caution
Winter 2025-26/2026-27 Proposed Tournament Alignments are now available. The deadline for appeals is January 1, 2025.
Tournament Central
Visit Tournament Central for all your tournament related content, including power rankings, brackets, schedules, records and more. This is your home for the latest news and announcements for all Massachusetts High School sports.
Resources
Football Scheduling "Extra Week" 2025
In the Fall of 2025, Labor Day is early, 9/1/25 and Thanksgiving is late, 11/27/25 (this is the second year in a row of this occurrence). As has been the case in the past, this creates an extra weekend in the qualifying period before the beginning of the state tournament.
CLICK HERE for the Fall 2025 football scheduling breakdown
CLICK HERE for the Fall 2025 football pre-season calendar
CLICK HERE for Fall 2025 football pre-season definitions
Association of New England Football Officials
ANEFO has produced several brief NFHS football rules review videos in preparation for the 2024 high school football season. Each topic includes the rule definition, the referee’s signal, and one or more video clips from local high school football games illustrating the review topic. https://www.anefo.org/. To view the 2023-24 training videos, CLICK HERE.
- New Rules and Editorial Changes
- The Game of Football
- Mandatory, Optional and Illegal Equipment
- Introduction to Football Definitions
- Blindside Blocks
- Blocking Below the Waist
- Hurdling an Opponent
- Fair Catch Signals
- Targeting
- Illegal Snaps
- Chop Blocks
- Defenseless Receivers
- Hair Tackling
- Extending the Period for One Untimed Down
- A Player’s Helmet Comes Off
- If a Player is Bleeding
- Delay of Game
- Illegal Substitution
- Overtime
- Change of Possession: A-B-A
- Putting the Ball in Play
- Dead Ball and the End of a Down
- Out of Bounds and Inbounds Sports
- Series of Downs
- Down and Possession After Penalty
- The Line to Gain and Measurements
- Onside Free Kicks
- Free Kick Out of Bounds
- Illegal Kicking the Ball
- Kick Catch Interference (KCI)
- Ineligible Receivers Downfield
- Encroachment on Free Kicks
- No-Man's Land
- Five Players in the Backfield
- Intentional Grounding
- Illegal Motion
- Illegal Shifts
- False Starts
- Defensive Pass Interference (DPI)
- Offensive Pass Interference (OPI)
- Roughing the Passer
- Locked Legs & Interlocked Blocking
- Illegally Handing the Ball Forward to a Lineman
- Disconcerting Acts or Words
- Illegal Touching (Forward Pass)
- Fouls on Touchdown
- Fouls on Try
- Field Goal Attempts
- Momentum Rule Exception
- Facemask Fouls
- Offensive Holding
- Helping the Runner
- Tripping an Opponent
- Unsportsmanlike Fouls by Players
- Unsportsmanlike Fouls by Coaches/Non-Players
- Roughing the Kicker
- Butt Blocking, Face Tackling and Spearing
- Illegally Batting the Ball
- Clipping
- Block in the Back
- Illegal Participation
- Sideline Interference
- Late Hit Out-of-Bounds
- Horse-Collar Tackle
- Procedure After a Foul
- Double and Multiple Fouls
- Types of Play
- Basic Spots
- Special Enforcement Rules
- New Penalty Enforcement Spots
- The REFEREE’s Mechanics in a 5-Person Crew
- The UMPIRE’s Mechanics in a 5-Person Crew
- The BACK JUDGE’s Mechanics in a 5-Person Crew
Committee Information: Football
Find the most up-to-date committee information including the upcoming meeting schedule, letting agendas and minutes, committee members, and more.
