SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION - THE WEEKLY BULL - August 5, 2026
Everyone Meets at Mira Mesa This Week! – All classes will meet this week. Agenda: Attendance (check for accuracy and add your clinic attendance), Review the Bull, Food for Thought, Calibration, Instructional video. The 1st and 2nd year classes will have their own agenda.
1st Year and 2nd Year Numbers – We have 50 in our 1st year class and another solid 27 in our 2nd year and transfer class. A good recruiting and retention effort by our officials. Very special thanks to Joe Greene, Miles Bailey and Dave Garza for their follow-up and hard work!
From Our Assignor – Accept your assignments. Do so as soon as you get the notice from Arbiter.
Coaches Comments from Conference Meetings – Not much in the way of questions but we did discuss the new rules and conferences with the head coach always being at the sideline. We then pushed for schools to purchase their own wireless microphone system.
NFHS Insurance – I’ve attached the flyer outlining the NFHS Insurance coverage provided to you when you register with the CIF. This insurance does not cover JC or college football (see the final bullet at the bottom). It does cover our youth football and flag football officiating. This is another good reason to keep your NASO insurance if you have it.
Crew Communication Can Be Visual – Have you ever thought about how we communicate with our eyes? Sometimes you can see from the expression on your crewmate’s face that he needs help, or is confirming what you have, or that he agrees with the umpire’s penalty enforcement information before stepping off the yardage.
Player’s Visual Communication – Do you look for tendencies from teams and players. Sometimes we can pick up important clues from our mid-week scouting. Watch the interior linemen’s helmets. Many times, a head up indicates he’s going to step back and pass block. Head down can mean he’s going to fire out and run block. They also can be found leaning slightly forward on running plays, and slightly backwards on pass plays. How about the location of the running back? If they are even with the QB in shotgun, or in front of the QB, he most likely will be blocking. If he’s lined up slightly behind the QB is might be a run. Check it out and be alert for these tendencies. Thank you Rob Vernachi (NFL)
Belt Button For Radios – Some of us have been using an adapter for radios that places a button on our belts we push when we want to talk on our radios. It replaces the button on our collars which some find awkward to use. If you’re interested, here is the link to the website for more information or to order one. https://www.goodcallofficiating.com/speakeasy
Send Foul Reports to Bezverkov – Remember to have someone on your crew send your tabulated fouls from your game to Robert so he can enter into the database. This will help us in our work so please have someone do this for your crew! Thank you.
Thank You! – Every year we have our Division 1 and NFL officials provide position clinic instruction. This year was no different! At last week’s meeting we featured instruction from Scott Reilly (Big 12), Marlow Fitzgerald (Big 12), Andy Castagnola (former Big 12), Garth DeFelice (NFL Position Coach), Don Carey (former NFL), Tim Podraza (NFL). And thank you Jon Cima for teaching our 1st year officials how to use the Arbiter system. Thank you SDCFOA!
Non-Compliant Players – If you were to get into a situation where a player is being non-compliant with your directions, please do not grab or place your hands on that player. Ultimately, you can penalize the player for unsportsmanlike behavior which places the player at risk of disqualification. But, placing a hand on the player now opens up a very different conversation.
Drones – Just a reminder that the FAA and CIF do not allow drones to be flown over stadium events including football games. If they fly beforehand to get shots for some other purpose, that’s fine. But when we take the field, no drones. If there are any issues with this directive, or any other part of game administration, please inform Steve Coover as he serves as our CIF Liaison.
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, Ted Schiess, and our Executive Secretary, Ed Zapolski by August 31st.
Food for Thought – A, 2/6, A-24. B91 jumps into the neutral zone but has time to get back before the snap. (7-1-6a) Dead-ball foul, covering official blows their whistle to kill the play. Encroachment is a dead-ball foul. Covering official should throw their flag into the defensive backfield.
Free kick, K-40. Team K trails Team R, 20-24 with 1:30 remaining in the 4th quarter. Team K may have 3 players lined up to the right of the kicker in an obvious on-side kick situation. (6-1-4) Team K must have 4 players on each side of the kicker when the ball is kicked to be in a legal free kick formation. Even though the kick makes this formation illegal, this is still a dead-ball foul. Officials on K’s restraining line should ensure all players are lined up legally before the ready for play.
Free kick, K-40. Kicker K1 kicks the ball from the tee high into the air in an area with very few R players. K20 catches the kick at the R-40, before it has touched the ground, and runs to the R-35 where he is tackled. Since Team K cannot advance a kick, the next play will be K, 1/10, R-40. (6- 1-6, 6-5-6) False. During any free or scrimmage kick in flight, Team K may not touch (unless blocked into) or obstruct Team R’s path to the ball. This is kick catch interference.
Free-kick, K-40. After the Ready for Play signal, K3 is standing on the K-33. K19, who is legally lined up at the K-36 runs with the kicker and kicks the ball in an attempt to surprise Team R with an onside kick. At the time of the kick, Team K had 4 players on each side of the ball. This is a legal onside kick. (6-1-3) False. Once the ball is signaled Ready for Play and Team K has a player beyond the 5 yards from the Team K restraining line, that player is the only player that is legally allowed to kick the ball. This “player designation” only changes after a team timeout and the Ready for Play is signaled again.
A backward pass out of bounds is an illegal pass. False. 7-4-3, 7-5-2
An unsportsmanlike foul by B1 can be paired with and illegal personal contact foul by A1 to create a double foul. False. 10-2-1, 10-2-4
If a player commits an obviously unfair act that has no specific rules coverage, the referee may enforce any penalty he/she considers equitable. True. 1-1-6, 9-9 PENALTY
A kick does not end when a player gains possession or when the ball becomes dead while not in player possession. False. 2-24-2
An official's time-out can be called for unusual circumstances or conditions which may create a health risk to the players. True. 3-5-7g
When a forward fumble goes out of bounds or is ruled out of bounds between the goal lines, the ball shall be returned to the spot of the fumble. True. 4-3-1 EXCEPTION
When a foul is committed with less than two minutes remaining in either half, the offended team will have the option to start the game clock on the snap. True. 3-4-7
The term force is used only in connection with the goal line and only from the field of play into the end zone. True. 2-13-1, 8-5-1
