SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION - THE WEEKLY BULL – Sept. 23, 2026
No Meeting This Week 9/23 – Get into the Instructional Video this week, read this bulletin, scout your next week’s teams, or maybe go to our website and look at some instructional videos in the Video Library!
Game Check Weekend - Thanks to all who contributed, you have until this Sunday to coordinate your crew, or to donate individually, crew winner will be announced in next Bull and at Wed meeting. Never too late to help us out.
Foul Reports – Is yours in for this week? Please submit to Robert Bezverkov. Thank you.
The Regular Season Begins - Teams are now playing conference opponents and league championships are at stake. We need to "up our game" in response to this unique part of the schedule. Teams are more familiar with each other and that can be a good thing or a bad thing. Be aware of rivalries.
Sportsmanship Awards from SDCFOA and CIF – Once again the SDYFF, through your generous charitable contributions to the Youth Fund, will be providing a trophy, banner and $1,000 to one program from each of the 5-major conferences (City, Grossmont, Coastal, North County, and Metro). This year we are including sportsmanship awards for Girls Flag Football Teams, one from each conference. It’s time for nominations. Please reflect on the first 5 weeks of the season and nominate those teams that practice all of the tenets of good sportsmanship, from the players, coaches and student bodies. Thank you!
Carl Cheffers & Chris Wiggins Presentations – Trust me these presentations are not dated (see attached). Chris provides a whole list of topics to discuss with your crew during the season. Some may actually relate to your Crew Goals for the week. Carl offers his mechanics and visual mechanics essentials for each phase of the game. You can use these essentials for your own pre-game preparation for the referee position.
Thunder and Lightning - When thunder is heard or lightning is seen, the leading edge of the thunderstorm is close enough to strike your location with lightning. Suspend play for at least 30 minutes and vacate the outdoor activity to the previously designated safer location immediately. 30-minute rule - Once play has been suspended, wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder is heard or lightning is witnessed prior to resuming play. Any subsequent thunder or lightning after the beginning of the 30-minute count will reset the clock and another 30-minute count should begin. (NFHS Football Rule Book page 102)
The Extra Point – We had a game ending touchdown, and the extra point was not attempted by rule 8-3-1 Exception. We checked with the CIF to see if playoff qualifying would be affected by this rule and the answer was “No”. So, we continue with the rule book which states that the try shall not be attempted if a touchdown is scored on the last down of the fourth period.
The Defense and the Snap – Are defensive lineman allowed to swipe at the ball as soon as the snapper starts the snap motion? Rule 7-1-6b clearly states that it is encroachment if a defensive player makes contact with the ball prior to the end of the snap. These attempts usually come from the ranks of the pop warner coaches so be prepared to answer accurately and with confidence.
Can Both the Head Coach and the Defensive Coordinator Call Time Out? – Yes. A player, or the head coach, or the head coach’s designee can call time out. The rule is meant to be inclusive. It’s not either the head coach or his designee, it is the head coach AND the designee if so chosen by the head coach.
Homecoming – By rule the home team may be extended to 20 minutes for homecoming or any other major event. The visiting team must have been notified at least 5 minutes prior to the game. Teams will also have the mandatory 3-minute warm up for a total of 23 minutes.
Crowds at the Goal Line – Move them back. Move the G back. Clear that area and get wide of the pylon and never give up the goal line. This is critical.
Signals and Clock Awareness – Everyone on the crew should be relaying signals. If one person signals time out, we all signal time out. If one person signal incomplete pass, we all signal time out. The clock operator is dependent on good signals from all officials. Let’s make this a crew goal for this week!
