Kick, receive or defer revisited

[Canned Heat]

Originally Posted by maven

Certain mistakes we won't let them make.

My crew always asks the head coach what he'd like to do if he wins (defer or receive), and which way he'd like to kick. So we know what the answer is before the captain gives it.

I used to ask the HC that for youth contests and young HC's....nowadays, they all say..."They'll know what I want them to do when they get out there". I kid you not...I have had this 4 times this year up here in WI....3 of the 4 in the Sheboygan area....maybe something in the water.

Once in a varsity game and the other 3 in JV contests. I watched a crew a few years back "let" the winner of the toss kick twice to start both halves, and you are setting yourself up with a recipe for disaster and a long night if you don't just oblige and help the spokesman with a simple correction, IMO. You may teach a coach and players a heck of a lesson....but I like to start my games off on a good note. I have corrected A LOT of coaches on this over the years, and never has one complained...usually it is instead followed up with a "Thank you, sir."

I felt compelled to add this after seeing the youth football banter. I worked AAYFL youth here in WI for 16 years along with my hs contests during that same time. Youth had some weight adaptations and point structures and a few odds and ends that differed...but the WIAA adaptation of the FED rules oversaw/covered everything else. I am fairly good friends with 9 or 10 HS and youth officials across the country from coast to coast and they all did or still do youth and those programs abide by NFHS rules with minor league adaptations....other than the State of Texas, and I think Pennsylvania tweaks theirs a bit. My experience here is that maybe 10-15% still do youth football games fairly regularly and the majority is high school officials with another 30 to 40% doing college, and 10-15% doing pro, semi-pro, or using pro rules....just a guess.


Good day.