Tack-on question

[regularjoe]

Hey guys I finally decided to create an account after about 20 years. I never felt the need to because I knew a thread would get to the right answer soon enough without me muddying up the waters. Anyway one question:
1.On tack-on fouls(10-4-2 exception) can foul yardage be added on to the spot of first touching? The rule reads succeeding spot and that would definitely be the succeeding spot if chosen. It just seems like first touching would be an absolute spot since that spot was chosen.
4th and 10 from 50. A punts. As the ball is rolling it deflects off A80 leg at B 20 yard line but continues rolling to B 18 yd line. A is called for illegal formation. If accepted would we go to the 23 or could tack-on apply to spot of first touching therefore playing 1st and 10 at 25?

[ncwingman]

Short answer: No. A spot of first touching cannot be an enforcement spot for a live ball penalty.

Longer answer: Rule 6-1-7 (for free kicks) and 6-2-5 (for scrimmage kicks) elaborate that R is entitled to take the ball at the spot of first touching unless "the penalty is accepted for any foul committed during the down". In such a scenario as you describe, R has three options: a) Decline the foul and take the ball at the B20, b) enforce the foul from the end of the play (B18), c) enforce the foul from the previous spot and replay 4th down (or d) decline the foul and take the result of the play at the B18, but why?).

Earlier this year, there was a thread involving unsportsmanlike conduct fouls (live ball enforced as dead ball) in this scenario... and I don't know if we ever came to a solid conclusion then.

[bossman72]

I'm going to answer this like NCAA would do it, which is what NFHS is trying to do.  I'll get to more of this later.

This can only be tacked on to the B18 yard line as acceptance of a foul removes first touching.  So it would be B 1/10 @ B23.

The NFHS rule book does a poor job of articulating what is supposed to happen for a few reasons:
1) It should not be "the succeeding spot", as that implies it's a live ball treated as dead ball foul.  The enforcement spot should be "the spot where the subsequent dead ball belongs to Team B/R".
2) NFHS does not define legal possession and illegal possession of a scrimmage kick like NCAA does.  Ignoring the tack on rule...  Say Team K punts and the ball rolls to the 25 and Team K picks it up there with nothing else happening on the play.  The only reason you give it to Team K under NFHS rules is because that's first touching.  Nowhere in the rulebook does it say that the ball is not legally possessed by Team K on this play.
3) So you can see why this gets muddied with the way the rule reads.  Acceptance of a foul cancels first touching.  Therefore that would give Team K the ball after enforcement.  So if they truly mean "succeeding spot" by keeping the first touching violation, then that means these fouls are live ball treated as dead ball fouls (which they are not).

I think the wording in this section needs cleaned up.

[regularjoe]

Thanks. I completely forgot about 6-1-7 and 6-2-5.