High School Football Officials Recognized for Excellence

WHO:

49ers.com - Denisse Heredia and Luis Velasco are the San Francisco 49ers' nominees for the 2026 NFL Latino Youth Honors.

chargers.com - The September "Crew of the Month" honorees include seven high school football officials: Terry Bernard (Referee), Michael Weseloh (Umpire), David Collins (Head Linesman), Jimmy Christensen (Line Judge), Jordan Graves (Back Judge), Devonta Cunningham (Side Judge), and Lavil Franklin (Field Judge).

packers.com - The September high school football officiating "Crew of the Month" includes Josh Gould, Shannon Rysewyk, Gerald Lang, Jeason Thomas, and Ben Leibl.

WHAT:

49ers.com - Denisse and Luis will participate in exclusive events throughout Super Bowl Week as part of the NFL Latino Youth Honors program. The male and female national winners will each receive a $25,000 grant, while the remaining six finalists will receive $5,000 grants.

chargers.com - The "Crew of the Month" is a league-wide program recognizing high school football officiating crews for their honesty, objectivity, commitment, and dedication to interscholastic athletics.

packers.com - The recognition is part of a joint initiative between the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the NFL to honor outstanding high school football officials.

WHERE:

chargers.com - The honorees represent the CIF San Diego Section in Southern California.

packers.com - The recognition is in collaboration with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA).

WHEN:

49ers.com - The recognition event for Denisse and Luis took place during the San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals game on September 27th.

chargers.com - A new "Crew of the Month" will be announced from September through December.

packers.com - The Packers and WIAA will recognize a "Crew of the Month" in September, October, and November.

WHY:

49ers.com - Denisse aims to mentor young Latina girls in sports, while Luis hopes to encourage younger Latino students to feel a sense of belonging in competitive academic and athletic spaces.

chargers.com - The crew was nominated for consistently demonstrating the highest standards of honesty, objectivity, professionalism, and commitment to interscholastic football.

packers.com - The selected crew members were chosen for their demonstration of objectivity, fairness in rules implementation, and commitment as officials.

HOW:

49ers.com - The selection panel for the NFL Latino Youth Honors identifies eight finalists, with one representative from each of the NFL's eight divisions.

packers.com - WIAA personnel will review nominations for five positions: referee, umpire, head linesperson, line judge, and back judge to select the Crew of the Month.

Denisse Heredia and Luis Velasco have been nominated by the San Francisco 49ers for the 2026 NFL Latino Youth Honors, where they will participate in exclusive events during Super Bowl Week. As part of this program, the national winners will each receive a $25,000 grant, while the other six finalists will get $5,000 grants. Denisse is focused on mentoring young Latina girls in sports, and Luis aims to foster a sense of belonging for younger Latino students in both academic and athletic environments.