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Hey guys, i wanted to know how to deal with a certain situation i was put in on Sunday afternoon. To give you a background, i am a first year official with approx. 12 pop-warner games under my belt. Previously on Sunday, i did two games on a four man crew (jr. midget, and midget) and then i was scheduled to do a game (mighty mites-youngest kids) with another guy. My board makes sure that all first years are with another official with atleast a year of experience. To my dismay, i was the only official! To give you a good idea of my discomfort, i had to break a dollar at the snack bar at the field because i didn't have a coin to flip for the coin toss! Anyway, the game was pretty uneventful, the coaches were cool and understood i was the only official and had many things to do. I only threw two or three flags for obvious calls, but i mainly used preventive officiating to get through it. I saw a few minor/close calls i could have thrown the flag on, but i didn't. I did throw a flag on the QB for throwing the ball after crossing the line of scrimage. As soon as i threw it, i knew i shouldn't have. Of'course it was a foul, but i didn't know the hand signal to signal it to the booth. I checked my officials card, signaled the play the best i could and walked off 10 yards (and loss of down). It might be a 5 or 15 yd penalty but i wasn't sure. At any rate, can anyone give me advise in this situation or critique what i did. After the game, i second guess myself on almost every penalty i didn't call/did call because i didn't have anyone to look to for assistance and explanation.
Thanks,
Dan
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