From the National Federation of High Schools

1-3-1h (NEW): Added that commercial advertising is not permitted on the ball.

Rationale: The ball cannot have commercial advertising added to the surface. The only permissible items on the ball are the ball manufacturer’s name and/or logo; school name, logo and/or mascot; conference name and/or logo; state association name and/or logos; and NFHS name and/or logos.

1-5-1b(3): Further clarifies that the jersey of the home team shall be a dark color clearly contrasting to the white jersey required for the visiting team.

Rationale: Home game jersey specifications were further revised to provide schools and manufacturers additional clarification regarding the current trend of utilizing lighter gray shades. The implementation date of 2021 affords schools and manufacturers the opportunity to ensure that newer dark-colored jerseys will clearly contrast with white jerseys. The requirement for contrasting colors to white is not a new rule, and this new clarification will allow changes to be made during normal replacement cycles.

1-5-1a(2) NOTE, 1-5-4: This change now permits any of the game officials to accompany the referee to meet with the head coach for equipment verification.

Rationale: Member state associations may determine the game official who is to accompany the referee during the required pre-game meeting with each head coach.

2-3-10 (NEW), 9-4-3n (NEW), 9-4 PENALTY: Added a new definition for a blindside block and specifies a penalty for an illegal blindside block.

Rationale: Continuing with the focus on risk minimization, the committee created a definition for a blindside block. This block involves contact by a blocker against an opponent who, because of physical positioning and focus of concentration, is vulnerable to injury. Unless initiated with open hands, it is a foul for excessive and unnecessary contact when the block is forceful and outside of the free-blocking zone.

2-16-2h: Clarified that illegal participation fouls by the receiving team occurring during the kick are now enforced under post-scrimmage kick fouls.

Rationale: Illegal participation fouls by the receiving team occurring during the kick are now enforced under post-scrimmage kick fouls. Illegal substitution and illegal participation fouls by the receiving team occurring at the snap continue to be enforced from the previous spot.

2-24-10 (NEW), 6-1-11 (NEW), 6-1 PENALTY: Added a new definition for a pop-up kick and specifies a penalty for a pop-up kick.

Rationale: Continuing with the committee’s efforts to minimize risk, a pop-up kickoff has been defined. A pop-up kick is a free kick in which the kicker drives the ball immediately to the ground, the ball strikes the ground once and goes into the air in the manner of a ball kicked directly off the tee. Such kicks will be penalized as a dead-ball free-kick infraction.

2-32-16: Expands the definition of a defenseless player by incorporating specific examples.

Rationale: The committee adopted specific examples of a defenseless player. By adding these examples, the committee continues to focus on risk minimization and responded to requests on the annual NFHS football rules questionnaire from participating coaches, game officials and state association representatives.

3-4-7 (NEW): Added a new option to the offended team to start the clock on the snap for an accepted penalty inside the last two minutes of either half.

Rationale: The committee added an option for the offended team on an accepted penalty inside the last two minutes of either half. The referee continues to have the authority to start or stop the clock if a team attempts to conserve or consume time illegally.

4-2-2l (NEW): Specifies that the ball is declared dead if a prosthetic limb comes completely off the runner.

Rationale:  With this change, the ball becomes dead when a prosthetic limb comes completely off the runner.

7-1-6: Now stipulates that it is encroachment to strike the ball or the snapper’s hand/arm prior to the snapper releasing the ball.

Rationale: Defensive players are restricted from contacting the ball or the snapper’s hand(s) or arm(s) until the snapper has released the ball.

7-5-10: Removes non-contact face guarding from the pass interference restrictions.

Rationale: This change eliminates the previous foul for non-contact face guarding forward-pass interference.

 

2017 EDITORIAL CHANGES

Facilities Statement; 1-3-2; 1-5-1a(1); 1-5-1a(2) NOTE; 1-5-2b; 1-5-3b(6); 1-5-3c(2); 1-5-5; 1-6-1; 1-6-2; 2-5-3; 2-41-3; 2-41-5; 3-4-8; 3-5-7f; 3-5-8b(2); 3-5-10b; 3-5-10c; 4-2-2k; 7-5-6a; 9-3 PENALTY; 9-4-3k; 9-8-1h; 10-5-1c; FOOTBALL FUNDAMENTALS – VI-2; PENALTY SUMMARY; INDEX.

