Not my game, but one of our most senior officials had this last Tuesday. Two Class D schools (smallest class in Michigan). Home team is VERY rural, real Hicktown (great burger joint, tho!). Visitors have star player, who is black (only black kid on either team). Star player and known troublemaker on home team is in his face all first quarter. Retailiation comes from visiting kid middle of second quarter, gets 2 quick Ts, DQd. The visiting coach is overheard by one ref saying, "continue to foul, I don't care if we run out of kids." They oblige. Hard fouls ensue, crowd grows very rowdy. Visitors down to 3 kids. Score is 71-14 when refs call the game (home team is winning). Not a forfeit, just decided the game needed to end with approximately 3 minutes to go. Is this kosher? And, under what circumstances can we declare a forfeit? Can a forfeit be called AFTER a game has started?

[Edited by lmeadski on Jan 26th, 2006 at 10:03 PM]

In NCAA rules, the referee may declare a forfeit "when conditions warrant."

Rule 10-1. Forfeiture
Art. 1. The referee shall declare a forfeit when any player, squad member or bench personnel fails to comply with any technical-foul penalty or makes a travesty of the game.
Art. 2.The referee shall declare a forfeit when conditions warrant.
Art. 3. The referee shall declare a forfeit when a team refuses to play after being instructed to do so by an official.
Art. 4.The referee shall determine the length of time that shall elapse before a forfeit may be declared.
Art. 5.Conference policy may include an established time limit before a forfeit may be declared.

"Hard fouls ensue"...after the coach told the kids to continue fouling?
That sounds like a travesty of the game to me, or any reasonable person...FORFEIT kosher.
(Also a letter to the State explaining the circumstances)

NOTE: I gotta tell ya...if I heard a coach say that in a game I am "managing"...we are going to have a little heart to heart conversation.

Can we call a forfeit DURING a game? Another senior official who was discussing this with me said we CANNOT call a forfeit after a game has started. That is what prompted my initial question. She said all the officials could so in this situation was call the game early (with mutual consent of both coaches). She did say you might be able to call a forfeit if the refs thought they were in imminent physical danger.

Absolutely. The Refereee (not the umpire), can forfeit the game at any point. "ART. 1 . . . The referee shall forfeit the game if a team refuses to play after being instructed to do so by any official. The referee may also forfeit a game if any player, team member, bench personnel or coach fails to comply with any technical-foul penalty, or repeatedly commits technical-foul infractions or other acts which make a travesty of the game. If the team to which the game is forfeited is ahead, the score at the time of forfeiture shall stand. If this team is not ahead, the score shall be recorded as 2-0 in its favor."

But from your post, it doesn't sound like it was a forfeit. I don't know of any rule that allows the Referee to simply end the game. But it sounds like it was in the best interest of the players safety. Maybe he invoked the elastic clause and made something up?