You can't play a high school football game without players.

You can't do it without officials, either.

Union/A-C Valley's game at Cameron County this Friday night was in peril because of the latter.

“Two weeks ago, the (Cameron County High School) athletic director called me and said he could only get three officials to work our game this Friday,” Union athletic director Scott Kindel said. “We need six.

“He asked if we'd be willing to play on Thursday night or sometime on Saturday.”

Cameron County is a three-hour drive “and we have school on Friday, so that was out,” Kindel said. “And we didn't want to play Saturday because we have a big game against Redbank Valley next week and we wouldn't be able to have a full week of practice.”

For Kindel, there was one other option.

“Find them three more officials,” he said.

As luck would have it, Kindel attended the Pittsburgh Pirates' final home game of the season at PNC Park two weeks ago and bumped into high school football official Carl Arabia.

Arabia, a Lower Burrell resident, works part-time with security personnel at an entrance gate at the ballpark. Arabia's crew works a couple of Union/A-C Valley games per season.

“Scott explained the situation and that happened to be our only Friday night off all season,” Arabia said. “I was happy to help them out. I told him I'd call the rest of my crew and see if they'd be interested.

“I'd rather work a game up there than sit around and watch a game down here.”

Kindel described the chance of seeing Arabia at PNC Park as “a blessing. What are the odds of me going through the gate and Carl to be working there?”

Because Arabia is the referee — head of the crew — he had to be one of the officials making the trip north. There was not a referee among the three officials Cameron County had available to work the game.

Dave Lumley, a Butler resident who has been a football official for 28 years, has been on Arabia's crew for three years and immediately volunteered to make the trip. He will serve as umpire on the crew.

“We love doing this. It's fun,” Lumley said. “No high school official does this for the money. Union/A-C Valley is good enough to give us games every year. They help us out, we're glad to help them out.”

John Snyder of Tarentum is the other official heading to Cameron County. The trio will ride up together with the driver being paid for mileage.

“We haven't figured out who's driving yet,” Arabia said, laughing.

Lumley said a shortage of high school football officials continues to be a problem in Western Pennsylvania.

“We're not getting any younger and the young people today don't want to commit to this,” he said. “I only see the problem getting worse.

“We didn't want to see a game get canceled or switched around. So we're going up there to make a night of it.”

Kindel doesn't downplay the gesture being made by Arabia, Lumley and Snyder.

“It's a tremendous gesture,” he said. “Giving up their only Friday night off all season to travel three hours to work a game? They want to do right by the kids.

“Officials care about these kids.”

Lumley said Friday night will be a first in his lengthy officiating career.

“I've never done anything like this before on a night off,” he said. “But it's worth it.”