High School Football & Officiating

[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.

[MightyGiants]

Thanks for the inside look Bill.  This is great stuff.

[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!!!!!

[vette5573]

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.

[Webster29]

Ed:  it was frustrating at first.  I have always been pretty good with the rule book.  When I first went to the classes I really enjoyed them.  I was disappointed when they ended.  But equating what I had learned in the classes to what I was supposed to see on the field was a chore.  And I would think to myself this is not rocket science suff--why is it taking me so long to pick it up?  And not just the rules but mechanics too.  I had to keep telling myself to wind the clock in the side zone to make sure the clock operater kept the clock moving--on in complete pass signal incomplete and stop the clock, drop bean bag at spot of a fumble, all the little things that come with experience.  But it does come. 

As far as the rules go sometimes you just have to see it once on the field to "get it".  I remember early in my career I was head lines in a varsity game and it was 4th and goal from the 5 yard line for the visitors.  Their back was running a sweep to my side.  He gets to about the 2 yard line and is hit.  He knew he was going down and had nothing to loose so he purposely fumbled the ball forward and into the end zone.  I'm the covering official and am thinking "he can't do that" but I am not sure why he can't do that.  And I am not going to throw a flag and tell the referee I don't know what I have.  Well the referee was doing his job following the play and as soon as he saw it he throws a flag for an illegal forward pass-5 yard penalty from the spot of the foul and loss of down.  Well I never had trouble with that call again.

Adam and I run our chapters mentor committee.  It is our responsibility to help new members along to become certified.  So we work often with new and inexperienced officials.  And our best advise to them is work as many games as you can.  It is the best way to become a good official.

[Webster29]

Before I go on to part 3 there are a couple of loose ends I would like to clear up on goal line situations.  If the ball carrier is in contact with the ground the goal lines extend beyond the sidelines. An example would be A is running near the goal line and is hit at the half yard line.  While in contact with the ground he reaches out with the ball and breaks the plane of the goal line on the out of bounds side of the pylon. This would be a touchdown. If he was air borne it would not be. If he is running near the goal and side lines and decides to dive with the ball extended and it breaks the goal line plane extended, it would be ruled down at the approximate location the ball crossed the side line.

And here is one that I would be willing to bet you have never heard of before. Did you know that there was such a thing as a 1 point safety? It would only happen on a try for point and goes something like this. A lines up to go for a 2 point conversion. The A runner tries a sweep around end and fumbles the ball in the field of play. The ball is still live and can be picked up by an A player and run in for 2 points. A B player is attempting to gain possession of the ball and dives for it. He muffs the ball into his end zone. The ball is still live and A can fall on for 2 points. But a B player manages to fall on the ball in the end zone. By rule--since B supplied the force that put the ball in his end zone and the ball became dead in his possession it is ruled a safety. And since it was on a try A is awarded 1 point instead of the normal 2 points. I have spoken to many veteran officials and none of them have ever seen a 1 point safety scored during a game but it is on the books.

And now to part 3. The passing game.  And I will start with the referee. As the qb retreats he will try to remain wide and deeper than the qb. And after the ball is released he will continue to observe the passer not the flight of the ball. We will usually yell "it's gone, it's gone" to charging defenders after the ball has left the qb's hand to alert them to pull up on their charge. If the qb gets hit and the referee feels the defensive player could have held up the flag will be flying. And since the referee is watching the qb rather then the flight of the ball he often needs help on intentional grounding. Intentional grounding is the referee's call. If the wing man or umpire sees that the pass was thrown into an area where there was no eligible receiver he will advise the referee after the play. It will be up to the ref if he wants to flag the qb for grounding.

The referee and the wings must be alert to a leteral or backward pass. If the pass is close to being backward but we are not 100% sure we will rule it a forward pass. Some referee's like their wings to use a fist signal toward the backfield to indicate a backward pass. Others just say that if the ball hits the ground and they don't hear a whistle they will assume the wing man has it as a lateral or backward pass.

If there is a completed pass and the action continues down the field the referee will remain behind the play so that all 22 players are in front of him.  This way he can watch for any rough stuff going on out of the sight of the other 3 officials.

