California Guys, Please Tell Me This Ain't So!

[TXMike]

They refused to permit OT because of pay???????????

Referees: No Overtime Pay, No Overtime Play | Beacon Media News

Referees: No Overtime Pay, No Overtime Play

Hard Fought Game Forced to End in Tie as Officials Refuse Overtime

By John Stephens

The officiating crew at last Friday night’s football match-up between the Temple City Rams and Arcadia Apaches told coaches for both teams that there would be no overtime, citing the fact that they would not be paid overtime for the extra work involved in settling the 28-28 tie.
Things looked good for the for the Rams as Apache quarterback Justin Smith connected with Andrew Torres for a 15-yard touchdown play that put Temple City up 7-0 early in the game. Then the TC offense continued to look strong, driving 50 yards in 9 plays to take a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
But the Apaches were not about to give up the contest this early. Following an 87 yard kickoff return by sophomore Taylor Legace and a 45 yard fumble recovery and return for touchdown by David Schuil Arcadia scored twice in the second quarter, pulling the team up from a 14-0 deficit before the halftime break. It was not to be the last time the score would be tied on Friday night.

After halftime, it looked as though the Apaches may pull away when, with just over 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter Taylor Legace scored on a 25-yard pass from Tuck, giving the team their first lead of the night. Tuck had 11 completions on 23 attempts Friday, passing for a total of over 150 yards before being forced onto the bench with a knee injury in the fourth quarter.
But the Rams were not without their fair share of stars to help them fight back from the turnover and special teams-incurred deficit. Quarterback Justin Smith took the ball into the end zone himself from 35 yards out to tie the game late in the third quarter to bring the game to a 21-21 tie.
Temple City then retook the lead in the game when the always strong Ram running back Max Ruckle – who raced for 158 yards on 25 carries, averaging just over 6 yards per carry – reached the end zone on 57-yard breakaway dash just before the whistle blew on the end of the third quarter.
But as both coaches no doubt reminded their respective teams, there are (at least) four quarters in a football game, and when backup Arcadia quarterback Myles Carr came off the bench to connect with Lagace from 21 yards, the game was once again tied, now 28-28.
The Rams, now trying to mount the late-game winning drive, found themselves stranded on the Arcadia 49 yard line with only 48 seconds remaining on the game clock. Urged by an excited, boisterous crowd, Temple City Head Coach Randy White called a last second timeout before punting, deciding instead to tap the energy of the crowd and star running back Max Ruckle to go for the first down and potential win.
But it was not meant to be, and roles quickly reversed for the teams when senior Apache defensive lineman Kyle Schnieder muscled his six feet, one inch and 240 pounds through the Ram offensive line to pull down Ruckle in the backfield for a 2-yard loss.
Arcadia dashed off three plays but was unable to gain against the Ram defense, and punted on 4th and 9 with less than 30 seconds left in the game.
Temple City’s offense, given one last chance from within their own territory, was only able to mount two unsuccessful plays before the game clock ran out.

It was then that cheers and shouts filled the Arcadia High School stadium, with fans from both sides of the tight matchup chanted “We want overtime!” But the officiating crew met with head coaches Anthony White and Jon Dimalante briefly to assure them there would be no overtime, citing lack of additional pay for the extra time it would take to settle the match. Coach White, along with a raucus crowd whose cheers had turned to boos on news of the impending anti-climax, stood in near disbelief as the officials had the coaches shake hands, ending the game in a tie before trotting off to the locker room.
The tie leaves both the Rams and the Apaches still looking for the season’s elusive first win, with both teams now having a record of 0-2-1.
They will have to wait until next week though, when Temple City faces a 1-2 Rosemead team on the road and Arcadia travels to Glendale to take on their 1-1 team.

Editor’s Note: The editorial staff of the Temple City Tribune would like to propose that a special fund be set up to accommodate the revenue needs of future officiating crews in instances requiring overtime play. Donations of cash, cookies and/or orange slices may be sent to Beacon Media headquarters (125 E. Chestnut Ave., Monrovia), care of the “Let them Play” program.


