After some reflection, I agree with M&M that it is MORE appropriate to charge a technical foul for unsporting conduct to a starter who does this as it is definitely an individual attention situation and the NFHS has provided a clear directive to not allow such.

However, if the offenders are in the crowd, as one of the first posters proposed, then the team technical foul is the appropriate call if the start of the game has to be delayed.

Whole new question:

10-1-5: .......not being ready when it is time to start either half.

Who ultimately decides "when it is time to start" the first half?

The OP happened during intros. If game management says "Hold up while we clean the floor," or, for that matter, any number of other reasons, what authority does the official have to say "Game time."

Were the officials told a scheduled game time?

I would consider any deliberate act which prevents starting at that time to be unacceptable.

Is there anything about scheduled times in any book? I don't see how this can apply. If the game is not the first of the night, if there is a time listed, it is often an estimate. What if this were the case and the game was about to start early, before this fiasco happened? Would this have any affect on a potential T?

I can't answer all of the "what ifs." However, I can safely tell you that if everyone is prepared and ready to go, but then some donkey does something silly and causes all of us to wait there is going to be a penalty when I am the referee.

There is solid rules support for that. Use your best judgment to decide when to take such action.

And I have been suggesting that it makes a difference what the donkey was doing. If it's something stupid, then penalize. If a 6-year-old drops his sodey pop and the delay is equally long to get rid of the sticky mess, then that's a different matter.