The 14-year-old served as a fourth official at 11 of the 136 matches played in Wilson and made a name for himself.
Paul LoRusso, the referee assigner from the Wilson area who put Little into the mix, said: "He's very serous about it; he really wants to do it right. The officials he was working with this weekend were very high-level officials and all of them were very impressed with him."
The rising freshman at Fike High School even made one of the toughest calls any soccer referee can make. During Saturday's second round of group play, Little had to eject an overly excited coach for foul and abusive language.
That decision led to instant support and respect from his fellow referees.
"From my own experience, I would wonder in awe at a boy his age being able to stand up to the enthusiastic expressions of some of the adult coaches who we were charged 'to control,'" said Woody Harrison, a Wilson referee who served as a fourth referee during the tournament. "I had one coach rip the extra ball out of my arms to throw it on to the field when the center ref had instructed me NOT to let the extra ball on the field unless he asked for it."
Little, the son of Milton and Anita Little of Wilson, ended up being a minor celebrity among the many referees, assessors and officials who saw him work during the tournament.
John Bouda, the head of the N.C. State Referees Association, approached Little at Gillette.
"He walked in and introduced himself," Little recalled. "I said, 'I'm Collin Little,' and he said you don't need to introduce yourself anymore, we know who you are."
The tournament wasn't all fun and games for Little, however. He called a full slate of six games on Saturday and almost as many Sunday.
He also worked for the Parks and Recreation Department, rising at 4 each morning to handle whatever was needed.
The worst thing he had to do?
"Cleaning up trash cans with a maggot infestation," Little said, making a face.
He also had to prepare for his duties as the "fourth referee," since he had never done that before. Most soccer matches only have three refs, but in big matches, a fourth official handles the sideline.
That's where Little found himself in the line of fire -- bearing the brunt of the coaches' displeasure.
In the incident in which he red-carded the coach, Little had given him ample warning as the rules dictate. He even tried to get the state association representative to talk to the coach. Finally, the coach told Little to "talk to the hand," because he wasn't talking to a fourth referee.
"I walked to my assistant on my line and said he was cussing the head referee and disrespecting both of us," Little said.
The assistant ref, or side judge, let the head ref know and the coach was given a red card, which meant he was out of the next game.
But apparently getting tossed by a calm, professional 14-year-old ref taught the offending coach a lesson.
"The second two days he made a point of coming up and saying hello," Little said, noting the coach did not leave his coaching box again.
For the final two days of the Southern Regionals in Raleigh, Little was invited to attend the games as a guest of the NCSRA. He was assigned a mentor, who is a referee for FIFA, the worldwide governing body for soccer.
The pair rode around WRAL Soccer Complex and watched games. He was also invited to the referees banquet, where he sat beside 84-year-old Stig Sasse.
Little hit it off with Sasse, who called games for 40 years, including 15 at the international level.
"I was awestruck hearing how long he's been refereeing," Little said. "He actually refereed a game at 82 years of age."
Little was given an official uniform for the US Youth Soccer National Tournament but the best part was receiving a standing ovation from the referees.
"I was poking out my chest!" Little said with a grin. "At the banquet, everyone wanted to come up and shake my hand. I felt like a celebrity."
Little, who also plays soccer for a Wilson Youth Soccer Association Classic-level team and at Elm City Middle School, began his career as a soccer referee calling Wilson Parks and Recreation Department matches.
He gained his certification from the United States Soccer Federation and began calling WYSA matches.
Early on, he became enamored of officiating by watching some of the older referees at work. Little cited veteran Wilson ref Chris Pappas as one role model.
"I was playing soccer and we had a referee that was very professional on the field and dealt with the game very well when it was heated," Little said, referring to Pappas.
Pappas, who officiates club soccer as well as NCAA Division I matches, spoke of Little's enthusiasm.
"There would be games where we'd get through and be dead-dog tired and he would want to practice his signals," Pappas recalled.
Pappas said he wasn't surprised that Little was able to handle the job, given his dedication and passion.
"One good thing about Collin, he takes criticism well and practices to make himself a better referee," Pappas said. "No matter what level, I feel extremely comfortable reffing with someone his age. ... Collin can go as far as he wants to go."
paul@wilsontimes.com | 265-7808