| September 10, 2026 WEEK 3 – CFOA OFFICIALS BULLETIN Hope you had an enjoyable Labor Day weekend. Our Video Poll last week showed a hit on a play in a position to catch a forward pass downfield. The question was mostly judgment as to whether the contact was a personal foul. Results are 75% UNR; 20% No Foul; 5% DPI. There is a consensus on the hit as UNR on a Defenseless Player. CFOA will work to provide guidance on these hits downfield, not only for the officials but for coaches when they ask “how do I teach my players to legally hit/tackle the receiver without a flag?” The Video Great turnout for the CFOA Statewide Virtual Meeting. A recording can be found on the www.cfoaonline.com website (login required). Last Monday’s PreSeason CFOA @ the Half recording is here. The topic was PSK. We will be off this upcoming Monday night (Go Broncos). 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 3 By George Demetriou, CFOA Rules Interpreter 1) Please be careful with punt receivers. While there is no halo or specified buffer zone, the receiver cannot be “impeded.” That means he must have enough room to adjust his position as the ball comes down and move freely to get where he wants to go. That applies whether there is a FC signal or not. The receiver touching the ball eliminates most of his protection. Regardless of where the ball goes after a muff, the receiver is still a defenseless player and we must guard against cheap shots. 2) Clapping and the associated body movement are legal snap counts. 3) Defensive signals: “Set” and “shift” are verboten, but be wary of anything else which mimics the offense or is a fake call designed to create a false start. 4) Overlapping feet on the line is an obsolete rule which gives no advantage with modern blocking techniques and should be treated accordingly. 5) Sub Varsity Numbering: Schools rely on hand-me-down jerseys for sub varsity teams. Please do not be overly technical with linemen, but ensure full disclosure to the opponents. 6) Do not tolerate a PA announcer who incites the crowd or comments negatively about the officiating. Ask the game administrator to address the issue. 7) Broken record of the week. Please do not use the sideline warning for language issues from the team box. It is only for non-contact violations of the restricted area. Language issues are a UNS foul, but can be an informal warning for minor infractions. 8) Overtime is not played in sub varsity unless BOTH coaches want to play it. The referee should negotiate a limit of one OT period. 9) We had a coach politely inquire about a no-call on an obvious hold. The official replied “It didn’t affect the play.” As true as that statement is and as valid it is as an officiating standard/philosophy, we simply cannot use that with a coach. In a classroom it’s okay, but it simply doesn’t sell on the field. It is acknowledging a rules violation occurred and the officials ignored it. That undermines the credibility of all of our calls. It also opens a can of worms allowing a coach to go off on a “what if” tangent. In a worse-case scenario, it starts a conversation that ends with a flag or DQ. A good reply is “I was focusing on the point of attack.” Please refer questions to your Area Director. This shows a Kick Try where the snap is bad but the kicker kicks the ball through the uprights off the ground. Video – Try w bad snap kicked Your Ruling (Click Here): a) Foul for Illegally Kicking the Ball – Repeat the Try from the R-20 b) Foul for Illegally Kicking the Ball – Try is No Good c) No Foul – Try is Good |
| Mechanic Check This is a public service announcement from your Umpire. After this 3rd down incomplete pass, Head Linesman please step aside from the Down Box so we Umpire can use the stake to set this ball down on the previous Line of Scrimmage spot. It is not necessary to show us where to put the ball with your foot/body/hand. Just trust that we can see the Down Box stake and set the ball down correctly. 😉 |