I'm at odds with our youth officials in GA about a ruling that went against my team this past weekend in a Thanksgiving weekend tournament Championship game.

In our league we are aloud to either choose to walk off a 15 yard punt or kick a punt without the defending teams rushing the kicker. As soon as the ball is kicked, the ball is "live" like any other punt and is subject to the GA high school rules.

From our 48 yard line we choose to punt on a 4th and 11. The ballwas kicked and rolled down to the opponents 8 yard line near the sideline at which point the return player pick the ball up and started to run. The side judge blew his whisle and claimed he was under the impression that the defender could not return the punt.

The head official stated that because it was and inadvertant whisle that the recieving team had the choose of taking the ball at the spot or making us rekick. I argued that te inadvertant whisle killed the play at the spot and their should not be a choose of the receiving team.

The second kick resulted in a net of less that 10 yards after the return

Anyone ever heard of any choices on inadvertant whisles?

Yes, we've heard of it.
When a ball is in player possession, that team can choose to accept the play at the spot the whistle was sounded or they can choose to replay the down.

I agree w/ Theisey, when there is an IW it almost always favors the offense/team with possession, I guess that's just the way it works out!

That was the call. As much as it hurts, I'll store it in the back of my mind for the future.

Thanks!

Wow! Working 7 man crews in a youth game, must have been a very important championship.

Concur with above posts, there would be no choice if it still was a loose ball (NF). Glad to hear that the officials got it correct.

all football is important in georgia. above post are correct. this is a nf rule not ghsa. ghsa does not have any differences in this in subject. the only thing that was messed up was the official with the inadvertant whistle.

No 7 man crew (Unless you value the opinion of the coaches)just 3 on the field. In 10 years I have never heard of this happening but believe it or not it happen 2 times this weekend in the same tournament.

I did not mean to say that all football is not important. It said the sidejudge made the call, so I was assuming 7 man crew, which is two more than we in Ohio would have on the field for a youth game finals.

When you have different rules then expect those things to occurr. Our youth games have strange rules like that i.e., "a standing (TWO POINT STANCE) linebacker can not blitz the A gap"

With a SJ could have been a 6 man crew! :p

We run some 5-man in the championship for recleague here also. Makes it a much easier game to officiate.

"In our league we are *aloud* to either choose to walk off a 15 yard punt or kick a punt without the defending teams rushing the kicker."

Does this mean you have to shout out your choice?

Bob

I believe it...