| September 18, 2026 WEEK 4 – CFOA OFFICIALS BULLETIN Friday Night Lights. Don’t forget, treat every game; every down; every action on the field with those young athletes in mind. Its really all about the kids. I worked for years with a veteran white hat. His only message to the captains at the coin toss was “Respect the Game of Football Men!” And that really says it all. A reminder: The upcoming CFOA Webex meeting on Sept 23 will cover: (1) Formations and Eligibility; (2) Blocking UNR Fouls; (3) The New Game Report Format; and (4) Game Film Review. Meeting link provided next week. Our Video Poll last week showed a Try with the kicker kicking an errant snap off the ground thru the uprights without the holder even touching the ball. The membership results are mixed 50% said Try No Good; 30% said Foul – assess and re-kick; and 20% said kick is Good. The correct answer is b) NO GOOD. The ball was illegally kicked and only a legal kick can score so the Try was unsuccessful. The Referee should pick up the flag and announce & signal “the ball was illegally kicked, therefore the Try is No Good” and then head to the Kickoff. The Video If you are like me, you asked “what if it was a Field Goal attempt?” George provided this answer: The foul is illegally kicking the ball IKB (9-7-1) and is a 10-yd penalty enforced from the spot of the foul (10-4-4a). So Team R has the option of enforcing the penalty allowing K to attempt the FG again or take result of the play (Touchback) with the ball at the R-20. Here is another example of Illegally Kicking the Ball Video We will hold our first CFOA @ The Half Monday night during the MNF game. Log on at the 2:00 minute warning. We will have Terrence Miles, NFL Back Judge share some thoughts on how to handle stress on the field and look at a couple play clips. Mtg link will be provided Monday at noon. Video Poll of the week is to the right. Also see the Mechanic Check below. Have a great week! Kirk Russell, CFOA CFOA is Chasing Perfection – Catching Excellence Things To Know for Week 4 By George Demetriou, CFOA Rules Interpreter 1) The problems we had with game reports last week should be resolved with the new format. There have been several notes explaining the new procedure, so please check those out before submitting a report. The “Sanctions & Ejections” section to report all USC fouls. For “Type”, select “Booking/Card” from the dropdown menu. Game reports are still required for all Varsity games and any sub-varsity game with an ejection. 2) A very unusual play occurred which confused the officials. On a kickoff, the kicker slipped and barely made contact with the ball. He then made a second kick from within the neutral zone driving the loose ball about 20 yards. It is unclear if there was an IW, but R declined to touch the ball and K recovered it at the R-40. The first kick was legal and the second kick was illegally kicking the ball; however, the status of the ball remained a legal kick, so all free kick rules applied. There are three items of note: (a) the second kick constituted first touching; (b) 10-4-2 Exc applied (but not a good choice) because of the legal kick play.; and (c) the foul for illegally kicking the ball could be enforced from the previous spot, but not from the spot of the foul. Please refer questions to your Area Director. This shows a 2pt Conversion with Team A in a Swinging Gate formation. The Snapper rises and throws the ball backward to back A9. Video – Swinging Gate Snap Your Ruling (Click Here): a) Foul for Snap Infraction b) No Foul |
| Mechanic Check Victory Formation A gracious way to end a game is for the winning team to “kneel down” or “take a knee.” The officials should be aware that various coaches have differing concepts as to how this play is to be executed and how the defense should react. The officials must use preventative officiating while ensuring they don’t interfere with play. The focus is on safety and preventing the ill will and fighting that may result. Players must be prepared for normal contact without crossing the line to unnecessary roughness. When the game situation dictates this formation, the Referee should ascertain the quarterback will take a knee either from the coach or quarterback and shall announce it to the defense and all officials. Editorial: If the score is close and the QB tells you he is taking a knee, it is best to tell the offense to protect themselves or “play normal football” and instruct the QB to immediately take a knee. R, be quick to blow the play over. |