Ask the players from Lincoln-Way Central about the 60 yard TD run that was whistled dead because the official and everybody in the stadium got faked out. I wasn't at this game, which I believe was baout 4 or 5 years ago, but I've heard it reffered to many times.

I see about 40 plus games a year and in the past decade I have yet to see a truely bad officiating crew or one blatantly making biased calls. That being said I see a missed call or two a game.

I'm sure what happened in Marion was every ref's worst nightmare. Most of these guys figure out where they might have blow a call and this is where we see the make up call come into play.

While I can't blame a coach for being pissed, there's a limit on how long you can bad mouth crew on these things. If they truely are that bad and are blowing several calls a game, they'll be out of a job. Because remember this is a job, it isn't charity work. Any coach that doesn't mind hearing the press or fans second guess his play calling, can get a pass to complain as long as he wants, but that's one pass that'll never be used.

Vincent, what you were describing in the Lincoln-Way game happened this year in a C-G JV game. While the RBs and the entire defense were piling up in the center, the QB was quietly boot-legging around the left end with the ball hidden at his side; not a defensive player in sight. Would have been an easy score if the refs hadn't been completely fooled and blew the play dead. I haven't seen this happen at the varsity level for a while, but I've seen it several times at the lower levels.

I agree 100% with BulldogDad. There are many excellent refs that call the obvious infractions equally on both teams but for the most part let the players determine the outcome of the game on the field. However, there also are individuals and crews that try to take control of a game and continually make huge calls against only one team, even when the other team is making obvious infractions. You really can't complain about the obvious procedure calls like offside, encroachment, illegal shift, etc.; but those aren't usually the calls that make a difference. It's the judgement calls like holding & interference that can really hurt a team. When you start seeing the really lopsided penalty counts like 12-2, it's those judgement calls making the difference. I don't believe it's because one team is playing "dirtier" than the other; I think the refs are just watching one team a little (or a lot) closer. You'll notice that these lopsided penalty counts rarely work against the weaker team, the team you'd expect to be making the mistakes out of desperation; no, the calls go mostly against the stronger team. Also, you don't see the calls on a 2 yard gain; they almost always come on a huge gain or a big scoring play. Unless the penalty is against the defense and gives the losing team a much needed 1st down.

I have no doubt that some refs try to play equalizer & hold down the score by penalizing the better team. C-G has had at least a half-dozen TDs called back this year; I can't remember any being called back for our opponents (of course, our opponents haven't seen much of the endzone anyway). BulldogDad probably sees the same thing happening against Richards.

It's really nice when the refs call the obvious infractions for both teams, but let the boys play the game without trying to control the outcome. The IHSA should make sure that only the most qualified, top notch refs work the playoff games.

do not disagree with you, i think most of the crews are good solid officials. i know they have a rating system, but i think they should review games with the lopsided penalties against and judge the crews accordingly.  plus how much big game experience does each crew hold.

I will say one thing. I don't think there was a state wide memo that went out to officials this year about calling certain penalties. Last year, each team go no less than 1 sideline warning a game. Consistently through each round of the playoffs, except the semifinal & finals game.

I talked to a couple of refs last season & some said they were instructed to do so. I haven't noticed any thing similar this year, matter of fact in the 6 games I seen so far in the playoffs, only 1 sideline warning.

Same thing happened with LZ - Antioch earlier this year. Blanchard faked to Janus and then took off for a TD, refs blew play dead.

Also there has been talk up here about the Plainfield South Morgan Park game in round 2. I wasn't there but from I heard it was a blatantly missed call (holding) that supposedly cost PSH the game. I disagree with that because PSH got themselves into that mess with earlier mistakes and needed to go to OT against Morgan Park. That's why they lost, not because a ref missed the holding call