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I don't work WH in Varsity sports, but I do work WH in flag-football in pretty high levels. I've found that on most penalties, I know what the team's want. Like has been said before, on a long gain with a hold by A behind the line... I know what B wants to do. The only thing walking up to the captain and explaining things is doing is making the game longer, confusing 18 year old kids who have coaches screaming at them already, and risking a kid screwing up and getting the crew yelled at.
Doesn't the rule book itself say somewhere that the Referee doesn't have to give the captains the option on an obvious penalty? Maybe that's just NIRSA (flag football).
At the coin toss I make it simple. Home wins the toss and wants to defer. I look at the visiting captain and say "You would like to receive, correct?" If he says no he wants to kickoff, I turn at him and say "Okay, do you understand that if you say you want to kickoff, you're giving the ball to the other team both halves? Are you SURE you don't want to receive?" If he says no he wants to kick again, you just have to just settle with the fact you did the best you could to help him out but he shot himself in the foot.
I think the bottom line is that our job is to keep the kids safe, keep the game fair, and make the tough calls. I don't see how helping them out with obvious decisions is hurting the integrity of the game.
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