Iowa High School Football Mercy Rule And Other States

Iowa High School Football Mercy Rule states if a team gets a 35-point lead, the clock will run continuously. It was 50 points until 2003.

The regulation was incepted in 1992 and defined as whenever a team was to get a 50-point lead the match would end at halftime or any time in the second half.

But this was amended in December 2003 and thirty-five marks criteria were set and instead of ending the game a phrase to keep the clock running continuously was incorporated. 

To bring the game back to normal ruling the team falling back in score must shorten the point difference. For instance, if the leading team has already secured 42 scores and the other team goes to score two touchdowns i.e. gain 12 points, the difference has been cut down to 30. 

This means the normal directives of the game will be reinstated from the play onwards. The Iowa football officials believed that such amendments in the regulations would prevent the sudden ending of the game during halftime. 

Before the introduction of the changes, the 50-point mark prevented halftime show and the band couldn’t play as the people would leave as soon as the match ended. But now such things don’t occur. 

What Is The Mercy Rule In High School Football?

Mercy Rule Iowa School football keeps the clock running in matches when one participating team leads the game by 35 or more points. 

The rule is not normalized until the opponent team cuts their point difference short or below the 35 mark. The rule was voted to come into effect in the 2004 season by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. 

As per the newly incepted directives back then, the clock will only stop at the end of the third quarter, with timeouts, and injuries. Other reasons for clock stop might include scores and threats to safety.

The clock will not stop for 1st downs, out-of-bounds, change possession, penalties, or incomplete passes unless the marginal difference is reduced below the standard 35 points. 

The exception to the regulation is that the referee can still call off the game anytime if there is no point in completing the game or the safety has been jeopardized in a serious manner. 

There are a total of 34 states that have been practicing this ruling in the high school football games that come under them and use the “continuous clock” format to be applied when the set mark of the points has been reached. 

As discussed earlier, one of the primary reasons for the amendment was to bring down the running time of the game which will in turn reduce the chances for the scoring team to score more and save the opponent from hopeless defeat giving them enough time to make a comeback. 

Brief History

The rule goes by various names including slaughter, knockout, or skunk rule, and is in practice over a wide variety of sports including football, basketball, softball, soccer, and more. 

It has the name “Mercy” because it contributes immensely to preventing the losing team from further humiliation in the match due to the huge point difference.  

It is most prevalent in youth sports across America primarily in baseball and softball which do not incorporate a game clock and the powerful team can keep scoring eternally. 

It was first brought into practice in 1992 and has been practiced by several athletic organizations across the United States of America for almost 31 years now. 

Indiana High School Football Mercy Rule

The rule in Indiana high schools is similar to that of Iowa. After a 35-point difference led by a team beginning with the second half, the running clock will instate. 

The game clock will be converted to the continuous clock whenever the margin has been acquired starting from the second half of the match. If the time is to be stopped, it must be the injuries or timeouts. 

The Indiana High School Athletic Association derived these directives in cooperation with IFCA (Indiana Football Coaches Association) so that they can build a protocol that will regulate the point difference between powerful and weaker teams. 

In a statement released by the Executive committee, they have further explained the cause for it as their step to build a proper sportsmanship culture among the high school athletic teams. The proposal was approved by the committee by a 19-0 vote on April 29, 2019.

The ruling and procedure further implies:

• The clock which has been set for the continuous running purpose after reaching the threshold determined by the team can not be changed back to normal timing standards. 
• Whether the “continuous clock” is in effect or not, the 40-second play clock protocols should always remain in effect regardless of other implementations. 
• The coaches of the team do not possess any authority to overrule the effect of the Mercy rule and shall remain under their directives. 
• The referee bears the responsibility to inform the head coaches of the team whenever the rules come into effect in a match.
• The timing personnel must be reminded by the home team about the running clock rule in effect. 

