3/5/2010 Katy Area HS @ St. Thomas HS Varsity

This game was an honor to referee, Katy are a top multiple school HS team in the nation, St. Thomas are a top single school HS team in the nation. This game was also filmed (very well) and I was supplied with a full team of referees (2 ARs, #4) and communication devices. This was my first time in the middle miked up - providing it's own certain challenges.

"Derek: If your touch judge is going to flag obstruction, he might as well flag off-side. And a deliberate knock on. Or maybe ALL knock ons. I mean, why not?

Ed: Because now it's getting too complicated. I dont want all that information, and in any case tough judges are not always best placed to make those decisions. For example, it might look like a knock on to a tough judge fifty yards away, but I can see the ball went through the guy's hands and came off his chest. The referee's got to remain the man who makes the decisions. His touch judges are there to help him out in a few vital areas - not flood him with information he doesn't need and can't absorb"

Final Score:

Katy: 3 Tries, 1 Conversion, 1 Penalty (20)
St. Thomas: 2 Tries, 2 Conversions, 1 Penalty (17)

Game Notes:

Film makes me look slow, I need to move around rucks more, and just run faster. I had a workout the day before this game, so I felt slow.

One of my touch judges was too focused on helping me, offering me too much information on situations I was managing differently. He then proceeded to miss the # of a player with clear punches and a stamp (shown on video) that he was staring at. I told him at halftime to make sure he was supplying information that was important and that I was sure to have missed instead of managed.

Also, first try off a free kick was taken about a foot in front of the 5 meter line. A mistake I made back in new england at Middlebury. I'm worried that I allowed that again. St. Thomas had the same marginal advantage later in the game. I'm not concerned about it having impact on the game, but it could have, and it's a silly thing to let slide.

One breakaway resulted from a bit of fringing/obsruction that I did not pick up on (saw this in video).

headsets and communication was aawesome for handling substitution and getting quick answer from ARs.

I was happy with my signaling, it seemed very clear. Sometimes I repeated the signal a few too many times though.

lots of turnovers at the tackle in this game. resulted from slow arrival of teammates.