Michigan HS Cancels Homecoming Game Due to Referee Shortage

A Michigan high school football team was forced to cancel its homecoming game because of a lack of available referees.

Mount Clemens High School principal Kirk Duncan sent out a letter to all parents informing them of the canceled game, although the school’s homecoming tailgate event was pushed to a later date and the annual dance will take place as scheduled, as reported by The Macomb Daily.

“Unfortunately, (Friday)’s football game against Potterville will not be played as planned due to a shortage of available referees,” Duncan said in the message.

In the message, according to the Macomb Daily, Duncan noted that Mount Clemons athletic director Scott Perryman had been working with the state’s referee assigners since August to ensure they had Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA)-approved official crews.

Perryman contacted other referee assigners throughout the state and down to the border of Ohio, trying to find a crew who could work Friday or even Saturday, the Macomb Daily reported. School officials told the local outlet they were willing to delay the game by one day if a team of referees was available.

“Our last hope was for another school to cancel their game, but none have,” the principal told the Battling Bathers community in the voice message. “Potterville has a long road trip to travel for this game. So we had to make this difficult decision to cancel the game this afternoon.”

“We are definitely very disappointed,” Bathers coach Marcus Cribbs told The Macomb Daily. “My boys are really hurt, especially the seniors. But it looks like we will have a home game next week, and if so we will try to do it up as much as possible for the game and make it exciting and big for the boys, especially the seniors.”

Duncan said Mount Clemens may be involved in next week’s conference championship schedule.

“We hope to provide that exciting home game atmosphere next week, so look for an announcement once conference games are determined,” he said.

To read the full story from the Macomb Daily, click here.