 

2017 POINTS OF EMPHASIS

 

1. Responsibility on Players to Avoid Illegal Contact
2. Illegal Helmet Contact
3. Sideline Management and Control, Professional Communication Between Coaches and Game Officials
4. Proper Enforcement of Penalties for Violations of the Equipment Rules

http://www.dailyregister.com/sports/20170627/prep-football-bartok-takes-part-in-blue-gray-combine-in-florida

HARRISBURG, IL-  (Michael Dann, Harrisburg Daily Register.  Please click on the link for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

One foot in front of the other. That’s how Jordan Bartok feels about his journey to get to the next level in his football career.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Harrisburg High School senior took another step forward in that process as he recently took part in the Blue-Gray Super Combine at Spec Martin Memorial Field in DeLand, Florida.

The combine, which resembles the NFL combine, but for prep athletes, judges players on their 40-yard dash time, vertical jump, broad jump and how many reps they can bench at 185 pounds, as well as, a 1-on-1 passing drill.

SPRINGFIELD, IL, – Perry County has been issued a final property assessment equalization factor of 1.0000, according to Constance Beard, Director of the Illinois Department of Revenue.

The property assessment equalization factor, often called the “multiplier”, is the method used to achieve uniform property assessments among counties, as required by law. This equalization is particularly important because some of the state’s 6,600 local taxing districts overlap into two or more counties (e.g. school districts, junior college districts, fire protection districts). If there were no equalization among counties, substantial inequities among taxpayers with comparable properties would result.

Under a law passed in 1975, property in Illinois should be assessed at one-third (1/3) of its market value. Farm property is assessed differently, with farm homesites and dwellings subject to regular assessing and equalization procedures, but with farmland assessed at one-third of its agriculture economic value. Farmland is not subject to the state equalization factor.

Assessments in Perry County are at 33.29 percent of market value, based on sales of properties in 2013, 2014, and 2015.

The equalization factor currently being assigned is for 2016 taxes, payable in 2017. Last year’s equalization factor for the county was 1.0000.

The final assessment equalization factor was issued after a public hearing on the tentative factor. The tentative factor issued in May 2017 was 1.0000.

The equalization factor is determined annually for each county by comparing the price of individual properties sold over the past three years to the assessed value placed on those properties by the county supervisor of assessments/county assessor.

If this three-year average level of assessment is one-third of the market value, the equalization factor will be one (1). If the average level of assessment is greater than one-third of market value, the equalization factor will be less than one (1). And if the average level of assessment is less than one-third of market value, the equalization factor will be greater than one (1).

A change in the equalization factor does not mean total property tax bills will increase or decrease. Tax bills are determined by local taxing bodies when they request money each year to provide services to local citizens. If the amount requested by local taxing districts is not greater than the amount received in the previous year, then total property taxes will not increase even if assessments increase.

The assessed value of an individual property determines what portion of the tax burden a specific taxpayer will assume. That individual’s portion of tax responsibility is not changed by the multiplier

Ruth E. Conner, 93, of Whittington IL, passed away Thursday evening June 29, 2017 at StoneBridge Senior Living Center in Benton.

She was born in Christopher, IL on January 5, 1924, the daughter of James & Nora (Shockley) Mabry.

She married Leo M. Conner on July 19, 1943, and he preceded her in death on October 26, 1988.

Mrs. Conner was of the non-denominational faith.

She is survived by her two sons, Bill Conner and wife Linda of Whittington, and Dick Conner & wife Nancy of Pocahontas.  Her five grandchildren,  Ian Conner of Chicago, Ryan Hurt of Belleville, Jennifer Payton-Huff of Connecticut, Jackie Conner Belka and husband Mitch of Beaver Creek, OH and  Shawn Conner and wife Shelly of Springfield.  Her eight great-grandchildren, Max Huff, Emma Huff, Tim Villenueve, Hayley Belka, Erin Belka, Abbey Conner, Grace Conner and Mia Conner.

Mrs. Conner was preceded in death by her Parents, Husband, by a Brother-James Mabry and by a Sister-Darlene.

Graveside services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Sunday July 2nd at the Franklin Cemetery in Whittington.

