Jim Pacheco is taking a leave from officiating in the NCHSAA while his son plays high school football, and while he's taking that leave, Jim is helping WRAL.com break down one rule a week in a segment we call, "The Rules."

If you have a rule that you would like us to consider for a topic, send an e-mail to stevens@ncsportsreport.com.

In the final part of this week's triple header, Jim answers a question about clipping from a high school football player. We are not disclosing the player's name or school because it has no impact on the question or the answer given.

The question was:

"I play football in high school and have received warnings for clipping while the team passes the ball, although i play on the offensive line. My school runs a shotgun formation most of the time. I was told that i could not cut block while we were in the shotgun formation and if i kicked back first. I assumed this meant that i could cut the defender in front of me if i did not drop back in pass protection, but rather at the snap of the ball, cut the defender instead of dropping back in pass protection. I'd really appreciate it if you guys could help explain the rules of cut blocking for the offensive line."

Jim answered the question very throughly. Here's Jim's response:

"The key is that the ball is in the free blocking zone at the time of the snap. The problem with the shotgun formation is the fact that the ball leaves the zone to get to the QB. Here's the following explanation for the player:

"Blocking below the waist is legal for offensive players who, at the snap, are lined up on their line of scrimmage and those same players are within four lateral yards from the snapper. This usually include the snapper, both guards, both tackles, and the tight end. If the splits between players are larger, the tight end's position might prohibit him from the block below the waist. Secondly, the block must take place immediately following the snap and must be against an opponent who was also lined up on the line of scrimmage.

"Some of the potential problems which might change the legality of the block below the waist would be: 1) the opponent was not initially on the line but was blitzing; or 2) the offensive player started to retreat and then initiated the block; or 3) the offensive player was either not on the line scrimmage as the play began; or 4) the offensive player was not in the "free blocking zone" at the snap (as described above).

"One of the keys in the shotgun formation is that any block below the waist must be the initial move by that offensive lineman. Once the snap has been received by a QB in a shotgun formation, this block is no longer legal. The interpretation allows the blocks described here to be executed legally, but any delay by the offensive player will change the legality since the ball would have left the "free blocking zone".

"I would also suggest having the Head Coach discuss this blocking technique with the officials of each game as the Referee and Umpire visit prior to the kickoff. This would be the best opportunity to discuss the situation and ask specific questions, thereby avoiding the potential for disagreement during the contest."