A high school soccer referee was inexplicably obliterated by a player on the pitch during a playoff game in Ohio, and the official was badly injured ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The bizarre incident went down Tuesday night during a clash between New Philadelphia and Steubenville ... when a player received a red card for appearing to mouth off to one of the refs.

Moments later, one of his teammates sprinted full speed into the referee, laying him out, sending him crashing to the ground.

We're told the official was taken to the hospital and is now being treated for broken ribs and a collapsed lung.

Thankfully, a spokesperson for the Ohio High School Athletic Association tells us the official is "doing better."

As for punishment for the player, OHSAA tells us he's looking at far more than a red card.

What will it be? That's still unclear, but the soccer body says the "school has indicated that punishment will be significant, which the OHSAA agrees with," the rep told us.

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The scary scene was captured on video, and as the clip begins to go viral, there are mounting calls for criminal charges.

As for the game itself, New Philadelphia won 2-1 ... but it's not like anyone's talking about the score.