34 minute read

SPORTS

Not many white hats these days

Athletic programs seeking o cial help for high-school games

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

It’s a national crisis, according to Karissa Niehoff, the executive director of the National Federation of High Schools.

“It” is the shortage of offi cials to work high-school games. The problem is worse because of the impacts of coronavirus. Adam Laubert, former operations director for Herd of Zebras, a group that tries to fi nd and train prospective offi cials, said some game offi cials don’t want to retire.

A basketball offi cial in semi-retirement said fan abuse is a problem. But he thought another issue was lack of qualifi cations to work varsity-level games which, he thinks, contributes to an often-cited reason for a lack of offi cials - fan abuse.

A retired CHSAA baseball offi cial blamed three things -- lack of involvement by the Colorado High School Activities Association, a lack of recruiting and retention efforts and low pay.

Whatever the reason, a lack of game offi cials was a problem even before the pandemic and before certain offi cials didn’t want to hang up their whistles. Niehoff said in some cases, games have had to be moved and sports programs canceled.

“We need more people to consider offi ciating high-school sports,” Niehoff said in a video presentation. “Parents need to appreciate the time and sacrifi ce and devotion that offi cials make to ensure high-school sports are available to our nation’s youth.”

Pay and travel time

One issue is the rate of pay. Salaries for the state’s offi cials depend on the sport. In baseball and basketball, each member of a two- or three-person crew earns $62.42 per game. In fi eld hockey, the fee is $58.26 for each of the two offi cials. In volleyball, the fee is $50.98 for each of the two varsity-level offi cials and $39.02 per offi cial for a junior-varsity or “C” team match.

In Texas, high-school football offi cials are paid $105 to $185 per game, depending on attendance and travel distance. Baseball umpires there earned $85 in travel stipends for the fi rst game and $70 for subsequent games in 2019. In Colorado, the travel stipend increases to $10 per game next year.

According to retired CHSAA umpire Dan Weikle, who worked statelevel playoff games during many of his 46 years as a certifi ed baseball offi cial, the pay for an umpire in 1964 was $10 per game.

“If you extrapolate that out, that’s $88 today,” he said. “We get paid $62. The pay hasn’t kept up with infl ation. In 1975, when I started, the pay waas $25 ($118 in today’s dollars).”

Ray Garza is a former basketball player, former basketball coach and a basketball offi cial in transition. He’s not signed up to work games this season but keeps his referee togs at Riverdale Ridge High School just in case.

His issue with pay came in two parts – travel time and the hour before varsity-level games. In the case of a varsity level basketball game, Garza had to be in the gym an hour before scheduled tipoff time. Then there’s the time it takes to get to a gym. In some cases, thanks to traffi c, it can take an hour.

Garza’s problem isn’t necessarily with the travel time. It’s the hour before the game begins that’s unpaid

“What job asks that?” Garza said. “If they could build in something, $10 for gas would be a step. Basketball offi cials get $48 but no pregame fee.”

Game offi cials are independent contractors; by law, they cannot form a union. Weikle said state’s schools pay CHSAA a fee, part of which goes toward running offi cials’ associations.

“It’s not in CHSAA’s best interests to give us a raise,” Weikle said. “They want to make offi cials’ pay cost-effective for all the schools.”

Recruiting and retention

At one time, CHSAA offered training to prospective offi cials. That’s not the case anymore. Weinkle said even an appearance at a high-school career day would help.

Weikle said CHSAA was “good to him” during the time he served as an offi cial.

“I don’t have an ax to grind. The system worked for me. I worked state championships in football, basketball and baseball,” Wrinkle said. “CHSAA does nothing to support high-school athletic offi cials. They leave it to the sports offi cials’ jurisdictions. CHSAA has a direct connection to the schools, which could do more to get the word out needing more offi cials. That could pave the way for us to get into the high schools. We could hit as many kids as we could and may get 12 or 15 to stick.”

Representatives from CHSAA could not be reached for comment by press time.

Dealing with abuse

Public address announcers read a statement from the Colorado High School Activities Association that encourages proper ways to support the players and game offi cials. Niehoff agreed during her video presentation.

“We need players, coaches, parents and other fans to be respectful to ensure that those individuals who are currently offi ciating continue to do so,” Niehoff said. “Cheer positively for the student-athlete and not criticize the offi cials. The profession is tougher than we might think.”

Garza took it a step farther.

“Some offi cials need to be at the middle-school level. But we have such a shortage of offi cials,” he said. “Some just aren’t ready for the high school level. It’s tough offi ciating. And if you’re not prepared, it causes frustration among the spectators. Some can’t keep up with the pace. We need bodies to fi ll the void. But some aren’t working to be better at their craft.”

Weikle said his problem wasn’t with high-school fans and coaches. His issue was with summer league organizations.

“CHSAA handles the coaches well,” he said. “The summer leagues and organizations treat the spectators and parents as clients. And as they say, the customer is always right. If the organization comes

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www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC Veteran CHSAA football referee Bob Pace signals a holding call during a playo game between Mountain Vista and Legacy at Five Star North Stadium Nov. 6.

PHOTO BY STEFAN BRODSKY

SEE OFFICIALS, P24

Emotional day for Andrews’ letter-signing ceremony

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

There was a little more to Bryce Andrews’ letter-of-intent signing party at Fort Lupton High School Nov. 19 than just well-wishes, applause, signing for college and snacks.

Andrews was overcome with tears, so much so that his stepmother, Chaundra Bell, stepped in with a pat on the shoulder and a well-timed embrace.

Andrews, who signed to play basketball with the Kangaroos of Austin College in Sherman, Texas, lost a brother to suicide. That prompted his desire to be a psychologist.

“Anyone I can help through therapy, that’s my dream,” Andrews said. “It’s a huge day. I’m glad everyone is here. I’m glad I’m here. I never thought I’d be in this situation. I never thought I’d be playing basketball to this day. It’s unfathomable.

“My mom left at a young age,” Andrews continued. “It was just me, my brother and my dad. My brother passed away. There were days when I wondered what I would do. I was mad at the world. I turned that negative energy into something positive, and it worked out. Basketball was a home away from home. It’s a stressfree place. It was my sanctuary.

“My dad and basketball. That’s what I had.”

Andrews was born in Texas. His father came to Colorado because of work.

“The culture is different. It’s an hour from my sister, my nieces, my grandmother,” he said. “It felt right. It was the right place to go. I want to be a psychologist or a therapist (he wants to minor in kinesiology), and they have the right program. It’s a great place to go.”

