KICK A Publication of the Louisiana Football Coaches Association August 2014

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1 Louisiana KICK A Publication of the Louisiana Football Coaches Association August 2014 FF LFCA News to the Quick Do you have a player or players you would like to nominate for the All-Star game? Nominations must be sent to the LHSAA by August 18, Are you interested in coaching in this year s All-Star Game? Complete form on our website: and return to the LHSCA (Gary Duhe at the LHSAA) by December 1, The LFCA has approved a dues increase to $50 per year starting December 1, 2014 for the 2015 season. Applications for LFCA Scholarship must be filed by December 31, Please visit the website ( for form and information. New to the LFCA we will compile a Composite All-State Football Team and hold a banquet in April 2015 honoring the recipients. This includes Coaches of the Year. NEW LSU TICKET information: A) YOU MUST HAVE PICTURE I.D. (i.e. DRIVERS LICENSE) B) YOU MUST HAVE YOUR 2014 LFCA CARD. C) BECAUSE OF CONSTRUCTION: THE DIRECTIONS TO THE GATE MIGHT BE A LITTLE CONFUSING, BECAUSE THERE IS NO GATE NUMBER OR LETTER, BUT IT IS APPROXI- MATELY IN THE SAME PLACE AS LAST YEAR. THE ENTRANCE IS ABOUT 75 YARDS AWAY FROM GATE 1 ON SOUTH STADIUM DRIVE AND ABOUT 25 YARDS PAST THE GUARD GATE ON SOUTH STADIUM DRIVE.

2 Page 2 Louisiana KICK FF New Season = New Rules Well, how was your summer? Practice, camps, and 7 on 7 s; 7 on 7 s, camps and practice, well, hopefully you worked a vacation in there with the family. With all of that out of the way, I only have one question. Are you ready for some FOOTBALL? Of course you are. To get it started let s take a look at the changes that have occurred in the past year, first with LHSAA and the new attendance zone regulation and the LHSAA s attempt to help clarify all questions and concerns regarding the implementation of the new athletic attendance zones for the school year. At its March 26, 2014 meeting, the Executive Committee gave interpretations for the implementation of the new rule adopted by the membership in January It was determined that during the summer of 2014 both the old rule and the new rule can be applied to a student so that student will receive the benefits of either rule to make him/her eligible for participation. The new rule, Rule , found below will be the only rule that will be applied after the first day of your school for the school year. After your first day of school, the old rule will no longer be applicable. Rule does not supersede the Local Education Authority zones; a parish with multiple high schools may establish attendance zones within that parish/attendance zone. The new rule is listed below: The civil parish boundary line shall serve as the athletic attendance zone for all member schools located that parish. It is the obligation of the member school to know the residence status of each studentathlete and to require compliance with these requirements. A parish with multiple high schools may establish attendance zones within that parish/attendance zone. If a student meets all other eligibility requirements and has not participated as an ineligible student at any school during the past calendar year, upon entering an LHSAA high school for the first time, a student shall have the choice to attend any member school in the parish in which the student resides with his/her parent(s)/guardian, or any other household with whom he/she has been residing for at least the past calendar year, and he/she shall be granted immediate eligibility at the school unless an applicable exception is contained in the residence and school transfers rule. This school shall be considered the student s school of first choice and the only school where the student shall be eligible once the student has officially enrolled and attended at least one class in that school. QUESTIONS REGARDING APPLICATION OF NEW RULE/OLD RULE - Date or Deadline for Student Eligibility is the first day of school for the student. I. Eligibility within same parish: 1. All students in grades 6, 7 or 8 in the school year, shall be allowed their choice of any school within the parish that the student resides. Note: The th and 8th graders that are registered with the LHSAA will have made their school of first choice and will not get another choice at a later date. 2. Additionally, a 9th grade student who is enrolled in a school that is configured as an 8-9 junior high and a high school shall also be allowed their choice of any school within the parish.

