JustRules

As you describe it, that sounds like a post-scrimmage kick foul. There are 5 conditions that must be met for fouls by R. During a scrimmage kick play - check The ball crosses the expanded neutral zone - check The foul happened beyond the expanded neutral zone - check Before the kick ends - check K will not be next to put the ball in play - check The foul as you described met all those criteria. Even if it was a dead ball foul, the enforcement spot would be the same since there was no return on this play. If the R player initiated that block at the line of scrimmage and kept driving the K backward, then you would not meet criteria 3 above. Then the enforcement would be correct.

I'll concur with Bobref that losing the ability for the U to help on catch/no catch is a big loss. They often have the best view on those and can help wings who don't have as good a view. If the U is a ball watcher, you won't solve that by moving them to the offensive side of the ball. They'll still be a ball watcher. I know for a fact the NFL would love to have someone there for help on both the passes over the middle and game management. They have tried to find a way to add an 8th official, but they can't put them in the U spot after publicly stating they moved away from there for safety reasons. And the U is constantly talking to the OL/DL and LBs because he's right there with them all the time. If he's 15-yards behind the OL, he won't have that opportunity. Especially the DL/LB. You don't realize how many conversations are happening there unless you are there. There are benefits to moving the U to the other side which is why some states have done that already with safety being a huge one. But from an officiating standpoint, it definitely creates a hole in coverage. That's the biggest con.

The U in the offensive backfield is a LOT more work for the U. And a good U is already the official who moves the most during the course of a game. The big, slow guy who can sometimes get away being in the middle will NOT be able to work in the offensive backfield. Bobref mentioned the other big disadvantage to doing this and that is the gap in the middle. So much of the umpire's job is game management, using his voice after plays, talking to OL/DL/LB in the middle to keep the temperature low. That generally goes away because he's not there having those conversations. The U plays a key role in helping with quick passes in the flat or over the middle because he has the inside out view and a better look if those passes skip or are bobbled. The only advantage to the U in the offensive backfield is the safety issue (it is very dangerous in there) and you can see the holds and hands to the face much easier from the offensive side. There honestly aren't that many holds in the middle though. They are usually on the edges or open field on kick plays. To me the advantages weigh to the current position. The NFL would LOVE to move the U back, but they moved it for safety reasons, and they would not be able to reverse that because it would be saying they don't care about the safety of the U.

Lots of Geist kids still go to LN and LC too. The enrollment in both schools is still strong so they are gaining as many as they are losing.

Both schools have higher Sagarin ratings than Snider although they are close.

They didn't offset. They went back 5 yards from the 6 to the 11 and then half the distance the other way to the 5.5. The announcers said they offset which was incorrect.

I agree with Bobref and had typed a similar response until I saw he replied. If they false started before they were able to get everyone set, they did find a loophole there. This type of play is exactly why the NFL and NCAA have a 10-second runoff at the end of each half. That would have applied here and unless WC had a time out left (I assume they didn't since they didn't use it after the runner was tackled in bounds), the half would be over. I'm not sure if the NFHS rules will be updated to something similar, but it's not relevant today. I believe the reason the game clock didn't start on the signal was because the second foul was against the defense. That gives the offense the option to start a live clock on the snap. CG had the option on the clock because of the false start. But then due to the CG foul, that gave WC the clock option. I assume they chose snap. Very strange situation, but it's possible the crew got it right. It just took some time because of the complexity.

I have no idea was play eligible pro is. Whatever it is though, the offended team has the option to start the clock on the snap. If this is a dead ball foul no time would come off the clock. If it was a live ball foul and they spiked it, 1 or 2 seconds may come off. If the crew determines the team is doing this intentionally, they have the ability to apply any penalty they felt appropriate. Bottom line, whatever foul you are referring to would not allow a team to continually foul to burn significant clock time.

First, there is no foul in HS football called offsides. The similar rule is encroachment. It would only happen for the offense if they lined up in the neutral zone and were there at the snap. It would probably have to be pretty egregious for the wing to call it. If it's minor, they will likely get a warning first. I think I've seen it called a couple times over 20+ years so it happens but it's rare. False start is simulating action at the snap and is a different foul.

We've had a couple schools share drone footage with us in their game video. Each has had the traditional EZ camera as well. It's a great view for us to watch mechanics and line action.

The other way this could be an issue is if they are doing this with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd down and one of the ineligible numbers was replaced by an eligible number (replace 63 with 36). On those downs you can only have one number exception. In my example, 36 is the exception. The other part of the rule is the numbering exception in that case has to be the snapper. By definition, the exceptions are interior players so 36 is the exception and not 13. So basically you can only do a swinging gate on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd down if you have 5 ineligible numbers like the original formation. A FG scrimmage kick formation is likely only to be used for a FG attempt on those downs for a last second attempt at the end of the half. A team is very unlikely to use a swinging gate in those situations. For those old enough to remember the coach in Colorado who came up with the A-11 offense. That was the cause of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd down numbering exception. The A11 would have all 11 players on offense with eligible numbers. The snapper would get on the ball, but the other 10 players would start off the line with the QB lined up 10 yards behind the LOS. Before the snap, 6 of the players would shift to the LOS, get set for a second and then run a play. The formation met the definition of s scrimmage kick formation (punt version) so they could use any number of numbering exceptions. It created a lot of confusion because the defense didn't know until right before the snap who would be eligible by position. They were a smaller team playing larger teams so it was a way for them to be competitive. The rules committee felt they were exploiting the intent of the rule so they changed the rule to not allow a team to run the A-11 offense. But that change has confused a lot of officials. They think the snapper always has to be an interior lineman.