Principal John Biner said he didn’t know Andrews particularly well.

“One thing I will tell you is he’s an outstanding young man,” Biner said. “People visit with him because he attracts people. He’s a great student. The leadership he shows is welcome.”

Athletic director Cora Lanter said Andrews got the opportunity for college sports because of his academics and commitment to schoolwork.

Here are the results in net times, the time elapsed from when the person crosses the start line mats until they cross the finish line mat.

Run:

1. Carl Arnold, 16:16. 2. Benjamin Zywicki, 16:28. 3. Bobby Lehman, 18:54. 4. Caleb Price, 18:58. 5. Kenneth Obregon, 19:05. 6. Giovanni Tolentino, 19:15. 7. Paul Moeller, 19:19. 8. Chase Bodine, 19:26. 9. Andrew Sawyer, 19:29. 10. Noelle Green, 19:31. 11. Austin Allen, 19:40. 12. Alexander Walker, 19:50. 13. Juan Arellano, 19:56. 14. Nick Hofer, 20:05. 15. Blair Aakre, 20:10. 16. Chase Addison, 20:16. 17. Mario Garcia, 20:27. 18. Michael Quispe, 20:27. 19. Carter Ferara, 20:30. 20. Behn Thomas, 20:37. 21. Dale Hawkins, 20:44. 22. Arturo Herrera, 20:49. 23. Lucas Bognar, 20:53. 24. Jim Arthurs, 20:56. 25. Zack Mellin, 21:02. 26. Dan Nieman, 21:09. 27. Aden Tilton, 21:10. 28. Frank Bednar, 21:12. 29. Brandon Bowser, 21:26. 30. Adrian Medrano, 21:32. 31. Cody Johnson, 21:37. 32. Shaun Schafer, 21:45. 33. Andre Kaiser, 21:53. 34. Henry Silosky, 21:55. 35.

Doug Croft, 21:56. 36. Lucas Larson, 21:59. 37. Dominic Medina, 21:59. 38. Dristen Hernandez, 22:04. 39. Paul Hurst, 22:09. 40. Mckinsey Poulson, 22:12.

Also, 41. Mario Martinez, 22:22. 42. Jorel Torres, 22;25. 43. Jason Korb, 22:29. 44. Erin Lee, 22:31. 45. Matthew Dutko, 22:32. 46. Darin Brown, 22:40. 47. Antonio Galvez, 22:40. 48. Brandon Medina, 22:44. 49. Hani Barghout, 22:44. 50. Allison Gahafer, 22:44. 51. Vincent Rosasco, 22:44. 52. Chris Oswald, 22:55. 53. Devin Fitch, 22:57. 54. Sangman Yoon, 23:01. 55. John Middlebrooke, 23:03. 56. Jeffrey Rheiner, 23:03. 57. Andrew Beavuois, 23:04. 58. Tzaak Menindiz, 23:09. 59. Elijah Diaz, 23:18. 60. Raul Borrastero, 23:22. 61. Layne Bracy, 23:25. 62. Kyle McBride, 23:25. 63.

Alastair Norcross, 23:26. 64. Joseph Marlin, 23”26. 65. Ava Lee, 23:31. 66. Sharon Thomas, 23:36. 67. Daniel Handy, 23:39. 68. Sydney Zywicki, 23:46. 69. Nicole Rubis, 23:53. 70. Andy Pippin, 23:55. 71. Brody Duits, 24:02. 72. Jake Duits, 24:02. 73.

Davin Tilton, 24:12. 74. Pat Morris, 24:15. 75. Christopher Munson, 24:15. 76. Troy Hernandez, 24:16. 77. Zachary Roberts, 24:18. 78. Jeff Dumas, 24:19. 79. Arcia Bores, 24:24, and 80. Roger Mendenhall, 24:29.

Also, 81. Kate LaCava, 24:33. 82. Ruben Bejarano. 24:34. 83. Jose Galvan, 24:36. 84. Daniel Burton, 24:38. 85. Zephan Lee, 24:38. 86. Charli Baker, 24:43. 87. Blake Andrews, 24:45. 88. Kiana Fernandez, 24:48. 89. Daniel Burmeister, 24:49. 90. Luis E. De Luna Jr., 25:03. 91. Ella Waterman, 24:57. 92. Brittany Hernandez, 25:00. 93. Jazlyn Amaya, 25:02. 94. David Norcross, 25:04. 95. Lewis Drach, 25:05. 96. Stephen Gonzales, 25:14. 97. Karen Castillo, 25:15. 98. John Arthurs, 25:17. 99. Chris Stinson, 25:19. 100. Marina Quinlan, 25:26. 101. Kaitlyn Miro, 25:32. 102. Steve Carstenson, 25:43. 103. Chelsea Elson, 25:47. 104. Jace Elson, 25:47. 105. Jim Golembieski, 25:48. 106. Christine Newhall, 25:48. 107. Ed Balderas, 25:53. 108. John Mordecai, 25:58. 109. Gavin Federocko. 25:59. 110. Maverick Martinez, 26:08. 111. Frederick DeSchenes, 26:15. 112. Lori Poulson, 26:17. 113. Denise Tate, 26:17. 114. Diego Rangel, 26:22. 115. Ella Lee, 26:23. 116. Casey Contreras, 26:23. 117. Aidan Diffendal, 26:25. 118. Jan Lobato, 26:29. 119. Leah Drach, 26:32. 120. Marina Mesropov, 26:37.

Also, 121. Erica Bednar, 26:41. 122. Rita Aceves, 26:44. 123. Amy Bracy, 26:46. 124. Morgan Barba, 26:52. 125. Joel Bunn, 26:59. 126. Alice Tankersley, 27:00. 127. Autumn E. Estes, 27:02. 128. Saul Saldivar Jr., 27:04. 129. Heather Kimiecik, 27:07. 130. Nicole Poppie, 27:09. 131. Mel Befus, 27:14. 132. Oliver Saindon, 27:15. 133. Kathy Martin, 27:16. 134. Dillon McGregor, 27:28. 135. Madalynn Lloyd-Norstrog, 27:30. 136. Ashton Lanford, 27:31. 137. Brenda Solano, 27:31. 138. Sarah Korb, 27:33. 139. David Tilton, 27:47. 140. Louisa LeBaron, 27:50. 141. Bridger Boland, 27:55. 142. Laura Golembieski, 27:56. 143. Cameron Hogberg, 27:59. 144. Eric Schmidt, 27:59. 145. Austin Bondarenko, 28:01. 146. Emily Handy, 28:02. 147. Lucia Gonzales, 28:02, 149. Douglas Brown, 28:06. 150. Libby Rowe, 28:13. 151. Jake Croft, 28:14. 152.

