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OCFOA Weekly Bull for the Week ending 11-3

Ejections
Paul Caldera covered this topic in his Week 10 notes, in case you missed it “After speaking to CIF Southern Section Assistant Commissioner, Richard Shearer, players who leave the bench area during an altercation on the field will be ineligible next game.  NO EXCEPTIONS. I asked what if after a kick, the new offensive and new defensive players are coming on the field. His response was, “The players have to know to stay on the sidelines until altercations are over”.  This not in the rule book. It is a CIF directive.”
I spoke to Mr. Shearer as well. He advised that teams should “practice” for this situation. He was emphatic that we are not taking “intent” into consideration regarding players that leave the team box (the area behind the restricted area between the 25 yd lines) during a fight. If players enter the field while a fight is going on, they will be ejected.

Referee’s Authority
I’ve been hearing from some in this association and other associations about utilizing Rule 1-1-6 more. Rule 1-1-6 states “The referee has authority to rule promptly, and in the spirit of good sportsmanship, on any situation not specifically covered in the rules The referee’s decisions are final in all matters pertaining to the game.”
This rule is to be used sparingly and only when dealing with a situation that is not covered by the rule book. The case book uses the example of 2 teams refusing to be the first to come on to the field. The referee can compel one of the teams to be the first on the field.
This rule is not to be used to cause the game to be played under a running clock. While the rule regarding the establishment of the running clock is not specified in the NFHS Rule Book, Rule 3-1-2 states “By state association adoption, a point differential may be established whereby if one team has gained the established point differential, the game shall be terminated A state association may also establish guidelines to use a running clock when the point differential is reached”  CIF has established a state mercy rule which dictates when and how a running clock will be used. Therefore the establishment of a running clock is a stated rule and cannot be circumvented using Rule 1-1-6.
In 2011, the CIF approved the following Mercy Rule:
1. During the 1st three quarters, by mutual agreement of the opposing coaches and the referee, a “running clock” may be used if the point differential between the two teams reaches 35 or more;
2. If at the start of the 4TH QUARTER or at any time during the 4TH QUARTER, the point differential is 35 or more points, a running clock shall be used for the remainder of the contest;
3. Once the “running clock” is in effect during the 4th quarter, it shall remain in effect for the balance of the contest, even if the team that is behind subsequently scores to make the deficit less than 35 points;
4. The “running clock” will be administered as follows:

A. The game clock will start with the snap or legal touch of a free kick on the first play following the establishment of the pertinent point differential, and continue to run uninterrupted when:
· A 1st down is awarded to either team, including following a change of possession;
· The ball or runner is out-of-bounds; · A legal or illegal forward pass is incomplete;
· A play results in a touchback;
· An inadvertent whistle occurs;
· During all penalty enforcements.

B. The game clock shall be stopped for:
· The end of a period;
· A score (including touchdown; try; field goal; safety);
· The free kick following a fair catch or awarded fair catch;
· A charged team time-out;
· A coach-referee conference;
· An official’s time-out (injury; equipment; 1st down measurement; other, as required).

C. Following a stoppage for any reason in B. above, the game clock will start when the ball is next:
· Marked ready-for-play; or
· Legally touched on the free kick following a score, a fair catch or awarded fair catch

Pregame Warm-ups – A team’s enthusiasm should not be spilling over into unsportsmanlike conduct. Teams may not direct their enthusiasm at the opposing team by standing at mid-field shouting, pointing, jumping on the home school’s logo, etc.  That also goes for individuals.  All carry a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty which will be enforced on the kickoff.
I am strongly suggesting that crews be on the field 45 minutes prior to the kickoff for all playoff games.

Final Games for the Teams and Players – This is usually a challenging weekend of high school football to officiate.  In many cases the teams are competing for league championships and/or playoff qualification or seeding.  The intensity will be high, the stakes high, and the demands on accuracy high!  Be prepared for this excitement and pressure.  Have a great week of preparation, then go out with your crew and execute.  Same can be said for teams that are wrapping up the season with no hope of going to the playoffs.  Seniors will be playing hard and juniors will be stepping up to prepare for next year.  Keep this all under control.  Have a plan.  Don’t be surprised by the excitement of these final games.

Tempo –Remember to make sure that colors have separated before we go looking for the ball. Once we’ve completed our dead ball responsibilities, we should then hustle to get the ball and chains ready for play. Let’s keep the game moving with accurately timed periods leading up to kickoffs and the completion of time outs.  Referees are no longer waiting for the chains to be set, rather winding quickly as the box arrives.  Get the teams out! Keep the pace moving and the kids will benefit in the quality of their play.  Slowing the tempo will cause many unexpected negative consequences including poorer play and fewer opportunities for the kids.  A brisk, consistent tempo will keep the teams focused and playing their best.

