Officials appear to miss important fourth-quarter call in HHS-Salem game

Did Salem’s streak over Houston continue in part due to a missed call?

According to the rulebook, the officiating crew apparently botched a fourth-quarter special teams play that could have changed the game’s outcome. Salem won 7-0 in overtime to beat HHS for the 38th straight year.

The play occurred as Salem lined up to punt on its own 24-yard line as it rained heavily. The snap to punter Nick Holiday skipped in front of him and he was unable to handle it. As the ball dropped to the ground and with HHS defender Chris Cichon closing on him, Holiday kicked the ball off the ground 22 yards downfield.

Houston’s coaches protested the play with the game officials, who huddled and also appeared to look at the rules book while on the Salem sideline with coach Brian McNamee. Following a brief break, the officials told HHS coach Eric Sloan the punter caught the ball and drop-kicked it off the ground. The play was ruled legal and Houston took possession at its own 49-yard line, where the ball stopped rolling after Holiday kicked it.

“There was some confusion whether he had control of the ball or not,” Sloan said. “They talked about it being a drop-kick and ruled it was.”

Video of the play appears to reveal Holiday never had possession of the ball. If so, the call was wrong. Rule 9.7.1 Situation C reads:

“A is in scrimmage-kick formation and the ball is snapped to A1 who is the potential punter. (a) A1 muffs the ball allowing it to hit the ground where he kicks it; or (b) A1 muffs the ball, but then picks it up and punts it. RULING: Illegal kicking in (a). If accepted, the penalty is 15 yards from the spot of the foul, because it is a foul by A behind the basic spot during a loose-ball play. It is a legal kick in (b).”

If Holiday had picked the ball up and kicked it, even after it hit the ground, the play would have been legal, according to the rules. He can also drop-kick it off the ground, although he did not attempt that style of kick in his other seven punts in the game. Because Holiday appeared to kick the ball off the ground in desperation, the rules indicate it was an illegal action.

“I did not think he had control. I thought he did what anyone would do – get it off before it gets blocked,” Sloan said. “I’ve never seen or heard of a drop kick on a punt.”

The spot of the foul was the 14-yard line. Because 15 yards could not have been enforced, the penalty would have been half the distance to the goal line. Houston should have gained possession on the Salem 7-yard line. 

Instead, Houston ran three plays from the 49 and punted. The game went into overtime and Salem scored the game’s only points on the first possession.

“There’s nothing that can be done. I guess we need to make sure that we have a rules book with us at all times on the sideline,” Sloan said. “But even if we found it, when they call it a drop-kick, that’s like arguing balls and strikes.”