FULL STORY: Referees: No Overtime Pay, No Overtime Play | Arcadia Weekly

[Welpe]

Wow! That wouldn't have happened where I'm from...what a crappy stunt to pull.

What part of "game fee" and the definition of a game didn't these officials understand?

[BktBallRef]

One side of the story. I wonder what the other side is.

[ajmc]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

One side of the story. I wonder what the other side is.

Despite unending instances of how totally misleading and inaccurate news reports involving officials can be, some are so quick to assume the absolute worst and blindly buy into just about any story about brother officials.

[jTheUmp]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

One side of the story. I wonder what the other side is.

Since we as officials are generally strongly discouraged, if not outright prohibited, from speaking to the media about any games we've worked, I rather doubt we'll ever hear the other side. Although maybe we'll hear something from the CA state athletic board.

Personally, however, I can't imagine ever walking off the field in that situation. The whole reason we're there as officials is to give the kids a chance to compete in a game, and that game should be taken to its conclusion if at all possible.

[Ref inSoCA]

You have to remember that CA has 10 Sections and each Section has its own rules.

In my Section, we don't play OT until the playoffs and the coaches know it.

Since this is the coaches' story in the media, I don't believe it. I would bet the Southern Section does not use OT and perhaps the R was being a smarta$$.

[TXMike]

Originally Posted by Ref inSoCA

You have to remember that CA has 10 Sections and each Section has its own rules.

In my Section, we don't play OT until the playoffs and the coaches know it.

Since this is the coaches' story in the media, I don't believe it. I would bet the Southern Section does not use OT and perhaps the R was being a smarta$$.

Which is why I asked you californians to clear this up. Story did not sound right to me and now it obviously appears to be an incorrect report.

[Rich]

Officials give everybody a tie -- latimes.com

Sounds to me like the officials acted on their own. Sad.

We play OT in all non-freshman games. I actually don't mind OT as it means we've had a good game.

[kdf5]

Originally Posted by ajmc

Despite unending instances of how totally misleading and inaccurate news reports involving officials can be, some are so quick to assume the absolute worst and blindly buy into just about any story about brother officials.

On the other hand, we ARE talking about California.

[Jmuvol]

None of these reports gives a clear picture of what happened. In Georgia, schools in the same classification play overtime, period. Games with teams of different classes can play overtime if the coaches inform the referee PRIOR to the game. Most in our area don't think about it so if the game was tied, we would not play overtime even if both coaches agreed on it at the end of regulation.

Hopefully these guys didn't do this on there own.

Originally Posted by RichMSN

Officials give everybody a tie -- latimes.com

Sounds to me like the officials acted on their own. Sad.

We play OT in all non-freshman games. I actually don't mind OT as it means we've had a good game.

Sounds like from this article, the officials decided on their own that there would be no OT, contrary to the coaches' agreement to play OT, and the sectional policy that allows for OT upon coaches' agreement.

I think this problem would be solved if OT was mandated at the state level for all varsity play, like it is in Nebraska and Iowa.

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by Ref Ump Welsch

Sounds like from this article, the officials decided on their own that there would be no OT, contrary to the coaches' agreement to play OT, and the sectional policy that allows for OT upon coaches' agreement.

The article says "But Southern Section spokesman Thom Simmons said officials must allow overtime if the schools involved agree to play extra periods. Both White and Arcadia counterpart Jon Dimalante said they wanted to keep playing."

In many areas where overtime is not required the teams must agree to play OT before the game starts, if not then there will be no OT. Both teams wanting to continue playing at the end of the 4th period would not matter if OT was not agreed on before the game.

[ajmc]

All things considered, resolving tie football games is a relatively NEW concept for scholastic football. With all due respect to Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and NY, who have decided to resolve tie games through overtime play, California apparently has established their own policy, of leaving that choice up to it's Sections. So it goes in California.

