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High School Football & Officiating

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Webster29:
In response to a request from Vette to post an article about high school football officiating and different rules of the game I thought it would be more interesting if I were to put it into a post as to what we do during a game from the pre-game conferences to the game's end.  I will be doing this from the stand point of a four man crew that being referee, umpire, head linesman and line judge.  In our section this is what we use all though we do go to a five man crew (back judge) for playoff games.

We do not have set crews or set positions.  From week to week we may be working with different officials and working different positions. I work referee, head lines and line judge and have done back judge in playoffs.  I have worked umpire at the varsity level but have not had an umpire assignment in several years. ( I guess I am to fast for the position lol)

On game day we try to car pool as much as possible to save on gas.  There is a park n ride just north of Jamestown where the local officials meet to catch their rides to the game.

Our chapter asks (requires) us to be at the game site 90 minutes prior to game time.  The theory being 30 minutes to dress, 30 minutes for a pre game conference and be on the field 30 minutes before the opening kick off as required by the rules.  The problem with this is it never takes 30 minutes to dress and the pre game never takes 30 minutes so we usually end up climbing the walls until it is time to go out on the field.

Pre game conference:  Most of the things we talk about in our pre game are obvious.  The referee goes over the different responsibilities of each official in the running, passing and kicking game.  These are things we should know by heart but I find them helpful.  They get you thinking in a football mode and help prevent the always dangerous brain fart.  We also talk about situations and conditions that may pertain to just the game we are doing.  Things such as weather conditions and keeping the ball dry, is it windy out, does either team have a strong kicker so there may be a chance of  a long field goal attempt.  Is there bad blood between these two teams and if so stay on top of any extra pushing and shoving that could escalate.  Anything else that we can think of that may come into play during the game.  The last thing we do before we leave the locker room is an equipment check.  Does everyone have their penalty flag, bean bag, whistle, down indicator, game card, does the head linesman have a line clip, does the referee have a coin.  (A story on that: one of our refs forgot his coin once.  So during the coin flip he faked it. He made a motion with his hand like he flipped a coin-asked the visiting team captain to call it-made a motion like he caught it and said you win the toss what is your choice.  And no one said a word about it.)

When we get out on the field the first thing we do is talk to the head coaches.  If he is out there we will talk to the home team coach first.  And the first thing we ask the coaches is "are all your players legally equipped?"  This is important because if we find a player participating in the game with either illegal equipment or lacking required equipment the player will be removed from the game until he gets the equipment taken care of and his head coach is assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  And if the coach gets two unsportsmanlike penalties he is ejected from the game.

Some of the other things we discuss with the coach is does he have any trick plays he wants us to be aware of, what his captains numbers are and we also have to check his game balls.  Each team must supply at least one game ball and it must be approved by the referee.  We also ask him if any of his players have any casts or special tape jobs that have to be looked at and approved by the umpire.  One of the last hings we check is if there are any special ceremonies either prior to the start of the game or the second half that may delay either.  We can then inform both coaches at what time we want the captains for the coin toss.

After the coaches conferences each official has certain duties to perform prior to the coin toss.  The referee is supposed to meet with the official clock operator and make sure he understands the officials signals as far as starting and stopping the clock.  The umpire checks the 3 yard line (extra point) at each end of the field to make sure it is accurate. (There is always at least one school that has one or both extra point lines at the 2 yard line)  He also observes both teams as they warm up to See if any player equipment looks like it may be illegal.  If we can find it before the game starts we may save the head coach a penalty.  The head linesman and the line judge walk their side lines to check on yard markers to make sure they are properly marked and that the pylons are properly placed.  The head linesman is also supposed to met with the chain crew with the line judge observing.  The first thing he goes over with the chain crew is safety.  We don't want them or any of the players hurt.  So we remind them that if the play gets near them to drop the chains and move away.  The second most important thing is not to move either the box (the pole with the down indicator that marks the position of the ball) or the chains to early.  Make sure they get a signal from the head linesman before they move.  If they move to early it can cause a mess.  And we always remind them to never move the chains or box if they see a penalty flag on the field.

One other duty that has to be performed before the game is we have to address each team about sportsmanship.  This is required by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.  There is a printed card we can read a prepared statement from (the same statement is read to the fans over the PA system) or we can "wing it".  The subject of the statement is that we will not tolerate trash talking, taunting or bating of opponents and if such actions are seen it will draw an immediate penalty flag for unsportsmanlike conduct and that this pre-game speech is their only warning.  This address to each team is supposed to be done prior to each game from midget league to varsity.

