One more truly insightful answer. "Forget what the rules say, the only thing that matters is what the official says."
While I will admit this is a minor issue of little consequence, supporting your answer with a little more than, "Because I said so" sure would add more to understanding of how the rule should be applied.
Yes, on any given night, "What the official says it is is what it is" is true, regardless of how ridiculous that official's decision might be. And yes, the coach has no choice but to accept the decision, again, no matter how absurd the ruling might have been by the official.
But that kind of attitude is exactly why the overall quality of HS officiating isn't advancing, and is probably declining, over time. Too many official's with, "Because i said so", rather than a thorough knowledge of the rules and the ability to explain them.
Whether I agree or disagree with the posters here, at least the vast majority try to elucidate their reasoning, and I appreciate it. It makes me a better coach.
Wow, you sure added a lot more between points A and B than I intended. There is absolutely no suggestion about, “Forget what the rules say” related to this question. Allowing any discussion to slip into an endless argument about semantics, especially on a playing field, rarely produces anything positive or productive.
“Because I said so” is not the objective, and the presumption would be that this would only be an issue when someone, likely beyond the sideline, wanted to make an issue out of it. It was further presumed, that the referee would simply state his reasoning, end the discussion and direct the game to continue.
Perhaps, in your particular area of operation, “the overall quality of HS officiating isn't advancing, and is probably declining, over time” but that may just as likely be the result of ever increasing unreasonable expectations on the part of local sideline personnel who insist on intruding further into areas beyond their responsibilities than their assigned duties require.
With no practical experience in your area, I can’t opine whether your officials have, “a thorough knowledge of the rules and the ability to explain them”, but by and large my experience suggests that officials in general not only have extensive knowledge of the rules and the ability to explain them, but also exercise extraordinary levels of patience and control, at times, trying to get a word in edgewise in an effort to do so.