By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Veteran high school football and basketball official Adam Loudin, a 2006 Waterloo High School graduate, has partnered with Portage Sports to help share some officiating perspectives in a weekly series titled “Under Review.”

TODAY’S TOPIC

OFFICIATING MECHANICS

(PART 1 OF 2)

There are five officials on a varsity football field. Sometimes four and sometimes six, but usually five.

There are 22 players.

Mathematically, this would equate for an official being responsible for 4.2 players. In order to put officials in the best position possible to officiate plays accurately, the OHSAA has created a mechanics book, which every official should understand.

These mechanics define the officials’ responsibility for all aspects of the game from the coaches meeting prior to the game, the coin toss — all phases of the game and the end of the game.

FIVE TYPICAL POSITIONS

1. Referee: The “White Hat” as he is commonly referred. He is tasked with leading the pregame crew meeting, preparing the crew for the game and walking the crew through the pregame coaches meetings. Once the game begins, he is responsible for “managing the game.” He is positioned in the offensive backfield. He marks the ball ready for play, starting the play clock, when applicable. He counts 11 players on offense. He announces fouls by the teams and informs the coaches, players and crowd of the penalty yardage.
2. Umpire: The man in the middle. Many officials believe this is the person who really “runs” the game. An effective and competent umpire is key to a successful game. He is positioned on the defensive side of the ball, behind the linebackers. He also counts 11 players on offense. He is the official who takes the main responsibility for spotting the ball after each play and “cleaning up” the pile. The umpire is also the main official marking off penalties.
3. Head Linesman: The head linesman leads the “chain gang.” He is positioned on the line of scrimmage with the line to gain equipment. This is usually on the visiting team’s sideline opposite the press box. The head linesman takes responsibility for marking forward progress on each play, along with the line judge. He, along with the line judge, also judge the legality of offensive formations, ensuring there are seven players on the line of scrimmage. The head linesman also walks with the umpire during penalty enforcement to verify it was marked correctly.
4. Line Judge: The line judge also works on the line of scrimmage on the press-box side, which is usually the home sideline. Like the head linesman, the line judge is tasked with marking forward progress on each play. The line judge ha no line to gain equipment to manage, so instead, he is tasked with timing responsibilities: Game clock starting and stopping properly. He is also the final check in penalty enforcement. After the umpire and head linesman have asked off a penalty, the line judge verifies their accuracy. The line judge is also the on-field official who is responsible for keeping the game clock on his watch should the visible game clock and scoreboard malfunction.
5. Back Judge: This is the deepest official on the defensive side of the ball. The back judge is the sole official counting the 11 defensive team players each play. He is also the official that is responsible for the play clock. In games that do not have visible play clocks, he keeps the play clock with a watch or a specialized timing device. In rare occasions, on long plays, the back judge may spot the ball — but these are rare and most notably when the time is a factor at the end of either half. The back judge is also the official that the referee looks to for clock status after penalty enforcement and other scenarios, as to whether it should start in the ready for play or the snap.
6. Center Judge: The center judge is the sixth official that is utilized by the OHSAA in the playoffs on crews assigned to round four, state semifinals and state championships. The center judge is aligned in the offensive backfield with the referee — the same as you see in college football games. With this position being relatively new to the high-school game, the mechanics are not as detailed or direct. The center judge will assist with spotting the football and also penalty enforcement. However, because this position is viewed as an “extra” set of eyes, there are no primary responsibilities outlined other than spotting the ball.

FOUR-MAN CREWS

Most varsity games are officiated with five or six officials. However, due to the ever-growing shortage of officials and emergencies that arise, some games are officiated with four officials. In games that only have four, there is no back judge.

Sub-varsity games (JV, freshman and middle school) are encouraged to have four officials, though most every one knows that is very rare.

Most of these games have three officials.

With three officials working, there are two options:

          • Typically you have a referee, head linesman and line judge. In this scenario, the referee is responsible for spotting the ball.

          • Other three-man crews will work with a referee, umpire and head linesman.