Michael Hodge, 28:17. 153. Dave Handy, 28:19. 154. Sarah Cohen, 28:23. 155. Elizabeth Olivia, 28:32. 156. Rick Jones, 28:35. 157. Natalie Rollins, 28:36. 158. Amy Daines, 28:37. 159. Devin Daines, 28:37. 160. Sunnah Yoon, 28:37.

Also, 161. Michael Stanford, 28:38. 162. Theresa Rosasco, 28:39. 163. Randolph Jackson, 28:55. 164. Ashley Jackson, 28:56. 165. Rick Brooks, 28:57. 167. Alisa Parella, 29:01. 168. Elizabeth Hix, 29:02. 169. John Deyne, 29:04. 170. Carlos Vera, 29:08. 171. Adrian Chavez, 29:10. 172. Kirby Federocko, 29:14. 173. Gabriel Saindon, 29:18. 174. Parker Cayton, 29:36. 175. Deborah Stafford, 29:43. 176. Jessica Nava, 29:45. 177. Lori Mettler, 29:50. 178. Vance Martinez, 29:51. 179. Danyl Ainslie, 29:57. 180. Robert Rico, 30:00. 181. Abby Bump, 30:05. 182. Robert Flores, 30:06. 183. Diana Norcross, 30:09. 184. Chase Moore, 30:11. 185. Mallory Moore, 30:15. 186. Lynn Hermanson, 30:16. 187. Katie Kaliski, 30:20. 188. Stephanie Kohler, 30:21. 189. Herverto Lufante, 30:22. 190. Hannah Hoshiko, 30:23. 191. Christine Herrmann, 30:25. 192. Nicole Mellin, 30:28. 193. Bill Faulkner, 30:29. 194. Chris Walker, 30:32. 195. David Lutter, 30:33. 196. Jon Boland, 30:35. 197. Max Ricardo-Lopez, 30:35. 198. Julieta Vazquez, 30:36. 199. Levi Martinez, 30:44. 200. Susan Rome, 30:44.

Also, 201. Braylen Barragan, 30:46. 202. Shauna Rienks, 30:46. 203. Dan Jachetta, 30:49. 204. Ana Funseh, 30:52. 205. Jordan Forsha, 30:54. 206. Addison

Osborne, 30:55. 207. Sarah Hoshiko, 30:56. 208. Erica Schaeffer, 30:57. 209. Jacqueline Sarmiento, 30:57. 210. Aidan McFarland, 301:04. 211. Brett

McFarland, 31:04. 212. Maddi DiLorenzo, 31:07. 213. Amy McFarland, 31:08. 214. Kien Long, 31:08. 215. Eddie Clements, 31:11. 216. Kent Johnson, 31:12. 217. Michael Brandenberg, 31:13. 218. Irina Esqueda, 31:13. 219. Esli Guillen, 31;13. 220. Krissi Clymer, 31:23. 221. Noel Aceves, 31:27. 222. Jenna Watts, 31:28. 223. Giuliana Fusetti, 31:29. 224. Lesley Munson, 31:30. 225. Dennis Heath, 31:37. 226. Brandon Baker, 31:43. 227. Josh Moscherosch, 31:48. 229. Carmen O’Connor, 31:48. 230. Jim Meyer, 31:55. 231. Renee

Garcia, 31:58. 232. Mathew Fusetti, 32:00. 233. Nicole Ochs, 32:01. 234. Kelly Landmark, 32:07. 235. Bethany Gallegos, 32:07. 236. Jessica Albers, 32:08. 237. Dale Haas, 32:09. 238. Jeremy Caldwell, 32:14. 239. Fabia Aceves, 32:19. 240. Chris Munson, 32:20.

Also, 241. Tess Mertel, 32:26. 242. Max Stafford, 32:28. 243. Griffyn Thomas, 32:33. 244. Monette Perez, 32:39. 245. Kimberly Croft, 32:48. 246. Levi Carns, 32:52. 247. Paris Sanchez, 32:59. 248. Pamelia Hoshiko, 33:00. 249. Jeffrey Hurtado, 33:10. 250. Harry Huryk, 33:12. 251. Denise Salinas, 33;15. 252. Travis Brooks, 33:27. 253. Danielle Arellano, 33:33. 254. Scott Waterman, 33:36. 255. Amanda Osborne, 33:40. 256. Alia Jorgenson, 33:40. 257. Marc Osborne, 33:42. 258. Asher Jorgenson, 33:43. 259. Scott Holland, 33:59. 260. Mcclane Holland, 33:59. 261. Kayleigh Clements, 34:05. 262. Susan Buntrock, 34:10. 263. Brittnie Munson, 34:15. 264. Ayden Bump, 34:15. 265.

Lesley Shewmaker, 34:16. 266. Anna May West, 34:16. 267. April Bartashevich, 34:21. 268. Taylor Kentner, 34:21. 269. Tawnya Voytko, 34:22. 270. Lori Leppek, 34:26. 271. Steve Hernandez, 34:27. 272. Soojin Yoon, 34:30. 273. Lesley Washburn, 34:31. 274. Mariah

Lopez, 34:34. 275. Paige Oswald, 34:36. 276. Heidi Martinez, 34:43. 277. Joel Hopper, 34:50. 278. Chris Salazar, 35:04. 279. Marie Toole, 35:07. 280. Saul Saldivar Reyes, 35:13.

Also, 281. Jamie Bell, 35:14. 282. Patty Johnsen, 35:14. 283. Michalina Michalkow, 35:20. 284. Gina Sickler, 35:24. 285. Dayne Barczak, 35:26. 286. Mikayla Wiley, 35:28. 287. James Rakowski, 35:30. 288. Angela Marshall, 35:32. 289. Kolya Redfield, 35:34. 290. Angelina Myer, 35:39. 291. Yartez Gonzales, 35:44. 292. Brayden Hernandez, 35:45. 293. Katie Shahin, 35:46. 294. Angela Komar, 35;50. 295. Crystal McDowell, 35:50. 296. Lisa Kleynenberg, 35:58. 297. Keri Mesropov, 36:01. 298. Ed Youngberg, 36:03. 299. Monica DeJesus, 36:05. 300. Judah DeJesus, 36:10. 301. Robert Vienot, 36:11. 302. James

Powers, 36:11. 303. Craig Andrews, 36:24. 304. Susan Blazek, 36:25. 305. Bobby Sena, 36:25. 306. Neddie Legg, 36:30. 307. Fran Schneider, 36:31. 308. Jeffery Poulson, 36:38. 309. Gregory Asplund, 36:39. 310. Amanda Herrmann, 36:41. 311. Owen Tribbett, 36:45. 312. Manuel Gallegos, 36:45. 314. Wyatt Rowe, 36:47. 315. Max Trujillo, 36:57. 316. Jillian Lira, 37:01. 317. Jeremy Rowe, 37:02. 318. Michelle Cramer, 37:06. 319. Michael Cramer, 37:07. 320. Chelsea Shatter, 37:08.