If the umpire reads pass his first move is toward the line of scrimmage. That way he can rule on any linemen that may be illegally downfield if the pass goes beyond the line of scrimmage. He is also in a good position to see if the qb goes beyond the line and then throws a pass. But his first read is the pass blocking.  Watch for holding or illegal use of the hands.  If a short pass is thrown over the middle he can help the wings rule on a catch. If the receiver has his back to the wing the umpire probably has the best view. The umpire also has to be careful to duck out of the way of low passes over the middle. I speak from experience and it hurt.

The umpire should also be alert for any pass that was tipped and give a singal tapping one hand on the other. A tipped ball changes pass eligibility and pass interference restrictions.

On pass plays the wing officials will move down field cautiously for the first 5 to 7 yards, watch the action of both the receiver he is responsible for and the defensive back. If the receiver is running a fly pattern the wing will have to move quickly down field but still not try to beat the receiver to the goal line (as if he could) because there still could be a secondary receiver moving in his area behind the play and that would also be his responsibility.  In our chapter most of the qb's we deal with do not exactly have a canon for an arm so we can usually get a pretty good read on each qb's range.

If the pass falls incomplete the covering official will blow his whistle and give the incomplete pass signal.  We used to have to give the time out signal also but they changed that this year thinking that the clock operator knew enough to stop it on any incomplete pass.  If it is a deep incomplete pass the 2 wing officials will assist each other in getting the ball back.  One will retrieve the ball and the other will come across the field.  The retrieving official will toss it to the other wing man and he will get it to the umpire for spotting.  It makes gatting the ball back to the line of scrimmage a lot easier and that way one official is not running his tail off.

If the ball is caught and the receiver is downed the covering official will blow the whistle and if he is sure it is beyond the line to gain he will signal the clock to be stopped. If he is not sure he will hold his spot until the referee can come up and rule on the first down. If a catch is made near a sideline the receiver only needs 1 foot to come down inbounds after he has secured possession of the ball. And in high school football there still is a force out rule.  If the official rules that the receiver would have come down inbounds if he had not been contacted by a defensive player and pushed (forced) out of bounds it will be ruled a completed pass.

And now a word or two on pass interference. Pass interference restrictions only apply beyond the neutral zone and only if the legal forward pass, untouched by B in or behind the neutral zone. crosses the neutral zone.  Pass interference restrictions begin for A with the snap and B when the ball leaves the passer's hand. An example would be if A went out for a pass and pushed off B before the pass left the passer's hand and then caught a pass it would be offensive pass interference. But if B grabbed A before the pass left the passer's hand and the pass was thrown incomplete it would not be defensive pass interference.   It would be a penalty for illegal use of the hands or holding but not pass interference. Offensive pass interference carries a 15 yard penalty from the previous (where the ball was last snapped from) spot and a loss of down.  Defensive pass interference carries a 15 yard penalty from the previous spot and an automatic first  down.

It is forward pass interference if:
a.  Any player of A or B who is beyond the neutral zone interferes with an eligible opponent's opportunity to move toward, catch or bat the pass.
b.  Any player hinders an opponent's vision without making an attempt to catch, intercept or bat the ball, even though no contact was made. (face guarding)

It is not forward pass interference if:
a.  Unavoidable contact occurs when two or more eligibles are making a simultaneous  bona fide attempt to move toward, catchor bat the pass.
b.  Contact by A is immediately made on a B lineman and the contact does not continue beyond the expanded neutral zone.
c.  Contact by B is obviously away from the direction of the pass.

Scrimmage kicks--punts first.  The referee will take a position outside the tight end and even with the kicker on the line judge's side of the field. When he is sure A has a player at least 7 yards deep behind the center he will give a signal that looks like a false start signal-rolling his fists to the umpire.  This signal tells the umpire that A is in legal scrimmage kick formation and that the numbering requirement (5 lineman numbered 50-79) is off and he also must watch for roughing the center on the snap. When the umpire sees this signal he will give it back to the referee to let him know he got the signal ok.

At the snap of the ball the referee has to be alert for action around and on the kicker. If the kick is blocked he has to rule on recovery and he must watch for roughing or running into the kicker. Roughing would be 15 yards and an automatic first down and running into the kicker is 5 yards and not an automatic first down. After the kick has gone the referee will yell to players rushing the kicker that the kick has gone.  He will then move down the field slowly.  If a receiving team player runs it back for a touchdown or near the goal line the referee will be the covering official.