In lieu of Flowers, Memorials may be made to Celtic Hospice.

The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the staff at StoneBridge Senior Living Center for the compassion and care given to Mrs. Conner.

The Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton is in charge of arrangements.

For more information or to sign the online guest register please visit www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com

 

The Southern Illinois Miners broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the 12th inning on a three-run home run by Ryan Lashley in a 7-5, extra-inning win over the River City Rascals at CarShield Field in O’Fallon, Missouri, taking the series two games to one in the rubber match between the division rivals.

It was the Rascals who scored first, as they bunched three singles together in the third inning off Chris Washington and went ahead 1-0 on Josh Silver’s hit. But in the top of the next inning, with a man on first, consecutive two-out hits by Anthony Critelli and Marc Flores set up Ben Moore, who drove home two with a single of his own with the bases loaded to give Southern Illinois its first lead at 2-1 in the fourth. In the fifth inning, the Rascals scored an unearned run on an RBI single by Braxton Martinez to knot the score at 2-2.

Southern Illinois would go ahead in the top of the sixth inning, as they loaded the bases on two walks and a single before Craig Massey broke the tie with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2. With men at first and third base, Southern Illinois then executed a double-steal, with Moore swiping second and Flores stealing home to make it 4-2. But the Rascals would tie the score, as they chased Washington with two leadoff walks in the bottom of the sixth. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners over to second and third, back-to-back RBI singles by Jason Merjano and Jimmy Kerrigan tied the game at 4-4. With the potential go-ahead run at third and just one out, however, Kyle Tinius induced Silver to ground into an inning-ending double play, keeping the score tied.

With the game turned over to the bullpens, both teams’s relief corps held the other team off the board, with Nick Palacios tossing two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth and Chris DeBoo working out of trouble and stranding the bases loaded in the ninth. John Werner (2-0) pitched flawless frames in the tenth and eleventh along with four strikeouts, with neither team scoring with the International Tiebreaker in effect in the eleventh inning.

That changed in the twelfth, as Massey singled to move the automatic runner to third base leading off the inning. After a strikeout, Lashley came up and hammered the first pitch from Matt Chavarria (2-2) over the left field wall to make it 7-4. In the bottom half, Corey Sessions earned the save by permitting just one run to score, his first pro save in his first pro appearance as the Miners won the series.

Southern Illinois next moves on to Evansville to face another West Division rival in the Otters beginning on Friday night at 6:35 p.m. Tyler Stubblefield will take the hill for the Miners while Felix Baez will pitch the series opener for Evansville.

The Southern Illinois Miners are the 2016 Frontier League West Division Champions, the 2014 and 2015 Frontier League East Division Champions and the 2012 Frontier League Champions. They have been awarded the Frontier League Organization of the Year award three times since their inception, and also set a new Frontier League attendance record in 2007, their inaugural season. For ticket information, contact the Rent One Park box office at (618) 998-8499. For any additional information, visit our website at www.southernillinoisminers.com.

Box Score

Batting Stats

Batting
2B: B.Wiley (1).  HR: R.Lashley (6).  RBI: C.Massey (17), R.Lashley 3 (28), B.Moore 2 (8).  SF: C.Massey (3).  SB: M.Flores (9), B.Moore (3).
Team LOB: 9.

Fielding  A: C.Massey 3 (80), B.Wiley 3 (14), R.Lashley 2 (47), C.Washington (4), J.Werner (3).  DP: 1 (B. Wiley(2B) – C. Massey(SS) – A. Critelli(1B))  E: C.Massey (2), B.Wiley (3).  PO: C.Massey (66), B.Wiley 2 (15), R.Lashley (13), K.Wertz Jr. 4 (10), N.Earley 5 (57), A.Critelli 9 (9), M.Flores 3 (49), B.Moore 11 (200).  SBA: B.Moore 2 (42).  TC: C.Massey 5 (148), B.Wiley 6 (32), R.Lashley 3 (67), K.Wertz Jr. 4 (12), N.Earley 5 (60), A.Critelli 9 (10), M.Flores 3 (51), B.Moore 11 (213), C.Washington (5), J.Werner (4).