Also, 321. Melanie Ramirez, 37:09. 322. Chrystal Gargano, 37:22. 323. Jackson Rollins, 37:22. 324. Lyn Yamamoto, 37:23. 325. Iden Miller, 37:32. 326. Karin Cumplido, 37:32. 327. Josh Rollins, 37:39. 328. Taylor Fallik, 37:57. 329. Aaron Fallik, 38:01. 330. Christina Vargas, 38:01. 331. Carter Patterson, 38:02. 332. Anthony McKee, 38:04. 333. Leanna Kellems, 38:04. 335. Tony DiLorenzo, 38:06. 336. Rosario Berumen, 38:07. 337. Nicole Hodge, 38:16. 338. Anthony Gunther, 38:22. 340. Jose Barragan, 38:31. 341. Calleygh Hougland, 38:41. 342. Anita Delatorre, 38:46. 343. Salena Vigil, 38:47. 344. Patricia

Tolleson, 38:50. 345. Kylee Kratz, 38:54. 346. Sal Muniz, 38:57. 347. Angie Carns, 39:27. 348. Dan Kratz, 39:02. 349. Ellorie Hurst, 39:02. 350. Cassie Klumpp, 39:03. 351. Ed Balderas Jr., 39:10. 352. Jackie Gallo, 39:10. 353. Kirk Parsons, 39:13. 354. Anisa

Montano, 39;15. 355. Seth Diffendal, 39:17. 356. Lee Whitner, 39:20. 357. Rocco DiLorenzo, 39:26. 358. Lynne Giblin, 39:28. 359. Tait Wagner, 39:30. 360. Karen Tankersley, 39:31.

Also, 361. Jim McGuire, 39:31. 362. Melissa Trujillo, 39:32. 363. James Trujillo, 39:34. 364. Caige Klosterman, 39:40. 365. Wyatt Woodward, 39:40. 366. Gabriel Martinez, 39:44. 367. Irene St. Martin, 39;44. 368. Florence Gonzales, 39:45. 369. Bryan St. Martin, 39:46. 370. Beckett Larsson, 39:49. 371. Ken Estes, 39:58. 372. Kevin Lockett, 40:06. 373. Kate Powers, 40:07. 374. Shelby Klosterman, 40:10. 375.

Jeanie Trujillo, 40;12. 376. Toriann Trujillo, 40:12. 377. Elizabeth Bennett, 40:17. 378. Garrett Hogan, 40:23. 379.

Laura Hogan, 40:23. 380. Samantha Gallegos, 40:31. 381. Crystal Wagner, 40:36. 382. Crystal Martinez-Adams, 40:50. 383. Tony Steck, 41:01. 384.

Forrest Jenkins, 41:02. 385. Bethany Ager, 41:06. 386. Evelyn Hernandez, 41:06. 387. Tammie Deon, 41:07. 388. Samantha Andress, 41:10. 389. Eric Tribbett, 41:13. 390. Angela Andress, 41:14. 391. Alyssa Baessler, 41:23. 392. Mercedez Tabullo, 41:33. 393. Amy Marcotte, 41:33. 394.

Lisa Tilton, 41:34. 395. Barbara Klontz, 41:35. 396. Stephanie Welsh, 41:48. 398. Mike Welsh, 41:48. 399. Jacky Herauf, 42:00. 400. Lo Wahl, 42:00.

Also, 401. Levi Hunziker, 42:01. 402. Nonnie Hunziker, 42:01. 403. Jesus Chacon, 42:03. 404. Debbie Sena, 42:10. 405. Leah Woodward, 42:13. 406. Matthew Woodward, 42:18. 407. Emily Woodward, 42:20. 408. Keely Waterman, 42:31. 409. Victoria McCune, 42:38. 410. Arianna Wiser, 42:43. 411. Bob Mocella, 42:46. 412. Colin McCorkle, 42:53. 413. Dalton Chockley, 42:53. 414. Judit Moreno, 42:56. 415. Kristy Waterman, 42:56. 416. Rehana Williams, 42:56. 416. Tessa Denton, 43:00. 418. Pat Johnson, 43:09. 419. Jennifer Lewis, 43:13. 420. Naomi Newell,. 43:15. 421. Christine Cole, 43:15. 422. Nick Koster, 43:16. 423. Maria Lempert, 43:17. 424. Jenilyn Bartolo, 43:18. 425.

Jennifer Cole, 43:19. 426. Lynelle Denton, 43:21. 427. Kiley Bristow, 43:21. 428. Martin Martinez, 43:23. 429. Christy Martinez, 43:23. 430. Tracy Magisano, 43:26. 431. Judy Schure, 43:36. 432. Roger Schafer, 43:37. 433. Lisa Stanford, 43:30. 434. Janice Govea, 43:53. 435. Rachel Mertens, 43:59. 436. Jonathan Kentner, 44:01. 437. Nicki Runge, 44:07. 438. Brian Johnson, 44:08. 439. Maggie Munoz, 44:19. 440. Calleigh Kentner, 44:42.

Also, 441. Barbara Orenstein, 44:28. 442. Mary Larson, 44:29. 443. Keirra Matteson, 44:32. 444. Brooklyn Johnson, 44:38. 445. Morgan Hockley, 44:41. 446. Taylor Matteson, 45:01. 447. Xavier Amaya, 45:01. 448.

