GENERAL RULES & REGULATIONS!

Section 1
National Federation of State High Schools rules will govern all sports unless otherwise stated.
Special rules or procedures may be submitted by Sport Committees to the Board for approval
prior to their respective season.

Section 2
The Executive Committee will oversee and enforce all regulations and judge exceptions under
Article III, Section 10 of the Constitution.

Section 3
Conference Schedule In the PVAC seasonal sports leagues require at least five teams represented
by member schools. Scheduling of seasonal sports shall be completed at the Board of Directors'
meeting following the end of the current season. Schools must state their intention to participate
in league play during the following season at this time. Schools that wish to enter league play
after the season schedule has been established will only be permitted to do so by a majority vote
of the Board of Directors. Schools that withdraw from league play after the season schedule has
been distributed at the Board of Directors meeting immediately preceding the start of the season
will be suspended from league play in that sport for an additional year after the season in
question.

Section 4
There is no league limit on the amount of time a team can practice prior to the season, 60 days
prior to the start of season or otherwise. Any practice restrictions will be at the discretion of
individual schools.

Section 5
Official start of season First official contests, whether conference or non-conference, can begin
on the following days:

Fall: Tuesday after Labor Day

Winter: Monday after Thanksgiving
Spring: 3rd Monday in March

Contests occurring before these dates will be considered scrimmages, and will not count against
the maximum number of games permitted (see Section 6).

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Section 6
Scheduling Scheduling priority will always be given to PVAC schools over non-conference
schools. PVAC schools will make every effort to make up games that are postponed without
conflicting with previously scheduled games.

In order to ensure the safety and health of our student-athletes, the following guidelines and
limitations will govern seasonal scheduling for each member school. The maximum number of
games per season in each varsity sport will be as follows: Baseball - 20, Basketball - 26, Cross
Country - 12, Golf - 12, Soccer - 18, Softball - 20, Tennis - 16, Track - 12, Volleyball - 20.

Two tournaments per season may count as only one game per tournament against the game limit.
Participation in end-of-season PVAC tournaments and contests occurring after the PVAC
tournament will not count towards the total number of games. There shall be no contest
limitations placed upon middle school competition.

Teams that exceed the maximum number of games allowed will not be able to participate in the
end-of-season PVAC tournament, and may face additional sanctions as stipulated in Article VII,
Section 2 of the Constitution.

Section 7 Non-Conference Play

Member schools may schedule scrimmages and non-league games with whomever they choose,
with the exception of teams or schools under suspension by the Conference. PVAC schedules
may not be rearranged to accommodate non-conference play except by the mutual agreement of
the schools involved.

Section 8 Tournaments
Post-season tournaments may be established during the final week of play. Each participant in
the Middle School during the regular season play shall participate in tournaments. Participation
in the tournament at the Varsity level is determined by each individual sport rule.

Regular season games must be completed by the predetermined date without exception, unless
the entire league is affected by a common event, i.e. weather. Tournament dates will not be
rescheduled except for the following reasons:
1. Unsafe weather conditions.
2. The regular season champion has not been determined.

Postponement of tournament dates must be approved by a majority vote of the Executive

Committee and the Sport Chairperson. All tournaments shall be single elimination, unless
otherwise determined by the Board of Directors.

When appropriate, seeds shall be determined by regular season standings. Unless stated
otherwise, standings shall be maintained according to a points system (+3 for a win, +1 for a tie,
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0 for a loss, and 1 for a forfeit). In the event of a tie in the number of points, head-to-head
records will be used. . If a school has not completed its regular season league schedule by the
first day of said tournament due to inclement weather, the seeding will be done first by points,
then, if a tie exists, by head-to-head record. Other tie-breaking procedures may be used
according to the sport rules.

Middle School tournament games will be played at the higher seed teams facility through the
semifinal game. The Middle School Championship Game will be played at a predetermined site
and when possible the girls and boys will play at the same site. At the Varsity level, higher seed
team will host games through the Semifinal Game. Varsity Championship games will be played
at a neutral site.

The total cost of officials shall be split evenly between all competing teams. Spectator admission
fees are to be approved annually by the Board of Directors at the August meeting. Tournament
awards are presented according to Section 10.

Section 9 Conference Standings

Standings shall be decided according to best record (see Section 8(d) above). In the Varsity
league, in the event of a tie for first place, all tied teams shall be considered co-champions.
Middle School League champions are determined by tournament champion.