Coin toss:  Usually about 5 minutes before the kick off the referee and line judge will meet the home team captains in front of the home team bench and the umpire and head linesman will meed the visiting team captains in front of their bench.  We try to make it a point to talk to each captain that will be speaking for his respective team before they go out for the toss.  And the thing we ask them is: do you know what you will do if your team wins the toss?do you know what you will do if the other team wins the toss and they choose to defer?  Now this may sound all very basic but there is a good reason for it.  Many times a coach will tell his captain that if they loose the toss they want to defend this goal or that goal.  Their team looses the toss, the winning team defers their choice to the second half and the captain of the loosing team thinks "we lost the toss-coach said we will defend the east goal"."  Mr. Referee we will defend the east goal."  So the other team gets to receive the kick off at the start of each half and when their coach finds out he goes ballistic. 

When both sides are ready the four officials raise their hands and escort the captains to the center of the field.  The referee brings the home team captains to the center while the line judge stops at the hash mark and the umpire brings the visiting team captains to the center and the head linesman stops at the hash mark.  The referee will ask the captains to shake hands and introduce themselves to each other.  The visiting team calls the toss so the referee will ask him what is his call before the coin goes up. After he makes his choice the umpire will echo what he called to make sure there is no misunderstanding. It is done this way largely because of that screw up by the ref in the NFL a few years ago when it was clear the visiting team called it different then the ref said they did.  The coin is tossed-some refs catch it and some let it hit the ground.  The winner has his choice of kicking off, receiving, choosing which goal to defend or defer his choice to the second half.  The looser gets the remaining choice.  If the winner defers his choice the referee will tap the captain on the shoulder, face the press box and make a signal like an incomplete pass indicating that he won the toss and will defer.  After the choices have been made the captains will stand with their backs to the goal they will defend and the referee will indicate which team will be receiving or kicking off.

After the National Anthum the officials will meet together and remind themselves that they are the best team on the field and then break to their kickoff positons.

And thats it for the pre-game.   I'll work on the game itself next week.  Hope you enjoy it.
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MightyGiants:
Thanks for the inside look Bill.  This is great stuff. :ok:

Webster29:
OK.  Here we go with Part 2--Opening Kickoff:  The head linesman will take charge of the ball at the kicking teams 40 yard line and the line judge will stand at the 50 facing the receiving team. The umpire will  be around the 20 yard line of the receiving team on the visiting team's side and the referee will be between the 5 & 10 yard line opposite the umpire. The depth of the referee and umpire may change based on wind conditions, kicking team having an especially good kicker or if an on side kick is expected.  The head linesman will hand the ball to the kicker and point out the referee and instruct the kicker not to kick the ball until the whistle is blown.

The line judge will remind the receiving team players who are near the 50 to stay on their side of the 50 until the ball is kicked.  He also usually reminds them to keep their blocks above the waist.

After the head linesman and line judge have completed their instructions to both teams they will run off the field, line judge at the 50 on the home team side and the head linesman at the kicking teams 40 on the visitors side.  When they are ready the linesman, judge and umpire will hold their hands up and the referee will point to each one then point to the kicker and blow his whistle signifying the ball is ready for play. After the ball is kicked the clock will not start until it has been touched by a member of the receiving team.

Some general rules pertaining to kick offs:  A punt may not be used for a kick off.  The ball must either be kicked off a tee or the ground with or without the assistance of a holder.  A punt may be used for a free kick following a safety.

A kick off is a free kick.  This means that once it goes 10 yards and touches the ground (in either order of occurrence) it is a free ball and may be recovered by either team.  It can only be advanced by the receiving team.  If the kicking team recovers a free kick (not to be confused with a fumble after possession has been gained) the kicking team gets possession of the ball at the spot of recovery.

If K (the kicking team) touches the ball before it has gone 10 yards and before it has been touched by R (the receiving team) it is called first touching. If this happens R may choose to take the ball at the spot of first touching or may decide to take the results of the play.  Their right to take the ball at the spot of first touching is cancelled if they commit a foul or there is any accepted foul during the free kick down.

