SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION - THE WEEKLY BULL - August 19, 2026
Everyone Meets at Mira Mesa This Week! – All classes will meet this week.
Agenda
Attendance – Check for accuracy & add your clinics
Share Plays and Issues from Scrimmages
Review the Bull & Food for Thought
Calibration
Instructional Video
Testing is Complete for This Year – With the new CIF state registration and testing, I got thrown off and we did not get to the mechanics test. My Bad. The Board will punish me for sure. Anyway, we will reinstitute our regular testing next year through the Arbiter System. We might merge the rules and mechanics tests into one for tackle and one for flag. Again, we all passed this year so next year should be even better.
Speaking of Mechanics – I’ve attached a re-ordered mechanics manual for 3-official and 4-official. This work was done by one of our 1st year officials, Jon Wooding. He’s sharing For the Good of the Association. Thank you, Jon.
It’s game week! Are you ready for Friday Night Lights! We must be ready from the opening kickoff and work our butts off through to the final whistle. Everyone is undefeated so the energy level will be extremely high. Our energy level and concentration routines must match the game’s level. You’ve all worked so hard in preparation. Have a great night!
New SDCFOA Shirt – Several asked about when to wear the new shirt that is now our required uniform. The answer is we wear it all of the time. Youth, flag and tackle at all levels. One shirt!
Home Game Information –Hopefully the home game information is being updated. It is in a google doc so everyone can have access to it. If you don’t have google doc, then have someone on your crew contact me and I’ll share the document with him/her. You can use the template letter on our website or make up your own. But please do not be too assertive or demanding, as some schools are really struggling to be organized and/or provide appropriate facilities. Thanks.
Wireless Microphone Systems – It might be helpful to carry an extension cord with you. Also, the use of a $145 mixer has made hooking up to the various stadiums much easier. Matt Starr has made a YouTube Video explaining the equipment and how to hook it up. Our current system works at most schools, but with the mixer it works virtually everywhere and it’s easy! Yamaha MG06 6 Mixing Console from Amazon $144.99
Send Foul Reports to Bezverkov – Send the tabulated fouls from your game to Robert so he can enter into the data base. This will help us in our work so please have someone do this for your crew! Thank you.
Video from Scrimmages – This is the most challenging week of the season for obtaining video. Most everyone should have received video from their scrimmage. Please let me know if you think you should have received a game and it didn’t show up. Referees please share with officials who worked the scrimmage with your crew.
SDCFOA Officer Positions – Association Officers are elected every year. If you are interested in running for Secretary, Treasurer, Assignment Secretary, or Instructional Chair, please inform our President, Bob Flavin and our Executive Secretary, Ed Zapolski by August 31st.
Preliminary signals - if we have a single & "basic" foul (i.e. FST, ENC, PI, Holding) then just give me a signal, point towards a team, and then use the radio to give me the number. If we have multiple or complex fouls (i.e. PF, UNS, Grounding) then let's talk face to face and we can open the radio up to process as a crew.
Team Designations - Do NOT use green, purple, white, La Costa, Saints. Instead use one of these eight, the first four are expected and the last four we can work up to:
Offense / Defense
Receiving Team / Kicking Team
Passing Team / Intercepting Team
Fumbling Team / Recovering Team
Food for Thought –
A Team B player may grasp or hold an opponent in an effort to clear a path for a teammate to get to the runner. False 2-3-5b, 9-2-3c
There is a two-minute intermission between each of the periods and following a try, successful field goal or safety and prior to the succeeding free kick. False 3-5-7l
The visiting team is responsible for the avoiding similarity of colors, but if there is doubt, the referee may require players of the home team to change jerseys. True 1-5-1b(3)c
Batting is the touching of a loose ball by a player in an unsuccessful attempt to secure possession. False 2-2, 2-27
Pass eligibility rules apply to both legal and illegal forward passes. False 7-5-6
Fourth and 10 at team K’s 20-yard line. While K1’s kick is in flight, R2 hods K3 at team K’s 30-yard line. R4 makes a fair catch a team K’s 45-yard line. Ruling: This is a foul with Post Scrimmage Kick (PSK) enforcement. The penalty is enforced 10 yards from the end of the kick (the spot of R4’s fair catch). It will be team R’s ball first and 10 from its own 45-yard line
