Question on fair catch

[Anon2]

J.A. Fair punts the ball.  Arkadelphia calls for fair catch.  Fair player is so close to Arkadelphia player calling for fair catch that the ball hits fair player on his helmet and the ball rolls about 10-15 yards toward the goal line.  What is the call?

[Chester A. Arthur]

If you are asking if this a "halo" violation, realize that there is no such rule in high school (National Federation rules) as far as a 3' buffer zone, etc.  Basically the kicking team member can't make contact with the return man or (here is the subjective part) interfere with the return man's right to make an umolested attempt to field the kick.  So your question is hard to answer without seeing the play.  If the Fair player's position prevented the Ark. player from fielding the ball, the official will make a Kick Catch Interference call.  If not the ball goes back the spot of first touching (the helmet) and goes over to the return team, 1st and 10.
This is Fed. rule 6-5-6.

[dotson]

If you are asking if this a "halo" violation, realize that there is no such rule in high school (National Federation rules) as far as a 3' buffer zone, etc.  Basically the kicking team member can't make contact with the return man or (here is the subjective part) interfere with the return man's right to make an umolested attempt to field the kick.  So your question is hard to answer without seeing the play.  If the Fair player's position prevented the Ark. player from fielding the ball, the official will make a Kick Catch Interference call.  If not the ball goes back the spot of first touching (the helmet) and goes over to the return team, 1st and 10.
This is Fed. rule 6-5-6.

Mostly right and just a little bit wrong, or perhaps more accurately, just a little too assumptive.
First of all, there never was a halo rule in Fed. Now the halo is eliminated in from the NCAA book as well.
Second, on the first toucing spot, certainly the receiving team may elect to take the first touching, or elect to take the results of the play - ASSUMING that there is not a Team B (receiving team) foul during the course of the play.
Agreed?

[O.T.C]

J.A. Fair punts the ball.  Arkadelphia calls for fair catch.  Fair player is so close to Arkadelphia player calling for fair catch that the ball hits fair player on his helmet and the ball rolls about 10-15 yards toward the goal line.  What is the call?

There is no halo rule.....I would think that the call would be that the ball was down wherever it touched a member of the punting team...

[mudturtle]

shouldn't first touching be in effect

and likely some type of kicking interference, esp if touched in the air

[dotson]

shouldn't first touching be in effect

and likely some type of kicking interference, esp if touched in the air

Chester A Arthur got it right in an earlier post. It is kick catch interference only if the receiver was denied an unmolested opportunity to catch the ball. By rule, a Team K player could touch the kick in flight and there still be no foul for kick catch interference.

As for first touching, it is in effect any time Team K is the first team to touch the scrimmage kick. BUT, the ball is neither dead nor down by virture of a mere touch by Team K. As was discussed in an earlier thread this season, a multitude of things can still occur following a first touch of a scrimmage kick - Team R can still possess the ball and advance it, an accepted foul against Team R negates the first touching option, Team R can also touch/muff the ball (which will result in an exercise of the first touching option, in all likelihood), and so forth.

Now the original play that was described - punt hits kicking team member on the helmet while receiver is calling for fair catch and the two players are in close proximity - does put first touching into effect since Team K was the first to touch the scrimmage kick. And assuming that R's opportunity to field the scrimmage kick was interferred with by virtue of the players' close proximity, then a foul for kick catch interference would be appropriate. But, once again, Chester's right when he says you got to see it to know what you would call it. I may look at the play and say Team R was waving fair catch but running away from the ball, therefore his opportunity was not molested by the first touch. Or I may look at the play and say the two players were no where near close enough to call a foul.

It's a judgment call - but then they all are.

[philgoodallday]

What was the ruling on the field?  Chances are, that answers the question.