By Bob Bakken
MaxPreps.com
Love ‘em or hate’ em, it’s tough to find them. We’re talking about officials, as athletic directors continue to struggle with finding enough officials to work their schools’ athletic events. The struggle is especially hard in rural Iowa, where high travel costs, combined with lack of numbers, are making it difficult to find enough zebras.
"It's getting tougher and tougher, without a doubt," Mike Snyder, athletic director of the state's smallest high school, Lineville-Clio, told the Des Moines Register newspaper.
National Federation of High Schools Association figures indicate that 7.4 million athletes compete at the national level, but the number of officials is not keeping up with the demand and those who are officiating are getting older and closer to retiring all the time.
According to Tim Stiles of Des Moines, who is a football official when not an accountant, the number of officials in Iowa is up nearly 17 percent, but most of that gain comes in the state’s metro areas.
To address the problem, the NFHSA is starting an online program to help educate referees. The Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union is allowing high school students to work junior high contests after registering as an official, and the Iowa High School Athletic Association is requiring new officials to attend a clinic within three years of registering, to help them be more confident and better educated on the field.
Football: Friday Night Notes
* Southeast Polk football coach Denny Muller wasn’t around to see his team finish its 21-13 victory over Indianola Friday night. Muller had a stent placed in an artery earlier in the week, but had to be taken to the hospital when chest pain occurred during the contest Friday night.
Muller says the chest pain episode that caused him to be hospitalized was likely due to the trauma of the stent placement. He had the procedure done when one artery was found to have 95 percent blockage.
The Rams are unbeaten (5-0, 1-0 CIML Central) and host West Des Moines Dowling this coming Friday night.
* Tyler Jones continues to tack yards onto his Iowa passing records at Cherokee, throwing for 351 yards and five touchdowns in a 40-27 victory over Clarion-Goldfield Friday night. Jones became the first Iowa high school quarterback to throw for over 8,000 yards in his career and now has 8,290 yards to his credit.
* In 8-man football, passing numbers are getting more impressive for two Iowa quarterbacks. Johnny Schwaller of Coon Rapids-Bayard has moved into the No. 4 position nationally for pass completions, now with 410 for his career. Schwaller also is the state’s all-time passing yardage leader in 8-man football with 4,836 yards.
* Stanton’s Chris Palmquist is the second 8-man quarterback in Iowa to throw for more than 300 completions after his efforts in a win over Farragut. Palmquist now has 305 pass completions, which is 10th all-time nationally.
* Gary Swenson of West Des Moines Valley earned a school record 131st coaching victory with his team’s win against Ames Friday night. Swenson moves past Lee Crawford for the most wins at the suburban Des Moines prep football power.
* Mason City won in the CIML Iowa Conference for the first time in 22 tries with its win at Marshalltown Friday night. The last Mohawks victory in CIML Iowa play came just short of five years ago, and also at Marshalltown.
Wrestling: Roosevelt’s Nicholson Commits to Old Dominion
Des Moines Roosevelt wrestler John Nicholson will continue his career at Old Dominion University starting with the 2009-2010 season. He’ll join his brother James, who is already wrestling for former Iowa Hawkeye All-American wrestler and current ODU coach Steve Martin.
Nicholson owns a 139-14 record entering his senior season at Roosevelt, winning a state championship at 152 pounds last winter. Another state crown this season would make him the first two-time state titlist from a Des Moines public school.