[Eckley]

As a first year official, I've come to hear various theories from veteran officials I've worked with as how to officiate a game that is a blowout. Many officials will begin to let some calls go in the name of finishing the game quickly. The local "mercy rule," i.e. running clock, starts when one team leads by 40 in the 3rd quarter or 30 in the 4th quarter. If a team is up by 15 or 20 at the start of the 4th and it's clear the losing team will not and cannot come back from the deficit, should one's officiating change? I've tried as hard as I can to officiate the same no matter what the score is, but I know that many of my partners do not share my point of view.