3 Louisiana KICK FF Page 3 Note: According to our records this rule would only apply to 9th grade students at the following schools: 1) Archbishop Rummel 2) Archbishop Shaw 3) Brother Martin 4) Catholic of Baton Rouge 5) De La Salle 6) Denham Springs 7) Jesuit 8) Redemptorist 9) St. Augustine 10) Terrebonne 11) Walker 3. Any current 9th, 10th or 11th graders will NOT get a new choice of the any school in the parish. They have already made their school of first choice. 4. Any student currently attending a school within the parish but outside of his/her home attendance zone and who has never attended school in their home attendance zone will be able to transfer to any school within their home zone and will be eligible immediately. The student does NOT get a choice of schools from the entire parish, only from his/her home attendance zone. The transfer must occur by the first day of school. After the first day of school of the school year, Rule will apply and the student will not be eligible upon a transfer. 5. Any student currently attending a member school within the parish whose family makes a bona-fide move within the parish would only get a new choice of schools within the home zone to which the family moves. The student does NOT get a choice of schools from the entire parish. The transfer/bonafide move must occur by the first day of school. After the first day of school of the school year, Rule will apply and the student will not be eligible upon a transfer. 6. Any student currently attending non-member schools within the parish or home-schooled students deciding to attend an LHSAA member school for the first time, and who has never attended school in their home attendance zone will be able to transfer to any school within the parish. 7. Any student whose family with whom he/she resides makes a bona-fide move to another parish or from out of state shall be allowed their choice of any school within the parish that the student resides. 8. Any students attending LHSAA member schools that will close at the end of the school year, who complete the school year at the closing school, shall be allowed their choice of any school within the parish that the student resides. Note: Schools Closing: Hosanna Christian, Pointe Coupee Central (Not finalize), Istrouma, Sarah Reed, John McDonogh, and G.W. Carver 12th grade only. 9. Any students attending LHSAA member schools that will close at the end of the school year who reside in a different parish from the parish the closing school is located in, who complete the school year at the closing school, and who has never attended school in their home attendance zone will be able to transfer to any school within their home zone and will be eligible immediately. The student does NOT get a choice of schools from the entire parish, only in his/her home attendance

4 Page 4 Louisiana KICK FF zone. The transfer must occur by the first day of school. After the first day of school of the school year, Rule will apply and the student will not be eligible upon a transfer. II. Students living in one parish and attending school in another parish: 10. Any 9th, 10th, or 11th grade students, who has been attending a school outside their home attendance zone in another parish that wants to return to their home parish and who has never attended school in their home attendance zone shall be able to transfer to any school within their home zone and be eligible immediately. The student does NOT get achoice of schools from the entire parish, only from his/her home attendance zone. The transfer must occur by the first day of school. After the first day of school of the school year, Rule will apply and the student will not be eligible upon a transfer. 11. Any student has attended the entire 8th grade outside their parish shall be eligible at any school in the attendance zone of the 8th grade they have attended. That student shall also be allowed their choice of any school within the parish that the student resides as noted in #1. Another action that came out of the Annual Convention Meetings: As we go to print with this newsletter, the LHSAA has not approved 8-man football, as there are 16 teams needed to sanction the sport. As you may recall this past January, the Class C, B, and 1A principals approved the sanctioning of 8-man football by the LHSAA should we have a minimum of 16 schools declare to participate? Several schools have inquired about the progress of 8-man football. The LHSAA has included the approved proposal (below) as well as a few frequently asked questions for your review. The LHSAA held a 8-man football question and answer sessions at the LHSCA Coaching Clinic on in July at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Baton Rouge. In addition to this meeting, Keith Alexander will also be available for a Q&A session at each of his regularly scheduled football rules clinics at various sites around the state during the month of August. A complete list of these meetings can be found below.

