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A high school soccer referee finished a game despite significant injuries.
A high school soccer referee in the state of Ohio was attacked by a player during a game on Tuesday. He reportedly finished the game despite suffering significant injuries.
The official is believed to have broken a rib and had a collapsed lung. It did not prevent him from doing his job.
The ugly scene unfolded during a recent meeting between Steubenville and New Philadelphia. It was a competitive contest ultimately won by New Philadelphia, 2-1. That was not the main takeaway from the event for most viewers.
High school soccer player attacked referee.
Near the end of the matchup, a Steubenville player was carded for comments made to the official. He appeared to mouth something in the referee’s direction after a missed goal-scoring opportunity.
The remarks quickly resulted in punishment. He received a red card before leaving the playing field.
With his focus being directed to the carded player, the unassuming official did not see a Steubenville teammate running full speed in his direction.
That team member tackled the referee to spark an ugly scene that largely overshadowed the district tournament game.
An ugly incident towards an official in last nights OHSAA District soccer game between New Philadelphia and Steubenville.
We have reached out to the OHSAA Director of Officials who does not have an update at this time.
🎥 Contributed https://t.co/cZQZdfCnKW— Bob Greenburg (@BobGreenburg) October 28, 2026
Radio host Bob Greenburg posted the initial video to social media on Wednesday. He reached out to the Ohio High School Athletic Association Director of Officials for comment.
He got an update on the situation in the hours to follow, which was then posted to X on Thursday. The referee was seriously injured, but fought through the pain.
Soccer ref finishes game with broken rib, collapsed lung.
So the official that got attacked in yesterday’s OHSAA Soccer game reportedly broke a rib and had a lung collapse. This happened with 5 minutes to go in the game but HE still finished the gamel before going to the hospital. I’ve been just told he is doing OK. But WOW!
— Bob Greenburg (@BobGreenburg) October 29, 2026
Greenburg got news of the impact the attack had on the official. The referee was seriously injured by the tackle. He still finished the game.
According to the update, there were still around five minutes or so remaining in the contest. The official stayed on the field in discomfort to allow for the game to continue without pause.
In doing so, he not only showed personal strength, but also a willingness to prioritize young players above his own pain. That’s certainly deserving of a “kudos.”