Section 10 Awards
1. A First-place banner shall be awarded to league champions or co-champions.
2. A First-place team banner shall be awarded for tournament play, unless the league
champion is determined by the tournament results, in which case a first-place banner
shall be awarded.
3. A Second place plaque will be awarded to the tournament runner up.
4. All-Conference certificates shall be awarded for varsity play in each league according to
the following selection process established by the Board of Directors:
a. 1st, 2nd and Honorable Mention, each consisting of the # of a starting line-up unless
otherwise specified in the individual sports rules.
b. Coaches may nominate no more than 5 of their own player.
c. Coach or representative must be present.
d. Coaches may vote for their own players.
e. if a player receives 2 or more votes for the 1st team and is not awarded on the 1st
team, that player automatically is awarded on the 2nd team.
f. Player of the Year will be the player with the most votes unless otherwise
specified in the individual sports rules. A tie will have a re-vote.
g. Players on any of the above teams may play in the game. A player that is not
available should be replaced by his/her coach.
h. Coaches of the All Star Game are determined by: First place finisher of Div A & Div
AA; if one division, regular season championship v. tournament champion.
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i. Game teams: multiple league sport: 1st squad A/ 2nd squad AA vs. 2nd squad A/1st
squad AA. Single division: odds vs. evens, or North v. South
5. A Player of the Year plaque shall be awarded for varsity play according to a vote by the
sport committee at the end of season meeting.
6. A Tournament MVP plaque shall be awarded for varsity play. The Coach of the
tournament champion team shall choose the MVP recipient.
7. A Directors Cup will be awarded for both girls and boys varsity play to the school(s)
with the best results in PVAC competition each year. The procedures for determining
Directors Cup points shall be outlined in an addendum to the Rules and Regulations as
approved by the Board of Directors.
a. Each team in a sport earns a point for every team below it in the official standings plus
one extra point. Teams earn bonus points for their finish in the post-season tournament:
3 for the champion, 2 for the runner-up and 1 for each semifinalist (or 1 for 3rd place if
the tournament is done by total points)
b. Tied teams will receive the same number of points.
c. Teams with divisions (A & AA) will be done separately with the higher division
earning 2 extra points instead of 1. If division is by geography (basketball), each
division is done separately but the tournament points are cross division.
d. In cross country, track and golf which do not have regular season champions, placings
will be according to championship meet finish, with bonus points awarded to the top
three teams.
e. Only the top five (5) scores for each school will count towards the final standings.
8. Other league awards may be distributed according to each sports rules and approval of
the Board of Directors.

Section 11 Rosters and Schedules

For both Varsity and Middle School rosters and schedules shall be sent to the sport's chairperson
by midnight of the official start of season as determined in section 5. The roster shall contain the
name, grade, and birth date of all players. Also included should be the coaches and their phone
numbers, uniform colors, and directions to the school or home facility. Any changes throughout
the season must be made known to the chairperson by phone or email immediately prior to a
players participation in league games. Changes must be made known to each team before each
contest thereafter. Rosters are binding one month to the start of the tournament.

Season schedules are binding as of the official start of the season, as determined according to
Section 5. Any additions to schedule throughout the season must be made known to the
chairperson by phone or email immediately following scheduling the game. Teams withdrawing
from a sport must give notice in writing to the respective chairperson by these established dates.
Teams entering a sport must do so during seasonal scheduling meetings as established in Section
3.

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Section 12 Officials
Officials are the responsibility of the home team. Two officials from a recognized association
must be used for all contests unless otherwise stated. Individual sports rules shall stipulate the
number of officials for regular season and tournament season.

Section 13 Game Confirmation

The home team is responsible for confirming all game conditions within a reasonable period of
time prior to all contests. It shall not be more than 72 hours or less than 24 hours before game
time. These conditions include game time, location, and colors. Visitors must change color if
there is a conflict.

Section 14 Players and Coaches expelled from games

Any player or coach removed from a Conference game by an official shall be ineligible to play
or coach in the next Conference game. The chairperson shall be notified immediately by the
school concerned and in turn the chairperson shall notify the next opposing team.

Section 15 Forfeit
A team shall forfeit a game for any of the following violations:
1. Not showing up for the game.
2. Lateness as determined by each sport - team shall forfeit warm-up period after scheduled
game time.
3. Not enough players to start the game as determined by each sport.
4. Failure to arrange for officials and playing area.
5. Failure to give sufficient notice of cancellation according to Section 16.
6. Failure to reschedule according to Section 16.
7. Improper or unsafe equipment or facilities as determined by officials.
8. Rosters and schedules do not meet conditions according to Section 11.
9. Failure to confirm game conditions.
10. Failure to report and remove expelled player(s) according to Section 14.
11. Failure to meet eligibility requirements outlined in Article VI of the Constitution.
12. Failure to comply with specifically designated sports rules or procedures deemed
necessary or forfeit according to each respective sport hereafter established.

A Forfeit game not played - when conditions permit a Forfeited game to be played, facility,
referee, or transportation expenses incurred may be assessed against the team failing to play the
game.

Section 16 Cancellation and Rescheduling

Game cancellations must be made no later than 12:00 noon or four (4) hours prior to game time.
Rescheduling must accommodate the Conference seasonal schedule according to Sections 6 and
7.

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Section 17 Extreme Heat Conditions

All outdoor PVAC contests will be cancelled on Code Red days, as determined by the D.C.
Council of Governments. This information is available by a recorded message at (202)962-3299.

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