Episode 7: How to Navigate the High School Ranks as a Young Official with Brenden Black episode artwork

EPISODE · May 29, 2026 · 1H 3M

Episode 7: How to Navigate the High School Ranks as a Young Official with Brenden Black

from High School Ref · host Ben Strunk

Brenden Black picked up a whistle in college officiating intramural sports at NC State — and never put it down. Now six years into his high school career working basketball and football, Brenden shares what that journey actually looked like: from campus rec games to varsity sidelines, and everything that humbled him along the way.This episode gets honest about one of the bigger problems facing high school officiating — why young people aren't joining, and why the ones who do often don't stick around. Brenden talks about the crew dynamic between younger and veteran officials, what makes it work when it does, and what gets in the way when it doesn't.If you've ever wondered why the officiating shortage keeps getting worse, this conversation is a good place to start.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 29, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Episode 7: How to Navigate the High School Ranks as a Young Official with Brenden Black

0:00 1:03:21

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of High School Ref?

This episode is 1 hour and 3 minutes long.

When was this High School Ref episode published?

This episode was published on May 29, 2026.

Can I download this High School Ref episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!