Locust Grove-Douglass Fiasco

[vvvvvvv]

At one time, extracurricular sports were about teaching life lessons like teamwork, hard work, and dedication lead to success.

Something else that's important in life: even if a third party makes a mistake that negatively impacts you, there are no do-overs.

In my opinion, the people saying the last minute should be re-played or the outcome should be arbitrarily altered because of a bad call prefer to place parental egos over useful educational opportunities.

The correct reaction to this "fiasco" is to suck it up and go on.

 

[SMS]

That whole thing is insane…didn't take 'em long to play the race card either.

 

[SoonerP226]

At one time, extracurricular sports were about teaching life lessons like teamwork, hard work, and dedication lead to success.

Something else that's important in life: even if a third party makes a mistake that negatively impacts you, there are no do-overs.

In my opinion, the people saying the last minute should be re-played or the outcome should be arbitrarily altered because of a bad call prefer to place parental egos over useful educational opportunities.

The correct reaction to this "fiasco" is to suck it up and go on.

That pretty well sums it up. OU would love to have the officiating screw-ups of the '06 Oregon game fixed, and the U.S. basketball team surely deserves to have the travesty of the '72 Olympics gold medal round fixed, but ain't neither one gonna happen.

You got screwed by a bad officiating call; you're not the first and you won't be the last. Suck it up, Buttercup. Rub some dirt on it, hitch up your big-boy pants, and move on.

 

[VIKING]

Man I still remember that Oregon game..To me that wasn't a screw up..that was down right cheating...Im not even a sooner fan and I still get pissed just thinking about that...

 

[Okie4570]

http://newsok.com/high-school-footb...in-douglass-locust-grove-game/article/5371936

There hasn’t been a good night of sleep for Chris Cervantes in days.

Cervantes is the high school football official who dropped the flag that changed it all for Douglass and Locust Grove in last week’s Class 3A quarterfinal football matchup. The five-member officiating crew that he’s part of incorrectly enforced a penalty on Douglass’ sideline and took back a go-ahead touchdown with 1:04 remaining that resulted in Locust Grove winning, Douglass protesting and the 3A bracket now being in limbo.

It’s affecting his mood. It’s affecting every-day functions. It’s even affecting his personal relationships.

“I’m ready to hang up my freakin’ shoes because of this and throw years of officiating away,” Cervantes said. “It wasn’t because of the call. I will admit the problem of misinterpreting the penalty assessment. I will admit that as a person and a human being and there’s nothing I can do about that, and that’s what kills me the most.”

Douglass lost the game 20-19, and Oklahoma City Public Schools is now asking to replay the game from the touchdown. A special Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association board of directors meeting to hear the appeal has been granted for 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Cervantes, though, told The Oklahoman there’s more to this situation, saying he came in contact with a Douglass assistant coach during the play, an official on the crew was punched by a Douglass fan following the game and that Douglass coach Willis Alexander was threatening the officials outside their locker room.

“Coach Alexander came all the way from his dressing room and he wants (us) to come outside,” Cervantes said. “He’s out there hollering my full name so everybody around there knows, calling me out and telling me I better have security escort me out for my safety.”

Alexander denied that following Monday’s news conference.

“I was with my team after the game and then doing an interview with (The Oklahoman's) Scott (Wright),” Alexander said. "That wasn't part of it. My part was to get my team together and console my kids."

THE CREW

Chris Cervantes, 44, has been an official since 1994 at the high school and Division II level. He started calling various sports while serving in Guam as a construction mechanic in the Navy before officiating games in California and Florida. In 2004, he returned to Oklahoma where he graduated in the late 1980s from Tulsa Rogers.

Since then, he’s served on two crews. He began on longtime official Major Williams’ crew before leaving briefly to help form another crew. He returned to Williams’ crew a few years ago and has since called multiple playoff games.

The crew has officiated three games this posteason. It opened with Oologah at Sallisaw and then followed with Kiefer at Rejoice Christian. From 2010-2013, the crew officiated just one playoff game each season. Cervantes was only on the crew in 2013.

In 2008, Cervantes was on a different crew officiating two playoff games, including the Class 5A semifinal between Carl Albert and Lawton MacArthur.

“They’ve called more than a few games, even when I was coaching at Westmoore,” OSSAA director of officiating Mike Whaley said. “Highly respected crew; very experienced crew.”

