Then you need to sit on, if not Chair, the NFHS Rule Revision Committee,or effort. There are differences between teenagers and the upper most level of skilled adult professional athletes. Until you get to where your personal assessments should apply to everyone, perhaps you might consider what HS officials have done for the past 100, or so, years and enforce the rules of the game as written by those empowered to do so.

Perhaps you missed where he said, "I do not officiate for the NF." He doesn't need to enforce the rules of the HS game ... he's not working them.

If you look back, a few exchanged comments, you'll find this sub-discussion was explicitly related to NFHS rules and differences.

The reality simply is; there are different levels of the game, which each are goverened by unique rule codes (NFHS, NCAA, NFL) which are slightly adjusted rules and interpretations, designed specifically for their respective levels. It's less a question of right vs wrong, or which adjustments are "better" as it is "differences" applied to suit each particular level.

Keep in perspective, there are a wide variety of locations covering HS football Nationwide, which includes Varsity, on down and most Youth football, operating with 4 and 5 man officiating crews, which is a completely different challenge than 6, 7, and now, 8 man configurations.

Although many of us enjoy the opportunity to work on multiple levels, the smart thing to do is adhere to the rules of whatever level you happen to be assigned to, for the game you're working.

When you call holding by not using a philosophy let me know (I have called it that way practically my entire career.) Then tell me how many games you are working as a result. Because if I call it only the way the NF says by the absence of language of POA and advantage/disadvantage, then I would still be working Pop Warner or Bill George ball. For the record, I do most things with the exact same philosophy for holding that I call or use at the NCAA or college level and that the NFL basically teaches as I do for catching a football. And if the state that I live in did not like such philosophies, they would have said something to me or my crew in my last State Final game when I called an incomplete pass for a player not surviving the ground and a hit (I posted that here BTW). I did not hear a single word from anyone telling me to do anything different. Now that was 4 years ago, so I guess that does not apply to those 100 years you are referencing. :)

Peace

Maybe you do not realize this, but the National Federation does not assign a single game in most states (someone will claim they do). Even the IHSA only assigns games for the post season in my state. Otherwise I work for an assignor(s) that would rather their officials to use proper philosophies along with the rules stated.

Peace

For which your assignor is fully entitled to define as his authoroty permits, to those he supervises, but that's as far as it goes.

I believe in the three legged stool.
 

I do not have an assignor. I theoretically can and often do work for 9 different people throughout a season and that only involves the regular season. During the post season there is only one assignor to deal with and that is the person that comes directly from the IHSA and if they do not like what we do as a crew, they have a lot of other crews to work those games than my crew.

Also I never stated that what I do is what others would do across the country. If you have to follow some other philosophy, that is fine with me. But here, we are taught many things that if you do not follow, you will not be working varsity ball or not join a varsity crew. And the NF even allows interpretations from local areas as to what to do. In a video made by someone on the NF committee on targeting, our state's people took a little different take on situations put out in that video. And just like that issue, there are people in other states that have the right and do have different expectations where the rules do not use a philosophy that is well defined.

Peace