Reason Behind “Mercy” Adaptation

The IHSAA voted for the most needed ruling in their school-level football and not a single personnel stood against it. It was the most needed regulation according to them.

During the implementation time, Cory Yeoman expressed that it is not good to embarrass kids in front of such a crowd. High school football is not just about numbers on the scoreboard but much more than that. 

He implied that through the games they are trying to teach the young athletes life lessons. Other coaches had agreed upon the change as they can not keep their players in the game which is out of reach for a long time. 

Taking all these things into consideration all 19 members of the committee voted for the change which was implemented by the fall games of that season. 

California High School Football Mercy Rule

California has adopted the regulation since 2011 when The California Interscholastic Federation released its agreement to implement the running clock. 

A slightly different regulatory clause in the ruling is that if the point difference between two teams reaches thirty-five or more, a running clock might be used upon a mutual consensus between the coaches and the referee during the first three quarters.  

If the threshold is achieved at the start or any time during the fourth quarter, the ruling can be made for the remaining time of the matchup. 

Other provisions are:

• Once the directives have been brought into effect during the fourth quarter, the running clock must not be stopped even if the team that was behind on the scoreboard reduces the point difference to less than 35. The balance of the contest must be maintained. 
• The game clock should be started with a snap or legal touch of the ball and should continue to run during the first downs, out-of-bounds, incomplete passes, all penalty enforcements, etc. 
• It will stop at timeouts, scores, injuries, the end of a period, and more. 

Recent Violation of “Running Clock”

Inglewood High School of California in a match against Morningside High School got a 106-0 victory over the team in October 2021. This was highly criticized by other schools. 

The score was criticized for its lack of sportsmanship. The CIF had already adopted the slaughter rule in 2011 and had asked the member schools to follow it accordingly. But the Inglewood HS did not obey it in that game. 

The team was already 59-0 after the first quarter but when Brian Collins the head coach of Morningside HS asked for the running clock the Inglewood team refused it. 

Morningside received an apology letter from Debbie Tate, the principal of Inglewood HS stating that the administration will maintain the highest level of sportsmanship and integrity in the days to come. 

Mil’Von James, the head coach of the winning team also expressed his apology for such an unacceptable final score the opposing team had to face. 

Mercy Rule In High School Football PA

As per Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association running clock rule 3-1-2, the regulation is implemented whenever the point difference is 35.

This is to be implemented after the completion of the first half or any time during the second half at any level of the football competition inside the state. 

Once the regulation has been circulated the time will only stop on official’s timeouts, charged timeout, end of a period, or an occurrence of score. 

Once the directives have come into effect they will remain in implementation even if the team with lesser score goes on to make more points and reduce the lead margin below the thirty-five standard. 

The time will continue to run during incomplete passes and when a player carrying the ball goes out-of-bounds. The clock will stop for a fraction of the time on first downs and after a free kick or a change of possession. The time will restart after a ready-for-play whistle from the referee. 

The running clock rule can not be overruled by any authority including coaches once that has been implemented in the match. This might be brought into effect on the mutual understanding of the coaches of both teams as well as the referee. 

Is There A Mercy Rule In NFL?

No, there is no Mercy Rule in the NFL. However, it is practiced widely in the NCAA college football games to shorten the playing time of any remaining period. 

As per the NCAA Football Rule 3-2-2-a, remaining time playing periods and intermission between the halves can be cut short upon the mutual agreement between the opposing coaches and the referee.

For instance, if the score at halftime is 59-0 and the coaches along with the referee decide to shorten the third and fourth quarter to 12 minutes. The other coach requests a running clock. In such a condition, the ruling can be made to allow the shortening of the time but the running clock is not allowed. 

This occurred recently on 1 October 2022 when the Syracuse Orange was playing against the Wagner Seahawks. The Orange were on the 49-0 lead at the halftime. 

The opposing coaches and referee agreed to cut the time to 10 minutes for each quarter in the second half. The final score of the game was 59-0.