Williams has been officiating for more than 30 years and is one of four armed forces veterans on the crew. The other member of the crew is a pastor, Cervantes said.

THE RULE

Even with all of the experience among the officiating crew, it was a relatively new rule that proved troublesome.

Rule 9-8-3 in the NFHS rulebook states, “A non-player shall not be outside the team box unless it’s to become (an active) player or return as a replaced player. A maximum of three coaches may be in the restricted area. No player, non-player or coach shall be in the restricted area when the ball is live.”

The rule was implemented a few years ago by the NFHS following a 2004 court case in which a Brackenridge (Texas) assistant coach filed a lawsuit against five officials and the Texas Association of Sports Officials, alleging their negligence led to a brain injury that ended his career. The Brackenridge assistant, Terry English, was in the restricted area when an official collided with him.

Douglass received a warning in the first quarter for this violation Friday, but then Cervantes said an assistant coach bumped him on the field during the go-ahead touchdown.

Video does not show conclusive proof he was touched, but does prove an assistant coach broke the rule that results in a 5-yard penalty. The crew enforced it from the original line of scrimmage, instead of on the ensuing extra-point attempt or kickoff like the rule states.

Willis Alexander then said he argued the enforcement, though Cervantes and his crewmate Chad Moyer both said that argument was never made.

“Not one of the Douglass coaches or the Douglass head coach argued or complained about the enforcement of the penalty,” Cervantes said. “They didn’t know how the penalty should have been enforced; they were all arguing the penalty itself. If they would have argued the enforcement, we as officials would have got back together to discuss it and probably came out with the right penalty assessment.”

THE AFTERMATH

Following the game, multiple reports said punches were thrown by fans. Chad Moyer, who is a Tulsa police officer, told 1430-AM in Tulsa Monday that he was punched by a fan.

OKCPS district athletic director Keith Sinor said the district would address that situation at a later date.

“We’re going to deal with one issue at a time,” he said. “First and more pressing issue that we’re going to deal with is the situation that directly affects our student-athletes. The matter that you’re referring to is an adult issue and we will refer to that whenever that time comes.”

Meanwhile, Cervantes will continue to lose sleep. Though he’s retired from the Navy, he can’t let go of his mistake, so much so that it’s possible he’ll never officiate again.

“This whole thing really has me more tore up as a person and individual,” he said. “I didn’t go out there any way in trying to take something away from anyone. This is something I have to live with and this is something I’m living with every day.”

 

[doctorjj]

At one time, extracurricular sports were about teaching life lessons like teamwork, hard work, and dedication lead to success.

Something else that's important in life: even if a third party makes a mistake that negatively impacts you, there are no do-overs.

In my opinion, the people saying the last minute should be re-played or the outcome should be arbitrarily altered because of a bad call prefer to place parental egos over useful educational opportunities.

The correct reaction to this "fiasco" is to suck it up and go on.

Very well said!

 

[Wheel Gun]

At one time, extracurricular sports were about teaching life lessons

Oh, there are some life lessons being taught here at Douglass. And, some of those students are learning well.

 

[EhlerDave]

Never mind it has been said.

 

[SoonerP226]

Actually if I was the coach of LG I wouldn't want to be declared the winner..What's he going to say if they should win the state title knowing they actually had a game given to them..The damn championship would sure be tainted knowing they actually got their ass beat in the quarter finals. I also wonder how many would have a different opinion if their kid played for Douglas?

Do you think the Patriots felt at all bad after winning the Super Bowl when Oakland should've beaten them in the playoffs were it not for one bad call?

Whatever happens, there is no reason for Locust Grove to feel bad about this. They didn't blow the application of the penalty, they just played the game. If any coaches are going to feel bad, it should be the coach(es) for Douglass--if they hadn't committed the sideline infraction, the flag would not have come out of the ref's pocket and none of this would've happened.

 

[SMS]

If any coaches are going to feel bad, it should be the coach(es) for Douglass--if they hadn't committed the sideline infraction, the flag would not have come out of the ref's pocket and none of this would've happened.

If they hadn't committed the sideline infraction at least twice and not acted like asses, this wouldn't have happened.

The lesson here is that individual actions have consequences and you don't get to dictate the consequences once you open yourself up to them…

There are no rules that allow a "do-over" or a changing of the score in this situation. If you willingly play in that system, you have to live with the outcome, especially if you contributed to the outcome.