Football: Get ready for lots of sideline penalties

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At every high school football game, coaches yell at their players to get away from the sideline to prevent officials from calling penalties for getting in their way. This season, somebody had better be assigned to yell at the coaches to remind them to get out of the way.

A new rule takes effect. Last year, three coaches were allowed in a coaches’ box during plays. This season, there is a restricted area, and once the ball is snapped, coaches and players must be out of the restricted area for safety reasons.

If anyone violates the rule, a warning is issued. The second time, a five-yard penalty is assessed. The third time, it’s 15 yards. And the fourth time, the coach is ejected for another 15-yard penalty.

It will be interesting to see how the officials handle the new rule and how coaches deal with it. I’ve been to games in which officials seem more concerned about the sideline behavior than watching what’s happening on the field.

At a City Section media meeting, assistant commissioner John Aguirre, a former football coach, said, ‘I don’t see some coaches stepping back.’

That means the flags could be flying early in the season. Kirk West, who will be officiating Friday’s Oaks Christian-Alemany game, said officials have needed to take a wider angle moving around during games because the speed has quickened through the years, and they don’t want to run into coaches or anyone else on the sideline.

‘You’re going to need to stay off the sideline,’ West said.

-- Eric Sondheimer