It’s Playoff Time – I don’t need to say any more than it’s playoff time! Huge games. One team advances and one team’s season ends. We must respect that. Prepare extensively for this game. Be cohesive as a crew. Trust your crewmate. Do your job!!! Remember, you earned this assignment; our assignor has faith in you and your work. Don’t let him or the Association down. More importantly, don’t let the players, teams or the game down! Be professional, demonstrate presence. And have fun!!!!
Any Ball Will Do This Year – No need to worry about a Spalding football this year! Teams have been notified by the CIF that they can use any legal football this year. Now I’m notifying you, so don’t screw this up, please. Just make sure the game ball is legal. There is no requirement to use a Spalding football.
Thursday and Friday Games This Week – Due to the Veteran’s Day on Friday, some schools are playing on Thursday night. Please double check your schedule and if your going out to watch a game, you have two chances….Thursday and Friday!
Entry to CIF Playoff Games – Please note that our SDCFOA Association Pass is not good for any playoff games. If you are assisting a crew, then you must enter the facility/field with the crew. Do not go to the gate and ask for entrance because you are an official. This will not work and is an embarrassment to our Association. The $5 playoff passes will be on sale at the banquet along with all of the credentials for the crews, chain crews and timers.
Report on Ejections – There were 26 ejections during the 2017 season. 13 of the ejections were at the varsity level and 13 were JV/Frosh. Of the 26, none were coaches, and two were withdrawn for misapplication of the rule. Last year there were 8 ejections that were supported at the varsity level and this year we’ve had 12. We will continue to work with players, coaches and officials in hope of eliminating these acts from the game.
Unsportsmanlike Fouls at the NCAA Level - There has been a reported dramatic increase in unsportsmanlike fouls at the NCAA level, especially in the number of unsportsmanlike celebrations following touchdowns. I believe this trend is negatively affecting the high school game as we’ve seen a slight increase as well. Recently, a few of these unsportsmanlike TD celebration fouls have shown up in our weekly instructional video and in our games. We will continue to penalize as coaches work with their athletes to get these back out of our game. Last week a referee reported a player doing the old summersault into the endzone with no opponent in the area and by the time the referee got to the coach following the PAT, the coach already had the player out of pads and sitting on the bench. This was a lower level game so I’m convinced that player will continue to make great scoring plays for his team, and now find a legal way to celebrate with his teammates!
Touchback – Remember in high school football the positioning of the player’s body relative to the goal line makes no difference when determining if a kick has reached the endzone for a touch back. In high school, only the position of the ball relative to the goal line is considered. So, if a player is in the end zone and reaches back into the field of play and bats the ball backwards to prevent the ball from crossing the goal line, the ball will be marked dead in the field of play where the ball ends up. As long as the ball does not cross the goal line, the ball is still live! NCAA and NFL are completely different, as are plays involving a player out of bounds and the sideline in high school.
SD Youth Football Fund – Game Check Weekend – Our goal was $5,000 and we’ve now passed that goal with a generous contribution from Michael Harvey’s work group (Cavignac & Associates) of $350 PLUS an additional $1,000 from their employee run charity committee! Last report we were at $4,085 so through the generosity of Michael Harvey and the Cavignac & Associates employees we are now at $5,435. Michael and his workplace will be recognized at the banquet!
This will be the final Weekly Bull – Thank you for integrating this weekly Bull into your pre-game preparation as we continue to charge ahead in our efforts to raise the level of accuracy and consistency in our officiating! Once again, the leadership for this effort comes from our crew chiefs, individually and collectively. Great job! Now Get Better!
Weekly Instructional Video – I will continue to send a Weekly Instructional Video for the next few weeks. It is a quick way to share ideas and officiating concepts and principles…and I hope fun to watch. I hope you will continue to watch games live during the playoffs if you’re not assigned. Come out and support your fellow officials as they work these extremely important games! You will always learn something new and useful. See you at the games!
7-Man Mechanics Workshop Tuesday November 22nd at 7:00 pm at the Qualcomm Offices – Not Qualcomm Stadium – This is a mandatory meeting for all officials who are assigned a 7-man semifinal or 7-man final (excluding members of the chain crew and the Division V Semifinal Crew of Rick Christensen who will have their game on November 18th). We’ve selected this date so we’re not asking you to meet on the night before Thanksgiving! The presenters will be Chris Wiggins, Marlow Fitzgerald, Steve Hoslett, Mike Weseloh and Don Carey. Our 7-Man Mechanics Manual is posted on our website and a handout by position was already sent to all those working.
The Qualcomm Offices are located at 10185 McKellar Ct, San Diego, California. https://goo.gl/maps/7idJRGxk4ku Not At Santana High School and Not at Qualcomm Stadium!
The building is on the north side of McKellar Ct and parking is to the west of the building. When you enter the parking lot, please take an immediate left, drive past the building, and then veer to your right to find the parking. We will be meeting in the courtyard in the Northwest corner of the building at 6:45. Once assembled, Scott Carroll will escort us into the building and into our classrooms. Please do all that you can to be on time for this important meeting. I would suggest that you carpool as much as possible. It is important that you bring your ID with you. Although it is not expected to be needed, there is a possibility that you will be asked to present it.
