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GHSA: Refs erred in Darlington loss
Nov 9, 2005 1:38 PM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Written by Joseph Myers, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer, published 11/19/05
After his team lost at Greene County in the second round of the Class AA playoffs last week, Darlington football coach Tommy Atha felt the referees had stopped the game’s final play too soon.
On Wednesday, the Georgia High School Association told Atha that he was right.
“Apparently an error was made by the officials (on the final play of the game) and if what’s been presented to us so far is true, then there will be some disciplinary action,” said GHSA media relations director Steve Figueroa. “There’s nothing we can do now and we regret that it happened.”
The admission of the error by the game’s officiating crew was small consolation as it was Greene County hosted Cook in a quarterfinal on Friday night while Darlington’s season was still over.
The main play in question was a two-point conversion with Darlington trailing, 28-27. Running back Wes Henderson took a handoff around left end and apparently was stopped short of the end zone.
However, the ball came out of Henderson’s hands as he was stopped and a Darlington player fell on the ball in the end zone. Had the referees allowed the fumble, Darlington would have made the conversion and won the game, 29-28.
The referees, though, said Henderson’s knee touched the ground before the fumble, rendering the play dead and the game over.
A videotape of the play was sent to the GHSA and when it was viewed, it revealed that Henderson’s knee wasn’t down.
Darlington sent the GHSA a tape of two plays in question as part of an Unsatisfactory Officials Report it filed on Monday.
“We filed a report after the game and sent a copy of the tape,” said Atha. “We asked if they’d take a look and give their opinion of the two plays in question.
“After viewing the tapes, the GHSA agreed and said that there were two missed calls.”
The other play that Darlington questioned came with just over a minute left in regulation and the Tigers holding a 21-19 lead.
On Greene County’s two-point conversion, referees ruled Marcus Foster snuck inside the pylon in the right corner of the end zone to tie the game at 21 and force overtime.
However, the tape of the play showed Foster was forced out of bounds before he got to the pylon.
“We certainly support the GHSA and understand their viewpoint,” said Atha. “It was an unfortunate situation. We felt like if you look on the film, the fumble at the end of the game looks to be a live ball in the end zone that we get and it wasn’t ruled that way.
“We fully understand that as much as it hurts and leaves an empty feeling, that’s the way that it is.”
Figueroa said the viewing of the tape wasn’t as part of an official protest on Darlington’s part, as the GHSA no longer allows games to be protested.
“The GHSA never looks at game tape as part of a protest or to change the outcome of a game,” said Figueroa. “We go with the reports of game officials as to what happened on the field. We did away with protests two years ago.”
Atha said the decision to file a report wasn’t done to try and reverse the outcome of the game, merely to question the calls on the two plays near the end of the game.
“We’re not questioning the GHSA’s decisions at all,” said Atha. “We understand the rules they hand down. We just wanted to point out there were two bad calls made and we felt like those in charge of officials should be made aware of it.”
Figueroa declined to name the officials association that called the game, though Atha confirmed it was the Lanier Football Officials Association, based out of Flowery Branch.
After his team lost at Greene County in the second round of the Class AA playoffs last week, Darlington football coach Tommy Atha felt the referees had stopped the game’s final play too soon.
On Wednesday, the Georgia High School Association told Atha that he was right.
“Apparently an error was made by the officials (on the final play of the game) and if what’s been presented to us so far is true, then there will be some disciplinary action,” said GHSA media relations director Steve Figueroa. “There’s nothing we can do now and we regret that it happened.”
The admission of the error by the game’s officiating crew was small consolation as it was Greene County hosted Cook in a quarterfinal on Friday night while Darlington’s season was still over.
The main play in question was a two-point conversion with Darlington trailing, 28-27. Running back Wes Henderson took a handoff around left end and apparently was stopped short of the end zone.
However, the ball came out of Henderson’s hands as he was stopped and a Darlington player fell on the ball in the end zone. Had the referees allowed the fumble, Darlington would have made the conversion and won the game, 29-28.
The referees, though, said Henderson’s knee touched the ground before the fumble, rendering the play dead and the game over.
A videotape of the play was sent to the GHSA and when it was viewed, it revealed that Henderson’s knee wasn’t down.
Darlington sent the GHSA a tape of two plays in question as part of an Unsatisfactory Officials Report it filed on Monday.
“We filed a report after the game and sent a copy of the tape,” said Atha. “We asked if they’d take a look and give their opinion of the two plays in question.
“After viewing the tapes, the GHSA agreed and said that there were two missed calls.”
The other play that Darlington questioned came with just over a minute left in regulation and the Tigers holding a 21-19 lead.
On Greene County’s two-point conversion, referees ruled Marcus Foster snuck inside the pylon in the right corner of the end zone to tie the game at 21 and force overtime.
However, the tape of the play showed Foster was forced out of bounds before he got to the pylon.
“We certainly support the GHSA and understand their viewpoint,” said Atha. “It was an unfortunate situation. We felt like if you look on the film, the fumble at the end of the game looks to be a live ball in the end zone that we get and it wasn’t ruled that way.
“We fully understand that as much as it hurts and leaves an empty feeling, that’s the way that it is.”
Figueroa said the viewing of the tape wasn’t as part of an official protest on Darlington’s part, as the GHSA no longer allows games to be protested.
“The GHSA never looks at game tape as part of a protest or to change the outcome of a game,” said Figueroa. “We go with the reports of game officials as to what happened on the field. We did away with protests two years ago.”
Atha said the decision to file a report wasn’t done to try and reverse the outcome of the game, merely to question the calls on the two plays near the end of the game.
“We’re not questioning the GHSA’s decisions at all,” said Atha. “We understand the rules they hand down. We just wanted to point out there were two bad calls made and we felt like those in charge of officials should be made aware of it.”
Figueroa declined to name the officials association that called the game, though Atha confirmed it was the Lanier Football Officials Association, based out of Flowery Branch.
