High School Football in North America - Rules

Rules

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) establishes the rules of High School Football in the United States.

Two states, Texas and Massachusetts, use NCAA playing rules except as shown below.

With their common ancestry, the NFHS rules of high school football are largely similar to the college game, though with some important differences:

• The four quarters are each 12 minutes in length, as opposed to 15 minutes in all other forms of the game. (Texas uses the NFHS 12-minute quarter; Massachusetts uses 11-minute quarters except in playoffs, where they are 10 minutes because of the possibility of playing three games in 10 days.)
• Kickoffs take place at the kicking team's 40-yard line, as opposed to the 35 in college and the NFL. (Both Texas and Massachusetts have adopted the NFHS rule.)
• If an attempted field goal is missed it is treated as a punt, normally it would be a touchback and the opposing team will start at the 20-yard line. However if it does not enter the end zone it can be downed or returned as a normal punt.
• Any kick crossing the goal line is automatically a touchback; kicks cannot be returned out of the end zone.
• Pass interference by the defense results in a 15-yard penalty (and automatic first down), regardless of where the foul occurred (unlike the pro ranks where the ball is placed at the spot of the foul).
• The defense cannot return an extra-point attempt for a score.
• The use of overtime, and the type of overtime used, is up to the individual state association. The NFHS offers a suggested overtime procedure based on the Kansas Playoff, but does not make its provisions mandatory.

At least one unique high school rule has been adopted by college football. In 1996, the overtime rules originally utilized by Kansas high school teams were adopted by the NCAA.

Most Canadian schools use Canadian football rules adapted for the high school game. The exception is British Columbia, which uses NFHS rules as used in the United States.