Just like every little local league want to tweak the rules for their league, this is no different, just on a larger scale. Why in the world one state (any state) would think they can do better than a national entity is beyond me.

FTR, many of us feel the same way about Illinois. ;)

Be careful. I doubt I'd want to even visit Illinois, much less live there. Politicians (and others) run amok.

I don't have a huge issue with the challenge itself, but with putting the onus on the officials to justify your calls by pointing out the rule when challenged.

Make the coach show you the rule if he thinks you're wrong.

You mean like TASO? :D

In actuality, many TASO mechanics are similar to NFHS and as a whole, when they differ, I believe TASO mechanics are superior.

Same around here, even with a test every year.

There's a lot of differences. I'd hate to be an experienced official who moves to or moves from Ohio.

The only things that stand out that I absolutely do not like (on top of the having to show the rule to the coach and R on the wide side of the field) are:

--Wings working on the field, ever. Especially the mechanic on try kicks. I'm not fond of putting the umpire under the uprights, either. He's the voice and the presence after the kick in the pile and I think it's important he be in there.

--BJ is too shallow at 17 yards.

--Giving a "catch" signal. Completely unnecessary.

--It's a really nice thought that the wings will be at the goal line before the runner, but that's only going to happen with goal line mechanics (when the back judge can't get to the goal line). Otherwise, the proper mechanics dictate that the wing trail the play at a safe distance and watch the blocking action and the sideline and then communicate with the back judge, who will have the goal line (and will signal).

-- I'm not sure when I've held the ball up as the R at the end of the period. I have the umpire do that since I'm 15 yards deep. What's the big deal with this, anyway?

--Telling the R's how to conduct a coin toss is odd, IMO.

I applaud the state's efforts in consistency. Really, I do. And their kickoff mechanics sound great to me, putting the R/H/L deeper than the deepest receiver (it what I was hoping the NFHS would move towards and instead they went the other way and took another official out of deep coverage to cover an illegal block that rarely, rarely happens).

Ditto. I wonder how many people here simply get an answer key and don't take the time to take the tests. And we help feed that by going over the Part I and Part II tests at association meetings, too. You really wouldn't ever have to take a test yourself, I wouldn't think.

Our state has foiled that by giving each official a discrete test. The online-only T/F test has 50 questions which are pulled from a pool of 250 NFHS-supplied questions at the time we log in. Thus, an answer key is useless.

The whole purpose of our pre-season test is to get officials "into the book" by allowing enough time to look up the answers. We have 2 hours to answer the 50 questions.

I honestly hope you do not think my comments had anything to do with Illinois. Some of us travel and go to other parts of the country. Maybe you need to leave Texas sometimes, after all you guys do think you are in your own country. I used to spend several summers and several holiday seasons in Texas as my dad lived there for years.

Having spent a lot of time in Texas and even went to school there for a brief time as well, I really would not go there about politicians or anything else for that matter. I remember a former governor involved in the SMU Death Penalty scandal giving money to players as a normal and approved university practice. And that same school had a former coach that went on to coach another Texas school and tried to make a murdered player sound like a drug dealer at Baylor to save his behind.

Peace

FTR, and your point is what? At least Illinois has a great city. You have places called "Mistake by the lake." And considering all the people I know that have been there, they agree.

Peace

Enough, already. All of you. The mechanics a state works in HS football have nothing to do with being in and living in the state itself.

Yes and I was having fun. I will always talk about Ohio, after all I was born just north of there. And the fact that they have mechanics that are absolutely silly is even one more reason not to be there. ;)

Peace

Keep this up and MTD will post another tOSU video. :D

Carrying a rule book to the field wouldn't bother me, but putting the onus on the officials to prove a ruling is completely ridiculous. It must be really bad in OH for the guy in charge to make this the way things are done.

Lighten up Francis!!! (RICH) most of us know this is good natured banter and not true ripping on anyone's home state!

I mean if you are from Michigan originally.......