Sarah Gunther, 45:04. 449. Sylvestre Becerra, 45:16. 450. Margaret Amaya, 45;16. 451. Marco Amaya, 45:39. 452. Logan Leinberger, 45:47. 453. Lily Lujan, 45:51. 454. Kellan Dinovo, 45:52. 455. Susan Robinson, 45:43. 456. Becker RobinsonJones, 45:54. 457. Sebastian RobinsonJones, 45:55. 458. Annette Chavez, 454:57. 459. Tonya Mertens, 45:58. 460. Olivia Gallegos, 46:07. 461. Michael Lovelady, 46:11. 462. Lyla Lujan, 46:23. 463. Loree Forde, 46;24. 464. Terry Forde, 46:24. 465. Shannon O’Conner, 46:30. 466. Stephen Federocko, 46:31. 467. David

Trujillo, 46:35. 468. Connie Eussen, 46:41. 469. Taylor Harrison, 46:51. 470. Sierra Brown, 47:09. 471. Robert Brown, 47:10. 472. Eleanor Urdiales, 47:21. 473. Kaius Stewart, 47:26. 474. Serenity Steward, 47:28. 475. Gene Nehring, 47:47. 476. Ana Lugo, 47:52. 477. Kenzie Cvancera, 47:52. 478. Ashley Schmidt, 47:54. 479. Nicole Neiswender, 48:05. 480. Grant Fankhauser, 48:06.

Also, 481. Tina Matteson, 48:06. 482. Emma Fankhauser, 48:09. 483. Laura Morris, 48:109. 484. Hilarie Quispe, 48:15. 485. Antujan Martinez, 48:20. 486. Brianna Franco,. 48:25. 487. Christina Morales, 48:25. 488. Julia Holland, 48:40. 489. Kelley Fitch, 48:57. 490. Jennifer Federocko, 48:59. 491. Sergio Moreno,. 49:15. 492. Angela Chavez, 49:15. 493. Donna Garcia, 49:18. 494. John Gracia, 49:30. 495. Sarah Harrison, 49:40. 496. Marcus

down on a parent, they are going to say, ‘I’ll take my kid and play somewhere else.’ There is no support of umpires.”

Garza said an official’s demeanor can be a help to curb fan abuse. It can also add to it.

“If an official becomes frustrated at every word mentioned to them, it frustrates the fans, the coaches. When the official gets rattled, options don’t exist,” he said. “It breaks my heart to see an unqualified official working at levels where he’s not qualified.”

Then there’s the matter of appearance.

“You get paid to do this,” Garza said. “Your presence speaks volumes to spectators. It’s just like being a coach. The kids come to practice every day because they want to be better,” Garza said.

Weikle parks his car as far away from the main parking area as he can, and he encourages his crew members to do the same thing.

“I don’t talk to spectators,” Weikle said. “Marc Johnson (the baseball coach at Cherry Creek High School) talks to me and does so with respect. I respect him. He and I are friends. If a coach comes on the field yelling at an umpire,

Priorities

Garza said some officials are using that profession to pay their bills. He knows of one official who works as many as eight games a day and works seven days a week.

“You need time off for your body to reset and for a better mindset,” Garza said. “The pay is worth extra money to spend on your family or on the gas to get you to a game. You don’t want to lose money. You want to be the best possible official you can be and make sure you’re not checkmarking a game.”

“When I step on a field, I get paid as much as Joe Schmo who looks like an unmade bed,” Weikle said. “Those guys are asking for trouble. It shows he wasn’t thinking about baseball until he walked on the field.

“I tell officials there are three things you can control .. the way you dress, your actions on the field and your hustle,” he continued. “If you do those three things, coaches will like you.”

Time was when sports had clearly defined seasons. These days, teams practice all year, particularly in warmer climates and their games need officials. Cities have various levels of youth and adult leagues, and those require officials, too. In some cases, umpires can make $75 per game from municipal leagues. High-school umpires in Colorado don’t make that much. Some municipal officials make more than Garza makes as a teacher.

“No school can match that,” Garza said. “We still have good officials. We just don’t have enough to cover the amount of organizations that have games outside of the normal seasons.”

The next generation

This spring, the head of the state’s soccer officials wanted to see more high-school players become officials.

“I want to encourage highschool players to become referees so they understand the rules of the game,” CHSSO President Ken Hehr told CHSAA’s soccer committee in March. “If they take the course, that helps the referees on the field because the players aren’t yelling about something they don’t know about. It’s a great way to educate the student-athlete and help us out.”

Weikle said it was a ‘fallacy” that someone needed to be a good athlete to be a good official.

“I was a horrible baseball player,” said Weikle, who umpired state championship baseball games during his time with CHSAA. “We recruited guys at summer tournaments. Many are at the top levels of high-school ball. Two (Cory Blazer, a Pomona High School graduate, and Chris Guccione, who worked the World Series two years ago) are in the majors. They did their umpiring with me.”

Laubert continued Hehr’s approach through Herd of Zebras.

“We’ve got accountability,” Laubert said in April. “We’ve never had to cancel or postpone a game. We had a lot of issues about putting new guys into the fire. I didn’t receive one complaint.”

In some cases, younger, less experienced officials have been recruited as emergency varsity-level replacements.

“I’ve got four kids at Mountain Range (Laubert is an assistant coach for the Mustangs’ football team). We gave them the training, and they did a phenomenal job,” Laubert said. “The coaches said they were the best refs they’d ever had. They can be a resource no one has tapped into. We’d like to find more kids like this. If you find the right high-school kid, he’ll impress you.”

“But if you don’t do this (training and recruiting) year after year, they lose enthusiasm,” Weikle said. “You need a dedicated group to keep hammering away and to be there year in and year out.”

Self-care needed

Garza leaves his home for his teaching job at Riverdale Ridge at 6:45 in the morning when most of his family is asleep. If he’s officiating, he often won’t make it home until at least 8:30 p.m., when most of his family is asleep.

“I love doing it. I coached basketball for years, and I missed it,” Garza said. “As a former athlete and coach, it’s fun to walk into a gym. The band is playing. It makes my blood boil. It makes me want to be the best officials on the court that I can be.

“But understand. It messes with your mind. We need selfcare. Stress levels can steer you in the wrong direction.”

“Every person has a role to play to ensure the success of high-school sports,” Niehoff said. “We must work together to ensure the games continue to be available to the more than 8 million participants nationwide.”

“The way an official handles himself … You see little of that (fan abuse of game officials) happening,” Garza said.

In closing

“I wanted to do a good job,” Weikle said. “I do it for the kids, yes. The kids are the beneficiaries of my work ethic. Guys my age (Weikle is 67)? No one is going to replace my generation when I retire.Guys who are in their 30s, 40s, 50s? There aren’t that many. It’s not going to be a problem in a year. In five years, it’s going to be a huge problem.”

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FROM PAGE 23

Ever Alicia, 50:42. 511, Joaquin Hurtado, 50:45. 512. Abram Jorgenson, 50:48. 513. Missy Klosterman, 50:54. 514. Christy allen, 50:54. 515. Jon Allen, 50:55. 516.