As stated above the umpire must watch for roughing the snapper. When A is in scrimmage kick formation the snapper is afforded protection from a defensive player charging directly into him while his head is down and he is in a vulnerable position. If the snapper is roughed it carries a 15 yard penalty and an automatic first down.  The impire also watches all the line play and must be ready to assist the referee on a blocked or short kick.  If the kick goes down field he turns and moves slowly down the field watching the blocking of the players as he goes.

The head linesman must remain on the line of scrimmage to rule that the kick did go beyond the line. A kick that does not go beyond the line may be caught, recovered and advanced by either team. As soon as he sees that the kick did go beyond the line he releases down his side line. If the kick is to his side he has the receiver and must watch for a fair catch signal. If the kick is roughly 1/3 from his side lines anywhere to the other side the judge will take the reeciver and the head linesman will watch for action around the ball carrier.

The line judge takes a positon 7-10 yards wider than and in front of the deepest receiver and in position to cover the sideline and the kick.  He will remind the receiver(s) that if they wish to call for a fair catch they must give the proper signal-one hand in the air with a side to side wave.  Any other signal is an invalid fair catch signal and carries a 5 yard line penalty. If the kick nears the goal line he must rule on a touchback.  Line judges are encouraged to carry a bean bag in their hand before the kick. The reason is they must mark where the kick ends if a receiver catches or recovers the kick.  This is an administration (basic) spot for a penalty enforcement should a post scrimmage kick foul be called on R.

If a kick should roll out of bounds the covering official should go to that spot, blow his whistle, signal time out and observe the action around him. If the kick goes out of bounds in the air, if the covering official is comfortable that he has a good spot, go there and blow the whistle, hold the spot and signal time out.  If the official is not sure of the spot he should move further down the line then the ball went out of bounds and hold his hand up in the air. He then walks back toward the referee and when the referee feels he is at a spot near where the ball went out of bounds the referee will make a "chop" motion signaling the wing man to stop there and hold the spot.

A couple of points about muffed kicks or fumbles and touchbacks. A kick (refer to a play, not the striking of the ball with a players foot) ends when possession is gained or the ball is blown dead while not in player possession. This is important because any kick going into R's end zone is a touchback. If K kicks to R and R muffs (an unsuccessful attempt to gain possession of the ball) into it's own end zone and K falls on the ball it will still be a touchback, not a touchdown. A little more drastic example would be if K kicked to R and when the ball hit the ground both teams started to play soccer with the ball. R kicks it up the field and K intercepts and kicks it back down the field and this goes on for a while. Finally the ball gets near R's end zone and is kicked into the end zone. It is still a touchback because possession was never gained. Of course with this example there would be about 100 illegal kick penalties.

If a kick is muffed in the field of play either team may recover but only R may advance. If K recovers a muffed kick it will get the ball 1st and 10 at the spot of recovery. But a muff should not be confused with a fumble. A fumble can only happen after possession has been gained. If K kicks to R and R gains possession, either catches or recovers it after it hits the ground, and then fumbles it into it's end zone it is a live ball and should K fall on it it is a touchdown. If R fumbles and K recovers K can advance.

Above I made a statement that any kick that goes into R's end zone is a touchback.  That is not 100% true. A successful field goal or any extra point by kick that goes into R's end zone is not a touchback. An unsuccessful field goal that goes into R's end zone is a touchback.

Scrimmage kicks for field goal and extra point:  As a general rule these kicks are divided into when the snap is from the 15 yard line or inside and from beyond the 15 yard line.

15 yard line or inside. The referee will take a positon about 1 yard to the rear and 2-3 yards to the side of the potential kicker facing the holder.  He will rule if the kick is good or not.

The umpire will basically make the same reads he has on any scrimmage kick. He must watch for roughing on the snapper.

The head linesman will watch the line until the ball is snapped.  After the snap he is responsible for ruling on roughing the kicker or holder.

The line judge handles about the same as any goal line play except he will rule on if the ball passed above the cross bar. If it did not he will let the referee know immediately so the referee can signal kick no good. If it went above the cross bar he will make eye contact with the ref and nod. The referee will then make his call.

Outside the 15.  Basically same as above but the referee will witch the kicker & holder for roughing.  The head linesman has the line of scrimmage and the line judge is behind the goal and will rule if the kick is good or not.  If the kick is coming up short he must get to the goal line and rule if it is a touchback.

Some referees prefer to do all place kicks the same regardless of where the ball is snapped. This is something we go over during the pre-game conference.

