They should have the best Refs out for the playoff games! Several times today for the JCA game they had no idea what to call. They huddled up for at least 2-3 minutes and still didn't know what to call. It's a shame because they could change the outcome of a close game. Coaches should be able to vote. IHSA should look at the video of this game to see what happened. I'm not saying bad calls against JCA, they just had no idea what call needed to be made. They worry about the multiplier how about worrying about getting the best Refs at these playoff games. The kids play hard all year long and it would be a shame if they cost them a game.
Refs
- Thread starter Hillmen 88
- Start date
I noticed this before I became a ref:
The 1st 2 weeks of the football playoffs always was interesting because the officials could be from all over the place and you never know how a game will be officiated. It always smooths out around quarterfinal or semifinal time because the best crews are usually on those games.
The 1st 2 weeks of the football playoffs always was interesting because the officials could be from all over the place and you never know how a game will be officiated. It always smooths out around quarterfinal or semifinal time because the best crews are usually on those games.
If they have called other games like this im not sure who would have voted for them. They at least should know how to make a call on any play that happens during a game.
Marian CC has it 3rd and 18 and JCA has a face mask and they give them the ball and say first down. They get ready to run the play they gather in the middle of the field for at least 2-3 minutes if not longer and then bring it back and make it 3rd and 7. Several other plays just like it. Both coaches were yelling at them!
To further explain what Hillmen88 is referring to: the face mask occurred on a sack, which would have made it 4th and 22. The refs walked off the 15-yard face mask penalty and set the next play up as 1st and 10. After a lengthy discussion (2-3 minutes is a conservative estimate), they determined that the 15-yard face mask penalty does not result in an automatic 1st down. They corrected themselves and made it 3rd and 7. There were numerous flags thrown that led to lengthy discussions. At least one or two were picked up. It did seem like flags were thrown, then they attempted to figure out what call to make. Not a good day for that crew....confusion reigned.
The average coaches rating is somewhere near 60% of contests rated. The coaches have a great deal of involvement in the selection process, they just do not take advantage of it
Not sure why the coaches wouldn't take part of that. I was embarressed for them yesterday. When you have to get out your phone to look up a call IHSA should be embarressed.
The IHSA tried a couple years back to put some type of punishment for failure to fill out ratings, but the principals voted it down. Not sure what the IHSA can do to get the coaches to fill out more. The coaches have no business complaining when the process is there and they do not take advantage of it.
isumatt, do you make sure the coaches get your IHSA number? In baseball I have printed out little stickers with my name and number on it and put it in their scorebook. It does get results. Our crew chief in football has professional looking crew cards in which he gives head coaches before each game.
Might be kind of a double edged sword for the coaches. If a crew knows that they had a rough time for one of the teams and the coach's review documents that, the coach could be in for another rough time next time around. Kind of a revenge factor.
I've seen what look to be some real rookie types on the field the last two Saturdays.
Got to work that first playoff game to get the experience. Takes years to get ready for the semi's let alone a final. The atmosphere and intensity is nothing you could believe.
Never forget my first.
Also never forget my first year of doing baseball playoffs. Heck my first sectional I was clueless on three man mechanics. You can get all the reading and so on, but nothing like seeing it in action, to get the feel for the proper rotations etc.
Never forget my first.
Also never forget my first year of doing baseball playoffs. Heck my first sectional I was clueless on three man mechanics. You can get all the reading and so on, but nothing like seeing it in action, to get the feel for the proper rotations etc.
If it was a 15 yard facemask foul and it was the quarterbacks facemask, it should have been an automatic first down.
That penalty was changed last year to make it an auto first down if it happens to the QB.
The crew that worked that JCA game worked 3 rounds last year and they are working 3 rounds again this year.
I agree its hard to get playoff points when at least half of the coaches don't send in the ratings. We give cards with every crew members license number to both head coaches and send a reminder email to the AD on Mondays and still get less than a 50% response on ratings.
That penalty was changed last year to make it an auto first down if it happens to the QB.
The crew that worked that JCA game worked 3 rounds last year and they are working 3 rounds again this year.