Katrina Tyler, 50:58. 517. Natalia Ferrill, 50:58. 518. Aliya Diaz, 51:17. 519. Peter Redfield, 51:49. 520. Juanita Redfield, 51:52.

Also, 521. Sharyl Riley, 52:07. 522. Alicia McKinney, 52:34. 523. Steven Johnson, 52:40. 524. Laura Hinz, 52:56. 525. Elijah Hinz, 52:58. 526. Elsie Oswald, 52:59. 527. Arthur A. Stephens, 53:28. 528. Aaliyah Sharkoff, 53:31. 529. Sienna Osborne, 53:33. 530. Amanda Kuhl, 53:44. 531. Madalynn Saulton, 54:37. 532. Brooklynn Hendrick, 54:37. 533. Michael Saulton, 54:43. 534. Tyler Schmidt, 54:47. 535. Emma Hart, 54:57. 536. Hope Peterson, 55:04. 537. Gabriela Rico, 55:05. 538. Reyna Paredes, 55:05. 539. Brendon Cornett, 55:23. 540. Jace Sandoval, 56:21. 541. Kyden Sandoval, 56:33. 542. Sarah Langiano, 57:18. 543. Beckie Blaser, 57:19. 544. Kelli Menssen, 57:20. 545. Ashley Sidell, 57:21. 546. Shellie Laus, 57:58. 547. Roy Laus, 57:59. 548. Sandie Minne, 58:15. 549. Kyle Watts, 58:26. 550. Dylan O’Connor, 58:38. 551. Annette Ponce, 58:39. 552. Jan McBee, 58:52. 553. Jenny Siegle, 58Z;55. 554. Ted Crihfield, 58:57. 555. Roseanna Cardona, 58:58. 556. Christina Hendrick, 59:00. 557. Anyssa Rodriguez, 59:06. 558. Lita Lovato, 59:14. 559. Ellie Hanson, 59:35. 560. Samantha Wells, 59:58.

Also, 561. Elias Martinez, 59:59. 562. Sydney Tribbett, 1:00:20. 563. Sandie Yamamoto, 1:00:27. 564. Megan Amaya, 1:00:36. 565. Tehra Porterfield, 1:00:44. 566. Martha Velasquez, 1:01:02. 567. Landon Saulton, 1:01:09. 568. Julia Gorringe, 1:01:11. 569.

Carm Dinovo, 1:02:36. 570. Alexander Keo, 1:02:40. 571. Lauren Sullivan, 1:02:41. 572. Jasnin Garey, 1:02:42. 573. Gracie Oswald, 1:03:59. 574. Henry Prather, 1:04:42. 575. Valentin Gonzalez, 1:05:52. 576. Angel Hurtado, 1:05:57. 577. Bobbee Brancaccio, 1:05:58. 578. Donald Prather, 1:05:59. 579. Virginia Gonzalez, 1:10:07. 580. Christina Perez, 1:10:11.

Walk

1. Michael Blanchard, 34:22. 2. Dan Pierce, 353:20. 3. Andrew Wescott, 38:49. 4. Brent Wescott, 38:51. 5. Kim Shaklee, 41:51. 6. Slava Mesropov, 42:13. 7. Andrew Kendall, 42:18. 8. Georgia Wagner, 42:22. 9. Austin Onken, 42;26. 10. Shannon Onken, 42:27. 11. Colton Onken, 42:27. 12. Craig Foreman, 42:48. 13. Paul Roberts, 43:09. 14. Alena Golightly, 43:11. 15. Alexander Wescott, 43:31. 16.

Gianna Rosasco, 43:32. 17. John Rosasco, 43:55. 18. Wayne Phillips, 44:01. 19. Karen Phillips, 44:08. 20. Janet Fairs, 44;12. 21. Kristin Quadracci, 44:14. 22. Caroline Fusetti, 44:51. 23. Chris Fusetti, 44:51. 24. May Wescott, 44;54. 25. Cheri Brunvand, 44:56. 26. Normal Velasquez, 45:02. 27. William Press, 45:36. 28. Cynthia Irie, 45:50. 29. Teresa Lozano,. 45;51. 30. Michael Lovelady, 46:11. 31. Tiffany Green, 46;25. 32. Kevin Garcia, 46:26. 33. Taira Garcia, 46:26. 34. Kevin Carson, 46:41. 35. Kandy Rollins, 46:46. 36. Rachel Myers, 47:04. 37. Karen Roberts, 47:09. 38. Antonio Sandoval, 47;17. 39. Jessica De La Garza, 47:23. 40. Mark Longhurst, 47:31.

Also, 41. Jami Longhurst, 47:31. 42. Sostenes Diaz, 47:36. 43. Maria Diaz, 47:37. 44. Devon Payne, 47:47. 45. Lisa Klocker, 48;14. 46. Maria Morales, 48:21. 47. Banner Holland, 48;42. 49. Jennifer Kuffrey, 48:52. 50. Makenna Kuffrey, 48:52. 51. Robin Trujillo, 48:59. 52. Debbie Whitman, 49:11. 53. Jennifer Hays, 49:14. 54. Hanna Hays, 49:14. 55. Kathie Paul, 49:23. 56. Ashley Harmann, 49:26. 57. Jose Avalos, 49:46. 58. Maria Olga Avalos, 49:53. 59. Samantha Gardner, 49:54. 60. Angela McGee, 49:54. 61. Dorothy Reed, 49:56. 62. Joe Dawley, 50:17. 63. Amy Kuss, 50:18. 64. Venus Sanchez, 50:19. 65. Marilyn Mocella, 50:19. 66. Sofia Cabrera, 50:20. 67. Anna Jorgenson, 50:22. 68. Julie Heidt, 50:27. 69. Mark Heidt, 50:28. 70. Barb Burgess, 50:33. 71. Leonela Solano, 50:33. 72. Linda Glaze, 50:37. 73. Sophia Rosasco, 50:37. 74. Connie Banks, 50:38. 75. Caroline Larkins, 50:39. 76. Debra Clements, 50:47. 77. Tammara Lockett, 50:49. 78. Loraine Trudell, 51:20. 79. Alan Trudell, 51:21. 80. Lisa Marlin, 51:22.

