By Lucas Sullivan for the Springfield New Sun

Soccer coaches and officials have always gotten along like the Hatfields and McCoys — only instead of guns and fire, the feud usually involves yellow cards and whistles.

Two weeks ago, Catholic Central girls coach Mark Derr was so upset with officials for missing a tripping call in Greeneview’s goalie box that he said there needed to be “something done” to keep him from wanting to throw a clipboard.

Some thought Derr was overreacting, but when Irish boys coach Shane Latham had to be restrained by his assistant coach for another non-call during the boys match that followed, it proved that Derr might have some ground to stand on.

The two instances were just one of many this season that left veteran coaches questioning the quality of officiating.

“Emotions can run high during a game,” said Tom Whalen, who handles scheduling of referees for the Miami Valley area. “Officials are always typically blamed in these instances, and we realize that comes with the territory.”

Derr said later that the heat of the moment might have gotten to him, but he still stands by what he said to, and about, the crew after the game.

Whalen has heard similar gripes before.

While he handles the duties of making sure there are officials to cover an average of 50 to 60 games a night during prep soccer season for the Dayton Area Soccer Officials Association, Whalen has been an official himself for more than 30 years.

“Oh yeah, I was out there Tuesday night,” Whalen said. “I don’t do the games with big schools, because it is a little too fast for me, but I still do it.”

Coaches say Whalen provides an example of the problem,: Older officials are sticking around because there is no new blood coming in.

“He is 60-plus years old and still gets out there,” Latham said. “Tommy is a great guy, but I think he gets out there because he has to. Without him we would have real problems.”

Whalen said it isn’t the lack of officials to go around, but the lack of experience.

“I have about 168 officials to man the area,” Whalen said. “We have enough guys. I will say that the average age of officials is on the high side, but we bring in about six to eight new people a year.”

Whalen added that the newcomers replace officials who have been running up and down the sidelines for 20-plus years.

“It’s hard to replace that experience,” he said. “The ones we lose are more experienced than the ones coming in.”

Latham disagrees.

“I’m sure there is a shortage,” he said. “A lot of old-school referees are retiring and there’s not a huge influx of referees coming into the game. That’s just what I’ve seen, and I’ve been doing this for 20 years.”

Whalen said there is more griping towards the end of the season because officials are over-scrutinized because the games mean more.

“Some guys do 70 games a season,” Whalen said. “You’re talking from the middle of August to the middle of October. That’s more than a game a day, so they get worn out. It’s not an excuse, but we are tighter because guys pull things or strain muscles.”

To become sanctioned under the OHSAA, all officials have to do is fill out the proper paperwork and pass a test. They are then divided into two classes based on experience.

“We try to get at least one Class 1 guy for each game,” Whalen said. “Sometimes it happens that there are two Class 2 guys, but we try to make it work. Some schools opt for the three-man system, and if that happens we make sure there is one Class 1 guy there.”

Derr and Latham both said they would love to have three officials at every game, but it is not feasible because of scheduling conflicts and/or lack of money.

Officials are typically paid around $50 for each game, unless they are a three-man crew, where only the head official earns $50 and the others take home $40.

“The three-man system is better,” Latham said. “You can request them at specific games. I think the OHC mandates you have to have two. It’s been like that ever since I’ve coached.”

The OHSAA takes no chances with its postseason games. All regional and state tournament matches carry a three-man team.

“It’s been like that for years,” said OHSAA assistant commissioner John Dickerson, who oversees the officiating department. “We cannot oversee all the games during the season. The individual school are responsible for having two or three officials there during the regular season.”

Here’s to 20 more
Latham was honored by the team at the end of the regular season for his 20 years of service as the Irish’s head coach. Latham leads the area in longevity and his state-ranked No. 7 Irish (13-3, 7-2) finished runners up in the OHC to Greeneview after sharing the title with the Rams last season.

Stats don’t lie
The state-ranked No. 1 Greeneview boys finished the regular season with a perfect 16-0 record, and the final area statistics tell why.

Senior striker Ryan Hartman tied for the area lead in goals with Catholic Central senior Jordan Halloran at 25. Hartman led the area in assists with 19, followed by senior midfielder Brock Gill’s 15.

Probably the most important category in the area was led by the Rams’ Martin Ellis, who carries a 0.33 goals-against average into the tournament.

For the girls, Southeastern senior Alison Lemon led the entire area with 32 goals. Catholic Central’s Emily Derr led in assists with 13. Northwestern goalkeeper Amy Marton led the area in goals-against average with a 0.78.

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