I agree its hard to get playoff points when at least half of the coaches don't send in the ratings. We give cards with every crew members license number to both head coaches and send a reminder email to the AD on Mondays and still get less than a 50% response on ratings.
Good Catch ref, Thats probably why they had a lengthy discussion. Those damn definitions. Back to rule 2. ;(
The coaches' ratings are anonymous to the officials. All we see is a percentile ranking of our coaches' ratings over the past 3 years. No way to know which specific coach gave which rating. And as others have pointed out, with the low response rate (I also typically get at most 60-70% of the ratings each year) you can't really tell from week-to-week if a "new" rating was from last week's game.
I think it has been discussed before, but the coaches' rating is one of 8 factors that determine which crews get playoff assignments, and it takes years of experience to get even that first game. There are no "rookies" working the playoffs.
Z
Like my fellow Redbird, I am around the 60% rate as well. I print out crew cards that has our names and ID#'s for the coaches. Nothing too professional, just something on card stock. Talking to a few HC's I know they'll put it in their pockets and forget about it most of the time.
My power rating went up.....after my 1 playoff assignment this year.
That's just the point, Hillmen: they do worry more about the multiplier and the "punishment" factor than they apparently do about the officials. However, goomsback's post above seems to indeed be the case. I have been impressed with the officiating in the later rounds and especially the championship games.
I'm going to put this in words everyone understands. There's a shortage of refs, especially young refs, officiating football. The biggest problem in the next couple of years will be who on earth is going to officiate the big games, because the old guard who we see year in and year out can't do this forever. We need younger officials. I promise, if you have any talent and any willingness to move up you can be doing varsity games in 3 or 4 years. Even if you don't want to do varsity games, there are plenty of other lower level or youth games, and they're not hard to get at all. The comradery that exists between you and your fellow officials is something you can't replace ever. And don't worry, you get paid more than you would think. It's not hard to sign up either, just go on to IHSA.org and there's a tab for officials to register. You'll be rewarded more than you think, and you'll have a new appreciation for us.
As far as I know, the only automatic first downs come as a result of the 4 R's - Roughing the Passer, Snapper, Kicker and Holder.
The coaches ratings are one input to an officials "power rating" which are used, IN PART, to select crews for the state series. Here is the complete list of inputs.
License Level
Score on Part 1 Exam
Previous tournament experience(this gender) Finals
Contest ratings percentile
Top 15 list percentile
Highest clinic in last 3 years Level
Most recent clinic
Varsity games worked
How the Power Rating is Determined: The power rating is a number from 0 to 40, derived from 8 different criteria, as follows:
- Promotion level: Certified (C) -- 5 pts., Recognized (R) -- 3 pts., Registered (X) -- 1 pt.
- Part 1 exam score: 96 -- 5 pts., 92 -- 4 pts., 88 -- 3 pts., 84 -- 2 pts, 80 -- 1 pt.
- Previous tournament experience for contests by this gender: state final -- 5 pts., super-sectional or football semifinal -- 4 pts., sectional or football quarterfinal -- 3 pts., football second-round game -- 2 pts., regional or other football playoff game -- 1 pt.
- Contest ratings (percentile rank of all officials): 90% -- 5 pts., 80% -- 4 pts., 70% -- 3 pts., 60% -- 2 pts., 50% -- 1 pt.
- Top 15 lists (percentile rank of all officials): 90% -- 5 pts., 80% -- 4 pts., 70% -- 3 pts. 60% -- 2 pts., 50% -- 1 pt.
- Clinic attendance (highest clinic in last three years): Level 2 -- 5 pts., Level 1 -- 2 pts., Level 0 -- 0 pts.
- Clinic attendance (most recent clinic): this year -- 5 pts., last year -- 3 pts., two years ago -- 1 pt.
- Varsity games worked (percentage of games a school is allowed to play in the regular season in that sport): 70% -- 5 pts., 60% -- 4 pts., 50% -- 3 pts., 40% -- 2 pts., 30% -- 1 pt.
The IHSA also works to get geographic representation for the football crews that work the state series. There is a standard that crews do not work more than three state finals.
My experience has been that coaches rated me about just under 70% this year up from 65% last year