High School football question

I actually had a coach send me a text about 20 minutes before the game. "First play is a pass. It will look like a jet sweep, but it's a pass."

Sure thing, the slot receiver went in motion, QB took the shotgun snap and flipped it about 1' forward to him. Direction of the throw determines whether it's a run or pass. If the ball is thrown forward, it's a pass, even if it's 6."

I got ripped several years ago by a quarterback's dad because his passing stats were "way too low." He was a Wing-T QB and the coach had put a ton of laterals to wingbacks. But because the throw was overhand, he thought it should be counted as passing yardage. We went back and forth until he says "so, if one is intercepted, it would be a lost fumble?" "Yep." He never questioned it again.

(On the play you mentioned above, I believe that would be rushing yardage because that would be considered a fumble had it hit the ground).

 

The distance a pass travels in the air doesn't matter. All that matters is if it was a forward pass or a lateral.

 

I think you're right. It's the perfect way to get 1st and 11.

 

Saw a team face fourth and goal from its own 25. They had first and goal from the 7 but two sacks, a couple of holding calls and three personal fouls got the ball rolling.

 

For those looking for clarification on stat keeping for football...

http://www.nflgsis.com/gsis/documentation/stadiumguides/guide_for_statisticians.pdf

 

The general rule of thumb is that HS stats usually follow the NCAA guide, as the HS/NCAA games (and rulebooks) are more similar.

NCAA Football Statisticians' Manual

There are some differences - most notably, a sack in the NFL is scored as lost passing yardage to the team, but no individual offensive stats are affected. In the NCAA, a sack is scored as a run play and lost individual rushing yardage.

The other major difference I've noticed is that all offensive touchdowns are first downs in the NFL, whereas a touchdown is only a first down in the NCAA if the first-down marker is passed (e.g., no first down on a TD scored on a goal-to-go situation). Also, in the NFL, if you get a first down on a play + 15-yard penalty, that is scored as two first downs for the offensive team. Just one in the NCAA.

 

I've always recorded any lost yardage by the QB as a sack even whether or not it was a designed run play.

 

Here's the high school version. While this was published 15 years ago, little has changed. Check page 17, Provision 2 for the first down issue previously mentioned as it applies to high school games:
https://www.nfhs.org/media/865876/stat_manual_2003.pdf

 

And here's another helpful resource for keeping high school football stats:
http://www.pawrsl.com/pfn/hs_fb_stats.pdf

 

As I understand it, in college (or high school) the sack is only credited on what looks like a pass play. Otherwise if a team plays another team that runs the option a lot, the sack numbers will be inflated.

 

A bit of irony here that you mention this. Last game I covered this season, an 8-man championship game last week, exactly that happened. Quarterback ran in for a touchdown only to have it wiped out by a block in the back at the 1-yard line, thus setting up first-and-goal from the 11.

 

"Amateurs."
— Louisiana Tech