Penalties and enforcement: The first part of a discussion on penalties will deal with live ball player fouls. They make up the majority of fouls committed in any game.  In order to enforce a penalty you have to determine what is the "basic spot". This basic spot depends on what type of play the foul took place in. There are two types of plays:

Loose ball play: A free kick or scrimmage kick.  A legal forward pass. A backward pass (including the snap), illegal kick or fumble made by A from in or behind the neutral zone and prior to a change of team possession.  The run(s) which precedes such legal or illegal kick, legal forward pass, backward pass or fumble is (are) considered part of the action during a loose ball play.  The basic spot for a loose ball play is the previous (where the ball was last put in play) spot.

Running play: Any action not described above. The basic spot for a running play is where the run ends.  If there is a run that goes beyond the neutral zone and the runner fumbles the ball, the basic spot is the spot of the fumble.

For most penalties we use what is known as the "all but one" principle. This principle says that a penalty for a foul during a play is enforced from the basic spot with the exception of a foul by the offense which occurs behind the basic spot during a loose ball play or a running play.

Some examples: A's ball on their 20. A runs the ball to the 25 where he is tackled. At the 22 an A lineman is flagged for holding. The basic spot is the 25 where the run ended. If the penalty is accepted by B, A will be penalized 10 yards from the 22. Now if the hold happened at the 30, A would be penalized from the 25, the end of the run and the basic spot for a running play.

Again A's ball on their 20. A throws an incomplete pass to a receiver at the 35. An A back is flagged for holding at the 18 yard line.  This is a loose ball play so the basic spot would be the previous spot-spot of the snap.B would have the choice of declining the penalty and having the down count or A would be penalized to the 9 yard line (10 yard penalty but since it occured inside the 20 it would be half the distance to the goal). And same play but this time an A lineman moved to the 25 and held B at that location. Once again a loose ball play. The A lineman would be guilty of 2 fouls. He is illegally downfield and he held B.  If B accepts the penalty he would have his choice and would certainly take the hold as it is a 10 yard compared to a 5 yard for the down field and A would be penalized 10 yards from the basic spot (the 20) to the 10 and the down would be replayed.

Short break and I'll be right back.

[Webster29]

And I'm back.  A defensive foul would be enforced from the basic spot. If A runs the ball from their 20 to the 23 and B tackles him by the face mask B would be assessed a 15 yard penalty from the 23. If A runs to the 23 and B grabs the face mask and pulls it but A brakes away and runs to the 35, B would be penalized from the 35 that being the end of the run and the basic spot.  If it is A's ball at their 40 and they throw a pass to B's 30 yard line and the pass is incomplete but B is guilty of pass interference at that spot, B will be penalized 15 yards from the previous spot, A's 40 to B's 45 and be awarded an automatic first down.

There are several exceptions to the all but one principle. I will mention a few of them that we deal with more often. If B is guilty of roughing the quarterback and A is able to complete the pass beyond the neutral zone the 15 yard penalty will be tacked on to the spot where the receiver is downed. It also caries an automatic first down.

Many fouls occur simultaneously with the snap.  The most common are illegal shifts and motion and illegal formations. They are not fouls until the ball is snapped.  As long as it is not a false start or an encroachment A can be in any  formation or be moving players all around as long as prior to the snap they meet the requirements of all being set for at least one second and after that only one man in motion and not toward B's goal line at the snap and they must have at least 7 men on the line of scrimmmage and they must meet the numbering requirement provided they are not in a scrimmage kick formation.  If they do not meet these requirements at the snap of the ball a flag will be thrown and the penalty would be enforced from the spot of the snap.

Post scrimmage kick: If R fouls during a scrimmage kick and the foul occurs beyond the neutral zone and R is in possession at the end of the kick the basic spot is where the kick endced. Example would be during a kick an R player holds a K player at R's 40 yard line and R catches the kick at R's 25 yard line and runs it to the 50. R would be penalized 10 yards from where the kick ended or R's 25 yard line.  If the hold happened at R's 22 yard line it would be penalized from the 22.

Double and multiple fouls: A double foul is when each team commits 1 or more live ball foul(s) and the penalties off set.

A multiple foul is when 1 team commits more then 1 live ball foul and the offended team will get their choice of which foul to accept.

One exception to the double foul is when there is a change of possession involved and the team in possession at the end of the down did not foul prior to the change of possession. An example would be: At the snap A is falgged for an illegal formation. A's pass is intercepted by B. During B's runback a B player clips an A player. B can keep the ball if they decline the foul for A's illegal formation but they will be penalized 15 yards for the clip.

