It could happen to us, not just Chiefland
If you're a faithful reader (aren't all of you?) then you recall I wrote a column about officiating a few weeks ago when the NBA gambling broke.
At the time, I said I didn't criticize officials for judgment unless it was a situation where you could prove what happened.
So here, just a short time later, comes the Williston-Chiefland football game last Friday night.
You can't help but appreciate that the Chiefland folks are a little skittish about coming over here. Two years ago, the Indians were trying to kill the clock with a lead, but the officials lost the spot of the ball, Williston ended up getting it back and tying the score, and the Red Devils won in overtime.
This past week there were a couple of plays that Chiefland people were incensed about, one rightly so and the other maybe not.
Let's take the second one first. It was a fourth-quarter punt where it appeared the Williston players ran into the kicker. The referee chose not to throw the flag. Actually, it probably didn't matter, because it was a fourth-and-10 play, and even a running into the kicker penalty would not have made it a first down and would have forced another punt. In that situtation, many coaches choose to decline the penalty. So there probably was nobody hurt on that one.
The other one was different. Chiefland had just scored to take a 27-14 lead, and lined up to kick the extra point. For whatever reason, the snap ended up loose, and quarterback and holder Daniel Galpin, a pretty savvy senior, picked it up and didn't panic, sweeping right end for the corner of the end zone. The official on the play eventually ruled he didn't make it.
There's one problem. The accompanying picture shows that he did indeed get in. He's across the goal line, in bounds, in full possession of the ball. The official at the right is looking at Galpin, but not at his feet. Moments later, the onrushing Red Devils ran right toward that official, and he had to turn around to avoid being knocked over. When he came back around, he at first gave no signal, and the other officials came toward him to find out the call.
He signaled that the try had failed.
With the naked eye, I was pretty sure that he had gotten in. When photographer Dave Colon showed me the picture, it was obvious that he had scored.
At that point, it was a two-touchdown lead with just over eight minutes remaining, and it looked as if it didn't matter.
As it turns out, it did. At some point Williston would have been forced to go for two points, and maybe we would have been headed for overtime once again.
While it's clear this official should have made the call, I wonder why the others hadn't drifted toward that play once it became obvious that it was a running play, not a kick.
At any rate, this type of thing could happen to any team, including Williston. Hopefully the officials the rest of the season will use better judgment than they did in this instance.
NEXT, TRINITY CATHOLIC. I remember two years ago, when Williston played at Trinity Catholic, for some reason I don't recall I was free that night and went to watch that game. Williston gave a good account of itself, and only a tough call on a punt that was ruled a touchback kept the Red Devils from having the Celtics pinned down on their own 1-yard line in what could have been a big momentum play.
Those were the Kerwin Bell and John Brantley powerhouse teams at TCHS. Both are gone now, Ricky Nattiel is the coach, but don't think that this team is going to drop that much. True, Trinity lost its opening game, but the Celtics didn't have their quarterback, who had been injured. He's back, and Trinity whipped up on West Port last weekend.
Still, when you cover a game from the sidelines, you learn a lot about a team. Even when they're down in the score, you never get the sense that the Red Devils are out of it. There's a certain spirit that is showing among the players.
Maybe that will carry over this week. I have to admit it would not break my heart one bit to see Trinity Catholic get whipped, or even beaten by just one point.
Go for it, Devils!
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