Welcome to Art of Officiating’s first “Weekly Dozen” video of 2026, featuring plays from the 2025 Colorado high school football playoffs. I’m Mark Bradley.
I wanted to publish this video before the 2026 season begins to prime the pump and knock some rust off. These plays are from games officiated in Colorado Springs, so I’ll reference the Colorado 5-person mechanics manual, along with Colorado rules interpretations and modifications.
In some of these playoff games, you’ll see 7-person mechanics, and I’ll point that out when it’s relevant. If anything I say doesn’t match what you do in your state, please consult your state’s mechanics manual and rules interpretations.
Before we get started, if you find these videos helpful, please like the video and subscribe to the Art of Officiating channel. And if you think other officials in your association would benefit from the Weekly Dozen, please share the videos with them. I’d love to reach more officials and get more people involved in these conversations this season.
1 – This is a first down from the A-16. I like how the referee is positioned on the goal line at the snap. We want referees to start 12 to 15 yards behind Team A’s line of scrimmage. Stepping back one additional yard is a good idea. If the snap goes over the quarterback’s head, the referee doesn’t need to take his eyes off the players to find the goal line.
The formation is unbalanced to the linesman’s side, so the back judge will key on the two outside players as his initial passing play keys. The linesman will key on the inside receiver.
The forward pass is caught behind the line of scrimmage, Rule 7-5-7 says pass interference restrictions apply only if the legal forward pass crosses the neutral zone, so all Team A players can block downfield before the pass is caught. Rule 7-5-12 says ineligible Team A players may not advance beyond the expanded neutral zone on a legal forward pass play before a legal forward pass that crosses the neutral zone is in flight. Because the pass is caught behind the line of scrimmage, the ineligible players can range downfield without fouling.
Look at the linesman’s movement. I’m nitpicking here, but he should not even move the one yard downfield. Stay on the line of scrimmage, and be prepared to back up if the runner approaches the sideline.
Notice the runner’s forward progress is stopped before he loses the ball. Rule 4-2-2a states that the ball becomes dead when a runner is held so that his forward progress is stopped. We don’t want cheap turnovers, so it’s correct to kill this play. The linesman steps onto the field and points to the ground. Let’s “sell” this ruling with more energy. Use a loud voice: “forward progress stopped here!” and bigger arm movement. Let everyone in the stadium know the ball was dead when the runner’s forward progress was involuntarily stopped.
The linesman should not walk into the players. Forward progress is a plane, not a spot, so stay on the sideline, which offers a better field of view to the players. Keep your chin up and eyes on the players. Notice the linesman’s eyes. A spot on the ground is not more important than viewing the players.
1a. Here’s another play that illustrates the forward progress rule. You be the judge. I think R7’s forward progress is clearly stopped before the ball comes loose. Initially, the linesman squares off at approximately the A-32, but then retreats and ultimately marks forward progress at the A-29 after the recovery of the loose ball.
To see why this matters, imagine the exact same play beginning from the A-30 instead of the A-28. In that case, the runner’s forward progress would have reached the line to gain, and Team A would have earned a first down. Instead, by incorrectly marking the ball where Team A recovered the loose ball, they would lose the first down they had earned. Or worse yet, imagine if Team B recovered the loose ball after forward progress had already been stopped. That would create an undeserved turnover.
Notice the line judge is racing across the field at the forward progress spot. I’m sure he recognized that the ball was dead before it came loose, and he is running to the linesman to offer that information. At the end of the day, the linesman is the covering official, and he gets to decide if the runner’s forward progress was indeed stopped. The line judge can’t overrule the linesman because he is so far away from the play. But…he can and should speak with the linesman and ask a simple question. Was the runner’s forward progress stopped? If so, we spot the ball here on the A-32, not back at the A-30. The linesman has the final say, but the line judge can help his teammate.
1b – Rule 2-15-1 defines forward progress as the end of advancement of the ball toward the opponent’s goal while in a runner’s possession. The word voluntary does not appear in the rules book. I wish it did because I think it helps explain the concept. I like to think of forward progress as the end of the runner’s voluntary advancement of the ball.