If a free kick goes out of bounds untouched by R it is a penalty.  R has the following options: take the ball at the inbounds spot on the yard line it went out of bounds--penalize K 5 yards and re-kick--take the ball 25 yards in advance of the previous spot. So if they elect to take the 3rd option and the ball was kicked from K's 40 yard line R would get the ball 1st and 10 at R's 35 yard line.

Scrimmage plays:  Basic position of the officials are linesman and line judge on the line of scrimmage, linesman on the visitors side with the chain crew and the line judge on the home team side.  The umpire will usually be from 4 to 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage on the defense side of the ball and most umpires will vary their position from side to side.  The referee is behind the offense.  The distance varies with A's (offense) formation but usually 3 to 4 yards deeper then the deepest back.  He will usually be on the passing arm side of the quarterback and in a position to view the tackle and backs on the far side of the formation.

Some of the pre-snap things the officials are looking for are: count the players. The referee and umpire count A and the wing officials count B. Our chapter encourages all officials to count both sides but sometimes you will not have time.  If the official gives a fist signal around shoulder height it means he has a count of 11 for the team he is responsible for. If he gives a fist low or level it means he has a count less then 11. It is legal for both teams to be under 11 but A must have at least 7 on the line of scrimmage at the snap.  If the count is more then 11 the official better be throwing a flag for illegal substitution.  What I mean by more then 11 is breaking the huddle and/or in formation with 12 or more. It is legal for 11 in the huddle and a substitute runs on the field and as soon as he communicates he is in for a certain player that player must leave immediately.  If the substitute goes into the huddle and several seconds go by with no player leaving it is an illegal substition and a 5 yard penalty.

The wing officials must identify which players on their side of the field are eligible receivers.  And which players are on the line and which are in the back field. That brings me to another signal they use.  If a player who is closest to a wing official is in the back field you will see the official hold up his arm pointing toward A's back field.  This is important to determine if A has at least 7 on the line at the snap.  An example would be: the player closest to the line judge is in the back field so he extands his arm back. The linesman may be to far away to see if this player is on the line or in the back field but the judge's signal tells him that he is a back.  And the player closest to the linesman is also in the back field so he gives the arm signal.  So both wing man have their arms up to signify the player closest to them is in the back field. And both look behind the center and there is a quarterback and 2 running backs.  So that makes 5 players in the back field.  If the referee and umpire did their job and counted 11 A players and there are 5 in the back field there must be only 6 on the line and if they are still in the same formation at the snap both wings better be throwing a flag for an illegal formation.

With regards to replaced players leaving the field here is a bit of information that drives coaches and fans nuts. The wing officials are told to never turn their heads and see that a replaced player got off the field in time. And with good reason. Their first responsibility is what is happening in front of them. If they turned their head to watch a player leaving they may miss a false start, encroachment or something else that requires their attention. So if the player coming off the field is by the wing official he is off the field as far as the official is concerned even though he may know there was no way in the world the player could have made it in time. Of course the coaches and fans all see this and will let the official know that he missed that one.

The referee will blow his whistle meaning the ball is ready for play and the 25 second count starts.  A has 25 seconds to snap the ball. He also watches for illegal shifts and motion.  The rule that governs illegal shift is stated:  After a huddle or shift all 11 players of A shall come to an absolute stop and shall remain stationary simultaneously without movement of hands, feet, head or body for at least one second before the snap. Probably the most common example of illegal shift is when a motion man goes in motion to quickly.  The line goes down into a set position and a back goes in motion immediately.  The back must wait at least 1 second after the line shifted into their set position or at the snap of the ball there will be a flag.   Illegal motion is: Only 1 A player may be in motion at the snap and then only if such motion is not toward his opponents goal line.

And all officials must watch for false starts.  A false start is defined as:
a. A shift or feigned charge simulates action at the snap
b. Any act is clearly intended to cause B to encroach
c. Any A player on his line between the snapper and the player on the end of his line, after having placed a hand(s) on or near the ground, moves his hand(s) or makes any quick movement.

The umpire checks that there are five players numbered 50-79 on the offensive line.  He watches for interference with the snap, false start or encroachment. He also listens for disconcerting signals by B.

At the snap: the wing officials key the end and wide receiver if the defender is covering him tightly and if the end is uncovered look through to tackle to read run or pass. Be alert for quick plays into the line and assist in marking forward progress with downfield foot. On plays to your side we are taught to take a step back and let the play come to you rather then trying to run with the play.  This way you won't get caught inside.