Also, 81. Albert Boerema, 51:23. 82. Grace Marlin, 51:24. 83. Jennifer Baessler, 51:25. 84. Cathy Krauss, 51:36. 85. Claire Hurst, 51:46. 86. Tara Hurst, 51:46. 87. Mats Larsson, 51:48. 88. Ava Tijerina, 51:53. 89. Chad Sagrillo, 51:53. 90. Dia Sagrillo, 51:53. 91. Kendra Rendon, 51:56. 92. Kailee Reddy, 52:00. 93. Ann Morton, 52:01. 94. Carol Rendon, 52:02. 95. Kayla Rendon, 52:03. 96. Deanna Smith, 52:04. 97. Joyce Belvill, 52;10. 98. Mary Morales, 52:11. 99. Ed Clements, 52:25. 100. Julio Garcia, 52;27. 101. Adam Sisbarro, 52:34. 102. Rena Oster, 52:44. 103. Linda Humphrey, 52:45. 104. Catherine Hodge, 52:45. 105. Kathryn Withrow, 52:46. 106. Alexander Stewart, 52:49. 107. Kevin Kildow, 52:49. 108. Alicia Larson, 52:50. 109. Sonia Salazar, 52:51. 110. Ian Cortez, 52:54. 111. Char Cortez, 52:57. 112. Elisabeth Hoshiko, 52:598. 113. Debbie Avalos, 52:58. 114. Sandra Brookman, 52:58. 115. Tina Jachetta, 52:59. 116. Joey Arp, 53:12. 117. Kathy Arp. 53:12. 118. Jessica Stuck, 53:12. 119. Laurie McCleskey, 53:13. 120. Debbie Vedsted, 53:15.

Also, 121. Finley Larsson, 53:17. 122. Ruth Stephens, 53:26. 123. Pat Salazar, 53:26. 124. Carrianne Baird. 53:31. 125. Jim Herbolsheimer, 53:31. 126. Michael Saulton, 53:32. 127. Brittany Stewart, 53:38. 128. Cherisse Larsson, 53:38. 129. Valerie Kuhl, 53:42. 130. Amy Schneider, 53:42. 131. Mary Omohundro, 53:43. 132. Clara Selph, 53:44. 133. Cindy Adams, 53:46. 134. Ruperto Delosreyes, 53:47. 135. Kaya Delosreyes, 53:49. 136. Keyan Delosreyes, 53:49. 137. Carrie Delosreyes, 53:49. 138. Zoey Ogden, 53:52. 139. Debra McCrorie, 53:53. 140. Karen Chavez, 53:53. 141. Madonna McCollum, 53:55. 142, Tim Rossow, 54:03. 143. Jenna Rossow, 54:04. 144. Jaxtyn Young, 5404. 145. Gage Clausen, 54:04. 146. Christine Padilla, 54:05. 147. Pam Bornmann, 54:06. 148. Steve Bornmann, 54:07. 149. Kayla Deyne, 54:09. 150. Mike Cayton, 54:12. 151. Jim Deon, 54:13. 152. Angela Wells, 54:14. 153. Amber Ogden, 54:15. 154. Dale Ogden, 54:15. 155. Megan Lusk, 54:17. 156. Tyler Barela, 54:17. 157. Sara Bragg, 54:23. 158. Christopher Bragg, 54:24. 159. Nolen Simpson, 54:34. 160. Diana Villa, 54:34.

Also, 161. Amy Gallegos, 54:35. 162. Leslie Hatridge, 54:40. 163. Kevin Hatridge, 54:40. 164. Chris Long, 54:47. 165. Laura Long, 54:48. 166. Jennifer Pember, 54:49. 167. Sheila Mazone, 54:50. 168. Stephani Bunn, 54:51. 169. Sherri Bunn, 54:51. 170. Jenni Sinkiewicz, 54:52. 171. Mark Sinkeiwicz, 53:52. 172. Chad Warne, 54:53. 173. Leslie Miller, 54:54. 174. Heather Warne, 54:54. 175. Dean Newcomb, 54:59. 176. Holly Newcomb, 54:59. 177. Amber Simpson, 55:03. 178. Kate Farner, 55:04. 179. Elise Simpson, 55:04. 180. Steve Simpson, 55:04. 181. Dayanara Mariscal, 55:06. 182. Amiah Lynch, 55:08. 183. George Phillips, 55:18. 184. Elise Cornett, 55:24. 185. Tim Cornett, 55:27. 186. Linda Boulter, 55;45. 187. Nick Kuhl, 55:47. 188. Lea Ann Sherwood, 55:48. 189. Maria Koger, 55:48. 190. Sandra

Benell, 55:54. 191. Ron Benell, 55:54. 192. Mitch Clausen, 55;54. 193. Laura Larkin, 55:55. 194. Shelley Paiz, 55:56. 195. Abigail Yoshimoto, 55:56. 196. Josh Watts, 55;58. 197. Morgan Yoshimoto, 55:58. 198. Athena Perez, 56:01. 199. Mallory O’Keefe, 56:05. 200. Juan Torres, 56:06.

Also, 201. Aracely Rodriguez, 56:06. 202. Jean M. Griffith, 56:07. 203. Isabella Perkins, 56:08. 204. Andre Perkins, 56:21. 205. Logan Dickerman, 56:50. 206. Beth York, 56:52. 207. Adrienna Martinez, 56:53. 208. Larry Whitman, 56;56. 209. Bonnie Laws, 56:58. 210. Eric Jaggi, 57:16. 211. Erin Jaggi, 57:16. 212. Blaire Pendergrass, 57:17. 213. Shannon Cunningham, 57:30. 215. Alexander Golightly Koster, 57:35. 216. Mari

Geolfos, 57:35. 217. Sylvester Chacon, 57:36. 218. Luka Chacon, 57:36. 220. Janice Carlson, 57:48. 221. Caleb Smith, 57:55. 222. Jill Dupuis, 57:58. 223. Lindsey Dickerman, 58:00. 224. Gerald Mangus, 58:05. 225. Summer Arthurs, 58;13. 226. Diana Berkland, 58:14. 227. Lyn Berkland, 58:14. 228. Craig Minne, 58:15. 229. Nancy Minne, 58:15. 230. Sondra Moore, 58:16. 231. Derek Jones, 58:16. 232. Lindsey Fuss, 58:16. 233. Maricruz Jones, 58:17. 234. Stephanie Gonzales, 58:18. 235. Robert Hill, 58:18. 236. Alicia Hill, 58:19. 237. Eva

Hart, 58:24. 238. Ashlyn Gertge, 58:30. 239. John Gertge, 58:30. 240. Christie Gertge, 58:47.

