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Clock going belly up.

DinwiddieProud

VaPreps All State
Gold Member
Dec 9, 2013
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Our scoreboard controller took the occasion of our homecoming game to go on strike. It was tested four hours before kickoff, and worked fine. Just rotten luck.

My point is, the crew of officials never missed a beat. They handled it with total professionalism. They relayed the time remaining to the press booth every couple of minutes and we kept the crowd informed. It didn't hurt that we had a running clock by the 4th Qtr. We had control of the actual score function, and that helped, also.

We were able to have it repaired by Thursday of the following week. But, something good came out of it. We found out that the controllers at our baseball and softball fields are compatible. We now have the comfort of access to a spare in an emergency.

Do you officials have special procedures that you follow in similar situations? I would guess that the more important the time remaining is, the more diligent you are in keeping the coaches informed?

One additional question. When, or even if, can a coach request a measurement for a first down?
 
Our scoreboard controller took the occasion of our homecoming game to go on strike. It was tested four hours before kickoff, and worked fine. Just rotten luck.

My point is, the crew of officials never missed a beat. They handled it with total professionalism. They relayed the time remaining to the press booth every couple of minutes and we kept the crowd informed. It didn't hurt that we had a running clock by the 4th Qtr. We had control of the actual score function, and that helped, also.

We were able to have it repaired by Thursday of the following week. But, something good came out of it. We found out that the controllers at our baseball and softball fields are compatible. We now have the comfort of access to a spare in an emergency.

Do you officials have special procedures that you follow in similar situations? I would guess that the more important the time remaining is, the more diligent you are in keeping the coaches informed?

One additional question. When, or even if, can a coach request a measurement for a first down?

When the game clock goes awry, in a 7 man crew the Back Judge takes the game clock on his watch for our association. If it’s in the beginning or middle of the quarter, we will relay the time every few plays. Once it gets down inside of a few minutes left, we will relay it after every down.

If the ball game is well out of hand, we still relay the time the same way until the coaches aren’t interested in knowing it anymore.

NFHS Rule 5-3-2 NOTE: “A measurement may be requested by the captain prior to the ball being marked ready for play, but it may be denied if, in the referee's opinion, it is obvious the line to gain has or has not been reached.” Captain, for all practical purposes, may also refer to the coach. So, any request may be denied by the Referee based on his judgment.
 
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When the game clock goes awry, in a 7 man crew the Back Judge takes the game clock on his watch for our association. If it’s in the beginning or middle of the quarter, we will relay the time every few plays. Once it gets down inside of a few minutes left, we will relay it after every down.

If the ball game is well out of hand, we still relay the time the same way until the coaches aren’t interested in knowing it anymore.

NFHS Rule 5-3-2 NOTE: “A measurement may be requested by the captain prior to the ball being marked ready for play, but it may be denied if, in the referee's opinion, it is obvious the line to gain has or has not been reached.” Captain, for all practical purposes, may also refer to the coach. So, any request may be denied by the Referee based on his judgment.
Is a request for a measurement fairly routine? Or a rarity?
 
Is a request for a measurement fairly routine? Or a rarity?

I’d say rare. Most of the time the Referee takes the initiative and measures without a request if it’s close, especially late in the game where it matters most. To be honest, 99% of the time the officials know if it’s short or a first down before the chains even come out. We just “show the world” what we already know (as some of us call it).
 
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On well marked fields, we always start a series on a yardline or tick mark (the small lines between the grid stripes yard lines) so it's easy to see if the ball makes it 10 yards. The only measurements I've had this year have been on older fields where the markings can be suspect. I cannot remember the last time I had a measurement on a turf field.

Friday I was on a decent field (not field turf) but we started with a touchback, so the line to gain was clearly the 30. The third down play ended with a tackle right on the 30, so the ball was there, on the stripe. I signaled first down but the defensive coach wanted a measurement. I denied it. The ball had to get to the 30 and it did. No measurement necessary.
 
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