Injured Player and Official’s Time Out – As much as we want to error on the side of safety, we need to be cautious on declaring a player injured and taking an official’s time out for an apparently injured player.  Let’s always give the player a chance to “recover” and continue to participate, especially if the play clock is not affected.  We have the luxury of time to allow the athlete to recover.  Now, if the player ultimately cannot get up and continue, we take the official’s time out when the play clock is affected.  We all know that if the player is seriously injured, we stop the clock immediately, as we do when a player exhibits signs, symptoms, and behaviors consistent with a concussion.  Otherwise, take your time and be patient in stopping the clock.  We don’t want to decide to have a mildly injured player out for an important down.

Blow the Whistle on Cancer! – This is the last week of our drive to raise $4000 to donate to the V Foundation, we are at $2919.00. A donation in any amount is greatly appreciated.
If you’d like to contribute, click on this link http://jimmyv.convio.net/site/TR/DIY/General;jsessionid=00000000.app30122c?pg=team&fr_id=1521&team_id=3280&NONCE_TOKEN=702D1A9DB97B90DA25487D58A655E44E

Mark Andrews
OCFOA Instructional Chairman

OCFOA Weekly Bulletin for the Week ending 10-27

Band do’s and don’t’s- The following is an excerpt from a memo issued by CIF is 2016 regarding school bands playing during a game:
A band can play during a contest, but only during breaks in the action.  For example, between plays, during timeouts, between quarters, half-time, and so on.  If a band is playing during the game, it is considered unsportsmanlike conduct by the team whose band is playing.  The playing of music during the game can be a distraction to the competing teams, and the officials, and can result in placing teams at an advantage or disadvantage as a result.

If the playing of music during game action continues, then the officials have the authority to penalize the offending team 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, each and every time it happens. 
Administrators, please help us by informing your band director of this policy. The full memo was included with the CIF 11 man and 8 man football preview this year.   It can be found on page 23. https://cifss.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2019FootballPreview3-2.pdf

Too Many Fouls – There’s no such thing. Do I want you to throw a flag for every violation? Of course not. Holding requires a material restriction that has a material impact on the play. We attempt to clean up a sloppy formation before we flag it. Even those criteria can be broadened in a blowout game.

On the flip side, certain games require the use of our flag to manage them. Teams will often test our limits to see what they can get away with. If we don’t penalize, many times, the offenders will escalate their illegal behavior. This relates to holding, unsporting acts, and dead-ball contact.

We can try to “talk them out of it”, but once we’ve talked, we need to penalize. With some schools and some rivalries, talking is useless. Recognize the type of game you are officiating and modify your philosophy accordingly. An early flag can stop a lot of bad behavior later in the game. We are in the heat of league play and playoff ceding. Now is not the time to keep your flag in your pocket.

CIF Meddling – I’ve addressed this before, but the perception persists that CIF forces our officials to rescind ejections. I’ve been told more than once in the past couple of weeks that an ejection was not imposed because “CIF would just make us rescind it”. It is simply not true.

When a player is ejected, schools will often ask that we review the ejection. The school sends the film in, we (OCFOA) show it to the calling official and ask if they stand by their ejection. If they do, that’s the end of it. If they are unsure after reviewing the film, then they can rescind the ejection.

The bottom line is CIF does not get involved in the decision regarding rescinding ejections.

Intentional Grounding – With the referee committed to protecting the QB and ruling on roughing, it is virtually impossible for the referee to see all of the essential elements of an intentional grounding call.  I remind you that it is our mechanics that the flanks, umpire, or even BJ help by either 1) point at an eligible receiver if the receiver was in the area of the incomplete pass, or 2) run to the referee to report that there was no eligible receiver in the area of the incomplete pass.  The referee will accept this information and blend it with his own view of the play, and the QB, and judge whether we have intentional grounding or not.  Only the referee makes this call!

Reporting Fouls – How are we doing in this area?  Referees rely on the crew to be calm, collected and complete when reporting foul information.  Many of the “huddles” we see are caused by incomplete or scrambled information being provided to the referee.  Clay Reynard PAC 12 FJ has a little trick that helps him calm down prior to starting to report the foul info.  Clay will always swing by his flag to buy a little time to calm his heart rate and to collect his thoughts before speaking.  Maybe alter the speed of your approach to buy a little time, or pause a moment when you get to the referee before beginning to speak.  Don Carey refers to a “cleansing breath” just prior to speaking.  Let your heart rate decline just a bit and collect your thoughts…then start.
Full information will include (check with your referee on the preferred order, or develop your own…but be consistent and thorough:
(a) Status of the ball (During the run, pass, kick, run back, live ball/dead ball,etc.)
(b) Foul (Holding)
(c) Team (Offense, Defense, kicking team, return team, etc.)
(d) Number (Number 78)
(e) Spot of foul (At my flag, at the line of scrimmage, etc.)
(f) Result of the play (Complete/incomplete pass, interception, etc.)
(g) Status of the clock (inbounds/out-of-bounds, etc.)

