SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION - THE WEEKLY BULL - October 27, 2021
Final Meeting This Wednesday – Important meeting this Wednesday 10/27. This will be our final meeting of the year. The agenda will be: Attendance; The Bull; Voting for Four (4) New Board Members; Sharing Your Plays of the Week; Calibration; Instructional Video.
Attendance and Tests – Check your attendance and make sure your test scores are recorded. The makeup meeting is being postponed as I will be at a NFHS meeting between HS and the NCAA. The meeting requirements are for 9 meetings that include a clinic and the banquet. If you have 7 meetings and attend the banquet plus you’ve attended two clinics, we will give you credit for the extra clinics and you’re good to go! If you’re seriously short of attendance, please email your request for a one-year waiver from requirements to me. I will forward to the Board for their consideration. Meeting these requirements keeps you eligible for the 2022 draft!
Final Weekend of the Regular Season – Some of us will end our season soon and I sincerely hope that the season has brought you some rewarding experiences, a few laughs, and some lasting memories. Maybe you’ve even made a few new friends along the way. The 2022 season will be here soon and we can do it all again! Don’t forget to go out and support our fellow officials as they work playoff games. Always a fun evening learning and critiquing.
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. Don’t be surprised by the excitement of these final games.
Final Chance to Nominate a School for a Sportsmanship Award – Attached is the list of schools who have been nominated. If you want to add to the list or add your emphasis for one of the schools listed, please do so by emailing me at cooversteve@gmail.com. After this week we will announce the winners and prepare for the presentations at halftime of the Open Championship game.
Tempo – We’ve done very well with this as a whole. We’ve completed our dead ball responsibilities, hustled to get the ball and chains ready for play and kept the game moving with accurately timed periods leading up to kick offs 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!
Pre-Game Conference – Let’s do everything possible to conduct these two conferences near the start of the 30 minute warm up period. In the playoffs we ask crews to be out 45 minutes before kickoff and that gives us even more opportunity to conference with the coaches before they get involved in running team offense and defense. Start these as soon as you can.
Great Mechanics Helps to Sell Your Close Call – We had an example of a critical 4th down play in which the team needed the close call to go their way in order to not lose the game. On this play at the sideline, the official was in perfect underneath position approximately 6-8 yards right down the sideline straddling the sideline. Ruling was feet down but the ball moved as the player fell to the ground attempting to complete the catch. When reviewing the call, there was no video evidence as the Hudl video is not that clear or close up, but the mechanics of the official makes it clear that he was in perfect position to rule on the play. Ruling on the field stands…Great job!
From the Observers – On behalf of Don Carey, Gene Beck, Bob D’Angelo, Brad Yosick, Mark Lindsay, Bill Bishop, Zack Marble, Jeff Phillips Jay Drewry and myself we want to thank each and every crew for welcoming us every Friday. We had a great year and the crews were professional and genuinely interested in constructive feedback. Without that professional attitude, our work would be meaningless. Good job… now work to get even better!
PAT & Field Goal Mechanics – Reminder if the PAT/FG is good both signal. If it is no-good, then only the person to the side of the missed kick signals No Good.
Playoff Assignments – Crew assignments will be in arbiter so accept your assignments asap. Semifinal and Championship Game assignments have been sent out via email from Tom and our presidents and a list of those assigned this year is attached. Remember, there is an every-other-year basic rotation so those who worked finals in 2019 were saved for consideration next year. Congratulations, and represent the SDCFOA! Work hard in preparation which will serve you and the crew well during the game! This year’s Championship Games (Divisions 1 – 4) will be held at Escondido HS. Hopefully we move to the new SDSU stadium in 2022.
Semifinals and Championship Crews – There will be a mandatory 7-Man Mechanics Workshop Wednesday November 17th at 7:00 pm at Mira Mesa HS for all individuals and crews assigned to this year’s semifinals and championship games where we utilize 7-man mechanics. Presenters this year will be Mike Weseloh, Steve Hoslett, Joe Greene, and Don Carey. You will also get an update on special procedures, passes, and parking from the CIF production meetings via Tom Ables and myself.
The Banquet is next Wednesday, November 3rd – Final directions and announcements will be in next week’s Bull. Remember to accept the assignment for the Banquet in your Arbiter Schedule. By accepting we get an accurate count for ordering food and setting up the room. We need stories! Send them to Bob Hood at bob@hoodpromotions.com.
Golf Tournament – There’s still room for you to play. Contact Jake Minger, Ed Blick or Mike Downing and join us for a fun round of golf and many, many laughs. Remember, we’re raising money for our San Diego Youth Football Fund!