One of the things the line judge has to do is let the referee know if a first down has been gained.  I line judge a lot and am a firm believer in talking a lot on the field.  The line judge has a good view of if a 1st down has been made because he is looking across the field right at the chains.  When I line judge I am always calling out the  next down as soon as the whistle has blown if the line to gain has not been made. If it has I will stop the clock and call out to the referee "he's got it" or something like that.  If the ball is close to the line to gain and I am not sure if he made it or not I will holler out"take a look, it's close".  This way the referee can stop the clock if he wants to measure for the first down or declare that it is a first down or he can keep the clock running if he thinks it is definitely short.

The umpire keys the center and guards and if it is a run he has to read the point of attack. He is the official you will see calling holding or illegal use of the hands more than the other officials because close line play is his area of responsibility.  I am sure most of you have heard the saying that you could call holding on every play. This is probably pretty close to being true IF you went by a strict interpretation of the rules. The rule book spells out the position of the hands, elbows and arms in a legal blocking technique.  I doubt that every block being made on every play would fall exactly within the parameters set forth by the rule book.  What we are looking for is a player who goes well beyond the rules to gain an advantage.  But a marginal hold maybe called by the umpire right at the point of attack because sometimes it may be just a small tug of the jersey that will spring a back for a long run.  I have a great deal of respect for our umpires.  Their calls can dictate how a game will go.  They are pretty good at knowing when to throw that flag and when to keep it in their pocket and just perhaps say something to a player about keeping his hands in or not to grab.  They are also in harms way.  Because of where he is positioned he gets clobbered by the players often.

The umpire also spots the ball.  The wing officials give him a spot with their down field foot and he is the one responsible for setting the ball down in the proper spot. Another thing about the umpire is he rarely blows his whistle.  Doesn't need to.  Reason is the wing officials are responsbile for forward progress and they are the ones usually blowing the play dead.  I have known umpires going entire games without having to blow their whistle once.

The referee keys the tackle on the opposite side and reads his block as a tip on run or pass.  He is responsible for action on the ball carrier to the line of scrimmage. He has to be careful he is not in the way if A runs a reverse.  He moves behind the play and watches action around the runner after the wing man picks up the runner. If the play goes down the sideline and the runner is forced out of bounds the wing official will drop a bean bag at the spot he went out of bounds and follow the players making sure there is no rough stuff taking place and the referee will follow and hold the spot at the sideline while observing players in the area.

Goal line situations:  When we get inside the 10 yard line we do things a little different. The wing men will release toward the goal line at the snap in order to stay ahead of the runner and officiate back to the ball.  And the most important thing we keep telling ourselves when in a goal line situation is "see the ball".  It is rather embarrassing if you see a runner knife into the end zone and you put your arms up signaling touchdown only to find out he fumbled on the 3 yard line and B has recovered.  And it does happen.  We also never say anything like he's in or he's short. If the wing sees the ball in the runners possession and it breaks the plane of the end zone you should make eye contact with the opposite wing to make sure he has not signaled something else then come up with the touchdown signal. If he is short you should be blowing your whistle and calling out the next down.  The umpire does not signal touchdown unless both wings have been blocked out and couldn't see the ball but the umpire sees it and also he knows that the runner wasn't down and then moved the ball across the goal line.

That will be it for Part 2.  I'll be back with Part 3 dealing with the passing game, scrimmage kicks, penalty enforcement and overtime.

terrymeisner:
thanks bill...this has been a very good read and i'm looking forward to part 3....go Giants!!!!!

vette:
This is really good information Bill. You have a wealth of knowledge that has to be used in a game situation, often without thinking. You just have to react and call it. I am thinking how hard it would be to just learn everything textbook and then get put out there and have to do it. Then add to it when not to call a holding penalty through experience. How did you feel and adapt when you first stepped out on the field and took over that responsibility?

Lenn would be able to comment on that also, thinking back to his early days as an umpire and the mistakes you try not to make. I recall one time when I was asked to call balls and strikes for a little league game and me being the precise person I am even in those early days as a kid myself, walking batter after batter because the pitchers didn't exactly hit the strike zone.

It's a tough job and no instant replay. I imagine the parents and the crowd can get rather brutal at times when they don't like the call or the spot.

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