FOOTBALL RULES AND PROCEDURES

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS

A team must have at least 18 members at the start of the season or permission from the District Athletic Director in order to compete in a contest.

CHAIN CREWS

Home school will furnish chain crews.  It is highly recommended that parent volunteers be used. The home school will decide what sideline the chains will be located.

EQUIPMENT

Lightweight and Heavyweight teams will play with an intermediate size football (Wilson TDY 1714 youth).  Mouthpieces will be furnished by players and must be worn during all practices and games. Home school will provide water for the visiting team. 

WEIGHT DIVISIONS

Each junior high school will have two teams of 7th and 8th graders.  9th grade players will play for their high school teams.  All weigh-ins will be done in the presence of school officials, recorded, and shared with Jr. High School Athletic Directors.  

• Heavyweight team. . . . . . . .116 pounds and over

• Lightweight team. . . . . . . . .115 pounds and under

Athletic Directors will weigh in 7th and 8th grade players during the first week of practice. After the end of the first week of practices a player will not be able to move weight divisions, including playoffs. Numerical team rosters will be sent to the District Athletic Director before the first game.

LENGTH OF QUARTERS AND HALFTIME 

Lightweight and Heavyweight teams

• 8 minute quarters

• 10 minute halftime 

PRACTICE

• Players must have 4 days of practice without pads. On the fifth day pads may be used.

• Heavy and Lightweight teams are limited to two hour practices and no “two-a-days” prior to the start of school.

RULE VIOLATIONS

Any protest of a rule violation must be submitted in writing to the District Athletic Director.

TIE GAMES/GAME CANCELLATION

• Games will not end in a tie. The Kansas City playoff (from the 10 yard line) will be used to break all ties in games. 

• Games being canceled during play will be decided by School Game Management  (Administrator, Athletic Director, and/or Officials).

LEAGUE STANDINGS

1. First, second, third, and fourth place league finishers will participate in a playoff.

2. Winners of the playoff games will play in a championship game.

3. Highest seed gets a choice of sideline in the championship game.

4. The championship games will be played at Dona Larsen Park (if available). 

5. In the event of a tie, league standings will be determined by the following system: 

   1. “AZZIE” Tie Breaker System for Seeding Purposes as follows:

      1. The higher seed will be the winner of the contests between the two teams involved in a tie. 

      2. If three or more teams tie, the higher seeds will be the team that defeated the other teams involved in head-to-head competition.  

      3. It two teams split or three or more teams tie and no head-to-head decision can be made the higher seed will be determined by using the point system as follows: 

         1. A victory will count as a “plus” for the winning team and a “minus” for the losing team depending upon the final margin of victory.

         2. Only the games between the teams involved in the tie will be used to determine the higher seed.  If the games between the tied teams cannot break the tie, the other league games will be added into the formula from top down.

      4. There will be a “cap” for the amount of points that can be counted to prevent teams from “running up the score”.  If a team scores more than the “cap” only the number of points of the “cap” will be used in the formula.  Football – 14 points maximum. 

      5. If teams are still tied at the end of the point formula, then a coin flip will be used to determine the higher seed.  

      6. Once a team has been eliminated return to Point A of the Azzie Tie Breaker System and repeat if necessary