5 Louisiana KICK FF Page 5 Approved Section 14-Football, by adding Rule 14.20, Page 100 of the LHSAA Bylaws to be worded as follows: EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL (Participating schools shall be classified as non-football schools under Section 8, Classification, in the LHSAA Constitution.) Effective for the 2015 season and thereafter, the LHSAA shall sanction 8-man football if a minimum of sixteen (16) schools declare to participate in 8-man football. In a classification year a school which desires to participate in 8-man football for the upcoming season shall notify the LHSAA Executive Director in writing by October 15. The declaration shall apply for the two-year classification interval. June 1, 2014 is the date for the initial declaration to play 8-man football for the 2015 season year Member schools shall not be allowed to participate in 8-man and 11-man football in the same two-year classification interval. Only member schools with an enrollment of 235 or less may participate in 8-man football. 8-man football schools shall participate in one division and shall not be placed in districts for regular season play man football schools shall be limited to eight (8) regular season contests. The first regular season game shall be played on the 9th calendar week in conjunction with the beginning of 11-man football. 8-man football schools shall participate in a minimum of five (5) regular season contests against other member schools to qualify for the playoffs man football schools shall use either an 8-team or 16-team bracket for playoff competition. No more than 50% of the teams that participate in 8-man football shall advance to the playoffs. (Shall have a minimum of 32 teams participating in 8-man football to use a 16-team bracket.) man football schools shall be seeded (1-8 or 1-16) according to their power rating. 8-man football playoffs games shall begin on the 17th calendar week. 8-man football playoff games through the championship game shall be played on a home-away basis. The home team shall be determined by applying Rule man football shall be governed by playing rules as adopted by the NFHS except as noted below: 1. 8-man football shall use ten (10) minutes playing quarters with two (2) minutes between quarters and a fifteen (15) minutes half-time period. 2. A mercy rule shall apply to 8-man football. The game is ended under this rule if a team is losing by 45 or more points at halftime or at any point after. The mercy rule shall apply to all contests played including regular season and playoff contests Rule ($10,000 bond) does not apply to 8-man football Rule 14.5 (discontinuing football) does not apply to 8-man football.

6 Page 6 Louisiana KICK FF Any member school with less than 235 students that was a non-football school the preceding year but desires to participate in the sport shall be required to participate in 8-man football a minimum of two (2) years prior to declaring to participate in 11-man football. Frequently Asked Questions: 1. What size playing field will be used for 8-man football? The size of the playing field for 8-man football shall be the same as for 11-man football. This decision was made to allow an 8-man football school to use a field of a neighboring school without any modification since many of the schools that wish to play 8-man football may not have an on campus field. 2. When do I have to declare to play 8-man football? The initial declaration date to play 8-man football for the 2015 season year was June 1, 2014 and the final deadline to declare is October 15, How much does it cost to start an 8-man football team? We reached out to a couple of local sporting goods representatives and got the following information. Here are some ballpark price ranges for outfitting football players. You will pay more per unit for everything they buy because the quantities per item per order will be low. Helmet: $200-$350 Shoulder Pads: $100-$300 Practice Jersey: $13-$30 Game Jersey: $30-$150 x 2 Practice Pants: $14 Game Pants: $30-$80 Socks: $3-$15 Shoes: $40-$120 Girdle with 5 pads: $25-$65 Knee pads: $6 Mouthpiece: $1-$15 Average would be about $500 to $1,000 per player. That does not include practice apparel (tee shirt $30 per set), sweat suits for cold $50/set, running shoes, etc. And, of course, field equipment like goal post pads, blocking dummies & shields, lineman sleds, down box & chain set, field pylons, paint, paint stencils, etc. etc. etc. It also does not include the price for game officials, travel, additional insurance coverage, trainers, etc. Our recommendation is that you get an actual cost from your local sporting goods supplier as well as talk with a neighboring school that has 11-man football to get a realistic estimate to what it will cost to have an 8-man football team. 4. Can I start an 8-man football team for the 2014 football season in preparation for the school year? For the school year, Class C and B schools that do not currently have 8-man football may participate in 8-man football on a sub-varsity level. This will be considered club football and not sanctioned in any way by the LHSAA. Participation in 8-man football in shall not affect a school s current classification. Note: This option does not apply to a Class 1A school. 5. Why are we only going to play an 8-game regular season? The shorter season is better for the smaller school that naturally would have fewer athletes and would allow those schools to start the basketball season in a traditional time period prior to the those schools that play 11-man football.

