Coaches: New High School Football 'Mercy Rule' Will Leave Many Players On The Bench

The new "mercy rule" in high school football will leave many players on the bench, according to some local coaches.

Last week the CIF-Southern Section, the governing body for high school sports in Southern California, announced the major football rule change for 2011 and a new postseason format for 2012. 

The CIF state board approved the mercy rule for all California high schools, effective this coming season. The rule basically states that once a team is ahead by 35 points in the fourth quarter, the game clock won’t stop except on very limited occasions (scoring plays, team timeouts and official timeouts). The clock would keep moving in other situations that normally would have stopped it (out of bounds plays, first downs, incomplete passes, etc.).

The rule will also apply if the 35-point margin is reached earlier in the game, with consent of both coaches and the referee. The addition of this rule brings California in line with similar rules nationwide.

But a number of coaches, including Elsinore High School football coach Tony Peralta, feel the rule takes away the chance for second- and third-string players to see game action.

Peralta is a member of the CIF’s Football Advisory Committee and said the passage of the rule was fueled by Northern California, which has a larger disparity between the top teams and others in the section.

“We feel it sends the wrong message to the kids,” Peralta said. “To have those minutes taken away and have the clock run when a kid might get to play for the very first time…it’s disappointing.

“A team loves to see the kid, that’s been the hard worker every day in practice, on the field in those situations and get a chance to play,” he added.

A similar rule had been in place for years, Peralta said, but it was always at the discretion of both coaches and the officials as to whether a game would employ a running clock in the fourth quarter. Primarily, it centered around whether a team was in jeopardy of having players injured because one team was clearly more skilled than the other.

A mercy rule is in place for both baseball and softball, but it is up to the individual league as to whether they want to use it.

Peralta also feels it takes away some of the spirit of competition. And, because football is a marquee sport and considered by some as the one sport where a coach can get fired if he doesn’t win, this rule takes away a chance for a great comeback.

“In most cases, coaches use that opportunity to get their second and third players in a ballgame and give them a chance to play,” Peralta said. “With the clock running, those kids don’t get a chance. You might play your best kids, but the other 40 kids on the sidelines are dying to get in a ballgame and don’t get that opportunity.”

The CIF also announced the addition of a “regional championship” game for 2012, two weeks after the CIF-Southern Section Championships.

After the four section playoffs (Southern, Central, LA City, San Diego) are done, two of those winners will be chosen by CIF commissioners to play each other in a "SoCal Final." The winner of that game will play a Northern California team for a "State Championship" a week later. This format will apply across all five enrollment divisions.