Week One Officiating Issues

[Bobref]

Back by popular demand! 😂🤣 There will be a separate thread each week to address questions, observations, respectful and informed criticisms, and other officiating-connected issues. I’d like to specifically note that it’s OK if your contribution is simply observing that the officials are to be commended for a job well done. Videoclips are always welcome. We’ll try to provide explanations, discussions, critiques and, if someone screwed the pooch, we won’t shy away from it. The object is to inform and, perhaps, entertain as well.

For Week One, I will be very interested to see how our officials adapt to the new penalty enforcement rules, and how consistently they officiate the new guidance on forcible contact against defenseless receivers.

[Bobref]

Looks like it was a quiet night officiating-wise. Anyone see what they thought was a particularly good officiating performance?

[Impartial_Observer]

I saw the Greenwood @ Seymour game, thought the crew did a good job. 

[foxbat]

Harrison - West Lafayette game was fairly uneventful with refs not getting a whole bunch of notice ... which I would suspect is kind of the way that you want it. 

Only once there was an issue where the crowd was calling loudly for the refs to make a call, but it was one of those underneath passes where there are about three receivers out in front of the guy that catches it and the receivers then become blockers.  The one blocker had a pretty nifty hold technique where he had one arm up high like he was blocking and the other one doing a magic trick where it disappeared up under the defender's breastplate and latched on to the jersey ... the upfield ref couldn't see it because of the upfield blockers and the sideline ref's view was blocked by the blocker's body as the play progressed up the sideline.  He only did it once, so it wasn't like the refs were always missing it.

[Bobref]

4 minutes ago, foxbat said:

Harrison - West Lafayette game was fairly uneventful with refs not getting a whole bunch of notice ... which I would suspect is kind of the way that you want it. 

Only once there was an issue where the crowd was calling loudly for the refs to make a call, but it was one of those underneath passes where there are about three receivers out in front of the guy that catches it and the receivers then become blockers.  The one blocker had a pretty nifty hold technique where he had one arm up high like he was blocking and the other one doing a magic trick where it disappeared up under the defender's breastplate and latched on to the jersey ... the upfield ref couldn't see it because of the upfield blockers and the sideline ref's view was blocked by the blocker's body as the play progressed up the sideline.  He only did it once, so it wasn't like the refs were always missing it.

Coaches teach that “inside hold” technique. Very difficult to see.

[AW0352]

At the Castle v EVV North game there was an official in all black on the sideline with a clipboard.   Guessing he was scoring the crew? 

[JustRules]

16 hours ago, AW0352 said:

At the Castle v EVV North game there was an official in all black on the sideline with a clipboard.   Guessing he was scoring the crew? 

Could have been an observer, but they usually sit in the press box to get a broader view of the mechanics. More likely someone tagging along with the crew and tracking fouls.

[Bobref]

18 hours ago, AW0352 said:

At the Castle v EVV North game there was an official in all black on the sideline with a clipboard.   Guessing he was scoring the crew? 

 

2 hours ago, JustRules said:

Could have been an observer, but they usually sit in the press box to get a broader view of the mechanics. More likely someone tagging along with the crew and tracking fouls.

There was no one scheduled to observe that game, so JR is probably correct, although there are some observers who do get out of the pressbox. 😉 Did this mystery person stay on the same sideline, or spend time on both?

[AW0352]

5 hours ago, Bobref said:

 

There was no one scheduled to observe that game, so JR is probably correct, although there are some observers who do get out of the pressbox. 😉 Did this mystery person stay on the same sideline, or spend time on both?

Same sideline.    Wore black shoes, ref pants, ref black hat, and an all black shirt.   Had a clipboard and was taking notes.    Always stayed on the home sideline. 

[Bobref]

29 minutes ago, AW0352 said:

Same sideline.    Wore black shoes, ref pants, ref black hat, and an all black shirt.   Had a clipboard and was taking notes.    Always stayed on the home sideline. 

Not an IHSAA Observer.

[gonzoron]

10 hours ago, JustRules said:

More likely someone tagging along with the crew and tracking fouls.

Referees have Groupies? Cool.

[Bobref]

26 minutes ago, gonzoron said:

Referees have Groupies? Cool.

Ssshhhhh….. my wife will hear you. 😉

[JustRules]

7 hours ago, gonzoron said:

Referees have Groupies? Cool.

Sometimes new officials not yet ready for varsity games or maybe someone interested in being an official. It could also be a retired or injured official helping out. The fact he had full gear on I would expect he was ready to go in case someone got hurt.

[Irishman]

3 hours ago, JustRules said:

Sometimes new officials not yet ready for varsity games or maybe someone interested in being an official. It could also be a retired or injured official helping out. The fact he had full gear on I would expect he was ready to go in case someone got hurt.

Come on man, groupie sounded sooooo much better. 😂

[Bobref]

On 8/21/2023 at 7:48 AM, AW0352 said:

there was an official in all black on the sideline

Are you sure it wasn’t “Johnny Cash Night” at the game?

[Bobref]

Saw this one in a game video I was reviewing:

2nd and 10 at the B 40. Team A runs a sweep all the way down to the B 15. However, there’s a flag at the B 35 where A6 was called for holding. Crew enforced the 10 yd. penalty from the previous spot, making it 2nd & 20 from midfield. Should have been enforced from the spot of the foul, making it 2nd and 15 from the A 45.

Obviously, the crew was confused by the new rule that provides for previous spot enforcement in certain circumstances that would previously have been enforced as spot fouls. SMH 

[foxbat]

On 8/22/2023 at 11:14 AM, gonzoron said:

Referees have Groupies? Cool.

 

On 8/22/2023 at 9:51 PM, Irishman said:

Come on man, groupie sounded sooooo much better. 😂

Given stories I've heard, "stalker" might be a more apropos term. 

[oldtimeqb]

On 8/22/2023 at 2:40 AM, Bobref said:

 

There was no one scheduled to observe that game, so JR is probably correct, although there are some observers who do get out of the pressbox. 😉 Did this mystery person stay on the same sideline, or spend time on both?

@AW0352 @JustRules FYI - the same individual was on the home sideline for the Bosse @ Central WK 2 game last Friday.  Don't know if it was the same crew and they just have a 6th man?