Illegal or legal? Take a gander at our latest high hit video.

We received a video from a high school game in Minnesota with an accompanying story. We’re going to display the first part of the story, then the film, then the second part of the story to see if it changes your mind on whether or not this was a legal hit. Social experiment of sorts. Begin.

I am a follower up here in the great state of MN and coach at St. Cloud Tech High School.  We are a part of the MSHSL and I remember previous posts where you talk about how refs are emphasizing hits above the shoulder to make the game safer.  Well here is a perfect example of what you guys are talking about.  Happened last night in a game we had against Roseville, MN where our LSM caught a pass and then was hit by an opposing pole.

Untitled from Tyler Hein on Vimeo.

The first time I watched this video I thought it was clean. When I slow it down and look frame by frame it appears to be helmet to helmet although not intentional. There’s a difference between leading with your head and incidental contact. This video immediately remains me of a hit from a Salisbury game a few years back. It sounds really bad. It looks really bad. But that doesn’t mean it is a penalty.

Leading with the shoulder or the head?

Take a look at the hit from the Minnesota game frame by frame.

Especially here, the helmet appears in the foreground of the still, which suggests that it is not making direct contact with the ball carrier’s helmet.

He keeps his hands in towards his body during the hit and doesn’t extend his arms. His helmet, while it begins lower than the opposition’s helmet, doesn’t move which suggests to me he didn’t use his helmet as a weapon. Looks a legal hit to me. Now, if I had seen the play happen in real time, considering the new rules in place, considering that the player looks unconscious post hit, I would have thrown a flag in the heat of the moment.

This is where things get very interesting for officials. I don’t believe this is a penalty. Someone else might call it a penalty. Until every official in the country is shown what constitutes a head shot worthy of a 1, 2, or 3 minute penalty every hit will be called differently.

Do you think this is an illegal hit?

Here’s the second part of the email.

The refs threw no flags and my player ended up having to go to the ER.  He has a fractured jaw, 8 stitches in his mouth, 2 broken teeth, and a concussion.  When asked, the refs said that they did not see the hit even though there were 2 within 10 yards of the play staring at the play.

Now that you know that, does the hit suddenly become a penalty in your eyes? Do you understand why I kept that information from you? Does the ref know a player’s injuries immediately and is therefore in a position to make a call based on a reaction to a particular player’s injuries from a particular hit?

Regardless of injury, and I wish that young man a speedy recovery, I don’t believe this is a penalty. You have a situation where a bigger kid is coming into physical contact with a smaller athlete who is in a vulnerable position because of the way he’s trying to make an over the shoulder catch and disaster strikes. As they say in hockey, that’s just a hockey play. This is just a lacrosse play. Lacrosse is a dangerous sport. That’s part of the thrill.

What say you?

Thanks to Tyler Hein for emailing us this video. Send your contributions to [email protected]

Imagery

Fantastic photo captured by Cocks Lax Report.

South Carolina is set to take on Virginia Tech this Friday in the first round of the SELC tournament. Good luck to the Gamecocks.

Notes

Salt Shakerz Jam by the Sea Tournament recap

Salisbury Brunswick video highlights courtesy of Lax.com

Rough afternoon for the Penguins

Worse afternoon for Mike Green

Worse afternoon for the Rangers