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Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee
By strict reading of NFHS rules, a head coach is definitely not allowed to question anything. A head coach is allowed, by rule to coach- period.
Rule 3-1-2 says that the captain is his/her teams representative, and is allowed to ask for an rules interpretation or get essential information. There is no mention of a coach anywhere in the rules being allowed to question anything, unless it's one of the listed errors. Captains certainly aren't allowed to ever question the judgement involved in a call either.
From an old POE in the 2001-02 book -- "Coaches must stay within the confines of the optional coaching box and are ONLY permitted to give instructions to players and substitutes. Coaches using the optional coaching do not have implied permission to roam the sidelines, attempt to influence the decision of an official, or conduct themselves in an unsporting manner." Iow, by rule, the head coach is not allowed to ask questions; he has to get his captain to do that.
Of course, in real life it's a whole lot different. The point is that a coach questioning an official's judgement sureasheck is leaving hmself open to get whacked.
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Maybe this is just semantics, but questioning a judgment call, "Why was that a block and not a charge?" and questioning judgment "What are you, nuts?" are two different things to me. One is asking for clarification, and one is unsportsmanlike.
It seems to me that if officials are using their judgment for a call (rather than on a clear-cut call like a player stepping out of bounds) then they almost have an obligation to explain when asked.
I think the distinction is in whether the coach is attempting to influence the officiating, or legitimately asking for clarification. Whether this is unsportsmanlike conduct is up to the officials' judgment, but I can guarantee that T'ing up coaches for asking for explanations in a reasonable manner will put them back on the list for freshman games.