Rules Question - Unsportsmanlike Conduct

Below are four situations I have seen in high school games this year. Please tell me which ones, if any, are unsportsmanlike conduct in high school.

 

1. A player is running with the ball into the end zone. There is no player on the other team within 10 yards of him. As he gets to the 10 yard line, he raises his hand and points to the sky with the number one sign.

 

Unsportsmanlike conduct called. This was a defensive lineman who picked up a fumble and was going to score for probably the only time in his career. In excitement he points number one, gets called for unsportsmanlike conduct and the TD is taken away from him.

 

2. A defender makes a tackle at the line of scrimmage. As he gets up from the pile, he does the move we often see today screaming as loud as he can and flexing. He is looking to the bleachers standing next to the player he tackled.

 

No penalty. What is more self serving - this action that is all about look at me while standing in the middle or next to opponents, or the play above with no opponent nearby?

 

3. A player scores a touchdown. In the end zone he drops the ball and does a couple high steps in celebration. No defensive players are near him as he does this.

 

Unsportsmanlike penalty called.

 

4. A player makes a tackle. As he gets up from the tackle he looks to the bleachers and does the palms up, of course I made the tackle, look at me gesture.

 

No penalty called. Same as #2 above.

 

Here are some more examples I have seen or heard about in recent games. Which of these were called unsportsmanlike?

 

5. Running back scores a 30 yard touchdown. As he crosses the goal line he does the long stride foot drag for 3 or 4 steps to the back of the end zone then turns to celebrate with teammates.

 

Unsportsmanlike penalty called.

 

6. RB scores touchdown on 1 yard run and then does exaggerated high-stepping to the back of the end zone after scoring.

 

No penalty called. What is the difference between this action and #5 above? Same game. Same officials. What is the difference between this play and #3 where the player does the same type of high stepping after scoring?

 

7. Defensive player makes a stop at the 1 yard line to prevent a score. He then jumps into the air 2 times yelling in celebration.

 

Unsportsmanlike penalty called. You can't be excited by making a 4th down stop at the goal line but it is ok to be excited making a tackle at midfield and yelling as in 2 and 4 above? I am confused.

 

8. Running back breaks through line for a 19 yard TD. At the 5 yard line he takes his right hand and holds the ball above his head in celebration with a couple of defenders just a few yards behind him.

 

No penalty called. This play was more close to taunting than any of the other examples above. This play is worse than what the defensive lineman did in #1.

 

These are all situations that happened in games this year. I have answered in blue the result of each play.

I see inconsistency in how this is being called. Officials seem to have been told to have added emphasis on unsportsmanlike calls, especially on touchdowns. From what I have seen, this is a disaster. It is too subjective and as you can see above very similar actions are being called differently.