Newer officials, write or print this sequence out and read it before each game until it is part of your routine. Proper foul reporting is critical to proper penalty enforcement.
Rules–
Play: A32 is approaching the opponent’s goal line when he is tackled and fumbles the ball at the B6. The ball goes into the B end zone where B81 bats the ball out of the end zone.
B81’s batting of the ball is illegal (illegal batting). Where do we enforce the penalty?

Answer: Even though we have a fumble, this is not a loose ball play. It is a running play and the enforcement spot is the end of the run. Rule 10-3-3 states: The end of the run is:

1. a.Where the ball becomes dead in the runner’s possession.
   b. Where the runner loses possession if his run is followed by a loose ball.
   c. The spot of the catch or recovery when the momentum rule is in effect.

So “b.” applies here, the enforcement spot is where A32 lost possession, so the foul would be administered from the B6, half the distance to the goal. A 1st and goal from the B3.

Reminder of a rule change from 2018: Penalties for fouls by Team K (other than kick catch interference) on any free or scrimmage kick may be enforced at the previous spot with the down repeated, or; at the succeeding spot when Team K will not be next to
put the ball in play (10-4-2a).
Play: A 4th and 8 from the A35. Prior to the kick A73 pulls B75 to the ground. B81 possesses the kick at the B30 and advances to the B40. The 10yd penalty for holding can be enforced from the previous spot (the A35) where it will be A 4th and 18 or it can be enforced from the succeeding spot (the B40) where it will be B’s ball 1st and 10 from the B50.

Blow the Whistle on Cancer! – OCFOA is more than halfway toward our goal of raising $4000 to donate to the V Foundation. As of this writing, OCFOA officials have donated $2309 to the V Foundation.
The V Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to saving lives by helping to find a cure for cancer. It was started by legendary basketball coach Jim Valvano and to date, the V Foundation has awarded over $225 million in cancer research grants. 100% of direct donations benefit cancer research and programs. Not one single cent of any donation goes to operating expenses. If you’d like to contribute, click on this link http://jimmyv.convio.net/site/TR/DIY/General;jsessionid=00000000.app30122c?pg=team&fr_id=1521&team_id=3280&NONCE_TOKEN=702D1A9DB97B90DA25487D58A655E44E

Coaches and Athletic Directors, if you would like to help us reach our goal we would be very interested in partnering with your ASB to raise funds at the game. An announcement before the game and at halftime regarding what we are attempting to do would be great but not mandatory. The announcement could be as simple as telling your audience what OCFOA is doing and if they want to donate in any amount they can Google “Blow the Whistle on Cancer” and follow the link to the V Foundation website. Feel free to contact me directly at mandews92626@gmail.com if you would like to assist or have any questions or concerns. We will be encouraging donations throughout the month of October.

Mark Andrews
OCFOA Instructional Chairman

OCFOA Weekly Bulletin for the Week ending 10-27

Band do’s and don’t’s- The following is an excerpt from a memo issued by CIF is 2016 regarding school bands playing during a game:
A band can play during a contest, but only during breaks in the action.  For example, between plays, during timeouts, between quarters, half-time, and so on.  If a band is playing during the game, it is considered unsportsmanlike conduct by the team whose band is playing.  The playing of music during the game can be a distraction to the competing teams, and the officials, and can result in placing teams at an advantage or disadvantage as a result.
If the playing of music during game action continues, then the officials have the authority to penalize the offending team 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, each and every time it happens. 
Administrators, please help us by informing your band director of this policy. The full memo was included with the CIF 11 man and 8 man football preview this year.   It can be found on page 23. https://cifss.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2019FootballPreview3-2.pdf

Too Many Fouls – There’s no such thing. Do I want you to throw a flag for every violation? Of course not. Holding requires a material restriction that has a material impact on the play. We attempt to clean up a sloppy formation before we flag it. Even those criteria can be broadened in a blowout game.
On the flip side, certain games require the use of our flag to manage them. Teams will often test our limits to see what they can get away with. If we don’t penalize, many times, the offenders will escalate their illegal behavior. This relates to holding, unsporting acts, and dead-ball contact.
We can try to “talk them out of it”, but once we’ve talked, we need to penalize. With some schools and some rivalries, talking is useless. Recognize the type of game you are officiating and modify your philosophy accordingly. An early flag can stop a lot of bad behavior later in the game. We are in the heat of league play and playoff ceding. Now is not the time to keep your flag in your pocket.

