East Rutherford, NJ — The New York Giants and Ticketmaster are proud to celebrate high school football officials throughout New York State in partnership with the National Football League (NFL), the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and New York State Association of Certified Football Officials (NYSACFO). Each month of the high school football season, the Giants will honor a different officiating crew of the month to highlight their commitment to their communities and their demonstration of honesty and objectivity. Thanks to Ticketmaster, each member of the crew will receive tickets to a Giants home game this season. The following officials were named as part of the Giants 2025 September High School Officiating Crew of the Month.
Dominick Coppolla – Head Linesman: Coppolla has been a member of the Central Hudson Valley Officiating Association (CHVOA) for just 4 years and in his short time with the chapter and this crew, he has earned the opportunity to work in a Section 9 Championship game. Coppolla currently works as a project manager for a general contractor and recently completed a business/network development course as part of the Orange County Leadership Class of 2024.
Ryan Griffiths – Back Judge: Griffiths is a 23-year member of CHVOA and has officiated in twelve NYSPHSAA playoff games along with three state finals. Ryan serves as Assignor of Officials for three different leagues: the Orange County Youth Football League, the Orange County Flag Football League, and the NE Semi-Pro/Empire League. He also officiates the girls flag football games in the Spring and volunteers as a coach for the Special Olympics. Outside of officiating, Griffiths works as an operating engineer for the New York State Bridge Authority.
Mike Pantaline – Umpire: Pantaline is a 15-year member of CHVOA. Over the past 3 years, he has worked two NYSPHSAA semi-final games and one NYSPHSAA finals game. Pantaline also can be found officiating girls flag football games in the spring and has served as an ASA Softball umpire for the past 22 years. He has been a member of the Wappingers Falls Volunteer Fire Department for the past 28 years, where he has served as Chief, Captain, and Lieutenant. Pantaline is the Postmaster of the Pawling, NY US Post Office and is a 3rd Degree Grand Knight of the Wappingers Falls Knights of Columbus.
Troy VanBuren – Referee: VanBuren is an 11-year member of the CHVOA and is also a 3-year member of the NEWMAC/NESCAC college officials' organization. He is a graduate of St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY where he played football receiving the D3 "Player of the Week" award in 2014. During his career, VanBuren has worked for both the Army football team and the Buffalo Bills as an assistant equipment manager. Troy has officiated Section 9 Football Finals for the last 9 years along with 4 years in the NYSPHSAA Quarter Finals. VanBuren is a Northeast Regional Sales Manager for Asphalt Technologies out of Chattanooga,TN. Officiating runs in the VanBuren family as both Troy's father and brother are high school football officials in the Syracuse, NY area.
Guy Zbonack – Line Judge: Zbonack is the most senior member of this crew, having been a member of CHVOA for 30 years. In addition to high school football, he also had a 9-year career working at the college level (ECAC/NEC). Zbonack's experience has included working 5 NYSPHSAA football playoff games and wrestling matches. During the winter, Zbonack travels to Florida where he officiates youth NFL Flag Football games. Since 2019, he has volunteered his services for local Special Olympics events and unified sports. He also serves as an Assistant Minister at the Jehovah's Witness church in Haverstraw, NY.
The New York Giants have honored high school football officiating crews of the month for three years, and is and one of nineteen NFL clubs participating in this initiative. Each month of the high school football season, the Giants work with the NYSACFO to identify officials who are deserving of the honor.
"The New York State Association of Certified Football Officials appreciates this NFHS/NFL Crew of the Month program which recognizes the dedication and commitment to high school football our officials demonstrate each week and every season. This recognition program has contributed to our organization's drive for excellence and consistency," said Tim Arden, Executive Director of NYSACFO. "In addition, the Crew of the Month program has served as an objective for our newer officials to achieve and has enhanced our ability to retain and recruit officials. We are grateful for the support from the NFHS, NFL and New York Giants."
