Michigan testing 16 minute halves

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Freddy

Don't perceive any difference in approach to officiating.

Here in my little corner of Connecticut, public high school games are four, eight minute quarters, while private prep high schools have always played two, sixteen minute halves. Because my assignment commissioner knows that I like to work Saturdays, when most prep schools schedule games, I do more than my share of prep school games, so I feel competent to comment on the difference between officiating a game with quarters, and with halves.

I like the automatic break after an eight minute quarter. It gives me time to reflect on the first eight minutes, how the game is going, what I need to do differently, or better, and maybe to have a short meeting with my partner to discuss a few things.

Many prep school coaches like to save their timeouts for the second half, near the end of the game, so the first half of a prep school game is always an up, and down, affair; lead becomes trail, trail becomes lead; whistles for fouls, and violations; with no timeouts. The officials have to mentally, and physically, be "on" all the time. All of a sudden you look up at the scoreboard, to check the bonus situation, and note that there are only three minutes left in the first half, with no "time out" for a "mental break".

I prefer four quarters. Two halves wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, but I would still prefer four quarters.