Mary Langenfeld
“Chinstraps on, mouthguards in, gentlemen!”
With those words a referee working a freshmen high school football game at Sun Prairie’s Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School blows the whistle. The Cardinals are hosting Madison La Follette, and the violent sound of bodies and helmets and protective padding soon fills the misty, chilly air.
In the backfield, working as back judge, stands 53-year-old Jon Oakley — a former salesman from Sun Prairie who now drives for Uber and Lyft and officiates high school varsity reserve, junior varsity and freshmen games for the Big Eight and Badger conferences. Among his responsibilities this late Thursday afternoon in mid-October is observing punt coverage, long passes and deep post patterns, as well as monitoring the 25-second play clock.
What he does is a far cry from the highly scrutinized refereeing that goes on at Camp Randall or Lambeau Field. Nor is it as glamorous as officiating for the state high school football championships, which take place at Camp Randall on Nov. 16 and 17.
Where Oakley and his three crewmates work, there are no stadium lights. Heck, there often isn’t even a stadium. Fans (mostly parents and classmates) stand at field level or sit in their own chairs. Sometimes the scoreboard doesn’t work.
Oakley calls his crewmates friends, and they enjoy working together because they trust each other’s instincts and abilities. The pay isn’t great, although Oakley still put in as many as 15 hours per week this fall driving to games and officiating them, and not everyone is always happy with his calls.
“If you’re going to do something, do it the right way,” Oakley says. “Give it your best, because the kids are giving their best. We take this job seriously, and we’re proud of what we do. Our goal is to walk off the field and not be noticed. If we blend in, we’ve done our job well.”
Oakley doesn’t need the glory of a high-profile officiating gig. His son, Alex, plays football for Sun Prairie High School and is one of five finalists for the Kevin Stemke Award, presented each year by the Wisconsin Sports Network to the state’s top senior kicker or punter. He worked lower-profile games so he could watch Alex play on Friday nights. Sun Prairie plays Kimberly on Nov. 17 at 4 p.m. at Camp Randall for the Division 1 state championship.
“I do this for fun and have no aspiration of working Friday nights,” says Oakley, who referees football to get in shape to officiate basketball, which helps him stay fit to umpire baseball. His officiating dream is to stand behind the plate calling balls and strikes at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (In 2014, he umpired a Little League Great Lakes Regional Tournament game in Indianapolis.)
A three-sport athlete in high school and a former Little League coach, Oakley admits officiating has made him a better sports dad — “I keep myself in check when I disagree with something on the field,” he says — and the job keeps him active.
“This allows me to get back on the field and be an integral part of the game,” he adds, noting that football’s lower levels are less stressful than the varsity level. “I like trying to teach the kids and lightening the moment when I can. I also help them with the rules and give them points of emphasis. ‘You can’t do that. Next time, I’m going to call a penalty.’”
Sun Prairie cruised to an easy 20-0 win over La Follette that gray and dreary afternoon. The Cardinals, already up 14-0 with just seconds remaining on the clock, opted for a touchdown on the final play of the game. Oakley looked over to one of the Lancers’ defensive players, clearly dejected. “Hey, let it go,” he told the kid. “Don’t worry about it.”
Depending on what happens with Alex’s post-high school football career, Oakley wants to keep officiating. “I hope to do it for a long time, because I enjoy it,” he says. “My body and the game will tell me when it’s time to stop.”
130,000: Estimated number of high school officials in the United States
15: Years there has been a national shortage of high school sports officials, according to the Racine-based National Association of Sports Officials
40: Percentage of sports officials who say parents are leading cause of sportsmanship issues
18: Minimum age to officiate high school sports in Wisconsin
$35: Cost to become a licensed high school sports official
