Specific Question: Summer Passing Leagues

Here are the Texas rules


2004 Texas State 7-on-7 Passing Tournament Rules

Below are the key official rules for 7-on-7 Football, as approved by the state's Board of Directors and endorsed by the University Interscholastic League. For additional information regarding 7-on-7 football, please bookmark www.texasfootball.com.

1. FIELD DIMENSIONS

A) Field Length -- 45 yards long

B) Field Width -- 160 feet (60 feet to hash mark, 40 feet between)

C) End Zone -- 10 yards deep

2. STARTING THE GAME

A) Central time keeper will be designated. All games will begin and end on this persons instructions. He will also announce the time remaining at the 10, 5, and 2 minute mark

B) Visitors will have first possession and wear white (top team in bracket or first team listed will be the visitor). The home team will have first possession the 2nd half and wear a dark color (bottom team in bracket or 2nd team listed will be the home team). Teams must be on opposite sides of the field) NO TEAM WILL BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE WITHOUT SHIRTS!

C) No football jerseys of any type shall be worn. T-shirts, Under-Armour-type or basketball-type sleeveless shirts are permitted. All teams will have two T-shirts - with numbers on the back. (light/dark)

D) Ball always placed on right hash mark when at the 45-yard line.

3. MOVING THE BALL

A) No kicking/punting.

B) Field is marked at 15 yard intervals with cones. (3 first downs without a penalty would result in a TD)

C) Possession always begins at the 45 yard line at the right hash.

D) Offenses always move in the same direction

E) NO PASSER MAY RUN WITH THE BALL. ALL PASSES MUST BE FORWARD. A pass caught behind the line must be forward.

4. SPECIAL RULES

A) No blocking.

B) Receiver/Ball carrier is legally down when touched below the neck with one or both hands. (Excessive force by shoving, pushing, or striking a blow will be penalized by automatic first down and 5 yards. Expulsion of a player(s) if ruled unsportsmanlike & flagrant).

C) Fumbles are dead balls at the spot with the last team retaining possession. A muffed snap is not a fumble/dead ball. The 4.0 second count remains in affect on snaps.

D) Each team will have 25 seconds to snap the ball once it has been marked ready for play; delay of game penalty will be a 5-yard penalty.

E) The QB is allowed 4.0 seconds to throw the ball. The Official timekeeper starts a stopwatch on the snap of the ball from center and stops the watch as soon as the QB releases the ball.


If release is under 4.0 seconds, the play goes on.
If the timekeeper sees that the clock has exceeded 4.0 seconds, he waits until the play is over (the play is not blown dead), then brings the ball back to the original line of scrimmage with loss of down. (The timekeeper will be an official or coach from a team that is not playing)
Game manager - placed on the 50 yard-line to keep score for his field (both games) and to assist with crowd/player control. (This may be a coach)
F) Defensive Pass Interference will be a spot foul (1st down at the spot).deliberate

G) Responsibility to avoid contact is with the defense. There will be NO chucking, or deliberate bumping or grabbing. These actions will result in a "tack on" penalty at the end of the play (5-yard penalty).

H) Offensive pass interference is the same as NCAA rules.

I) Interceptions may be returned ("no blocking" rule applies). If an interception is returned beyond the 45-yard line (the offensive origination point) it is a touchdown and point after attempt should ensue.

J) Offensive team is responsible for retrieving and returning the ball to the previous spot or the new scrimmage spot. Clock does not stop and any delay by offense in retrieving and returning the ball TO THE REFEREE will result in a delay of game and will be a 5-yard penalty from the succeeding spot.

K) The offensive center is not an eligible receiver (teams must have a center). The center is responsible for establishing the succeeding spot as designated by the Referee.

L) The center will be responsible for setting or re-positioning the Referee's bean bag at the line of scrimmage.

M) No taunting or "trash talking." (5-yard penalty & expulsion if flagrant or repeated).

N) The offense must gain at least 15 yards in the first 3 or less plays or the defense takes over. (There is no kicking). Four down territory occurs only after offense proceeds to or inside the 15-yard line cone (third quadrant).

O) Fighting: the player(s) involved will be ejected from the game and tournament. If a team fight occurs, the teams involved will be ejected from the tournament and denied participation in any/all state qualifying tournaments and the state tournament.

P) Any dead ball foul on a play that results in the defense getting the ball and it is unable to be penalized back to the 50 yard-line will result in a loss of down penalty. The defense - not the offense - would be starting play with 2nd down.

5. SCORING

6 points for TD, 1 point for PAT from 3 yard line, 2 point PAT from 10 yard line (interception on PAT is dead ball). Official score is kept by field referee and game manager.

6. TIE BREAKER

After coin flip to determine first possession, teams will alternate 4 down series from the 15-yard line. A winner is determined when one team scores during its possession and the other does not. If a second overtime period is necessary, each team must then go for two points on the conversion attempts.

7. TIME

A) 20-minute halves (continuous clock for each half--see: "starting the game").

B) No time outs. (EXCEPTION: Injuries. Both games on the Field will halt until player(s) can be be removed as soon as safety dictates).


10-minute halftime/10 minutes between games.
7-on-7 tournaments require that all games start/end at the same time. If a team(s) are late and cannot start when the tournament officially starts, they will begin play with whatever time is left on the tournament clock. (Not to exceed 10 minutes of 1st half. Forfeit will occur after 10 minutes of the 1st half) IT IS IMPERATIVE TO KEEP TO THE TOURNAMENT TIME SCHEDULE. Teams must be on site and ready to play when scheduled). Injury time outs may reduce the amount of time between halves and/or between games to maintain the game schedules.
8. ELIGIBLE SCHOOLS

A) No out-of-state teams will be allowed to play in a SQT.

B) No combination or select teams are allowed to play in a SQT.

9. SQUAD MEMBERS/TOURNAMENT FEES

A) Players: Maximum of 20 players per team. Minimum of 12 players. This rule will be strictly enforced in all state qualifying tournaments!

B) Tournament Fees: Each participant must pay $15 to play in a state qualifying tournament ($300 for a team of 20 members, $180 minimum)

10. OFFICIALS

(3)-Referee, Field Judge, Back Judge.

11. COST

Entry fee on per person basis to cover cost of officials; and medals, if given. (NOTE: The University Interscholastic League will only allow in 7-on-7 competition to give a symbolic award - a medal)

12. COACHES-FATHERS

A) No high school coach may serve as a coach or stand with the team on the sideline. All team coaches will wear an identification tag for clarification purposes. A team may not have more than 4 coaches on the sidelines.

B) Each team must have a coach accompany it to any/all events to serve as a School Administrator on duty for their particular team(s). No high school coaches are allowed on the sidelines during a game. High school coaches must watch games from the end zones. This individual is responsible for the ACTION OF THOSE REPRESENTING HIS SCHOOL!




ADDITIONAL RULES - 7 on 7 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

FORMAT

A) 64 teams will divide into 16 groups of four and play a round-robin (3 games each team)

B) The top two teams from each pool will then be entered into a 32 team single elimination championship tournament. The remaining 32 teams will then be entered into a single elimination consolation tournament.

C) If there is a tie in pool play, head-to-head is the first tie breaker, total points scored is second, total points allowed will be third). After that, we will flip a coin!

For complete 7-on-7 information throughout the season, please visit Texasfootball.com.