7 Louisiana KICK FF Page 7 6. If I am a Class 1A school currently playing football and have to drop the sport due to a lack of players, how does this affect my ability to participate in 8-man football for the school year? Dropping 11-man football in 2014 would not affect your ability to add 8-man football in 2015 but if there were not enough school to sign up for 8-man the current 2-year sit out rule for 11-man football would apply. Additionally, the LHSAA cannot permit an 11-man football school to drop the sport and be allowed to play 8-man football for the 2014 school year, even as a club sport. 7. If I am a Class 1A school that wishes to drop 11-man football in favor of 8-man football and we ultimately do not get the required 16 schools to sign up for 8-man football, can I still play 11-man football? If there are not a minimum of 16 schools that sign up to play 8-man football then the school could continue to play 11-man football. This will be addressed on the football declaration sheet that each school signs and returns to the LHSAA regarding participation in the sport of 11-man football. Dates of Football Rules Clinics The 8-man football Q&A with Keith Alexander will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. prior to the Football Rules Clinic at 7:00 p.m. Monday, August 11, Ruston High School Auditorium Tuesday, August 12, Pineville High School Cafeteria Wednesday, August 13, Jennings High School Cafeteria Monday, August 18, LHSAA Office Tuesday, August 19, East Jefferson High School Auditorium Targeting defined by NFHS Rules Committee INDIANAPOLIS, IN (February 13, 2014) In an effort to reduce contact above the shoulders and lessen the risk of injury in high school football, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Football Rules Committee developed a definition for targeting, which will be penalized as illegal personal contact. The definition of targeting and its related penalty were two of 10 rules changes approved by the rules committee at its January meeting in Indianapolis. All rules changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors. Effective with the 2014 high school season, new Rule 2-43 will read as follows: Targeting is an act of taking aim and initiating contact to an opponent above the shoulders with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulders. Bob Colgate, NFHS director of sports and sports medicine and liaison to the Football Rules Committee, said the committee determined in its continued effort to minimize risk of injury in high school football that it was important to separate and draw specific attention to this illegal act.

8 Page 8 Louisiana KICK FF Taking aim with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulders to initiate contact above the shoulders, which goes beyond making a legal tackle, a legal block or playing the ball, will be prohibited, Colgate said. A new definition for a defenseless player was also added to Rule 2 for riskminimization purposes. Rule will read as follows: A defenseless player is a player who, because of his physical position and focus of concentration, is especially vulnerable to injury. In an effort to reduce the risk of injury on kickoffs, the rules committee approved two new requirements in Rule for the kicking team. First, at least four members of the kicking team must be on each side of the kicker, and, second, other than the kicker, no members of the kicking team may be more than five yards behind the kicking team s free-kick line. Rule also notes that if one player is more than five yards behind the restraining line and any other player kicks the ball, it is a foul. In addition to balancing the kicking team s formation, the change limits the maximum distance of the run-up for the kicking team. The Football Rules Committee s actions this year reinforce a continued emphasis on minimizing risk within all phases of the game, said Brad Garrett, assistant executive director of the Oregon School Activities Association and chair of the Football Rules Committee. In other changes, new language was added to Rule and states that the accidental touching of a loose ball by a player who was blocked into the ball is ignored and does not constitute a new force. In addition, roughing the passer fouls now include all illegal personal contact fouls listed in Rule 9-4-3, which result in automatic first down in addition to a 15-yard penalty. The remaining changes approved by the Football Rules Committee are as follows: Rule 1-1-7: Provides state associations authority to require game officials to be on the field more than 30 minutes prior to game time. Rule : The intent of an illegal kick was clarified. Now, when an illegal kick occurs, the loose ball retains the same status that it had prior to the illegal kick. Rules and 3-3-4: With this change, in order to extend or not extend a period with an untimed down, time must expire during the down. Football is the No. 1 participatory sport for boys at the high school level with 1,115,208 participants in the school year, according to the High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the NFHS through its member state associations. In addition, the survey indicated there were 1,660 girls who played football in

9 Louisiana KICK FF Page LFCA Membership Application Form December 1, 2013 November 30, 2014 Name School Position (Head or Asst. Coach) Home Address Phone ( ) Work phone ( ) Address: (Please mail $40 check made out to LFCA to Mickey St. Pierre, Carolyn Dr., Paulina, LA 70763). If you lose your card, replacement cards will be $5. five Quotes by knute rockne 1.) One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than a hundred teaching it. 2.) Football is a game played with arms, legs and shoulders but mostly from the neck up. 3.) Build up your weaknesses until they become your strong points. 4.) One loss is good for the soul, too many losses is not good for the coach. 5.) On the road we re somebody else s guests and we play in a way that they re not going to forget we visited them. Stay in touch with LFCA... visit our website at today!