stoppage of the clock

[JRutledge]

I am starting the clock on the ready as well. I am not running a full game clock in a youth football game. And if the league has a problem with that, they can find someone else to work the league. I am not there to play a full 2 hour game because you want to. The officials are working multiple games and I am not going to run 10 minute quarters with a regular clock. You might find that wrong, but that is why I do not work any of these leagues anymore. You spend more time worried about little things and do not know the major rules that really matter. I am running the damn clock.

There is your answer.

Peace

[jeffb]

and you do this in high school also????

[jeffb]

Thanks Bush for your honesty..

[JRutledge]

No, but this is not HS. When in Rome you do as the Romans do. When outside of Rome, I do what I think will move the game along.

And in many lower level HS games, we do all kind of things that are not in the rules (like not punting). The coaches want to move the games along and so do we.

Peace

[Derock2004]

JeffB, youth football usually has a modification of the NFHS clock rules. In the youth games I officiate, we use a "running clock" meaning the only time the clock stops is on a team time out. Then inside of the last 2 minutes of each half, we use NFHS clock rules meaning the clock stops on incomplete passes, out of bounds, team time outs, change of possession, and to move the chains. Hope this helps.

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by BushRef
Nothin was gonna help jeff til someone gave him the response he wanted so he could hit PRINT On his browser and go stick it in someone's face.

This is exactly why I never agreed with him. There are so many different rules differences for youth football. I cannot believe official would stand for working football games with a normal clock. At least the ones that know better.

Peace

[chiefgil]

Any action at the end of the previously play which causes the clock to stop; the clock starts on the snap.

time out
change of quarter
change of possession
out of bounds
incomplete pass
inadvertant whistle?
runs, or passes that end in the end zone (TD, TB or Safety)
delay of game penalty

or refer to Rule 3-6-3 in the NFHS rule book

[jack015]

NF (High School) rules: The clock will start on the SNAP after 1] Legal kick
2] Charged time out
3] If team B is awarded a new series
4] After a delay of game penalty

I do not have my rule book with me to refer to and there are some other instances that should be added to the list above, but these are the main ones. Hope this answers your question. Also if the Referee invokes rule 3-6-3, he could start the clock on either the ready or the snap.

[Hand Signals]

We try to use the same rules as high school in our youth leagues. The clock would start on the snap. The games move along fairly fast due to limited passing. We would be more likely to rule a player was downed or momentum was stopped in-bounds and keep the clock running that way.

[mcrowder]

In our youth leagues- we have some agegroups that use modified clock rules, and others that use NCAA clock rules. The older they get, the more "normal" the rules become... but even with "Normal" rules, we have a much shorter clock - usually 6-minute quarters. I think it's odd that Rut would tell me that I "don't know what I'm doing" if I call the game the way the league asks me to... but I guess that's just me.

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by mcrowder
I think it's odd that Rut would tell me that I "don't know what I'm doing" if I call the game the way the league asks me to... but I guess that's just me.

I have not addressed you in this post once. I have not told you anything. I was only addressing jeffb only and his claim that the officials did not follow the rules of the league. I do not even know what you are talking about.

Peace

[mcrowder]

No, you didn't refer to me directly... I was referring to this statement of yours:

"I cannot believe official would stand for working football games with a normal clock. At least the ones that know better."

If my league says to run a normal clock ... who the hell am I to just do whatever the heck I want, and why would you say that if I do such a thing, I "don't know better"?

Not meaning to attack you here, or cause this thread to fly right off the deep end --- but that statement kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

[JRutledge]

I guess you need to get out more often.

I know I am not going to work youth football games (3 and 4 games in a row in most cases) and I am going to run a normal clock. Then I am going to get paid what I would for a regular HS game. These leagues never pay the same amount for one game in my area as they would for a HS game, where you are suppose to use timing rules as the NF intended them.

This guy has not given us the handbook in which the league goes by. Of course as a basis they are going to use NF rules. The kids will play under those rules. But I would bet all my checks for the season there are weight requirements, eligibility rules (who can carry the ball or not), whether coaches can or cannot be on the field and the issue at hand, what the timing rules apply. They never just take on all HS rules. I would bet that they do not play 12:00 minute quarters and do not have 20 minute sportsmanship meetings as required by the IHSA.

This guy just wanted to get someone to agree with him, without asking the proper people that run the league or look at the league handbook to cover all the "league rules" that apply to that league and that league only.

If that upsets you, I guess you will just have to be that way.

Peace

[mcrowder]

I agree that he was just looking to get someone to give the answer he liked so he could print it off and go complain.

My point was that if you are going to work a game for someone, you do it by their rules or you don't work it. This doesn't make those of us who choose (as you don't) to work these games somehow less than you or others who don't choose to work these games. If you don't like their rules ... don't work. Not a big deal. But don't belittle those who do.

I do admit there are a lot of people working these games that do so solely for the money (and some of these guys really suck, and don't care that they suck). However, there are also a good number who are young and trying to get better at their craft. And there are those who are already very good at their job that simply like being there for the kids and their local leagues.

[Jaysef]

If you choose to officiate the best game ever invented, it should be for teaching, learning, and to be involved in the magical environment of the fall football contest, whether it be Pop Warner, or NFL.

Jayseef