[JugglingReferee]

I've had a few interesting things happen in the recent days.

First: inadvertant whistle. We all know that an IW or losing a down are horrible game management elements. You just gotta apologize and move on. The game is STJ home to GCVI. This regular season game has playoff implications and basically the whole game was back and forth. Each team would stop the other when it counted: lots of changes of possession. GCVI did score 2 unconverted TDs in the 1st half.

Not until the 4th quarter did the next score come - STJ with a successful extra point. 12-7 GCVI. Late in the game (about 2 minutes), STJ scores again and misses their convert! 13-12 STJ.

GCVI ran the 2-minute drill great... clock management was excellent... and they got OOB when they needed to. Its comes down to 3rd and goal from 3, but they didn't know what play to run, so the QB spikes it. LOL That's IG in Canada. So... 4th (this HS league uses 4 downs) and goal from the 3 or 4th and goal from the 5. STJ chooses the 5.

Now... as a pre-cursor, a FGA attempt from within the 10 is the R's call (yes, I'm the WH), and outside the 10 is the deep guy's call. Well, since we're from the 5 (GCVI decides to go for the FG since there's only 2 seconds left on the clock, and will only have one more play), it is my call. Made FG = GCVI win. Missed FG is treated as a punt.

BUT... converts are also done from the 5 and when the ball is kicked, the R is to immediately blow his whistle. And statistically, the R will rule upon *maybe* 1 FGA per 3 years - I mean it is very rare.

So what do I do? As soon as the FG kicker kicks the FGA, I blow my whistle because I was into convert mode (I think the FG being attempted from the 5 had something to do with it... being a mental cue kicked me into convert mode).

So I blow my whistle (the IW) and what happens to the FG? Wide left. Rule book states that B has the option: give up a point (rouge) or let the offense try again (down repeated)... but I get bailed out becuase the FGA landed OB past the the EZ... rule book says that in this case, since no return is possible, the IW is ignored, but score 1 point (the infamous Canadian "rouge"). So it now ends up 13-13.


Second: regarding the earlier post of protecting the new guy... I had to do this with a new official (a female actually, and a teenager). She's **very** knowledgeable about the game. Two coaches run towards her (but stay OB) and strongly voice their misguided opinion. I see the deer in headlights look on her face. I run over to the coaches and handle them. As the recruiter in my area, I will do whatever I can to retain officials. It is tough to find new officials here in southern-western Ontario.