Scholastic sports are growing rapidly across the Lower Hudson Valley, but officials say there aren’t enough referees to keep up.

Joseph Chimenti has officiated high school basketball in Westchester County for 20 years. He says increasingly hostile fan behavior has made recruiting and retaining referees more difficult.

“People see through social media what goes on — yelling at referees, referees getting hit," said Chimenti.

At the same time, participation is surging. Southern Westchester BOCES says roughly 57,000 student athletes now compete across its four-county region. Newer programs like girls wrestling, girls ice hockey and boys volleyball have doubled or even quadrupled in size since the pandemic.

Referee recruitment is declining despite the participation numbers. Raymond Sarcone of the Westchester Putnam Wrestling Officials Association says this is one of the worst recruiting years in a decade, partly because officials are choosing private leagues instead of public schools.

As demand rises, veteran officials are taking on heavier workloads — hoping to maintain order while supporting the growing world of scholastic athletics.