R7 is first contacted at the R-35. He isn’t wrapped up, but the contact drives him backward to the R-32. K22 falls to the ground, leaving R7 momentarily untouched. Before R7 can voluntarily advance in any direction, K56 wraps him up and eventually brings him down at the R-27.
The covering official must determine where R7’s forward progress was involuntarily stopped. In this case, he determined R7’s progress ended at about the R-32. Personally, I think he could have been given another yard or two, but I certainly appreciate that the official did not simply mark the ball where the runner was finally downed at the R-27.
2 – Rule 7-1-7 says “it is a false start if a shift simulates action at the snap, or any act is clearly intended to cause B to encroach.”
It’s fourth down and 3 yards to go from the R-38. In my judgment, this action is obviously choreographed.
The shift by the Team K players simulates action at the snap. All players abruptly sprint off the field in a straight line at the same time. Watch the movement of K1, the player positioned 15 yard behind the snapper. Here’s a subtle point. None of the coaches are yelling onto the field to call the kicking team off the field. This is a designed action. And I’m sure you can argue this point, but what high school team have you seen that will choose to punt the ball on fourth and 3 from the R-38?
Rule 7-1-5 says, “No player, other than the snapper, shall encroach on the neutral zone after the ball is ready for play by touching the ball or an opponent or by being in the neutral zone to give defensive signals. The ball is on the B-38, and as we can see, none of the Team B players move into the neutral zone. But here’s the interesting thing. Even if they had moved into the neutral zone, it is not a foul because: the snapper had not placed his hands on the ball, so Rule 7-1-5 applies, not 7-1-6. None of the Team B players touched the ball or the opponent, and none of them were in the neutral zone to give defensive signals.
We see the BJ throw his flag and blow his whistle. I’m not sure why. The referee blew the ready for play only seconds before, so the play clock has not expired.
There are 9 Team R players on the field, another player runs onto the field and then departs before the snap. This is not a foul.
So let’s keep moving down the rabbit hole. If the BJ had not blown his whistle and the PR players had successfully swapped without simulating a snap, we’d still have a foul for an illegal substitution. Rule 3-7-3 says during the same dead-ball interval, no substitute shall become a player and then withdraw and no player shall withdraw and re-enter as a substitute unless a penalty is accepted, a dead-ball foul occurs, there is a charged time out, or the period ends. We can see every one of the players departing the field is numbered 0-49 or 80-99, so they had not been on the field for the previous play.
I doubt the head coach mentioned these actions during the pregame discussion. I ask coaches, “Are there any plays or formations that could take us by surprise?” If the coach had described these actions, the referee should have informed him that these choreographed acts are fouls. If he didn’t mention these and then complained about a false start flag, I’d respond with, “Coach, this action was clearly intended to cause the opponent to encroach. By rule, that is a false start.”
3 – Here are two additional plays from the same game. I’ll show them without commenting. Tell me how you would rule.
We don’t see a flag from either the linesman or the line judge. Clearly they were surprised by the action and froze. If we’re going to shut the play down, we need a flag, a stop-the-clock signal, and a good “tweet, tweet, tweet” whistle.
In my judgment, these acts were clearly intended to cause Team B to encroach. It’s fourth and 2 and fourth and 3. A five-yard penalty will result in a first down. Following the flags, you see the Team A players and coaches celebrate. “Yes, our abrupt movement paid off! Our non-football play worked as planned!”
I watch a lot of Hudl video, and I consistently see that in these types of plays, officiating crews penalize the defense rather than the offense. This type of action is exactly why Rule 7-17 a and b were written. We need to penalize Team A for this unfair act.
4 – Watch A1 and A4. Rule 7-2-6 says, “After a huddle or shift, all players of A shall come to an absolute stop and shall remain stationary simultaneously with movement for at least one second before the snap.” A1 steps forward to be on the line of scrimmage, and immediately A4 starts in motion. At the snap, this should be flagged as an illegal shift.
We are now going to focus on the block by A0 on B27. Would you throw your flag? I know many defensive coaches would be calling for one based on the second half of this block. “Looks like a block in the back to me!”
