following situations:
a. After crossing the center line with possession.
b. After initially gaining possession in the offensive half of the field.
c. After regaining possession in the offensive half of the field following a defensive possession.
Teams still have 20 seconds to clear the ball from their defensive end past midfield. Once the requirement for advancing the ball into the goal area is met, the team is free to run its offense without having to continue “touching the box.”
Under the old rules, a team that left the box had to “get a touch” within 10 seconds to maintain possession.
Under the new rule, if the offense is keeping the ball from play — in the judgment of the officials — it will hear, “Get it in, keep it in.” At that point, the offense has 10 seconds to get the ball into the box; once there, by rule, they must stay in.
Another adjustment — though not as big overall — involves faceoffs. The NFHS has made it explicitly illegal for a faceoff player to “kick, step on, or intentionally place any other body part on his crosse or the opponent’s crosse. … It is illegal for a faceoff player to use his crosse to hold or pin down the crosse of his opponent.” The “other body part” they’re referring to includes your elbow and forearm on your stick! No more “clamping” on top of your opponent’s stick; the ball goes the other way if you do.
Also on faceoffs: “Crosses and gloves shall rest on the ground along the center line parallel to each other, up to, but not touching, the center line.”
The old rule allowed gloves and sticks to touch the center line. A violation results in a possession for the team that stayed clear of the line.
Two- and three-minute penalties could have greater consequences now that a player will foul out of the game for accumulating five minutes of personal fouls. The old rule called for five personal fouls; time of fouls didn’t matter.
The NFHS also added some wording to clarify that offsides involves actually crossing the midfield, rather than having too few players at one end when a player has gone out of bounds. A team is offside only when it has too many players at one end.
SECTION 11: Not offside
Article 3: A team is NOT considered offside if a team has too few players at either end of the field has not gained an advantage because the player(s) in question is off the field of play.
The NCAA does its rules changes on a two-year rotation; expect those changes to be a big topic of conversation once the upcoming season is done.
This article originally appeared in the February 2012 issue of New England Lacrosse Journal.
Paul Quill is a youth and high school referee in Eastern Massachusetts. Contact him with your questions, comments or story suggestions at feedback@laxjournal.com
