A pair of area officials earn Official of the Year honors

Two Southern Illinois officials received Official of the Year honors on Thursday.  Dale McConnell of Centralia and Jeffrey Crow of Mt. Vernon were part of 22 individuals named by the IHSA to receive the honor.

McConnell was recognized for his work as an official in the sports of Softball.  Crow was recognized for his work in Girls’ Volleyball.

This year’s winners will be recognized during the 2025 IHSA Officials Conference, which will be held July 11-12 in Normal, Illinois.

“Officials are vital to the experience of high school student-athletes in Illinois, and we are proud to be able to honor these outstanding individuals as IHSA Officials of the Year,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. “High school sports do not exist without them and the thousands of officials around the state who preside over contests and meets every day. This award only recognizes a small percentage of our dedicated officials, but we know they are all worthy of our respect and admiration. We understand they do not officiate for awards or recognition, but it remains a special tradition for the IHSA to be able to honor them.”

See the full list of honorees by sport below:

IHSA OFFICIALS OF THE YEAR