A shortage of game officials is beginning to take its toll on high school football throughout Ohio.

Over the weekend, several games throughout the state were forced to play with four-man officiating crews. Trumbull County Football Officials Association president Pat Parry believes the problem will only worsen as the season moves forward.

“Right now our area isn’t in a terrible situation like other parts of the state, but there are concerns,” Parry said. “As we move into the season, we lose officials to injuries and such. There’s always a concern because we don’t have much leeway. We’re losing a numbers battle when it comes to replacing our current officials.”

As of February 2019, the Ohio High School Athletic Association had 14,060 officials in all sports. That was a drop of just over 800 officials from the previous year and a drop of more than 2,500 from the 2010-11 school year.

Even the new recruits aren’t permanently filling the void. According to a story published by the OHSAA, 80 percent of officials nationwide step aside within two years of working their first game.

“Pay is certainly an issue, and the biggest problem is aggressive behavior nationwide,” Parry said. “Locally we’re lucky because there is a great deal of enthusiasm and respect for the game that keeps the vast majority of fans, players and coaches in check. But overall, it’s a major problem.”

Parry noted that when he began his officiating career roughly 25 years ago, the OHSAA requirements were much more stringent than they are today. The OHSAA also has dropped a requirement that once didn’t permit football officials to work at the varsity level until they had their officiating licence for at least two years.

“It used to be you’d have a class of maybe 13 officials and three years later two of those men would be working a varsity game,” Parry said. “Now you have a class in the summer, and most of that class is getting scooped up to officiate games the same school year.”

Parry estimates that “the vast majority” of football officials in the state are aged 50 and over. That, combined with the fact that recent officiating classes were canceled due to COVID, is creating an even bigger void.

“We have to find creative ways to get younger men and women interested in officiating or we will be forced to deal with drastic changes in the near future,” Parry said.

TURF TIME

The number of area schools playing home games on artificial turf continues to grow.

This year, Mineral Ridge and Leetonia added turf to their fields. McDonald’s newly-constructed stadium includes turf.

Of the 44 football programs in Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana Counties, 26 now play their home games on turf.

“For us, it was a no-brainer,” Weathersfield superintendent Damon Dohar said. “This gives our community a crown jewel to be proud of, but more importantly it gives our students and our entire community a field that they can use on a continuous basis.”

Mineral Ridge played its first home game on the new turf Aug. 20. Ironically, a day earlier more than two inches of rain fell in parts of Trumbull County. This was the wettest August ever recorded at the Youngstown Airport.

“The turf literally paid instant dividends,” Dohar said. “We probably don’t play that first varsity game at home if we still had the grass field. As it turned out, we were not only able to play the game but that same week we were able to host two scrimmages, and allow the soccer team, football team and band all to practice on the field.”

Dohar noted that in the past the grass field hosted roughly 18 to 20 events per school year. That number will increase to roughly over 45 this fall. The Little Rams youth program will be able to use the field, and the Weathersfield School District is renting the field to Cardinal Mooney High School to use for its varsity football games.

Dohar estimates that the turf field will save the school district roughly $30,000 to $40,000 per year in manpower and equipment.

“What took three days to get ready for a football game now will take about twenty minutes,” Dohar said. “We’re saving on seeding, fertilizer, paint and other equipment.

“This is a benefit to the entire district.”

ROCKET POWER

The Lowellville Rockets are off to a 2-0 start thanks in large part to the play of junior quarterback Vinny Ballone. In the Rockets’ two wins, Ballone has completed 40 of 69 passes for 697 yards. He has thrown 11 touchdown passes. He also has rushed 196 yards and a pair of TDs.

“Our offense, defense and special teams are all making it happen right now,” Ballone said. “My numbers are a result of a great offensive line and a lot of weapons. Those guys up front protect me, they give me the time. And we have a lot of play-makers that make my job easier.”

Ballone said the 2-0 record is much more important than his personal stats.

“We started out last year 0-2 so this is huge for our confidence moving forward,” Ballone said. “We’re just always looking to improve each week. We feel like we have the talent to have a great season, we just have to stay focused.”

With a win Friday at Wellsville, Lowellville would extend its regular season winning streak to four games dating back to last year. It would be the Rockets’ longest winning streak in eight years. In 2012 Lowellville ended its season with three consecutive wins, then opened the 2013 campaign with back-to-back victories.