Weekly Bull 10/30/19
SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION
THE WEEKLY BULL – October 30, 2019
Final Meeting this Wednesday - Final Board Elections and Association Survey, Bull, Sharing of Plays, Calibration, and Instructional Video, – Classes will be interrupted this week for final elections plus a quick survey of the quality of services provided by our association and suggestions for getting even better. If you printed out and completed your survey, bring it with you and you won’t have to do it again at the meeting.
Make Up Meeting Will be Wednesday 11/20 – If you need to make up a meeting or you need to take a test, please come to the makeup meeting at Challenger at 7:00pm. I can begin to offer testing as soon at 6:30 and the Bull and Video Review will start at 7:00. I plan to be closing up the school house by 8:00.
Meetings and Tests – Officials who have not met the requirements for meetings or tests must write a letter/email to the board describing why they should be considered for a one-year exemption from the requirements and be eligible for the draft. The letter/email should be sent to Steve Coover who will present it to the board.
Banquet Stories – Our Banquet will be on November 6th and we need stories. See Bob Hood or email him your video or story of our fun-loving mistakes from the 2019 season. We need a few more!! Also, remember to attend as you’ve already paid for your BBQ dinner with your 2019 registration dues payment!
The SD Youth Football Fund - Game check weekend is over so please make sure your contribution is in to to sdyouthfootballfund.org. If you missed your chance to make your contribution to assist us in helping the football community in San Diego just go the website today and make a donation, please. Thank you to all who make our Association the best! - Jake Minger and Mike Downing
SD Youth Football Fund Golf Tourney – Just a few slots left so contact Jake Minger or go to http://www.sdyouthfootballfund.org/
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 2019 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.
Playoff Assignments – Tom Ables has emailed all of the semifinals and finals playoff assignments. Soon to be announced will be the All-Star game crew. Congratulations to all who’ve received an assignment and we know you’ll represent the game, the CIF and our association well! Work hard and have fun!
7-Man Mechanics Workshop Wednesday, November 13 7:00 pm at Challenger MS – This workshop is mandatory for all officials assigned to work a semifinal or final on a 7-man crew. The Division VI 8-man semifinals and final will be officiated by a 5-man crew so the mechanics are not changed for those games and those officials do not need to attend the 7-man workshop. All timers and chain crew members are also exempt from attending. You will get your instructions from your crew chief. All others must attend. Thank you!
Tempo – We’ve done very well with this as a whole. We’ve completed our dead ball responsibilities, hustled to get the ball and chains ready for play and kept the game moving with accurately timed periods leading up to kick offs and the completion of time outs. Referees are no longer waiting for the box to be set, rather winding quickly as the box arrives. Get the teams out! Keep the pace moving and the kids will benefit in the quality of their play. Slowing the tempo will cause many unexpected negative consequences including poorer play and fewer opportunities for the kids. A brisk, consistent tempo will keep the teams focused and playing their best. Always hoping for fewer fouls!
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.
Pregame Warm-ups - We’ve had several instances of team’s enthusiasm spilling over into unsportsmanlike conduct. Regarding the Haka – Working with the CIFSDS we ruled that if the act is done on the field before the game, it must be done between the 45 yard line and the end line, and it may not be directed toward the opposing team or their fans. Teams violating this policy should be given a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Similarly, teams may not direct their enthusiasm at the opposing team by standing at mid-field shouting, pointing, jumping on the home school’s logo, etc. That also goes for individuals. All carry a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty which will be enforced on the kickoff. To insure that the pre-game goes well I am directing all crews to be on the field 45-minutes before kickoff during the playoffs – 6:15 – adjust your pregame accordingly. Please have at least one crew member on the 50 yard line at all times.
Injured Player and Official’s Time Out – As much as we want to error on the side of safety, we need to be cautious on declaring a player injured and taking an official’s time out for an apparently injured player. Let’s always give the player a chance to “recover” and continue to participate, especially if the play clock is not affected. We have the luxury of time to allow the athlete to recover. Now, if the player ultimately cannot get up and continue, we take the official’s time out when the play clock is affected. We all know that if the player is seriously injured we stop it immediately, as we do when a player exhibits signs, symptoms, and behaviors consistent with a concussion. Otherwise, take your time and be patient in stopping the clock. We don’t want to decide to have a mildly injured player out for an important down and the coach complain that the player was OK.
Penalty Enforcements – Again, no short cuts. Umpires you drive this proper mechanic. Do not march off the enforcement alone, for any reason! HL (or LJ if emergency) must accompany the Umpire. Umpire check back with LJ who is normally holding the enforcement spot just to get his nod or signal of proper enforcement…then put the ball down. LJ can then move to the new LOS.
Weekly Instructional Video – Just a reminder to read the notes associated with the video each week. Some important concepts are covered and reinforced along with some tips for accuracy and consistency. Thank you for your weekly effort!
From the Observers – On behalf of Don Carey, Gene Beck, John Isham, Jeff Phillips, Jay Drewry and myself we want to thank each and every crew for welcoming us every Friday. We had a great year and the crews were professional and genuinely interested in constructive feedback. Without that professional attitude, our work would be meaningless. Good job… now work to get even better!
Video – We had our absolute best year of video review. Honest evaluation of our calls and judgments are so important to our individual and collective improvement, but don’t forget to review your spots and your mechanics. It all adds up to the best performance possible.
Playoff Schedule -
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November 1 – Final week of the Regular Season, 8-Man Semifinals
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November 8 - 1st Round Divisions I-V; 8-Man Finals at Mission Bay
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November 15 - Quarterfinals Divisions I-V; plus Open Semifinal
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November 22 - Semifinals Divisions I-V
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November 23 - Open Division Final 7:00 pm at Southwestern College;
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Friday November 29 - Finals – Division IV 3:00; Division II 7:00 at Southwestern College
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Friday November 29 - Final – Division V 7:00 at Otay Ranch
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Saturday November 30 - Finals - Division III 3:00; Division I 7:00 at Southwestern College