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Originally posted by JamesBond
Quote:
Originally posted by Rich Fronheiser
Quote:
Originally posted by BushRef
I did a game this year where there was a school in the 2nd year of their program. The more experienced team won the toss and elected to defer. The captain of the new program elected to KICK, even after the WH asked him if he was sure that was what he wanted to do.
When we got ready to start the 2nd half, the coach of the new team wanted to know why his team kicked both halves. When we told him his captain elected to kick in the first half and the other team chose to receive in the 2nd half, he said he thought that the team that kicked in the first half automatically received in the 2nd half.
What a learning experience that was. Not to mention the final score of 56-0.
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Some preventive officiating would've been in order here.
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All due respect, preventative officiating should be reserved for stopping minor rules infractions from becoming major rules infractions. Limiting the coin toss choices doesn't do that at all. Don't pretend to be a coach or presume to know better then the team leader. On the varsity level, if a captain says he wants to kick then he wants to kick and it is not for us as officials to arm chair coach that response. In the half a dozen times it has happened at the Varsity level, I have never had any backlash from the coach. We explain the choices and they chose. Its simple really. Just my $0.02.
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I'm not coaching when I explain the down and location of the ball when I give the choice to the captains on penalty enforcement, so why am I coaching when I tell the captain that if he chooses "kick" that his team will likely have to kick in both halves.
In my opinion it is simply poor officiating to hear "kick" in ANY HS game and not make sure they didn't mean "defer." If they really insist on choosing "kick" I'll let them, but there's no reason to show both teams how smart you are by being so literal.
Like I said, this is just my opinion -- but I don't think preventing bad situations should stop just because it's a varsity game.
I did say that I will present all the options in a previous email, too, just in the order of the ones that people are most likely to exercise.
--Rich