Dead ball fouls: These are player fouls that occur while the ball is dead. A false start or encroachment are dead ball fouls and are enforced before the ball is snapped or kicked.  A good example of a dead ball foul that would probably get the fans and coaching staff of the offended team quite upset would be: 4th down and 5 for A. A runs the ball for a 4 yard gain and is stopped and the whistle blows. B then piles on. A is probably thinking that the foul will give them their 1st down. Wrong. By rule A was in possession of the ball behind the line to gain at the end of 4th down. That means the ball goes over to B. B will then be penalized 15 yards for the dead ball personal foul.

Nonplayer or unsportsmanlike fouls are noncontact fouls while the ball is dead or during the down which is not illegal participation and does not influence the play in progress. If a player is running with the ball and about to score a touchdown but before he crosses the goal line he starts pointing his finger at his opponent and taunts him it would be an unsportsmanlike foul. If he scores the touchdown it will count but the penalty will be assessed on the succeeding spot or the extre point.

If more then one nonplayer or unsportsmanlike fouls are committed we are supposed to enforce all of them and in the order in which they occured.  If each team commits an unsportsmanlike foul near mid field we will walk off 15 yards against the team that fouled first and then 15 back against the team that fouled second. This may seem fruitless as the ball ends up in the same place. But if it is near a goal line half the distance may enter into it.  A's ball at their own 10. If A and B both commit unsportsmanlike fouls and A's was first-A would penalized half the distance to the goal or the 5 yard line then B would be penalized 15 yards. But if B fouled first B would be penailzed 15 yards then A would be penalized 15 yards and the ball would end up right back at the 10.

That's pretty much the basics of penalties and enforcement.  There is quite a bit more I could add but I would have to write a book.

Overtime procedure:  Several years ago the New York State Public High School Athletic Association added a procedure to break ties at the end of varsity games. I believe most if not all the nation's high school football uses this procedure or something quite similar.

If at the end of regulation the score is tied here will be a 3 minute intermision. The officials will meet during this intermission to disucss if any dead ball or unsportsmanlike fouls occured at the end of regulation that will be assessed during the overtime.

At the end of the intermission the captains will meet with the officials in the center of the field for a coin toss. The visitors will call the flip and the winner will get his choice of going on offense, defense or can designate which end of the field the first overtime perior will be played. The looser will have his choice of the remaining
options. The referee will put his hand on the winners shoulder. Then he will have the captain of the team that will be going on offense face the goal toward which his team will advance and give the first down signal.

Each team is permitted one time out per overtime period. a period would be A on offense followed by B on offense.

To start the period the offensive team shall put the ball in play first and 10 on the defensive teams 20 yard line. They will have 4 downs to either score a touchdown, field goal or get another first down. The offensive possession will be terminated if they are unable to gain a first down or any score by the offensive team or if the defensive team gains possession of the ball.

And I have to shut down my computer for a couple of minutes . be right back.   

[Webster29]

If the team on offense scores a touchdown it is entitled to try for extra point(s) unless the points would not affect the outcome of the game or playoff qualifying. A field goal attempt is permitted during any down. If the defensive team gains possession the ball becomes dead immediately and the offensive teams possession is ended.

After the first team on offense has completed its possession the first team on defense will become the offensive team with the ball snapped from the same 20 yard line. The same end of the field will be used for possessions by both teams during each overtime period to ensure equal game conditions.

If the score remains tied after each team has been given one offensive possession in an overtime period, then the procedure shall be repeated with other overtime periods until a game winner is determined. In this case there shall be an intermission of 2 minutes between periods. At the meeting of the team captains the looser of the overtime coin toss will be given first choice of the options. If additional overtime periods are required the first options will be alternated with no coin toss.

And that my friends pretty much brings an end to my post on high school football and officiating.  To be honest I only scratched the surface.  But if just one person got something out of this it will have been worth while.  And if there are any questions either pm me or post it on the Chalk Board or the Main Board and I will be happy to see if I can come up with an answer.

Webster29--Bill

[vette5573]

Wow Bill, Excellent article. I just have to thank you for putting all the time and effort into this and if your son Adam helped with any of this a big thanks to him too! 

Rich has put the first two parts of the article up on the front page of the web site and will follow up on the last part.

[MightyGiants]

Excellent information Bill, thanks for sharing