SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION - THE WEEKLY BULL – October 29, 2025
Final Meeting This Wednesday – Important meeting this Wednesday. This will be our final instructional meeting of the year. The agenda will be: Attendance; The Bull, Plays of the Week, Calibration and Instructional Video. We’ve had excellent attendance this year so, thank you. Great job!
Game Check Weekend! – Which crew won? We will know soon so get your crew’s contribution in to Mike Gunzelman asap or go to the website and contribute there. Go to http://sdyouthfootballfund.org. Largest amount gets a free dinner for the crew at Steak 48 in Del Mar…hahaha. Up to $30 per member.
Final Weekend of the Regular Season – Some of us will end our season soon and I sincerely hope that the season has brought you some rewarding experiences, a few laughs, and some lasting memories. Maybe you’ve even made a few new friends along the way. The 2026 season will be here soon and we can do it all again! Don’t forget to go out and support our fellow officials as they work playoff games. Always a fun evening learning and critiquing.
Final Games for the Teams and Players – This is usually a challenging weekend of high school football to officiate. In many cases the teams are competing for league championships and/or playoff qualification or seeding. The intensity will be high, the stakes high, and the demands on accuracy high! Be prepared for this excitement and pressure. Have a great week of preparation, then go out with your crew and execute. Same can be said for teams that are wrapping up the season with no hope of going to the playoffs. Seniors will be playing hard and juniors will be stepping up to prepare for next year. Keep this all under control. Have a plan. Don’t be surprised by the excitement of these final games.
Coaches Pre-Game Conference – Let’s do everything possible to conduct these two conferences near the start of the 30-minute warm up period. In the playoffs we ask crews to be out 45 minutes before kickoff and that gives us even more opportunity to conference with the coaches before they get involved in running team offense and defense. Start these as soon as you can.
Officiating is a Difficult Job – Always officiate each play with total focus/concentration as our job is very demanding and a lapse in focus can cause a major screw up that can dramatically impact the game. There were several examples this week that demonstrate this. Inadvertent whistle, a catch ruled incomplete, a referee losing his cool. Although we were able to overcome these mistakes, the damage was done. We are expected to be perfect by the coaches, players and fans. We know that we can’t achieve perfection, but perfection must be our goal! Start your crew evaluations and preparations this week with perfection in mind.
Great Mechanics Helps to Sell Your Close Call – We had an example of a critical 4th down play in which the team needed the close call to go their way in order to not lose the game. On this play at the sideline, the official was in perfect underneath position approximately 6-8 yards right down the sideline straddling the sideline.…Great job!
Golf Tournament - October 31 is the deadline to enter this year's golf tournament. Thank you to all of the golfers who have entered. If you have not yet entered, or if you have been slotted by Ed Blick but have not paid, please go to the SDYFF web site and pay your entry fee ASAP at SDYFF.org or http://sdyouthfootballfund.org Your spot will not be guaranteed if you do not pay. Also, we're still looking for raffle prizes for the 19th hole. Please contact Mike Downing if you have something to donate at docdowning@aol.com or 619-888-6430. Thanks!
