Prep talk: Young officials offer hope for the future in high school sports

There has been a shortage of officials for high school sports in recent years. Daniel Ashikian, 21, and Casey Pope, 18, responded to the call.

They are in their second season officiating basketball games in the San Fernando Valley unit.

“It’s better than working at McDonald’s,” Pope said.

Pope played basketball at Monroe High and immediately wanted to become an official. Ashikian has been playing basketball on his own for years and wants to stay involved in the sport. They participated in a girls’ junior varsity match at Granada Hills this week.

It’s hard enough for seasoned officials to deal with coaches, players and fans. The fact that these two young officials took on the challenge offers hope for the future that other former players will join them and become officials.

This is a daily look at positive happenings in high school sports. To submit news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.