Last night was opening night of high school football season in Ohio. I have been officiating football since 1983, and this year I made the move from Referee to Line Judge. Last night was my first game at my new position, but that had little to do with why I love small town high school football in Northwest Ohio. We were at one of those small towns for opening night, and it was senior night. You could see the pride in the eyes of the players as they walk with their parents across the field. What followed was one of the most touching events I’ve witnessed at any football game. The band completed their pregame show (the band is the only reason some parents come, and that’s how I got to go to all of my high school’s games—for free!). The announcer then made a very touching announcement about someone who had passed away on Thursday, the week prior to our game. I found out it was the police chief, who, at a relatively young age, had dropped dead of a heart attack. As we stood in complete silence (and the crowd was large, which is typical of small town NW Ohio football), with our hats over our hearts, a police car drove slowly from one end zone to the other with its lights on, in front of the crowd and the band, in memory of the recently fallen police chief. A siren blew from behind us during that trip across the field by the police car. I was moved. What epitomizes most high school football games in small towns, not only in Ohio but across the country, is that most of the community is present. I mentioned earlier the crowd was large, and I’m guessing that most of the town was in the stands. Moments like this give communities an opportunity to remember individuals, events, etc., because almost everyone they want to invite to such an event, is already there, for a band show and a football game. What our crew witnessed had nothing to do with the football game, but had everything to do with small town, Midwestern values, and in this officials’ opinion, the most appropriate place to hold a short, 2-3 minute ceremony, for a local hero. I was proud to have had an opportunity to be there, and to be part of the game that followed. There was more to what went on that night, but the coaching was excellent, our crew had a good game, and I came home, feeling energized, because I had been part of one of the most exciting and fun things I do in the fall on Friday nights; Officiate high school football in a small town in Northwest Ohio. God Bless America!
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 11:50:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015