In today's edition of "Did You Know?", we have video of something most people have not seen before: a fair catch followed immediately by a free kick.
'What on earth is that?', you may ask. Well, football rules at every level allow a team to receive a punt or kick and call for a fair catch. From the spot of said fair catch, the team has the option for a free kick. Lined up similar to a kickoff, it is actually an opportunity for the team to kick the ball from the spot with no rush and try for three points. It is rarely ever used, except in a few rare instances to close out a half.
That's exactly what happened Friday night as Chilton received a punt in the final seconds of the first half against Valders. The Chilton player signaled for and was granted a fair catch at the 34-yard line. Chilton chose to attempt a free kick, which meant the ball could be placed on a tee and the defense had to line up 10 yards back. Fernando Malpica stepped back and booted through a field goal from 44 yards out, giving Chilton an extra three points heading into halftime.
So now, you can say you've seen the extremely rare free kick following a fair catch.
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Tag(s): Video Football News Archive News Travis Wilson