If there are any, they are likely D3/NAIA. Once you move to D2 you often have to travel on Fridays to your game. Some D1/D2 officials will keep their HS license active so they can help out early in the season or if they have an off week.

Indiana is very fortunate to have 4 or 5 NFL officials, a dozen D1 officials (B1G, B12, MAC, MVFC, OVC), a dozen D2 officials and a couple dozen D3/NAIA officials. Several of them may be members of this group, but I wouldn't know any by their handle. I have some suspicions though.

Thanks for sharing. The number of incorrect rulings on that video was crazy but not surprising. Definitions are so critical in understanding rules. Someone was shown the rule which references the player can legally kick the ball again after possessing the first kick. They argued that since the defense never gained possession the kicking team was still in possession. Player possession and team possession are very different things in the rule book and clearly defined.

He could still be hit hard with a legal wrap up tackle. The better way to treat this is for the pop-up kick to be the same as a pooch kick that never hit the ground. The return team could still signal for a fair catch. They would be protected from being hit until the ball is caught just like any other kick. If the kicking team catches it in flight, it would be KCI. It saves time from having to stop the game for penalty enforcement and lining up for a new kick.

Not sure why you would be getting different rules from officials. It's pretty straightforward. A ball kicked immediately into the ground and then bounces high in the air is a dead ball and a foul for an illegal pop-up kick. There is some judgement in terms what what is high in the air. A good guideline I've heard is well over the head of the player's head. Another guideline is if the ball will not come down before the kicking team gets there, it's a pop-up kick. This allows for the kick that maybe 6-7 feet off the ground but still mostly a line drive and reach the receiving team before the kicking team is a couple yards beyond their free kick line. The intent of the rule is to protect the front line returners who could be looking up to catch the ball while getting blasted by the kicking team.

Proving once again the goal line is the most important line on the field. Many rules have variations when the goal line is involved. This is a good variation and consistent with all levels of football.

Keep trying. They may not be looking for officials at the moment. They likely forward it to the supervisor who is a part-time, vastly underpaid individual so responding to inquiries about officiating may not be a high priority. If you have any contacts at the member schools, you could reach out to them and ask if they have a specific name of the supervisor. This is the only person who can hire you.

Good. That is the one and only route.

The NAIA and NCAA don't hire officials. All hiring is through the conferences. For NAIA and NCAA championships the conferences submit officials/crews to the national coordinator. Anything on their sites like this are to direct potential officials to the conference supervisors. You are going to have much more success going that route rather than a random interest form. Personal connections are important to get started.

There really is something like a registered college official. They are hired by supervisors for each conference and assigned to crews and games. i assume the conferences will be doing the same thing with women's flag football. You should find out if the conference has done this and connect with that person. Start with a local college in your area that has a women's flag football team and ask them who is responsible for assigning their officials.

Officials advance for various reasons. For the most part, many college officials are qualified to advance to the next level after a couple years. Those advancements get tighter the higher you go. Women and minorities are sometimes moved a little faster than others, but they are all still qualified to do it. SIblings and children of current officials are often moved faster. Former college and NFL players are moved faster. People who are fit are moved faster than those who carry a little extra weight. Younger officials will move faster than older officials. So many different factors. But no supervisor is going to promote or keep someone who isn't holding their weight. Sara Thomas was VERY qualified to work the Super Bowl. She paid her dues moving up and has proven to be an excellent official. She may have said others were more worthy but that's because officials at that level are very humbled to be in that position and know almost everyone is qualified to work that game. Many officials at the D3 level are good enough to work the highest levels but haven't had the opportunity to move up. There is a lot of luck and timing to make it happen. But if you can't officiate, you won't advance. Or you won't stay.

I think flag is much better for the younger kids. Everyone gets to play the skill positions, run/catch/throw the ball. When my sons played youth tackle football in elementary school it was more running into each other an falling down than tackling. There would be that one kid who has figured out how to tackle, and he would run all over tackling people. That's no fun for everyone else. Plus it's much safer. Wait until the kids are bigger and stronger to get into blocking and tackling.

Some states have co-ops for 8/9 man football!

Almost all associations now do online meetings. The IHSAA required 2 of the meetings to be in person last year. I preferred all in person but that went away with COVID. People complain too much about the time to attend meetings especially since some have to travel a decent distance to attend. I will vouch for the NE group though. They have excellent veteran officials and provide quality training.