Mike DiMauro: It's time to come to the defense of high school football officials
Sep. 30—A reasonably intuitive inference from watching football: It is consistent and sequential from Friday (high school), Saturday (college) and Sunday (professional). Same game, same rules.
Or not.
I learned the hard way last week — during color commentary on the GameDay stream of Fitch-New London — how football rules vary among the National High School Federation, NCAA and NFL. Same game, same rules? Au contraire. And it only makes the jobs of high school football officials harder. Imagine having to explain how many high school rules differ — and doing so to players and coaches who are sure that what they see on Sunday must apply to Friday night.
So let's make this Be Nice To A Ref Night across Connecticut. They're left having to explain the counterintuitive, all while the folks in the stands are belching ornery adjectives and nouns at them.
It began in the fourth quarter of last week's game. New London had a third and goal from the Fitch 12. Quarterback Roddy Pratts threw a pass to Herbie Bonneau in the end zone. A Fitch defender interfered with Bonneau and was flagged.
Neither play-by-play voice Casey O'Neill nor yours truly could figure out why the next down from third-and-goal from the six and not a first down. We should have known the rule. (Turns out there are many others that are as confusing as you'll read later.)
It wasn't until after the game that Kevin Moreland, the referee in the game, explained current high school rules dictate that pass interference is a 15-yard penalty (or half the distance to the goal in this case) but not an automatic first down.
It's absurd on its face, of course. Not to mention how high school coaches would be daffy not to teach their defenders to tackle receivers in the end zone in times of distress. The defenders in question would undoubtedly draw the wrath of future coaches by employing the same technique in college, as NCAA rules allow for pass interference to be an automatic first down — and for pass interference in the end zone to become first and goal at the 2. (First and goal at the 1 in the NFL).
But wait, there's more as I've learned in recent days:
— In high school, the quarterback cannot throw the ball away, even if beyond the tackle box or if the ball reaches the line of scrimmage. High school officials must call intentional grounding. This may be the National Federation's most irresponsible rule, given the growing interest in player safety. Quarterbacks dispose of the ball to avoid being hit. In high school, it's a penalty.
— The only defensive fouls that result in automatic first downs are roughing the punter or roughing the kicker/holder. That means a facemask penalty is not an automatic first down, but a 15-yard penalty only. So on third and 30, a vicious facemask amounts to third and 15. Again: How does that promote safety?
— In the NFL, a special teams player standing in the end zone cannot down a punt at the 1. It is ruled a touchback. High school is about location of the ball, not the player. So a high school player can stand in the end zone and down the ball at the 1, provided the ball has not crossed the plane.
— There is no such thing as the "uncatchable" ball in high school. A pass well over a high school receiver's head is not a factor in determining pass interference. This is a big one that's often barked from the stands.
— In high school, defensive holding is not an automatic first down, either. Again: When in doubt, hold. Doesn't make for good technique or fundamentals.
— In high school, the defender cannot cross the neutral zone and return. Once he crosses, it is encroachment. Not the same in the pros.
— High school offensive players are restricted from initiating any contact. Hence, all pick plays are penalties. In the pros, there are legal pick plays provided the pick occurs within one yard of the line of scrimmage. Example: If the Giants are at the one yard line (not that they'd ever get there), a block between the 1 and the goal line is legal.)
— Enforcement of all holding calls are from the spot of the foul in high school. Example: In the pros, a hold by a running back on a pass play is determined a loose ball play and enforced from previous spot. In high school, the penalty is enforced from the spot of the foul in the backfield. It's more harmful to the offense.
— In high school, a defender may have contact with a receiver all the way down the field until the ball is in the air. In the pros, that's five yards and a first down for illegal contact.
— In high school, missed field goals are treated like punts — resulting in a touchback or wherever the ball lands. The ball doesn't return to where the kick initiated. Example: A missed 50-yard field goal in high school would be spotted at the 20 if it goes into the end zone or wherever the ball lands. So if the 50-yard lands at the two, the offense takes over at the two.
— Any kickoff that crosses the plane is automatically a dead ball and cannot be returned.
Do you have a headache yet? I do. Now imagine what the officials must learn and endure. So be nice to them.
This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro
