AboutVictor Winnek Expertise I answer questions related to: Football Officiating; NCAA & Federation Rules; History of Football; Football Officiating - Mechanics (2,3,4,5,7 man); NCAA Rules; High School Rules; Player Safety, Issues of liability arising from injuries, workers compensation, discrimination of officials; History of the Game.Instructor of officials.
I do not answer questions as to what position a person should play or what their chances are ...
Experience 22 years officiating High School & College football, NCAA Referee, Line Judge, Head Linesman; 2 years Arena Football-substitution official; Instructor of NCAA & Federation Officials, Member of the Board of Directors CFOA-Long Beach & South Bay Units, Pres. of Executive Council of Calif. Football Officials Assoc.; CIF Presidents' Council on Officiating; Chairman of the Officiating Ethics Committee; Played prep & college football; coached High School football; Athletic trainer
Organizations President of Calif. Football Officials Assoc.; Western Collegiate Football Officials Assoc.; CFOA-Long Beach Unit
Publications Referee Magazine; California Football Officials Assoc. Instructor's Guide; NCAA Div. 1-AA football officials clinic; CFOA instrutional materials; UWLA Law Review
Education/Credentials BA USC 1987
JD UWLA School of Law 1996
3 Years Reno Football Officials Clinic
Big 12 Mini Clinic
4 Years UCLA Football Officials Camp
22 years of instruction in Officiating Football
Awards and Honors 5 Bowl games, NCAA Div. 1-AA; CIF State Championship, 6 years CIF Finals, 9 years CIF Semi-finals, 16 years of CIF play-offs.
Expert: Victor Winnek Date: 5/9/2008 Subject: cut block in high school football
Question Is the cut block allowed in high school football (in California)? My son plays middle linebacker, was set up as a linebacker on a particular play and was speared on his kneecap by the center when he rushed in. The hit was hard enough to push his knee backwards.
Answer Daryl,
I need to know some more information about the play you describe before I can give you an answer, as your question contains terms of art ["cut block, speared"] that have specific definitions. First spearing is always illegal. The layman definition of Spear is the using of the helmet by a player who launches himself helmet first into an opponent making contact only with the helmet. The term cut block is a low block and generally is legal if done on the initial charge in the free blocking zone. However you use the term "set up" which makes me wonder if you may be describing a "Chop Block". Chop blocks are illegal. Chop blocks are a high low or low high block by 2 or more non adjacent linemen with a delay.
If you are describing a play in which the LB rushes in to and through the line of scrimmage and a center in the free blocking zone blocks the linebacker low at the knees and there is no other offensive lineman involved in the block that sound like a legal play.
Please know the phrase cut block is a term of art describing a low block. There are no specific penalties for a "cut block" but if the block was some other type of illegal low block that would be a foul (i.e. chop block, clip, illegal block below the waist) also if there truly was a "spearing" that would have been a foul.
