Tag: overtime

by Mike Pavlichko

NJSIAA football committee looks at additional playoff tweaks, but OT stays the same… for now

The NJSIAA’s football comittee plans on keeping overtime the same for now, but is looking at additional tweaks to the playoff system to balance the competitiveness with geography.

At its January 21st meeting, the committee discussed a number of topics, but the biggest item to come out of it was about the playoffs.

In its Post-Season in review, NJSIAA Executive Director Colleen Maguire presented a proposal from the Football Leagues & Conferences to modify the seeding rules for the public playoffs.

Currently, the top 16 teams in each supersection – one North and one South – qualify for the postseason. The overall No. 1 seed goes into its “traditional” section – i.e., North 1 or 2, South or Central – and the overall No. 2 is the top seed in the other section. Then, the brackets are “snaked,” with one side featuring overall seeds 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13 and 16, while the other has seeds 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14 and 15.

The new format would designate the top two seeds the same way, but then take overall seeds 3 through 16 and sort them geographically. The northernmost seven teams would go with the top seed in the northernmost section (North 1 or Central) while the others would go in the southernmost section (North 2 or South). Those seven teams would then be seeded in order of overall finish.

Tiebreakers would still be handled on the overall seeds 1 through 16, as would any head-to-head adjustments. They would not come into play once each eight-team bracket is seeded.

When the NJSIAA first adopted the UPR playoff formula in 2018, this was almost the format they used. That one split the teams geographically from 1 through 16, but it may have allowed a fourth-seed overall to be the one-seed in a section if the top three overall happened to be more in one geographic location than another.

The proposal would keep the integrity of the top two teams in each supersection earning No. 1 seeds, then geographically sorting the rest.

Minutes from the meeting state, “The Football Leagues & Conferences reviewed this past year’s tournament seeding under these proposed rules and agreed that these rules better align teams geographically while also keeping the spirit and integrity of the qualification criteria in place.”

The measure passed unanimously.

The NJSIAA also had considered whether to alter overtime rules, adding an extra period, but also moving the starting point to the ten yard line rather than the 25. The goal was to cut down on the amount of ties, but in the four seasons since COVID, there have only been four true overtime games to end in ties.

NJFCA membership voted in favor, but not overwhelmingly, last month. And, according to the meeting minutes, “feedback has been supportive of the current rule and there is no consensus feedback on the need to change the current overtime procedures. There will be no proposal to change the overtime procedures for the 2025-2026 season; however, NJSIAA staff will monitor overtime periods and continue to solicit feedback moving forward.”

No other major changes appeared to be on the docket, however the NJSIAA does seem to be concerned about what it says is an uptick in uniform violations.

In the last couple of years, the state has tightened rules to require numbers and uniform colors to be in high contrast (i.e., white or red numbers on black, as opposed to uniforms and numbers with the same color, and only an outline around the number, or gradient numeral colors).

As a result, while the state isn’t looking to make further changes, the NJSIAA will continue to look for more ways to raise awareness about the rules to get all schools in compliance.

by Mike Pavlichko

New Jersey football coaches vote in favor of overtime changes, but it’s far from a landslide

In an effort to cut down on tie games in the high school football regular season, the NJSIAA has been considering changes to how overtime is run. And New Jersey’s coaches appear to be in favor of it, but not by a terribly large margin.

The New Jersey Football Coaches Association asked its membership before Christmas to weigh in on the issue. And in its weekly newsletter out Tuesday, the NJFCA reports 54.1 percent of coaches who answered its survey supported a change, while 45.9 percent said to keep it the way it is.

Currently, there’s a maximum of three overtime periods, which each team getting a chance from the 25-yard line, and teams that score a touchdown in the third overtime have to go for a two-point conversion instead of kicking the extra point.

The new OT procedure proposes two changes.

The new rules would start teams from the ten-yard line beginning with the second overtime period. Teams would still have to go for two starting with the third overtime, but a fourth period would be added.

That would mean the first OT would start from the 25, the remainder would start from the ten, and teams would have to go for two in the third and fourth overtimes. Those rules would continue into the postseason – as they do now – but, as always, playoff games couldn’t end in a tie. Ties would still be possible in regulation.

NJFCA Commissioner John Jacob told Central Jersey Sports Radio the survey isn’t a vote and is non-binding – it doesn’t officially adopt a new plan, or reject it – it was just to get a feel from the membership to send down to Robbinsville.

And though it was clearly a vote in favor, it was nowhere near, for example, the landslide that voted in 2021 that allowed the NJSIAA to change its constitution to allow for state champions in football, where 94.6 percent said yes.

There haven not necessarily been a plethora of overtime games in recent years.

In the four full football seasons since the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, there have only been four regular season overtime games to end in ties, and all those have come in the last two seasons.

There were three in 2024 and one in 2023. There were none in the two seasons prior, but in 2022, Clayton and Mastery HS of Camden tied when their game was called in the third quarter – with the score 0-0 – due to police receiving a call threatening a shooting at the game.

by Mike Pavlichko

How are NJ football coaches voting on changes to overtime procedure? We asked around…

As we first reported Wednesday, the New Jersey Football Coaches Association is asking its membership about a potential change to overtime rules in high school aimed at curbing ties.

NJFCA Commissioner John Jacob told Central Jersey Sports Radio last week the NJSIAA has been exploring the issue, and while the vote is non-binding – it won’t officially adopt a new plan, or reject it – he says the state athletic association is likely to follow whatever the coaches say.

The new OT procedure proposes two changes.