No, it is not. Rule 2-5-2 defines blocking in the back as a block against an opponent when the initial contact is in the opponent’s back. Here, the initial contact is from the side. A0 simply maintains that contact as B27 turns in an attempt to tackle the runner. This is an excellent no-call by both the referee and the line judge.
Also watch the mechanics by the line judge. He remains on the line of scrimmage as the play develops and doesn’t drift downfield. As the players approach, he backs up to create space and allow the play to pass in front of him. After the runner’s forward progress is stopped inbounds, he properly gives the wind-the-clock signal. Notice that he maintains a comfortable cushion from the players and doesn’t rush to the dead-ball spot. Those are outstanding mechanics.
I have one very minor point of emphasis. Let’s keep the coaches off the field. This coach isn’t arguing with an official. He’s simply congratulating his players. Even so, coaches are not permitted to come onto the field. Once I had completed my dead-ball officiating responsibilities, I would have politely reminded him to remain in the coaching box. I might even smile and say, “Coach, that was a great play by your defense, but I need you to please stay off the field. Thanks coach!”
5 – The ball is snapped on the B-12, so the back judge is correctly positioned halfway between the goal line and the end line. The back judge retreats to the end line and is in the perfect position to rule on this play. We can’t tell from this angle, but the receiver possesses the ball with one foot inbounds. The back judge immediately signals touchdown. But we have one problem. The ball comes out when the receiver hits the ground.
Rule 2-4-1 says a catch is the act of establishing player possession of a live ball which is in flight and first contacting the ground inbounds while maintaining possession of the ball.
The 2026 NFHS Redding Study guide adds clarity to the Rules Book. It says:
Catching a ball involves more than simply gaining possession. The rules do not provide great detail about the catch definition. Catching the ball is a process, not an act, and the process includes maintaining control of the ball “long enough.”
The “process” mentioned in the Redding Study Guide refers to the requirement that if a player is going to the ground in the act of catching the ball, they must maintain control throughout the contact with the ground. You may have heard the phrase, “Surviving the ground.” If the ground causes the ball to come loose before the player has “maintained control long enough,” the catch is not completed.
Here’s a valuable cross-check: Let’s say the same event occurred, but at midfield. Would you call it an incomplete pass, or a catch and a fumble? If it’s not correct to call it a catch and a fumble, then it’s not correct to call this a touchdown.
I like this summary statement from a 2016 Refstripes forum discussion: If a player has control of the ball but, in the act of making the catch, comes to the ground & loses control, it is incomplete. The catch must survive the contact with the ground.
Toward the end of the clip, we see the umpire toss a flag. He reported that as B43 walked by, he cursed and made a derogatory comment about the officiating. Rule 8-2-5 says “If after a down in which a touchdown is scored, and prior to the initial ready-for-play signal for the try, either team commits any foul for which the basic spot is the succeeding spot, the offended team may accept the penalty and choose enforcement of the PENALTY: a. On the try; or b. On the succeeding spot.”
6 – This formation is unbalanced the the line judge’s side. The back judge’s initial passing play keys are the first two players in this stack. The line judge has the player standing on the 50 yard line. A16 goes in motion, but does not proceed beyond the left tackle, so in accordance with the mechanics manual, he remains the line judge’s responsibility until he moves into the linesman’s zone. If A16 continues beyond the left tackle, the linesman will immediately pick him up as a passing play key and the line judge will shift his attention to the players in his zone.
Now let’s move our discussion to the contact on the quarterback after he releases the ball. B24 executes a wrap up tackle and the referee throws a flag.
Let’s systematically talk through this decision. Rule 2-32-16 defines a defenseless player as someone who, because of his physical position and focus of concentration, is especially vulnerable to injury. Rule 2-32-16a lists the passer as an example of a defenseless player.
Can B24 legally contact a defenseless player, or is all contact prohibited? Rule 9-4-4 says defensive players must make a definite effort to avoid charging into a passer after it is clear the ball has been thrown. The words “definite effort to avoid charging into a passer” requires judgement. Here is an interpretation:
Assuming the contact is legal:
Watch for the number of steps the defender takes in the interval between the passer releasing the ball and the defender’s contact: One step, no foul; three steps will be a foul; two steps is the grey area.
