Tigers will face new rules for two-a-days

62 DAYS UNTIL KICKOFF

When the Rockdale Tigers take the field for the first time in early August, there will be some slight changes the way “two-a-days” are held. The University Interscholastic League approved changes to the fall acclimatization period at its legislative council meeting June 12 and under the new regulations, the players will practice in helmets only for the first two days — a change from the first four days.

Now on the third and fourth days, players can practice in helmets and shoulder pads (shells) but with no contact. Players must remain in shells on the fifth day when contact is allowed but not full contact (tackling to the ground).

The previous rules allowed full contact after four days, so the one-day change in that regard is minimal. When the real action starts at the end of August, there are some new blocking rules adopted by the UIL for the 2018 season — which plays by NCAA rules.

Offensive players cannot block below the waist when the block occurs five or more yards outside the neutral zone. Linemen inside the tackle box may block below the waist inside the tackle box until the ball leaves it, while all other offensive players can block below the waist only if the initial contact is directed from the front.

Under the new UIL acclimatization period rules, practices over the first five days can be no longer than three hours with a one-hour break for a total of four hours. A one-hour walkthrough also is allowed with a mandatory two hours of rest between practice and the walk-through for a seven-hour window.

The UIL legislative council also changed the calendar for spring football practice, extending the window for Class 6A-5A teams to hold their 18 workouts into 34 consecutive days.

Junior high players can not begin practice prior to the first day of school and football equipment may be checked out to the players on any one day during the week preceding the first day of school. The first two days of practice will be conducted without any contact equipment except helmets, that an increase from the previous four. On the third and fourth days of practice, helmets, shoulder pads and shells may be worn but no player contact is allowed on day five.

Also, for the first time in history, in a pilot program, the UIL will allow Friday night live television broadcasts of games during the regular season.

Football is still king in the Lone Star State, but participation in the sport has been dwindling over the past few years.

According to records maintained by the University Interscholastic League (UIL), the state governing body for public school extracurricular activities, between the 2000 and 2016 seasons the sport’s annual participation rate fell off by one quarter.

Last year, just under 11 percent of high schoolers in the state—167,428 students—played UIL-sanctioned football and six-man football in Texas. That’s a big drop from 2000, when the number stood at 14.5 percent.

Because of harmful effects of concussions and sub-concussive hits, many parents are keeping their sons away from tackle football as a safety precaution.

UIL Director Charles Breithaupt is skeptical, though not dismissive, of the notion that health concerns are responsible for the decline. “I’m not hearing from parents around the state saying they’re afraid for their children to play,” he told Texas Monthly. “But maybe they’re speaking with their feet and not showing up.”

Breithaupt cites two other trends as reasons for slumping involvement not just in football but in other traditional UIL sports like volleyball and cross country.

The first is athletic specialization and the rise of non-sanctioned activities like club sports, which provide alternatives to UIL sports.

Another is the rise of the popularity of soccer, with some schools fielding teams for the first time.

There is no such decline in the Rockdale football program, as a record 107 players came out for football on the first day of practice—up by almost 20 from the previous year.

With the Tigers’ recent state championship, interest in playing football will be high and participation is expected to remain at a high level.