Friesen officiates 3rd Division II football national championship

Teams aren’t the only groups who performed for the right to advance in the NCAA football playoffs this season. Offi ciating crews do so as well. And, for the third time in his career, Brandon Friesen of Kingfisher was part of a crew that advanced all the way to the Division II national championship game. Friesen was the line judge for the crew that called the game Dec. 21 at McKinney, Texas, when Ferris State downed Valdosta State 49-14 for the national title. A 1998 Kingfisher High School graduate, Friesen just completed his 17th year officiating. He worked 15 games in 17 weeks, all with Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) crews. Most of the season was with his standard crew, but the last two weeks of the regular season and then the playoffs consisted of a crew selected by the MIAA supervisor of officials. The crew was first tasked with a first-round game at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., as the home team defeated the University of Indianapolis 24-7. The crew then was assigned a third round game two weeks later, which was a national quarterfinal that saw Ferris State hosting two-time defending national champion Harding University at Big Rapids, Mich. Ferris State, which the week before downed the University of Central Oklahoma 78-17, knocked off the reigning national champs 41-7 and eventually won two weeks later with Friesen and his crew calling their game again. Pictured before the national title game are, from left, alternate Manu Preston, back judge Ben Schmidt, Friesen, head linesman Brad Hartzog, referee Dwight Neibling, umpire Troy Hostetter, line judge Patrick Claire and side judge Josh Schmidt. Friesen had previously called the 2017 Division II national championship game held in Kansas City, Mo., and the 2021 title game, which was also at McKinney. Joining Friesen at this year’s championship were his wife, Kari, and youngest daughter, Karlee. [Photo provided]