Area officials get the call for 5A spotlight game

Championship Saturday at the state basketball tournament is already pretty special on its own.

Only 12 teams — two in each of the state’s six classifications — get to finish the season at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.

As it so happened, three officials from District 1 (the northern part of the state) — as well an alternate — got to finish the weekend in the showcase game, the state 5A championship game between Mountain View (of Meridian) and Eagle.

LAST SATURDAY, the crew of Mike Floch, Todd Bitterman and Paul Manzardo were the officials in the 5A title game, the first since the state adopted the use of three-man crews in the state tournament. Dominic Dire, another District 1 official, was the alternate.

“To be selected to work the 5A game was an honor,” Manzardo said. “But to be honest, any of those (championship games) would have been fun to work. There is nothing better than refereeing a game on Championship Saturday. I feel we have really good District 1 officials in all sports who genuinely care about the kids, and the sport they are officiating.”

Manzardo, current Lake City baseball coach and past North Idaho College baseball coach, is also a high school football official.

District 1 has had the three-man crews for well over 10 years.

“Going into it, the four of us were very well prepared from doing this in our district for years now,” Dire said. “I really went into it feeling very comfortable.”

Of the teams that Floch officiated on Thursday and Friday at state, three — Salmon River, Parma and Soda Springs — advanced to the championship game.

“I got a great schedule,” Floch said. “It’s fun working those big games, with good crowds, and even better when it’s a rivalry-type game too.”

Floch also officiated the 4A loser-out game between Hillcrest and Lakeland last Friday. Manzardo had the Hawks’ opener against Caldwell, which also advanced to the title game.

“We send outstanding officials every year down to the state tourney,” Floch said. “Having Bitt and Paul out there helps to keep it a fun and relaxed run for me. They are two of the best we have. When you work all year with these guys — Dire too — you know how and what they call, and that allows you to focus on doing the best job you can for the teams on the floor that night.”

During the first day of the tournament on Thursday and Friday, crews are often mixed among different districts. Saturday, crews are often from the same area.

“There is a difference working with guys from your district,” Dire said. “We have had so many years together doing three-man, that you just feel a high level of confidence going into big games as well as being very comfortable. It also has a lot to say about John Posnick, along with many others from our district that have been pushing for three-man at the state tournament for many years. All involved put in a lot of work.”

“The state has some very good officials, all capable of being asked to do the 5A game,” Bitterman said. “Going to state is sort of like a family reunion when we get together, catching up with our brothers and sisters in stripes.”

HAVING THEM on the title game last Saturday also was a first for a few of the local guys.

“It was the first time Manzardo and I have been to state together, which was pretty fun,” Bitterman said. “Floch and I have been on the same rotation for quite a few years, and that’s a good thing too. Dire made his first full state appearance, and he really did a nice job.”

Having the final game of the weekend had its other advantages also.

“Sometimes, officials are pulled off games involving their own districts on Friday, but not always,” Bitterman said. “Friday night, after all the semifinals are complete, we all meet to get our championship assignment. All other officials know what trophy games they have when the original schedule comes out. We were pumped, to say the least, to get the 5A final. Partially because we get to sleep in a little.”

As for the game, which tipped off at 8 p.m. in Nampa, Eagle upset previously undefeated Mountain View 51-47.

“I believe that the game is better off with three on the floor,” Bitterman said. “We’ve been the front runners in the state the past 12 years by getting approval by our 4A/5A schools and coaches to realize the changes that were surely coming down the pipeline and finally making it the norm at the state tournament.”

Bitterman added that having another set of eyes on boundaries on the court, as well as a third opinion on a call helps as well.

“Communication improves if officials need to come together,” Bitterman said. “So we are definitely thankful to our schools, coaches and administrations in our district to work in the three-person environment.”

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.