"Going from a full-time job to a Friday night football game takes a strong commitment," said linesman Lenny Adrian, stretching, left. "The way we look at it is even though it's high school football, it's just as important to the kids as the college and professional football players. So we feel they deserve to have the game called by competent officials, because they work hard all week in practice.
"When I arrive to the game I start thinking about the strategy of the game, the expectations of the game. Both these teams (Brandon vs. East Bay) were running teams, so we were mentally prepared for that type of game. It's almost like you're a coach out there. You have to anticipate what's going on so you are not caught flatfooted. You don't want to be the reason a team has won or lost. ...
"I've been officiating 14 years. I wasn't lucky enough to have the body to play sports, so (being an official) is my contribution. I think that we all feel that by officiating sports, it feels like we are giving back to the community. Most of us do youth games on Saturday. Besides Friday night, there is also the junior varsity football game on Thursday night.
"Some officials aspire to move up to professional officiating. My personal goal is to see if I can reach college or Arena football. If it doesn't work out, my second goal would be to be the best high school official I can be.
"The football season is only four months, and when it's over I can't wait for the next eight months to fly by so I can do it again. Our crew has great camaraderie and we've all worked together for years, and in the offseason we keep in touch with each other. ...
"It's always one of those situations where one team is happy with your call and one team is upset. It's never personal. That's where the communication between the crew is pivotal, because we always want to make the right decision. It's not always the most favorable decision, but you want to get it right. There is a little motto: "The players, fans and coaches don't come to see the officials.' So basically the lesson for that is you go out there, do your job, be fair and go home. You just want to blend in and be as inconspicuous as possible."
- Interview and photograph by Chris Zuppa of the Times.