CIF Meddling – I’ve addressed this before, but the perception persists that CIF forces our officials to rescind ejections. I’ve been told more than once in the past couple of weeks that an ejection was not imposed because “CIF would just make us rescind it”. It is simply not true.
When a player is ejected, schools will often ask that we review the ejection. The school sends the film in, we (OCFOA) show it to the calling official and ask if they stand by their ejection. If they do, that’s the end of it. If they are unsure after reviewing the film, then they can rescind the ejection.
The bottom line is CIF does not get involved in the decision regarding rescinding ejections.

Intentional Grounding – With the referee committed to protecting the QB and ruling on roughing, it is virtually impossible for the referee to see all of the essential elements of an intentional grounding call.  I remind you that it is our mechanics that the flanks, umpire, or even BJ help by either 1) point at an eligible receiver if the receiver was in the area of the incomplete pass, or 2) run to the referee to report that there was no eligible receiver in the area of the incomplete pass.  The referee will accept this information and blend it with his own view of the play, and the QB, and judge whether we have intentional grounding or not.  Only the referee makes this call!

Reporting Fouls – How are we doing in this area?  Referees rely on the crew to be calm, collected and complete when reporting foul information.  Many of the “huddles” we see are caused by incomplete or scrambled information being provided to the referee.  Clay Reynard PAC 12 FJ has a little trick that helps him calm down prior to starting to report the foul info.  Clay will always swing by his flag to buy a little time to calm his heart rate and to collect his thoughts before speaking.  Maybe alter the speed of your approach to buy a little time, or pause a moment when you get to the referee before beginning to speak.  Don Carey refers to a “cleansing breath” just prior to speaking.  Let your heart rate decline just a bit and collect your thoughts…then start.
Full information will include (check with your referee on the preferred order, or develop your own…but be consistent and thorough:
(a) Status of the ball (During the run, pass, kick, run back, live ball/dead ball,etc.)
(b) Foul (Holding)
(c) Team (Offense, Defense, kicking team, return team, etc.)
(d) Number (Number 78)
(e) Spot of foul (At my flag, at the line of scrimmage, etc.)
(f) Result of the play (Complete/incomplete pass, interception, etc.)
(g) Status of the clock (inbounds/out-of-bounds, etc.)

Newer officials, write or print this sequence out and read it before each game until it is part of your routine. Proper foul reporting is critical to proper penalty enforcement.
Rules–
Play: A32 is approaching the opponent’s goal line when he is tackled and fumbles the ball at the B6. The ball goes into the B end zone where B81 bats the ball out of the end zone.
B81’s batting of the ball is illegal (illegal batting). Where do we enforce the penalty?

Answer: Even though we have a fumble, this is not a loose ball play. It is a running play and the enforcement spot is the end of the run. Rule 10-3-3 states: The end of the run is:

1. a.Where the ball becomes dead in the runner’s possession.
   b. Where the runner loses possession if his run is followed by a loose ball.
   c. The spot of the catch or recovery when the momentum rule is in effect.

So “b.” applies here, the enforcement spot is where A32 lost possession, so the foul would be administered from the B6, half the distance to the goal. A 1st and goal from the B3.

Reminder of a rule change from 2018: Penalties for fouls by Team K (other than kick catch interference) on any free or scrimmage kick may be enforced at the previous spot with the down repeated, or; at the succeeding spot when Team K will not be next to
put the ball in play (10-4-2a).
Play: A 4th and 8 from the A35. Prior to the kick A73 pulls B75 to the ground. B81 possesses the kick at the B30 and advances to the B40. The 10yd penalty for holding can be enforced from the previous spot (the A35) where it will be A 4th and 18 or it can be enforced from the succeeding spot (the B40) where it will be B’s ball 1st and 10 from the B50.

