West Virginia Code of State Rules
Agency 127 - Secondary School Activities Commission
Title 127 - LEGISLATIVE RULE WEST VIRGINIA SECONDARY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES COMMISSION
Series 127-03 - Provisions Governing Contests
Section 127-3-23 - Football

Universal Citation: 127 WV Code of State Rules 127-3-23

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 38, September 20, 2024

23.1. Rules: Football rules published by the NFHS are the official rules for all interscholastic competition unless otherwise provided by Commission modification.

23.2. Organized Team Practice: Organized team conditioning practice will begin on Monday of Week 5 and the first contest may be played during Week 8.

23.2.a. The following table establishes for high school the equipment/contact level, earliest date for scrimmage or Grid-O-Rama, date for first contest, and date season must be completed.

Year

First Date Organized Practice Helmets Only No Contact

First Date Helmet & Shoulder Pads Soft Equipment Contact (Bag, Shields, Sleds, Tackling Wheel, etc.)

First Date Full Pads Soft Equipment Contact (Bag, Shields, Sleds, Tackling Wheel, etc.)

First Date Full Pads Full Contact

Earliest Scrimmage or Grid-O-Rama after 4:00 p.m.

First Contest

Date Season Must Be Completed

2024

Aug. 5 and 6

Aug. 7 and 8

Aug. 9

Aug. 10

Aug. 16

Aug. 26

Nov. 9

2025

Aug. 4 and 5

Aug. 6 and 7

Aug. 8

Aug. 9

Aug. 15

Aug. 25

Nov. 8

2026

Aug. 3 and 4

Aug. 5 and 6

Aug. 7

Aug. 8

Aug. 14

Aug. 24

Nov. 7

2027

Aug. 2 and 3

Aug. 4 and 5

Aug. 6

Aug. 7

Aug. 13

Aug. 23

Nov. 6

2028

July 31 and Aug. 1

Aug. 2 and 3

Aug. 4

Aug. 5

Aug. 11

Aug. 21

Nov. 4

23.2.b. Individual students of a team must have practiced on 12 separate days, exclusive of the day of a contest, before participating in an interscholastic contest.

23.2.c. In season football camps sponsored by a member school or by other school related organizations where football coaching and instruction are given are not permitted.

23.2.d. The use of football uniforms, protective equipment, tackling or blocking dummies, charging sleds, or similar devices are strictly prohibited during the conditioning program. During the date of pads no live contact, the use of sleds, shields, and blocking dummies is allowed to permit gradual adaptation of the students to carrying the weight of their pads and adjusting to temperature variation.

23.3. Length of Season: The football season will end for each team at the end of the regular season or by play-off elimination.

23.4. Maximum Team Contests: A football team will be permitted to play no more than 10 games exclusive of the play-off games.

23.4.a. The total number of quarters for a student in one season is 50 exclusive of the play-off games.

23.4.b. A student may only play four quarters in one day.

23.4.c. Any student who participated in one or more downs in one quarter shall be charged with one quarter of play. Downs in which the football teams are in a free kick formation, or the offensive team is in a scrimmage kick formation, as defined in the NFHS Football Rule Book, will not count as a down.

23.4.d. Overtime is considered as an extension of the fourth quarter.

23.4.e. Interscholastic practice game in which teams representing a member school play against alumni or others is not allowed.

23.5. A football team is permitted to participate in a Grid-O-Rama and one preseason scrimmage or two preseason scrimmages. (See Glossary for definitions of Grid-O-Rama and Scrimmage.)

23.6. Special Regulations:

23.6.a. All rules and regulations of these bylaws pertaining to football are also applicable to six-man and eight-man football.

23.6.b. Any member of a freshman team who plays in a varsity contest (scrimmage, Grid-o-Rama or game) is ineligible to return to the freshman team.

23.6.c. A student may not play or practice on a non-school football team while a member of the school team.

23.7. A student may accept awards for WVSSAC sanctioned and non-sanctioned events during the entire year. These awards must be consistent with the items specified in the §127-3-5.

23.8. The Board of Directors is authorized to adopt a point rating system and overall procedure for determining a state champion in each class.

23.9. Middle Schools: The above rules will apply for middle schools with the following adaptations:

23.9.a. Organized team conditioning practice will begin on Monday of Week 6 and the first game played during Week 9.

23.9.b. The following table establishes, for middle school the equipment/contact level, earliest date for a scrimmage, the date for first contest and the date season must be completed.

Year

First Date Organized Practice Helmets Only. No Contact

First Date Helmet and Shoulder Pads. Soft Equipment Contact (Bag, Shields, Sleds, Tackling Wheel, Etc.)

Full Pads. Soft Equipment Contact (Bag, Shields, Sleds, Tackling Wheel, Etc.)

Full Pads Full Contact

Earliest Scrimmage

First Contest

Date Season Must be Completed

2024

Aug 12, 13, and 14

Aug. 15, 16, and 17

Aug. 19 and 20

Aug. 21, 22, 23, and 24

Aug. 26

Sept. 2

Nov. 2

2025

Aug. 11, 12, and 13

Aug. 14, 15, and 16

Aug. 18 and 19

Aug. 20, 21, 22, and 23

Aug. 25

Sept. 1

Nov. 1

2026

Aug. 10, 11, and 12

Aug. 13, 14, and 15

Aug. 17 and 18

Aug. 19, 20, 21, and 22

Aug. 24

Aug. 31

Oct. 31

2027

Aug. 9, 10, and 11

Aug. 12, 13, and 14

Aug. 16 and 17

Aug. 18, 19, and 20

Aug. 23

Aug. 30

Oct. 30

2028

Aug. 7, 8, and 9

Aug. 10, 11, and 12

Aug. 14 and 15

Aug. 16, 17, and 18

Aug. 21

Aug. 28

Oct. 28

23.9.c. The football season will end on Saturday of Week 17.

23.9.d. Not more than eight interscholastic football games shall be played, excepting one league playoff game. There shall be a nine game limit, even if league playoff games are used, and the extra game is limited to two teams. Leagues choosing to have the extra playoff game may participate in a two quarter Grid-O-Rama in place of a scrimmage game, if agreed to before the start of the season.

23.9.e. The total number of quarters for a middle school student in one season is 40, exclusive of the playoff game in §127-3-23.4.

23.9.f. A middle school football team is allowed one preseason scrimmage under the following conditions:
23.9.f.1. Scrimmage will not be played under game conditions.

23.9.f.2. Scrimmage must be played prior to first game of regular season.

23.9.f.3. Admission may be charged.

23.9.f.4. Registered officials may be used.

23.9.g. Middle school football teams shall play overtime periods in regular season games. Overtime periods will be played until a winner is determined in accordance with the NFHS Football Rules "20 yard line overtime procedure."

23.9.h. Middle school game ball: The football used involving only students in the 8th grade and below shall be the youth football. Modification of the rule is listed in the NFHS Rule Book, Rule 1-3-1.

23.9.i. Length of Quarters: For teams composed of students in any combination of 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, the length of quarters shall be eight minutes.

23.9.j. A 9th grade team in a high school program will follow the rules provided for high school.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. West Virginia may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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