Currently, there’s a maximum of three overtime periods, which each team getting a chance from the 25-yard line, and teams that score a touchdown in the third overtime have to go for a two-point conversion instead of kicking the extra point.

The new rules would start teams from the ten-yard line beginning with the second overtime periods. Teams would still have to go for two starting with the third overtime, but a fourth period would be added.

That would mean the first OT would start from the 25, the remainder would start from the ten, and teams would have to go for two in the third and fourth overtimes. Those rules would continue into the postseason – as they do now – but, as always, playoff games couldn’t end in a tie. Ties would still be possible in regulation.

We surveyed some Big Central coaches, and our initial indications are that the measure could pass. We heard back from eleven coaches, and the tally was 8-3 in favor of the changes.

Spotswood’s Chris Meagher voted against the proposal, saying, “I don’t feel the need to change something that has worked for many years. There are so few ties in the state each year that I don’t think the change is necessary.”

Same for Bernards’ head coach Jon Simoneau. “We work hard on or kicking game,” Simoneau says. “And being able to kick from a further distance is a big help. Starting from the ten kind of takes it out of play.”

But Edison’s Matt Yascko says he voted yes, and also mentioned the kicking game. “In college and the NFL you get to the 20 and you can kick a field goal,” Yascko says. “Not many high school teams have that option.”

While he supports the change, he’d like to see it a little different. “Just go to two-point conversions,” Yascko said. “There shouldn’t be ties anymore. It should be the ball at the 20 and all two-point conversions.”

Somerville’s Matt Bloom also voted for the change. “I felt like it was the right blend of limiting the amount of plays in OT while also reducing the chances of a tie.”

Indeed, a possession starting from the 25-yard line could result in two first downs, and as many as 12 or more plays on a possession. Starting from the ten would essentially cap a possession at four plays, unless there are penalties.

“It also keeps it from becoming a penalty shot type of situation with just two point attempts,” Bloom added, a reference to how National Hockey League overtimes are played: five minutes of three-on-three hockey followed by a shootout.

Phillipsburg coach Frank Duffy voted in favor, but also pointed out that Pennsylvania starts at the ten yard line – with no OT period limit – in all overtime periods. In fact, they play under PIAA rules in their Thanksgiving Day game against Easton, since it’s played every year at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. That included this year’s game, which the Red Rovers won in overtime, 17-14, on a field goal.

But Colonia coach Tom Roarty feels like it’s not necessary. “With only three ties in the entire state (in 2024) it seems like we are changing just to change,” Roarty said.

In fact, there haven’t been a plethora of overtime games at all in recent years.

In the four full football seasons since the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, there have only been four full-fledged overtime ties, and all those have come in the last two seasons.

There were three in 2024 and one in 2023. There were none in the two seasons prior, but in 2022, Clayton and Mastery HS of Camden tied when their game was called in the third quarter – with the score 0-0 – due to police receiving a call threatening a shooting at the game, which never materialized.

by Mike Pavlichko

Every year brings rule changes; could a new overtime procedure be coming to football?

While it’s still in the early stages, there’s consideration being given to the thought of changing the overtime procedure in New Jersey high school football in order to cut down on the amount of ties.

A survey was sent to all members of the New Jersey Football Coaches Association as part of its newsletter on December 27th asking if they wanted to keep the rules as they are, or make a change. NJFCA Commissioner John Jacob – the head coach at East Orange – confirmed the survey is just that, a survey and non-binding.

“At our last football Leagues and Conferences meeting, the NJSIAA was gracious enough to request the NJFCA’s position,” Jacob told CJSR, adding that the state would likely go along with their outcome.

Jacob said he expected to give coaches another week or so to respond to the survey, once they have at least a good number of responses.

Current overtime rules allow for a coin toss to start OT, Teams can choose offense, defense, or the end for the field for that period. Each team starts first and ten at the opponent’s 25-yard line. There’s a maximum of three overtime periods, and starting with the third, teams must go for a two-point try rather than an extra point after a touchdown.

The proposed change would be two-fold:

  • The maximum number of overtime periods would change from three to four.
  • Starting with the second overtime, teams would start at the opposing ten-yard line.

The “must go for two” rule would remain in effect starting with the third overtime, and would be in place for the additional fourth overtime, if necessary.

The defense would still be able to score, and as always, there would have to be a winner in the playoffs.

The thinking is the changes would allow more – and easier – opportunities for teams to win games in overtime. It could also speed up overtime, since periods where offensive teams start on the ten yard line would have less distance to go, or could be stopped in as few as four plays rather than a potential 12 or more (depending on penalties and first downs gained).

However, ties haven’t generally been a problem in the last few years. A look at standings on Gridiron New Jersey and NJ.com reveal there have only been four tie games played to completion in overtime since the COVID year of 2021.

This past season, there were three. Dwight-Morrow and Dumont of the Super Football Conference played to a 46-46 tie on September 12th, Park Ridge and Wood-Ridge of the NJIC went three OTs and tied at 21 on September 27th, and in the West Jersey Football League, Overbrook and Clayton played to a 42-all tie on October 5th.

In 2023, Linden and Montgomery played to a 42-42 tie on October 20th.

And there were none in 2022 or 2021. However, Clayton and Mastery HS of Camden had a game declared a tie on September 23, 2022, when police received a call about a potential shooting at the game, which was suspended in the third quarter, tied 0-0. The game was not finished, and declared a tie.

The NJSIAA typically follows NFHS rules, but is not required to, and can make modifications as it sees fit – similar to how NFHS rules in basketball allow the use of a shot clock, but New Jersey doesn’t use it.