Friday Night Lights: Many shirts and hats

Sports are one of the biggest forms of entertainment across the world. People flock to fill stadiums or get together to cheer on their favorite teams. The passion for sports is strong with both fans and players. The fans fuel the game and inspire teams do great, while the players work hard to win games and come out on top in their respective sports.

Sports are great but can also be dangerous. If left unchecked and without proper rules to keep the action in line, who knows what could happen. That’s where sports officials come in. Without referees, sports become more of a hazard than they need to be.

Referees are crucial for sports because they keep as much of the game in line as they can. They’re the ones who do their best to make sure the players and the coaches are in check throughout the game.

Football is a sport that especially needs these officials. After all, the contact of the sport and its intensity is something that has to be properly officiated in order to keep the players and everyone else safe.

Many referees have a passion for sports themselves.

A prime example of a referee who has done much for the local community is Patch Wirtzberger. His dedication to the sports he officiates and coaches is unquestioned.

If you do not enjoy the game, why officiate it, right?

Wirtzberger has been a referee in basketball for nine years and is currently in his seventh fall of officiating for football. His contributions to the football season as a referee have allowed the games to be fair and fun at the same time.

For Wirtzberger, the role of a referee has been something he has been inspired to do since watching his father referee. Wirtzberger’s father Cal was a longtime football and volleyball referee locally and he made a major impact on community sports.

Along with watching his father officiate and give him inspiration to do the same, Wirtzberger has another reason to be a referee.

“I did it to kind of stay closer to the game,” said Wirtzberger. “I got a love for basketball and football. It’s just a way to stay close.”

Wirtzberger’s passion for sports gives him a great motivation to come back every season and do the best he can to make sure the games go smoothly. Often, referees are underappreciated in the sport. Most officials are remembered for their bad calls or mistakes that were made in a game. But, in the end, fans and players still understand that being an official is a tough job and every referee is doing their best to make the game the best it can be.

Wirtzberger knows referees are not the most popular of people on the field, but his father left him a lot to work off of so that he could become a great official.

“He’s the one who got me into football,” Wirtzberger said. “And him having done it for so long, he had a lot of wisdom and encouragement. He had a lot of influence in me joining and keeping going, as well as keeping knowledge up in the game. He’s been just a great example in my life. Not only as a referee, but also as an adult human being.”

Thanks to his father’s guidance and influence, Wirtzberger has become a great referee for area high school basketball and football games, giving the games the right temperence and guidance, needed.

Wirtzberger does not just have a passion for the sports, but also the players in the sports. As a coach himself, for Havre Northstars baseball, Wirtzberger understands the coaches and players as they play their game, making him a very intelligent official on the field or the court.

“Just being around the kids,” Wirtzberger said when asked about his favorite part of officiating. “The games are a lot of fun. Referees get a bad rap, but we’re all there for the kids and just to try and give them the best game we can give them. Just to see the kids out their competing hard and trying to work as a team, that’s probably my favorite part.”

Following in his father’s footsteps, Wirtzberger has made an impact on the sports he referees and has no doubt made his father, as well as his community, proud for what he’s put into local sports as an official.

Wirtzberger loves his job as a referee and will be a name brought up in the conversation about great officials throughout local history, just like his father.

Wirtzberger is looking forward to the rest of the football season and the upcoming basketball season. Friday nights under the lights are always enjoyable for Wirtzberger and his presence as each game is one to remember.

People often overlook the referees in sports, but locally, Wirtzberger will always be appreciated for the work he does as an official.