What difference does, "if both coaches agree" make if that agreement differs from established rule? Can both coaches decide to play "Sudden Death"? In NY we're still testing the 20 yard OT procedure, as decided by the State, can both coaches "agree" to choose the NFHS 10 yard version? Not hardly.

If the officials involved in this California game were following THEIR approved rules, they were right regardless of what, "both coaches agreed", if they were not following their rules, they were mistaken.

[TXMike]

Did you see what their own Assocaition had to say? Seems the crew did botch this one.


Football: Refs officially blew Temple City-Arcadia game
By Miguel Melendez on October 1, 2009 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | ShareThis
Plain and simple, the officials blew it.

That was the conclusion the San Gabriel Valley Football Officials Association came to after a nearly two-hour- long special meeting Tuesday night.

Joe Conte, the association's liaison to the CIF-Southern Section, met with the officiating crew working last week's Temple City-Arcadia game, which ended in a 28-28 tie after the crew refused to stay for overtime.

Temple City coach Anthony White and Arcadia's Jon Dimalante agreed to play overtime. Officials, however, informed both coaches they were not going to stay and proceeded to jog off the field, much to the dismay of a disappointed crowd that booed the officiating crew.

White said he heard one of the officials make a statement about overtime pay. Dimalante didn't recall that, but was disappointed with how the situation was handled.

Conte said he asked each member of the five-member crew if anyone mentioned anything about overtime pay.

The first four officials answered "no," but the fifth official - the official working the Temple City sideline - stood up, looked straight at Conte and said he indeed made the statement. Conte said the exact quote was: "You just can't pay me enough to work overtime."

"I looked at them and they were astounded, because they had no idea that a statement was made across the field," Conte said.

CLICK ON THREAD TO CONTINUE READING

Last week, umpire Darren Winkley, one of five officials who worked the Temple City-Arcadia game, told the Los Angeles Times that none of the officials made a comment about overtime pay and that it was the crew's policy not allow overtime before league games.

"The statement that Darren Winkley said was absolutely wrong," Conte added. "That we don't do overtime in nonleague games is wrong, and that statement turned out to be totally false because someone in fact did make such a statement."

Conte said the official went to retrieve the clips from the chain crew when someone asked him about an overtime period. That's when he made the controversial statement.

"He doesn't even know how he responded to it because it was a statement made as he walked away," Conte said.

More to the point, the officials had a lapse in judgement by not staying for an overtime period despite both coaches agreeing to it.

"The officials just made a bad decision," Conte said. "There was a miscommunication between the schools and officials.

"The school should have told them (the officials) before the game, halftime or in the third quarter, and it was never asked."

Regardless, Conte said the crew should have stayed for overtime.

"Yes," Conte said, "and that's in the bluebook - if both coaches agree to overtime. If one coach says yes, one coach says no, you don't play overtime. It has to be a mutual consent by both coaches.

"It was their (the officials') impression we don't do overtime, but it was a mistake on the officials' part. I don't know where they got that we don't do overtimes, because there must have been six overtimes (last) weekend."

Conte said the association will send a letter of apology to Temple City's and Arcadia's administrators. He spoke with both schools' athletic directors and added that none of the five officials will work a Temple City or Arcadia game the rest of the year and possibly into next year, too.

The officials have assignments this week, but Conte said further repercussions may come when the eight-member board meets Tuesday.

"The unit will have further action on this, which I have nothing to do with," Conte said. "I can't begin to tell you what, and I don't want to jump to a conclusion until the process goes through."

Conte, whose association oversees 49 schools in 17 sports, has been at the helm since 1975. He said it will take a long time before the association can recover from this setback.

"We're in the process of damage control right now," he said. "It was a mistake that was made - no malice, no bad intention.

"It'll take years to get over this, and it will hang with our unit for years and years and years."

[email protected]