Blow the Whistle on Cancer! – OCFOA is more than halfway toward our goal of raising $4000 to donate to the V Foundation. As of this writing, OCFOA officials have donated $2309 to the V Foundation.
The V Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to saving lives by helping to find a cure for cancer. It was started by legendary basketball coach Jim Valvano and to date, the V Foundation has awarded over $225 million in cancer research grants. 100% of direct donations benefit cancer research and programs. Not one single cent of any donation goes to operating expenses. If you’d like to contribute, click on this link http://jimmyv.convio.net/site/TR/DIY/General;jsessionid=00000000.app30122c?pg=team&fr_id=1521&team_id=3280&NONCE_TOKEN=702D1A9DB97B90DA25487D58A655E44E

Coaches and Athletic Directors, if you would like to help us reach our goal we would be very interested in partnering with your ASB to raise funds at the game. An announcement before the game and at halftime regarding what we are attempting to do would be great but not mandatory. The announcement could be as simple as telling your audience what OCFOA is doing and if they want to donate in any amount they can Google “Blow the Whistle on Cancer” and follow the link to the V Foundation website. Feel free to contact me directly at mandews92626@gmail.com if you would like to assist or have any questions or concerns. We will be encouraging donations throughout the month of October.

Mark Andrews
OCFOA Instructional Chairman

OCFOA Weekly Bulletin for the Week ending 10-20

Blow the Whistle on Cancer! – OCFOA is donating $500 to the V Foundation this week and we are asking our officials to consider donating their game checks to the V Foundation this week. We have a goal of raising $4000 to donate to the V Foundation.
The V Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to saving lives by helping to find a cure for cancer. It was started by legendary basketball coach Jim Valvano and to date, the V Foundation has awarded over $225 million in cancer research grants. 100% of direct donations benefit cancer research and programs. Not one single cent of any donation goes to operating expenses.
Coaches and Athletic Directors, if you would like to help us reach our goal we would be very interested in partnering with your ASB to raise funds at the game. An announcement before the game and at halftime regarding what we are attempting to do would be great but not mandatory. The announcement could be as simple as telling your audience what OCFOA is doing and if they want to donate in any amount they can Google “Blow the Whistle on Cancer” and follow the link to the V Foundation website. Feel free to contact me directly at mandews92626@gmail.com if you would like to assist or have any questions or concerns. We will be encouraging donations throughout the month of October.

Ejections – Officials, if you eject a player or coach at any level, you MUST file a CIF ejection report within 24 hours. The ejection report is hosted on the CIF website. There is a link and instructions for logging in to the CIF ejection report on the OCFOA website. Be sure to call Speed Castillo after you have submitted the report. I strongly recommend saving a copy of the ejection report for your records.
Please also fill out an incident report on the OCFOA website so we have an idea of what happened should we be contacted by the schools.

Catch/Muff/Fumble and First Touching –Good time for all BJs and LJs to review catch/muff/fumble and first touching.  Catch – we’re slow to rule so as not to blow an inadvertent, kick has ended.  Muff – the ball is live, the kick has not ended, and either team can recover (kickers may not advance).  Fumble – kick has ended, either team may recover and advance.  First touching – kick has not ended, R can advance after 1st touching, bean bag indicates the spot of first touching (unless K has blocked or pushed R into the ball).  R has the right to take the ball at the spot of first touching unless R has fouled after first touching or a penalty is accepted for any foul committed during the down.

Hurdling – The rule book defines hurdling as “Hurdling is an attempt by a player to jump (hurdle) with one or both feet or knees foremost over an opponent who is contacting the ground with no part of his body except one or both feet.”
Officials are still struggling with this foul. There are instances where the runner starts the hurdle before the player is in front of him and officials have used that to avoid the flag. Many times the defender is going low to make the tackle and a part of his body (hand or knee) contacts the ground during the hurdling. None of these are reasons to pass on the foul.
The rule is intended to protect the offensive player, not the defensive player. While the defensive player could potentially be injured, the offensive player is a risk of an uncontrolled fall if he is contacted at the apex of the hurdle.
The NFHS recently considered legalizing hurdling and in fact, were ready to do so until they heard testimony from a leading neuroscientist who described the type of trauma that can result from an uncontrolled fall. These uncontrolled falls and resulting contact with the ground can lead to a catastrophic injury. The NFHS reversed course and affirmed their position that hurdling is illegal.
We officials want to discourage players from hurdling. I know it’s an ooh-aah moment for the spectators and it’s a display of athleticism, but it’s also a potential horrific injury.

Film – Thank you to all the schools that have been sending in your film each week. The crews review their games and use what they see to improve. If you have sideline and endzone views of your games, please send both. Fouls like holding, pass interference and blocks below the waist are much clearer oftentimes from the endzone view. Please encourage your film crews to use the highest resolution that their cameras support.
If you have any concerns or questions on particular plays, please don’t hesitate to include them with your film or email me directly at mandrews92626@gmail.com. I need to know the play #, what the concern is and an email address to respond to.

OCFOA Plays of the Week – I just released Episode 6 of the OCFOA Plays of the Week, watch it here https://youtu.be/3pzY2cKrR4w

Mark Andrews
OCFOA Instructional Chairman