Fun With Out Of Bounds …

[Camron Rust]

This call is the L's call in NFHS 2 person mechanics. NFHS hasn't made any change (that I'm aware of) to make this the T's call. Lead's line...lead's call...all the way down the line. Now, much of the time, the L can only blow the whistle to indicate it is OOB and ask the T for help, but that works very well.

If we were to divide the whistle/call responsibility it based on being above/below the FT line extended, I can see it creating conflicting double whistles when the ball goes OOB near the FT line extended. The L makes a call having judged the ball to be below the FT line while the T makes a call having judged it to be above. Hmmm. Much cleaner to have a line be entirely owned by one official. There is much less opportunity for situations.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

This call is the L's call in NFHS 2 person mechanics. NFHS hasn't made any change Lead's line ... lead's call ... all the way down the line ... Much cleaner to have a line be entirely owned by one official.

Agree. The "new" IAABO line responsibility mechanic was difficult to get used to, often ends up with double whistles, and occasionally ends up with a greatly delayed whistle (as the ball sits in the coach's lap).

But as much as I hated the change (with so much intense hatred by many veterans that they refused to use the new IAABO line responsibility mechanic, and said so in their pregame), I did understand the IAABO rationale of pairing this sideline responsibility with one's primary coverage area.