WHITEHALL – The 4 o’clock kickoff Friday at Whitehall for the West Michigan Conference varsity football game with North Muskegon suited retiree Denny Danicek just fine.
For the longtime official, it worked in his schedule. It allowed for an easy drive to Hart afterwards, too. He traveled north and put on his fan hat as a supporter of Oakridge, the program for which his son coaches and grandsons play.
“I’ll change my garb when I get up there,” he said with a smile.
Official Denny Danicek gets ready for the Whitehall-North Muskegon football game to begin Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Whitehall, Mich. The game kicked off at 4 p.m. rather than the traditional 7 p.m. because of an officiating shortage. (Scott DeCamp | MLive.com)
It was a little trickier for the rest of the officiating crew working alongside Danicek for the North Muskegon-Whitehall game. Troy Gardner, Ken Overla, Chuck Proper and Don Snider had to hustle. They were working the 7 p.m. Hart-Oakridge varsity football game and had a 27-minute drive to make.
“I know those guys really well and I’ll tease 'em, ‘Keep that yellow stuff in your pocket and you’d get out of here faster,’” Whitehall athletic director Greg Russell said with a laugh. “They’ll get there. It’ll be a little tight, probably.”
The Hart-Oakridge game started around 7:20 p.m. because of the late-arriving officiating crew, but Hart AD Tim Hertzler said things went well and he was grateful for the officials' willingness to work two games that day.
Welcome to the year 2020, where very little seems normal. The Michigan high school sports officiating pool has dwindled in recent years already, and the COVID-19 pandemic has not helped. An officiating shortage has caused some varsity football games to be played on Thursday or Saturday rather than the traditional Friday night.
RELATED: MHSAA’s officiating pool increasing, but shortage has forced some games to be rescheduled
For example, Hesperia football coach Doug Bolles announced Sunday morning that the Panthers' Week 8 game at Perry has been shifted from 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, because of a shortage of officials on Oct. 16.
Whitehall had to bump up its varsity football start time Friday to a 4 p.m. kickoff rather than the traditional 7 p.m. in order to secure the officiating crew. That meant double duty for four of the five on Gardner’s crew.
Officials Chuck Proper, right, and Troy Gardner chat during a break in the action in the Whitehall-North Muskegon football game Friday, Oct, 2, 2020, in Whitehall, Mich. The game kicked off at 4 p.m. rather than the traditional 7 p.m. because of an officiating shortage. (Scott DeCamp | MLive.com)
It was a busy weekend for the crew, which also was scheduled to work the McBain at Leroy Pine River varsity football game at 1 p.m. Saturday, including Danicek.
“Our football officials are (scheduled) years in advance, but with the COVID situation where we stopped football and then went on to all of a sudden now we’re going to have it, at least two crews in our conference made other plans for the fall,” Russell said.
“It wasn’t that they didn’t want to officiate, it wasn’t a COVID issue; it really was, they made other plans, so we lost two crews in our league and this obviously was one of them at this date. We had some options of moving to Saturdays or things like that and that’s just not something anybody wanted to do. Everybody wanted to stay on Fridays, so we had to find a crew that would do a doubleheader.”
Whitehall athletic director Greg Russell sports his Vikings face covering while working the junior varsity football game in Whitehall, Mich., on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. In the background is the water tower and hill where fans park along Warner Street to catch a glimpse of games. (Scott DeCamp | MLive.com)
Russell believes that the West Michigan Conference may not be far from junior varsity/varsity football doubleheaders to help alleviate concerns of securing officiating crews. He said that most crews tell him they’d prefer working doubleheaders rather than being assigned a JV game Thursday and varsity contest Friday.
It’s not only a concern for football. Russell said the West Michigan Conference has already lost two or three crews for basketball this winter because of the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s recent mandate that all people at indoor events, including officials, must wear face coverings.
“I got another call, it was an individual, he said, ‘My crew’s going to be intact, but I am not going to work (basketball) this winter if I have to wear a mask.’ So we’re going to try to find a replacement,” Russell said.
“It’s hard to keep a whistle in your mouth and breathe and do everything you need to do to officiate, and I get it. It will be interesting what guidelines we get if things do change. With football especially, I’ll be surprised the next year or two that we don’t go with some doubleheaders of some kind. The number of crews are shrinking. And maybe we’ll get crews back that dropped because of COVID reasons.”
The coronavirus is a legitimate concern for some officials, particularly the older ones, who may be more at-risk should they contract the virus. It’s a definite consideration for Danicek, 68, who wore a face covering throughout Friday afternoon’s game in Whitehall.
Official Denny Danicek talks to North Muskegon head coach Larry Witham during a game against Whitehall on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Whitehall, Mich. (Scott DeCamp | MLive.com)
Danicek believes that the officiating pool has taken a hit in recent years because younger people do not seem to be as dedicated to putting in the necessary time because of work, family and other reasons.
Danicek has been in the game for 30 years as a football official and 40 years as a baseball umpire. He also officiates basketball and softball. He said he continues to do it because of his love for high school sports and being around them.
“I played high school sports and I just wanted to keep it going. I just wanted to give kids a chance. I love seeing the athletes grow up,” said Danicek, whose son Nate is offensive coordinator for Oakridge’s varsity football team. Nate Danicek’s sons, Jacob and Matt, currently play in the Eagles program.
“When I started, I did the little kids' (games), little bitty guys, and that’s where I got all my training. And then got to the varsity and stuff and I see all these little kids that are now playing varsity ball and a couple say, ‘I remember you from youth ball!’ and it’s really cool. You know, these kids remember me from when they were that big,” he gestured toward his chest.
Danicek is not part of a regular officiating crew these days, instead subbing in when and where he’s needed. Last Wednesday, he worked a middle-school game in Shelby.
Danicek’s Friday nights are typically dedicated for his Oakridge fandom. He avoids working Oakridge games, just like he did for Fruitport when his sons played there.
In addition to the enjoyment of the game, Danicek likes to stay sharp as an official.
“This kind of worked out good for me that I could do one earlier,” he said about Friday’s North Muskegon-Whitehall matinee. "I still like to get out here and try to keep the sharpness without being away from it, and then you’re just thrown into like a big game or something and it makes you feel a little uncomfortable.
“I did a couple of lower games so far this year, but I feel I’m good again. You get your legs back. You don’t want to go out there and fall down. You know, you’re looking for the wrong thing – just your keys and stuff you’ve got to watch for.”
But what should sports fans and school athletic administrators look for when it comes to the officiating pool in the future?
Danicek is optimistic, by nature.
“Oh, there’s always hope,” he said. “I’m one of those people that just, I look at the good things; I don’t look at the bad stuff.”
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