SPRINGFIELD — Head coach Frank Tristan would rather be talking about his Glendale football team that has peeled off three straight wins.
Instead, during the Falcons’ 35-6 win over rival Kickapoo on Thursday, Oct. 8, a referee grabbed hold of a Glendale player.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association has suspended the referee for his actions, as first reported by KY3.
“We were made aware of the situation, and the official in question has been suspended indefinitely,” MSHSAA’s statement read.
Glendale’s Joelle Rover sprinted towards the end zone for a big touchdown. He celebrated the score with
his teammates before the official grabbed hold of Rover’s jersey. The official held the jersey for several seconds while speaking to Rover.
“It was disappointing all the way around,” Tristan told the News-Leader. "I thought the referees did a fine job last night. I think it really tarnished the whole game with that.”
In the first half, Glendale was flagged for an excessive celebration after a touchdown. Tristan questions if this may have caused the referee to grab Rover’s jersey following the final touchdown of the game.
“We had some touchdown celebrations earlier in the game that were flagged. I wonder if that was residual frustration on his part, I don’t know,” Tristan said. “It’s a rivalry game, you have to know that going in and there’s going to be some emotion.
I was really surprised that it happened. We are now talking about an official, instead of the kids that played in the game.”
The referees did not flag Rover for his celebration.
I’ve received a statement from a MSHSAA member after this incident (video below) during Thursday night’s matchup between Glendale and Kickapoo.
— Danielle King (@DanielleRKing_) October 9, 2026
“We were made aware of the situation, and the official in question has been suspended indefinitely.”
🎥: @ShotzByLogan pic.twitter.com/UNRQARJE9Z
Liam Keating covers high school sports and Missouri State athletics for The Springfield News-Leader. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MSHSAA suspends football referee after incident in Glendale game
