Kick or Defer?
 

Kick or defer?

Dalton (Ga) vs. SE Whitfield, FED game. The player in white (Dalton) said he wanted to kick. The referee said "you are deferring then." The kid reiterated that they wanted to kick off and the white hat said "that means you are deferring."

Would you do that, or would you let them kick?

If he is going to come out to the coin toss looking like a punk then I would let him step on his ying yang.

We know what the coach wants before we get out there and we never let the kid choose something different (although I would be temoted to do so if they sent someone out looking like this)

I make it a point to ask the head coach in pregame what they want to do if they win the toss.

Failing that, I'd not argue with the player and have them defer anyways. If they want to kick the second half, they can elect to do so. I've seen the aftermath of a player electing to kick and the white hat going with it. Let's say the second half did not start off well.

General philosophy I have held for a long time is we do not tell them what they are going to do. We usually verify their request by making sure they understand what their choices are. If they insist on kicking the ball, there is only so much we can do. It is up to the coach to teach their kids what to do. But we will ask them a few times to make sure they understand the ramifications like say, "You want to kick and have your opponent choose in the second half right?" Often kids think that defer and kick mean the same thing.

Peace

My God, those kids have sportsmanship issues. And #38 obviously doesn't know which direction the bill of the hat is supposed to go. My nightmare is having this kid come home to pick up my daughter someday. :D

Too many choices given by the white hat. "You can receive, defer to the second half......(big pause here)." Matter of fact, this season I didn't have a single team not give me the choice immediately after saying, "You've won the toss." None of them said, "Kick."

You are fortunate. We had a kid this year try to kick the ball as well until our Referee got him straight.

Peace

Why are there two officials about 20 yards apart on the 50 yard line standing with their legs apart, hands behind the back, facing the white team's sideline? Is that normal for wherever this video is from?

it's almost like they are secret service protecting the coin toss.

Why on earth would a coach allow a player looking like that represent his team as the captain?

Judging by the start of that speech, they were expecting some problems between these teams. I think the R did just fine in this.

You guys are old. :D

Peace

A little back story here. #36 white played three years at SE Whitfield before "transferring" to Dalton, without changing addresses, according to the GHSA. He played four games for Dalton, but was turned in. Dalton had to forfeit those four games, two of them in region.

So Dalton's head coach found it necessary to trot out this now ineligible player to be the only one for the coin toss. So the officials expected trouble. The Sheriff quadrupled security bringing 24 officers to the game. I think R did a fine job as well.

Ah well, this could have gone quite differently. #36 is not eligible to be captain, since he is not a player (1-4-1). I'm not allowing him at the toss. Get me a captain, coach!

I'm not even looking at the video, but taking your words as an accurate representation, I wouldn't even have questioned the first answer. "We want to kick" is a perfectly valid and direct answer to the choice presented.

Of course it is. And it's an election that we officials almost never permit a captain to make. So?

Agreed. :)