Vista Murrieta Football Coach Conflicted About CIF 'Mercy' Rule

Last week, the CIF-Southern Section, the governing body for high school sports in Southern California, announced a major football rule change for 2011, and a new postseason format for 2012. 

The CIF state board approved a “mercy rule” for all California high schools, effective this coming season. The rule basically states that once a team is ahead by 35 points in the 4th quarter, the game clock won’t stop except on very limited occasions (scoring plays, team time-outs and official time-outs). The clock would keep moving in other situations that normally would have stopped it (out of bounds plays, first downs, incomplete passes, etc.).

The rule will also apply if the 35-point margin is reached earlier in the game, with consent of both coaches and the referee. The addition of this rule brings California in line with similar rules nationwide.

“Having a rule is interesting. It’s an unwritten rule in coaching that you do it (have a running clock) when scores get lopsided,” Vista Murrieta High football coach Coley Candaele said. “When a game gets out of hand, you want a running clock. But as an opposing coach, you have pride in your school and don’t want to ask for that. By CIF putting a rule in, it takes it out of our hands and makes it easier as a coach.”

Candaele did argue that the number--35 points behind at the start of the third quarter--may be too low. He contends that a high school team could come back from that defecit and this rule takes away the “big comeback.”

“Thirty-five points, that can change real quick,” Candaele said. “I think 42 points would have been a better number. There’s no chance (to come back) at 42, but 35 is doable. In a shootout game, you can be right back in it.”

Yet other coaches, including Elsinore High coach Tony Peralta, feel the rule takes away the chance for second and third-string players to see game action. Peralta is a member of the CIF’s Football Advisory Committee and said the passage of the rule was fueled by Northern California, which has a larger disparity between the top teams and others in the section.

“We feel it sends the wrong message to the kids,” Peralta said. “To have those minutes taken away and have the clock run when a kid might get to play for the very first time…it’s disappointing.

“A team loves to see the kid, that’s been the hard worker every day in practice, on the field in those situations and get a chance to play.”

Walker said he believes that even with a running clock in the fourth quarter, those second and third string players will get a chance to play.

A similar rule had been in place for years in the CIF-Southern Section, but it was always at the discretion of both coaches and the officials as to whether a game would employ a running clock in the fourth quarter. Primarily, it centered around whether a team was in jeopardy of having players injured because one team was clearly more skilled than the other.

A mercy rule is in place for both baseball and softball, but it is up to the individual league as to whether they want to use it.

The CIF also announced the addition of a “regional championship” game for 2012, two weeks after the CIF-Southern Section Championships.

After the four section playoffs (Southern, Central, LA City, San Diego) are done, two of those winners will be chosen by CIF commissioners to play each other in a "SoCal Final." The winner of that game will play a Northern California team for a "State Championship" a week later. This format will apply across all five enrollment divisions.