Football Shenanigans

[dammitbobby]

Man. Non-Texas states have had a crazy week of HS football shenanigans.

 https://www.outkick.com/sports/mississippi-high-school-football-marshall-academy-loses-on-purpose-fined?fbclid=IwdGRjcAN3KU5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHouxI-UQe4kNJ84IhxcBwLagkVlqNdOXkxlV-Vv4ng8B8gqmlGfBZRiOcptF_aem_fFhaPxpeKjajwjetnMZbNw

If this were in Texas, and I was white hat for this game, at some point every one of their coaches would receive two UNS fouls and be ejected (which would result in every one of them having to go through a state UIL disciplinary hearing which would likely have severe consequences for them professionally), they couldn’t coach the following week at a minimum,  and then I’d suspend the game and make the TASO/UIL   figure out what to do next.



This one… hate that this happened; there’s no right answer for this after the fact.

 https://www.14news.com/2025/11/03/fairfield-files-protest-with-ihsa-after-saturdays-playoff-football-gam/?outputType=amp

There’s a clip in the article that shows what happened.

[refjeff]

I think forfeit the game and go home early.  Let the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools sort it out.

[dammitbobby]

But forfeit equals loss, and that’s what they wanted, so they could advance in the lower bracket. State association might do that but it wouldn’t be me gifting it to them.

[Fatso]

The 2nd game with a 5th down is ridiculous.  The QB accidentally took a knee instead of spiking the ball on 3rd down.  Then he spiked it on 4th down (obviously, not realizing it was 4th down).  I don't know what the officials' discussion was but they absolutely gave them a 5th down and hence the victory.

[Ralph Damren]

IMHO, sports -expecially football - on a high school level should be teaching fair play and honestly. In play (or lack thereof) #1, I feel the state association should/could have the powerto ban the school from post-season play. The fines delt out to the school & coach still don't really teach the players anything.  (5- man crew)

On play #2, while Rule 1-1-11 states that Protests of NFHS rules are not recognized, however 1-1-8 sez' "State Associations may intercede in the event of unsual incidents that occur before,during or AFTER the game officials' jurisdiction has ended..." Kicking a game winning field goal on FIFTH down as the game ended certainly seems like an unsual incident  .

In 1975 the NFHS recommended a plan for breakig ties. Maine didn't choose to use that plan until 1977. There was still talk in football circles about our new- fangled tie-breaker  . In an early season game that ended in a tie, the  officials let them play overtime. The game ended with a win  .The MPA stepped in and stated the overtime didn't count and the game ended with a TIE

IMHO, this was an example of 1-1-8. Could this be applied to the 5th down FG 

[Legacy Zebra]

If this were in Texas, and I was white hat for this game, at some point every one of their coaches would receive two UNS fouls and be ejected (which would result in every one of them having to go through a state UIL disciplinary hearing which would likely have severe consequences for them professionally), they couldn’t coach the following week at a minimum,  and then I’d suspend the game and make the TASO/UIL figure out what to do next.

Under what rule? Is this bush league? Absolutely. Should there be some off the field punishment? I think so. But is it illegal within the game? No. We don’t have a “travesty of the game” rule like baseball does. Just because we don’t like something doesn’t mean we can just make up punishment.

[dammitbobby]

I meant to edit earlier, that upon reflection, I would probably only ding the head coach, not all the assistants.  Cooler heads and all that.

That said, IMO we do have rules support for this, 9-2-3:

Unfair Acts
ARTICLE 3. The following are unfair acts:
a.   A team refuses to play within two minutes after ordered to do so by the referee.
b.   A team repeatedly commits fouls for which penalties can be enforced only by halving the distance to its goal line.
c.   An obviously unfair act not specifically covered by the rules occurs during the game. This includes substitutes, coaches or any other persons subject to
the rules, other than a player or official, interfering in any way with the ball or a player while the ball is in play (A.R. 4-2-1-II, 9-2-3-I and 9-2-3-IV).

