Rumor has it there will be some adjustments to the Fed HC rule this spring. There were disagreements about out of bounds and scoring plays where the ball was technically dead and would have to be a PF instead of an HC. Also problematic was if there is an assist on the tackle from a teammate, its not a HC.
There was also a problem if the player fumbled the ball as a result of the HC, as he was no longer a runner.
Atlanta Blue...
As for the explanation that "He tried to HC the runner"... obviously a poor choice in words. I'm sure the official read the rule. Unfortunately it takes some repetitions of anything before we master something.
Bill:
Oh, I'm sure he read it, this was an official chosen to work the second round of the playoffs. But despite reading it, either he didn't understand it or he reacted instead of thinking through or watching the whole play. That was my point, it was one of the most misunderstood and misapplied FED rules this past season.
And we had it go the other way, too. We worked with our players in the pre-season to teach them to stay off the collar, but despite our efforts, sometimes a kid grabs whatever he can as that runner goes by. It's certainly not an intent to hurt the runner at all, it's in desparation to get him tackled. First game of the year, my mike LB breaks through the line and grabs a tailback by the collar that is moving laterally in the backfield, pulling him to the ground. My LB jumps up grabbing his helmet KNOWING he has just done something wrong. No flag.
I asked him about it afterward: "Coach, as soon as a I grabbed the runner, I KNEW I was going to get flagged. That's EXACTLY what you told us not to do, and I didn't mean it, I was just reaching to grab whatever I could, but it sure was a horse collar."
I think the definition needs refinement (which I hear we will see next week when the rule changes are published), and I think it's a foul on which HS officials need a lot more work. It was missed both ways a good bit this season. I'm glad you are making it part of your training, and hope it's a MAJOR point of discussion. I think, being a new rule, it was probably one of the most misunderstood and misapplied rules all season.