Log In


Reset Password
Sports Youth Sports Professional Sports More Sports College Sports High School Sports

New play clock rules go into effect for CHSAA football

CHSAA shakes up play clock
Durango High School head coach David Vogt and his team will adjust to new pre-snap play clock rules during the 2016 prep football season.

High school football programs nationwide are getting ready for the upcoming season, but teams in Colorado will have an added area of focus after a recent rule change.

The Colorado High School Activities Association announced the addition of a 40-second play clock to all CHSAA classes effective at the start of this season. Colorado will join Indiana and Michigan as the third state to experiment with the rule after Texas adopted it in 2014.

In the news release, associate commissioner Tom Robinson explained the goal of the change is to make the interval between plays consistent. The move isn’t about speeding up or slowing down the game, simply to give coordinators, coaches and quarterbacks a precise, uniform gap between plays.

“I was told that the timing of everything is pretty much the same,” Durango High School head coach David Vogt said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “The ball is going to be in play as soon as it’s spotted, so teams are going to take advantage if the other side is subbing late or slow to get set up. If we can catch our opponents off guard, we’ll take whatever they give us.”

Previously, officials started the old 25-second play clock when the ball was spotted. With the new rule in place, the 40-second clock will start at the end of the each play. When the last play ends, the clock starts on the next one, and the ball is in play as soon as it is placed.

The play clock will not be delayed by the chain gang or the officials’ spot, and referees will wear a pager-like device on their belts that will vibrate when the 40 seconds are up. Officials also will give a warning to teams when there are 10 seconds left on the clock.

“I think it’s a good rule,” said Bayfield head coach Gary Heide, who led the Wolverines to the CHSAA Class 2A State Championship a year ago. “It kind of evens of the pace of the game and make it clear cut for everybody. It’s a good thing.”

The rule mimics the NCAA and NFL 40-second clock and also includes reverting to the 25-second clock following penalties, timeouts and other stoppages in play.

“We tested it out in last week’s scrimmage and didn’t seem to have issues,” Durango assistant coach Ryan Woolverton said. “It’s going to keep us on our toes, and we have to all be on top of the play calling. The quicker we get the play called, the more time the offense has to read a defense or change the protection.”

The Colorado Football Officials’ Association seems to be in full support of the experiment. The group released a statement in response to the rule change that said, “The 40-second play clock has significantly standardized the time the offense has to put the ball in play.”

Sports Editor John Livingston contributed to this report.

jfries@durangoherald.com



Reader Comments