PENALTY— Unsportsmanlike conduct. The referee may take any action they consider equitable, which includes directing that the down be repeated, including assessing a 15-yard penalty, awarding a score, or suspending or forfeiting the game [S27].

[SCline]

First play should have had 3-6-3 invoked, head home early, write the game report let the league figure out the rest.

Second play is rough

[ilyazhito]

I'm not sure how a 5th down can happen. The officials are supposed to check the number of the down before and after every play. If I was on this game, I would ask my partners "hey, this last play was 4th down. White should get the ball, right? " I'm not sure how all 5 officials could have a brain fart about the number of the downs. If the worst comes to the worst, they could ask the down box guy or a person running the stats about the number of the down.

If protests are allowed, I would nullify the result of the game, because a team should not be able to benefit from an obvious error by the crew that impacts the game. A game-winning field goal on 5th down should not happen.

[Ralph Damren]

I'm not sure how a 5th down can happen. The officials are supposed to check the number of the down before and after every play. If I was on this game, I would ask my partners "hey, this last play was 4th down. White should get the ball, right? " I'm not sure how all 5 officials could have a brain fart about the number of the downs. If the worst comes to the worst, they could ask the down box guy or a person running the stats about the number of the down.

If protests are allowed, I would nullify the result of the game, because a team should not be able to benefit from an obvious error by the crew that impacts the game. A game-winning field goal on 5th down should not happen.

In my above post, our state association stated that the game should have ended with a tie score as the overtime shouldn't have happened. With an unsuccessful 4th down, the ball would have turned over with a mili-second to go. Could their state association apply 1-1-8 and rule that the 5th down field goal never happened.

A Dartmouth friend once told me of a bowl game many moons ago that they won because of an inadvertant 5th down . When the team discovered the  error the following day, they all voted to give the victory to their opponent.  Sportsmanship seems to have changed 

[Ralph Damren]

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW BY THE REPLAY OFFICIAL (ME & OLE' DELL)......

My Dartmouth friend  got it 'bass-ackwards' :

SCENE : 1940, Cornell (6-0) playing Dartmouth (3-3) in an Ivy League battle

ACT I : Big Green leading Big Red 3-0 ,with seconds to go

ACT II : Big Red's ball , goal-to-go , 4th down, Big Green held

ACT III : Big Red,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,somehow gets another down, they score, ....game ends ,Cornell wins 6-3

ACT IV: The next day, Cornell discovers the error, entire team and coaches vote to forfeit the game to Dartmouth 

ACT V : Dartmouth accepts forfeit victory 

EPILOGUE : IMHO, our sportsmanshilp began to fade the next year when we were bombed at Pearl Harbor.

[dammitbobby]

My understanding (what I've read) is that forfeiting wouldn't allow the other team to advance, because of the way their bylaws are worded. A forfeiture after the game was final, would be a forfeit for the upcoming game, and would only advance/benefit the next team to be played.

Porta did lose Saturday 54-14.

[refjeff]

Under what rule? Is this bush league? Absolutely. Should there be some off the field punishment? I think so. But is it illegal within the game? No. We don’t have a “travesty of the game” rule like baseball does. Just because we don’t like something doesn’t mean we can just make up punishment.

9-9-5  Neither team shall commit any act which, in the opinion of the referee, tends to make a travesty of the game.

[refjeff]

But forfeit equals loss, and that’s what they wanted, so they could advance in the lower bracket. State association might do that but it wouldn’t be me gifting it to them.

I'm not willing to be an accomplice to this absurdity.

And I'm not going to throw gas on the fire with a bunch of UNS flags and DQ's.   Someone higher up the pay scale can sort it out.

[dammitbobby]

Suspending the game here is the best option for the outcome, notwithstanding any penalties. That gives the state association latitude in how to handle it. By making them forfeit, you are leaving the state association very few options as to what could occur next. Plus, it guarantees them a spot in the lower bracket, where they would likely dominate, which is exactly what they wanted.