CLEARFIELD – A parent and PIAA official on Monday rallied in support of Clearfield’s Lady Bison volleyball coaches after a recent game ended in controversy.
At Monday’s Clearfield school board committee meeting, parent Jamie Morgan said the girls’ game Oct. 3 versus visiting Westmont Hilltop started out like any other game he’s attended in the past three years.
The teams had similar season records and the coaches, players and fans on both sides of the net anticipated an exciting game with a close score.
At the start of the fifth set, Morgan said neither side deserved to lose and they all wore the desire to win. Despite Sheer exhaustion, they sacrificed their bodies hitting the court like he’s never seen before.
“It was just awesome.”
But, towards the end of the game, there were several blatantly missed calls and the Clearfield coaches found themselves advocating on behalf of their players.
“Our coaches never left their [designated] coaching area, they never used foul language and they never displayed any hand or arm gestures,” Morgan said, but were still met with “unwanted opposition” from game officials.
He said there will always be missed calls and the players, coaches and fans understand that, but that wasn’t what happened Oct. 3, where the final six or seven points were highly contested by the Lady Bison.
“They were not treated fairly.”
There were three missed calls that happened right in front of one official, he said, and when coaches sought clarification, they got carded and the official “smirked” with pleasure.
Though the players and coaches were being provoked, according to Morgan, they continued to handle themselves with the utmost dignity and respect given the circumstances.
He said athletic coaches are held to high standards and the same should also apply to sports officials.
“Our coaches have brought this program back from the grave,” with [2024] being its first winning season in 18 years. “The girls have bought into it, and Clearfield has gained the attention of other schools.
It’s not just a football and wrestling school but a volleyball school now too, Morgan said, adding that continued success lies ahead thanks to the current coaching staff.
As a PIAA official, John Kaskan believes it’s important to advocate for fair play and professionalism for both teams, especially with emotions running high in challenging game situations.
During the Lady Bison’s game Oct. 3, he—like Morgan—said there were several controversial calls made or not made, and understandably it caused a lot of frustration for the coaches and players.
As an official, Kaskan also believes that coaches should be able to advocate for fair officiating and be “the voice” of their players on the court.
“The actions taken by [Clearfield’s] coaches were in line with their responsibilities and their concerns deserve recognition,” he said. Kaskan then blamed the officials for escalating the situation by chasing after coaches and waving cards at them rather than making calls from their position at the net.
But, he said one thing was very clear: the officials’ impartiality was compromised as they were simply unwilling to call the game fairly, and for that reason, Kaskan urged the district not to permit this crew to officiate future Clearfield sporting events.
Two elementary coaches who have children in the volleyball program also expressed their support and how the varsity coaches have rebuilt the program, which is now beginning to flourish and will only continue to succeed under their leadership.
In a media interview after the meeting, Superintendent Terry Struble said the district isn’t taking any action against its volleyball coaches, and he has no knowledge of any action being taken by District 9 or the PIAA.
“They just had a heated match.”