SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION - THE WEEKLY BULL - October 13, 2021
Yes, There is a Meeting This Week - We will all be meeting this Wednesday 10/13 for our second to the last meeting. Crew Chiefs and Instructors will meet at 6:00 in the Theater. Then the regular meeting will begin at 7:00 pm when all certified officials will meet in the Theater as well. We will be introduced to the candidates for the four openings on next year’s board. 1st and 2nd year officials will meet at 7:00 in their regular classrooms.
Game Check Weekend! - Did your crew organize their contribution? Some of our non-crew officials or observers may also want to chip in to a crew’s efforts. Reach out to those guys as well! Our goal is $5,000 or $25 per official. Maybe your crew will win a crew dinner after your game on November 5th! Enter your crew contribution at sdyouthfootballfund.com or hand Mike Downing an envelope at the 10/17 meeting. Remember, we couldn’t fund raise last year so let’s double our efforts in supporting our very own charity!
Golf Tournament – Are you signed up for the Golf Tourney? It’s Wednesday, November 3rd at Riverwalk GC in Mission Valley. Shotgun start at 11:00am. $125 covers golf, cart, and lunch. $145 gets you all that plus drink tickets and a chance to win lots of great prizes at the raffle. You can play as a crew, foursome, or play as an individual. Contact Ed Blick, Mike Downing, or Jake Minger with questions or go on-line to check out the details and register at www.SDYouthFootballFund.org
Banquet Stories – We need stories. See Bob Hood or email him your video or story of our fun-loving mistakes from the 2021 season. We need a few more!! Also, remember to attend the banquet as you’ve already paid for your dinner with your 2021 registration!
Service Awards – If you are celebrating an anniversary of service to SDCFOA, we want to recognize you at the banquet this year. If your first year of service is 2002, 1992, or 1982, we want to present you with a “Years of Service” award this year. Please contact Rick Christensen directly at ref.rick85@gmail.com with your information LAST CALL.
CA Dept. of Health - Covid Vaccination/Testing Requirements for Schools – By October 15th, all CA schools must verify the vaccine status of all “workers”. It is not clear yet if officials will be considered “workers”. We have reached out to the San Diego CIF, and to the State CIF who are all waiting for additional guidelines from the state health department. It is also unclear if the guidelines will be enforced by all schools/districts in different stages, or all at once. If we are considered “workers”, and a school and/or district request verification from officials, it is not clear what that procedure will be. It is also stated clearly in the Order that a worker who is not fully-vaccinated may provide proof of a negative test which would be obtained each week that they work. As far as I know these tests are still provided in San Diego at no cost. As we get more information we will provide it to you, and we can answer any questions you may have at the general meeting we’re having this Wednesday in the Theater at Mira Mesa HS.
CIF Championship Crews – These assignments are being developed as of this Bull. If you are selected to work at playoff game, you will need to pay attention to future Bulls that give you details relative to your assignment. We’re entering the next phase of the season…league championships and CIF Playoffs. Step it up!
Playoff Fees – Beginning this year, ALL Officials in ALL playoff games will be paid by CIFSDS via ArbiterPay. Here is a list of the playoff fees:
Preliminary and Semifinal Rounds (paid by schools):
Referee $87.00
Other Officials $85.00
CIF Championships (paid by CIF directly):
Referee $95.00
Other Officials $95.00
Chain Crew:
Semifinals (paid by schools) $46.00
CIF Championships (paid by CIF) $51.00
Food For Thought –
Two Forward Passes – One of the reasons we signal on a backward pass is to indicate that we’ve not had a forward pass. As a result, the offensive player who caught the backward pass could then throw a forward pass. Rule 7-5-2c states a second (or more) forward pass is an illegal forward pass. So, our signaling forward/backward serves more than one purpose.
Two Punts – But there is no such restriction on punting the ball. Rule 6-2-1 indicates that K may punt, drop kick or place kick from in or behind the neutral zone before team possession has changed. It is not necessary to be in a scrimmage kick formation to execute a legal scrimmage kick. And there is no limit on the number of times you can kick the ball during the same down, as long as all of them are executed from in or behind the neutral zone and not after a change of team possession. So here is a play: K’s legal scrimmage kick is blocked and rolling just beyond the neutral zone when a second Team K player picks it up, runs behind the neutral zone and kicks it again downfield. Legal scrimmage kicks…both of them!
Multiple Players Shifting and FST - A few teams have approached the LOS, taken a "ready for the snap" position at the ball, then shifted multiple players and the defense jumps into the neutral zone. Is the offense shifting to draw the defense off side? Or is the defense shifting to gain an advantage via their new formation? By rule, a shift that simulates a snap movement is a false start on the offense. So, what I've offered coaches who just want to legally shift players to a new position without being penalized for a false start, is to have their offensive players present their formation while standing upright, including the center. In that way, when they shift there is no possible way it is simulating a snap as the center isn't even over the ball. So far this is being reported as a successful compromise.