River City
#	Batter	P	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2	Merjano, J	2B	6	0	1	1	0	3	.285
3	Kerrigan, J	LF	6	1	2	1	0	2	.331
24	Silver, J	3B	6	0	4	1	0	1	.338
23	Martinez, B	RF	4	0	1	1	0	0	.273
9	Love, T	PH RF	2	0	0	0	0	0	.225
10	Jurgella, M	C	6	1	0	0	0	2	.263
33	Ludy, J	DH	4	0	1	0	2	0	.269
18	Thomas, B	CF	3	1	1	1	2	1	.202
8	Freeman, C	1B	5	2	2	0	1	1	.281
12	Morales, J	SS	5	0	0	0	0	1	.194
			47	5	12	5	5	11

Batting
RBI: J.Merjano (20), J.Kerrigan (25), J.Silver (21), B.Martinez (17), B.Thomas (12).  SF: B.Thomas (1).  SB: J.Silver (8), B.Thomas (16).
Team LOB: 15.

Fielding
A: J.Merjano 3 (99), J.Silver 5 (72), C.Freeman (14), J.Morales 5 (100), M.Chavarria (1), R.Smith 2 (2).  PO: J.Merjano (56), J.Kerrigan 3 (58), J.Silver (21), B.Martinez (105), M.Jurgella 6 (200), B.Thomas 6 (74), C.Freeman 16 (224), J.Morales (45), C.Mincey (1). SBA: M.Jurgella 2 (35).
TC: J.Merjano 4 (159), J.Kerrigan 3 (60), J.Silver 6 (99), B.Martinez (111), M.Jurgella 6 (223), B.Thomas 6 (75), C.Freeman 17 (242), J.Morales 6 (150), C.Mincey (2), M.Chavarria (2), R.Smith 2 (2).

Pitching Stats

Pitching
BF: C.Washington 26, K.Tinius 4, N.Palacios 8, C.DeBoo 6, J.Werner 6, C.Sessions 4.
P-S: C.Washington 71-48, K.Tinius 10-6, N.Palacios 41-23, C.DeBoo 17-10, J.Werner 20-16, C.Sessions 15-10.

River City
#	Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
31	Smith, R	4.2	8	2	2	0	0	3.86
22	Paesano, A	0.2	0	2	2	2	1	26.99
27	Zgardowski, J	2.2	1	0	0	0	4	2.46
6	Mincey, C	2.0	1	0	0	0	0	0.00
21	Laster, L	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	6.00
17	Kennedy, N	1.0	0	0	0	1	0	2.81
25	Chavarria, M	1.0	2	3	2	0	1	3.45
		12	12	7	6	3	6

Pitching
BF: R.Smith 22, A.Paesano 4, J.Zgardowski 9, C.Mincey 6, N.Kennedy 4, M.Chavarria 5.  P-S: R.Smith 64-43, A.Paesano 18-9, J.Zgardowski 33-22, C.Mincey 26-19, N.Kennedy 10-7, M.Chavarria 19-13.
WP: R.Smith (1).

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 R H E S Illinois 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 7 12 2 River City 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 12 0

by Steve Dunford

The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Warning until 4:45 for most of Southeastern Illinois, with the exception of Hardin and Massac Counties.

There is a small portion of Franklin County in the warned area, which would include Thompsonville and Akin.

I spoke with Franklin County Emergency Management agency, and the only road closure in the county is Satch Road in the Christopher/Buckner area.

I will continue to update periodically on road closures throughout the region.

Here is the warning text below

The National Weather Service in Paducah has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for…
White County in southeastern Illinois…
Northern Pope County in southern Illinois…
Northern Johnson County in southern Illinois…
Eastern Williamson County in southern Illinois…
Saline County in southern Illinois…
Southeastern Franklin County in south central Illinois…
Hamilton County in south central Illinois…
Gallatin County in southern Illinois…

* Until 445 PM CDT Friday

* At 1040 AM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing
heavy rain across the warned area. Up to three inches of rain have
already fallen in some locations. Flash flooding is expected to
begin shortly.

* Some locations that will experience flooding include…
Marion, Harrisburg, Carmi, Eldorado, McLeansboro, Shawneetown,
Grayville, Carrier Mills, Norris City, Goreville, Galatia, Ridgway,
New Harmony, Crossville, Enfield, Equality, Pittsburg, Creal
Springs, Lake Of Egypt Area and Carriers Mills.