Weekend Watch: Heroes in Stripes
Opinion
| Arizona State
| Chapman
| College of Idaho
| Colorado
| FAU
| FGCU
| Minn-Duluth
| Mo. State
| Montana
| Montana State
| NDSU
| St. Thomas
| USC
| Utah State
(Photo by Lance Wendt)
by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us
LA CROSSE, Wis. – What did you do last Saturday?
Get some early spring yard work done? A hike with your significant other? Pub crawl?
For Alex Chamber, Grey Owen and Nate Rinfret (left to right in the above photo), they kept the MCLA operating.
The trio started the day with a trip to Boulder to officiate the Colorado-Utah Valley contest that began at noon. It was a high-scoring affair with the Buffs taking home an 18-14 victory.
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Plenty of faceoffs. Plenty of running.
At the conclusion of the game, instead of grabbing a celebratory beverage to toast a job well done, the three hopped in their cars and went on an hour-plus cannonball run to Fort Collins.
There they officiated the Colorado State-Brigham Young clash in Canvas Stadium that started at 4 p.m.
Seriously.
According to Rinfret’s fitness tracking app at the end of the day, the three officials ran nearly a half-marathon by the time the final whistle blew on BYU’s 16-12 triumph.
What is the MCLA D-II Game of the Week? #mcla22
— 2022 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) March 28, 2022
“I’d say we’ve done doubleheaders in one day before, but rarely MCLA Division I doubleheaders,” Rinfret said. “It’s not uncommon at the national tournament for us to work more than one game a day, however, so there is some precedent.
“As you can imagine, we were feeling pretty tired afterwards.”
The ability and willingness of this crew to essentially burn off an entire Saturday for the good of the MCLA – and the sport – speaks volumes about them, and underscores the dedication of the officials that are essential for our league to run.
And let’s be honest: you will not find a more maligned group of individuals than game officials, regardless of the sport. Fortunately, for the most part, our coaches are more appreciative of the efforts put in by the stripes.
“MCLA coaches understand the sacrifices we make as officials to get the games played because they are making similar sacrifices in their own lives,” Rinfret said.
What is the MCLA D-I Game of the Week? #mcla22
— 2022 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) March 28, 2022
Alas, you attend any lacrosse game – regardless of the division – and you’ll find players, parents and fans who won’t hesitate to loudly criticize officiating.
Without fail, you’ll hear someone in the stands prattling on about missed calls or this and that.
What do all of those people have in common?
They won’t pick up a whistle.
If you haven’t heard, we’re in an officiating crisis. In all sports, at all levels in every corner of the country.
Despite having at least 10 lacrosse experts in the stands at every game, we’re relying on heroes like Chamber, Owen and Renfrit to make sure our student-athletes get the opportunities they deserve.
So that’s my challenge to all the oracles in the lacrosse stands. Be aware of the dedication that is being shown by our officials and what they are doing for the MCLA.
Or better yet, pick up a damn whistle.
SNAPCHAT TAKEOVER!
Eric Dietz has commandeered the @MCLA Snapchat account for the weekend!
Give the account a follow (the_mcla) as we visit Fargo, ND and Collegetownvillia, MN — which are both BEAUTIFUL this time of year!#lacrosse #lax #mittenlax #snapchat pic.twitter.com/4jvMwq9DaT
— GVSU Men's Lacrosse (@GVSULAX) March 31, 2022
GAMES I’M FOLLOWING
No. 24 Colorado at No. 16 Chapman, Friday – 7 p.m.
For the past decade, these two programs were perennial conference champion contenders and locks for nationals. Each grabbed a ring along the way. This year, they could conceivably miss their respective conference tournaments and are currently fringe bubble teams for Round Rock. Still, these are two proud teams with plenty of talent, so they’ll let it all hang out in search of what could be a redemptive victory.
No. 12 USC at No. 15 Arizona State, Saturday – 11 a.m.
With six teams essentially competing for the four SLC conference tourney slots, every game takes on heightened importance. A loss for Arizona State would be hugely problematic as the Sun Devils would probably have to run the table to get into the postseason. The Trojans could pretty much lock up an SLC bid with a win. Desperation April lacrosse makes for great games.
No. 10 North Dakota State at No. 16 Minn.-Duluth, Saturday – 3:30 p.m.
What’s going on with the UMLC this year? Did the hiatus impact them harder than most? Tough to say. But this classic matchup featuring the No. 10 and 16 teams feels weird. This usually a 3-5 contest. They’ll both get a crack at the UMLC AQ in a couple of weeks, so this is more for nationals seeding.
No. 12 Montana at No. 9 Montana State, Saturday – 6 p.m.
These state rivals are obviously talented, but both are on a bit of a skid. Both got cleaned out by College of Idaho at home. Montana lost a late-game heartbreaker to UC San Diego while Montana State couldn’t handle Utah. Both should feel good about Round Rock, but the winner of this one will sleep a lot easier in Big Sky country.
No. 2 St. Thomas at No. 14 Missouri State, Sunday – 11 a.m.
After ceding their poll birthright this week to Kennesaw State, the Tommies head down to Missouri State for a three-spot, culminating against the host Bears. Texas A&M D-II and Washington (Mo.) provide a nice warmup for the marquee matchup on Sunday. MoState is an intriguing team. They hung a near 20-burger on Dayton and have one-goal losses to NDSU and GVSU. St. Thomas better be ready.
No. 3 College of Idaho at No. 6 Utah State, Sunday – 11 a.m.
Now this is a saucy contest. College of Idaho is burying teams while Utah State has played against – and defeated – the best around. Offense versus defense. Flash versus grit. Just a nice Sunday morning coinflip.
No. 11 Florida Gulf Coast at No. 13 Florida Atlantic, Sunday – 12 p.m.
These two have been on a Sunshine State collision course since the start of the season and there is no way it’ll disappoint. FGCU is licking its wounds a little bit after getting trampled by Kennesaw State, but the Eagles are undoubtedly a handful. FAU has been smoking everybody, paced by a deadly offensive corps. I’m taking the over in this one.