If it’s two steps, I will look at the method of contact. I’m going to give a lot more grace if the defender executes a wrap-up tackle than if he uses open hands to shove the quarterback to the ground.
As I said before, this contact requires judgment. In my judgment, B24 executes a wrap up tackle after one step, so I would not flag this for roughing the passer.
One final point: the referee tosses a flag, but only the linesman gives the stop the clock signal when the ball is dead. Every official should be signaling stop the clock at this moment. The referee should signal first because he threw his flag, and he should give a “tweet, tweet, tweet” signal to indicate he has a flag down; then all officials should mirror his stop-the-clock signal.
7 – The formation is balanced, so the back judge’s passing play initial responsibility is the outside player on the line judge’s side. The linesman is looking at the two players on his side.
A12 goes in motion and catches a forward pass behind the line of scrimmage. A12 then throws a pass downfield.
Rule 7-5-2 says a second forward pass thrown during the down is a foul for an illegal forward pass. It doesn’t matter that the first forward pass was completed behind the line of scrimmage. Rule 7-3-2 says it is legal to hand the ball forward provided both players are in or behind the neutral zone.
We can see from the video that the line judge throws a flag at the end of the clip. I’m not sure if he saw something at the end of the play he didn’t like, or if he is flagging the illegal forward pass.
A few other teaching points.
Let’s look at B45’s tackle on A12 following the pass. As we discussed in the earlier video, this is not roughing the passer. B45 takes one step and executes a wrap up tackle. It is not a foul in the NFHS code to tackle the passer at or below the knees. It is a foul in the NFL, but not in high school.
The referee must stay with A12 and B45. Don’t leave any players behind you. And notice A7 starts to sprint toward those two players. We don’t know his intent; he could be running to confront B45. So we want to keep our eyes on those players until all colors separate.
The ball is snapped from the B-16, so the back judge is correctly positioned halfway between the goal line and the end line. In my opinion, he needs to be a little quicker getting to the goal line. Try to be stationary on the goal line when the ball or the runner arrives.
In accordance with the Colorado Mechanics manual, the back judge will mark forward progress between the B-2 and the goal line. Great job stepping onto the field and marking forward progress.
8 – Is this a foul for an illegal forward pass?
Rule 7-5-2 EXCEPTION 2 says it is legal for a player to conserve yardage by intentionally throwing an incomplete forward pass if all of the following conditions are met.
1. The passer is the only player to possess the ball after the snap ends. That condition is met.
2. The passer has possessed the ball beyond the lateral boundary of the free blocking zone as established at the snap. That condition is met.
3. The pass reaches the neutral zone, including the extension beyond the sideline. The ball is snapped on the A-35, and the person wearing number 55 on the bench catches the ball on the A-35. So that condition is met. When in question, the pass has reached the neutral zone.
Now let’s look at the contact on A14 by B7. Is this illegal use of hands or holding or defensive pass interference?
Rule 9-2-3d says a defensive player shall not contact an eligible receiver who is no longer a potential blocker. But let’s not be draconian here. Does this contact knock the receiver off his route or does B7 restrain A14? In my judgment, this contact does not warrant a flag for illegal use of hands or holding.
B7 knocks A14 to the ground. Is this defensive pass interference? Rule 7-5-10 says it is forward-pass interference if any player of A or B who is beyond the neutral zone interferes with an eligible opponent’s opportunity to move toward, catch, or bat the pass. The NFHS code does not include the “uncatchable” caveat, but in my judgment, B7 does not interfere with A14’s opportunity to move toward, catch, or bat the pass.
If B7’s contact is a personal foul for unnecessary or excessive contact that incites roughness, by all means, flag it. But I don’t see a personal foul here.
One more teaching point: the line judge should not walk onto the field and put players behind him. Stay on the sideline until the colors separate.
That’s your Preseason weekly dozen video to kick off the 2026 season.
If you encounter any interesting plays during your season, I’d love to see them. You can send them to me at contact@artofofficiating.com.