Officiating High School Playoffs

[phatneff]

This is a question regarding how officials are chosen in each state to officiate high school playoff games. What is the criteria, if any, and how are they chosen?

In Ohio, it used to be that you get granted to officiate playoff games based on coaches voting for you. This was always a political topic because you would have the "good 'ol boys" using politics to get these games even though they aren't the best referees. They would become "buddies" with coaches because they have been around for so long. Many times you'll see the results of these votes and notice that there are referees that get votes and they are retired!

Of course, these votes are for the next school year's playoffs and not the current year's.

Beginning this year, it not only takes the coaches votes into consideration, but also the Athletic Director of each school and the officiating assignor to suggest who should be more qualified than others to do these higher level games. It should be interesting to see this year how the results change, if at all.

I'm 32 years old, and I'm honestly one of the youngest officials in the Southwest Ohio District, and maybe even in the state. Fortunately, I've been selected in the previous years to do the Regional Final games (one step away from State). I pride myself on that and am wondering if the "good 'ol boy" scenario exists in other states?

[Nevadaref]

Since I worked both a Regional final and the State final last year, I can testify as to how it is done here.

The officials associations have total control when it comes to playoff assignments. The coaches get no say at all. The ADs get no say at all. For the reasons that you gave and some others, I believe this is a good thing.

In NV there are three associations for the officials. North, East, and South. There are three Regional tournaments. Two in Vegas and one up North due to population distribution.
The southern association handles both Vegas regionals. The North or East handle the other based upon where it is played.
Each officials association has a board, president, and/or an assignor who picks the playoff officials.

For the state tournament, each of the three associations is allocated a certain number of slots on the games by the state office. (The number of officials in the group and the location of that year's state tournament determine how many.) All of our games are done DSC. Each separate association then fills those slots however it wants.

My group is very good about not sending the same people year after year.