Also, 241. Jordan Hizel, 58;39. 242. Dustin Fishelman, 58:39. 243. Daniel Ponce, 58:39. 244. Dianne Wolff, 58;43. 245. Jenny Yoshimoto, 58:48. 246. Nicole Contreras, 59:05. 247. Amanda Stolz, 59:05. 248. Diane Tribbett, 59:12. 249. Melinda Bucher, 59:18. 250. Barbara Baca, 59:19. 251. Rajean Tijerina, 59:21. 252. Leyna Kaiser, 59:36. 253. Scot Kaiser, 59:36. 254. Bernard Jeffers, 59:46. 255. Jessica Jeffers, 59:47. 256. Danielle Bain, 59:49. 257. Yael Montes, 1:00:03. 258. Giselle Hernandez, 1:00:05. 259. Mildred L. Fitch, 1:00:06. 260. Zachary Golightly Koster, 1:00:09. 261. Shelan Golightly, 1:00:09. 262. Emmyleigh Mangus, 1:00:15. 263. Merilene Amos, 1:00:16. 264. Ethan Mangus, 1:00:17. 265. Ramona Mangus, 1:00:19. 266. Stan Shibao, 1:00:29. 267. Gayle Shibao, 1:00:30. 268. Joshua Kraft, 1:00:37. 269. William Porterfield Wolfe, 1:00:38. 27-. Melissa Lombardo, 1:00:50. 271. Tim Lombardo, 1:00:50. 272. Diana Barrera, 1:00:56. 273. Rebecca Rosales, 1:01:02. 274. Harley Kraft, 1:01:03. 275. Sara Kraft, 1:01:05. 276. Gina Munoz, 1:01:15. 277. Juan Munoz, 1:01:15. 278. Kate Tribbett, 1:01:59. 279. Melody White, 1:01:59. 280. Loretta White, 1:01:59.

Also, 281. Ronda Jackson, 1:02:09. 282. Jessica Tribbett, 12:02:12. 283. Mitchell Tribbett, 1:02:15. 284. Melissa Porterfield, 1:02:52. 285. Shirley Porterfield, 1:02:53. 286. Kristine Reynolds, 1:03:00. 287. Willard Probert, 1:03:06. 288. Christine Lozano, 1:03:21. 290. Russell Volkmann, 1:03:24. 291. Bailee Martin, 1:03:24. 292. Lanee Keyes, 1:30:59. 293. Margaret Whitney, 1:04:10. 294. Sharon O’Shields, 1:04:11. 295. Dalila Hernandez, 1:04:16. 296. Rosario Acosta, 1:04:17. 297. Chloe Hilton, 1:04:20. 298. Alicia Nevarez, 1:04:21. 299. John Duffy, 1:40:59. 300. Leslie Duffy, 1:05:13.

Also, 301. Janis Berend, 1:-05:43. 302. Randy Berend, 1:05:46. 303. Andres Sanchez, 1:06:21. 304. Lisa Hurtado, 1:06:21. 305. Joe Nosavan, 1:06:43. 306. Gene Grossie, 1:06:43. 307. Sarah Ko, 1:06:44. 309. Chansouda Grossie, 1:06:46. 310. Vanessa Jones, 1:07.50. 311. Bryan Jones, 1:07:51. 312. Dylan Jones, 1:08:00. 313. Sonja Youngberg, 1:09:51. 314. Gretchen Lillich, 1:11:03. 315. Elijah Saindon, 1:11:28. 316. Alexander Saindon, 1:11:52. 317. Melissa Saindon, 1:11:55. 318. Linda Wright, 1:11:56. 319. Clark Wright, 1:21:21. 320. Lincoln Porterfield Wolfe, 1:14:26. 321. Denise Stovall, 1:14:27. 322. Joe Wolfe, 1:14:32. 323. Janice Young, 1:14:54. 324. Gilbert Padilla, 1:14:55. 325. Cheryl DiPaolo, 1:15:29.

SIGNING

“He has great relations with his teachers, his peers, his coaches, the administration, his family,” she said. “You are going to do great things. He’s getting the equivalent of a full ride, not just for basketball. It’s for his grades.”

Andrews’ new coach, Jim Roedel, was in a spot where he was welcoming a new player and also seeing him leave at just about the same time.

“Less than 7 percent of high-school athletes get to play in college,” he said. “You are accomplishing something that 93 percent of high-school athletes won’t. He’s got good family support. I can’t imagine the amount of money and time you’ve spent. Now you’re going back home, and it’s a great opportunity.

“A lot of times, I worry about people going out of state,” Roedel continued. “You’re going to be successful.”

The kinesiology piece came from Andrews’ involvement in sports and because of a torn labrum last year while playing for Weld Central.

“Just playing sports. I’m not sure. It’s something I’ve been interested in since I was a little kid,” Andrews said. “I did get hurt. Maybe that’s part of it. They were always very kind to me. They got me back to where I am now, and I’m signing for college. I guess it worked out.”

Andrews said he was “unbelievably excited” for what lies ahead.

“Scared? I wouldn’t say so. Nervous? In this moment,” he said. “This is my path. Everyone is different. It’s been a long time coming. It’s finally here. The nerves are gone. I cried a lot earlier on the table.”

Andrews played in just six games for Weld Central in a COVIDshortened season before his injury. He averaged almost 14 points per game, eight rebounds, two assists and three steals.

“It’s a home away from home,” Andrews said. “I still have family out there. I miss Texas, and I’m glad to go back. In my heart and in my soul, I knew this is what I needed to do.”

Solution

© 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

TRIVIA

1. GEOGRAPHY: What percent of the world’s population lives in the Northern Hemisphere? 2. MOVIES: Which 1987 fi lm contains the catchy line, “May the Schwartz be with you”? 3. LITERATURE: Author John Steinbeck contends that his dog ate the fi rst draft of which of his novels? 4. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a group of parrots called? 5. MUSIC: Who is considered the “Father of the Blues”? 6. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was the fi rst sitting president to throw out the fi rst pitch on baseball’s opening day? 7. FOOD & DRINK: Which fruit also is sometimes called a “love apple”? 8. TELEVISION: Where do the vampires live in “What We Do in the Shadows”? 9. HISTORY: In what year did East Germany start to build the Berlin Wall? 10. INVENTIONS: Which scientist invented the color wheel?

Answers

1. 90%

2. “Spaceballs” 3. “Of Mice and Men”

4. A pandemonium 5. W.C. Handy 6. William Howard Taft (1910) 7. Tomato

8. Staten Island, New York

9. 1961

10. Sir Isaac Newton

(c) 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.

Crossword Solution