http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=156031&catid=339GROVER - It was a classic rivalry game, a shootout decided by a single touchdown. It was a touchdown that everyone at the game now agrees never actually happened.
As the host Pawnee Coyotes shook hands with the rival Briggsdale Falcons on September 24, the scoreboard indicated a 62-57 Pawnee win. On paper it looked like another high-scoring shootout in six-man football. But while the game was over, it was far from decided.
A few things are clear: six unearned points appeared in the home team's column sometime around the half, Briggsdale's coaching staff noticed the error and pointed it out to the officials who did not alter the score, and both teams eventually played on as if the score was correct. Without the phantom touchdown included in the final tally, Briggsdale outscored Pawnee 57-56.
Pawnee insists the score on the field should stand.
After initially telling the rival schools to sort it out for themselves, the governing body for high school athletics in Colorado levied its harshest possible punishment on Friday, blocking Pawnee from postseason play.
A letter sent to Pawnee indicates the postseason restriction imposed by the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) will be lifted when Pawnee resolves the situation in an "appropriate manner."
Prior to CHSAA's sanction, both head coaches and Pawnee's athletic director spoke with 9NEWS.
"There were very unfortunate circumstances and everyone regrets that they happened," said Pawnee athletic director Kathy Adams. "We just had to go with the way the score stood on the field."
Asked point-blank which team won, Adams paused for a moment before answering.
"We won," she said. "That'll be the official answer. We won that game."
Pawnee head coach Doug Miller seemed to take no pleasure in his team's "win."
"I know, box score-wise, they won," Miller said. "I just feel kinda sick over this."
Several calls to Adams following CHSAA's sanction were not returned.
Briggsdale head coach Rick Mondt, who also is the school district's superintendent, would not directly say if he felt Pawnee made the wrong decision to retain the victory.
"Our kids feel like we won," Mondt said, adding, "It's not our call."
"That's what my team has to understand," Mondt said. "That's the lesson to learn."
Both schools originally appealed to CHSAA for a decision on the scoring error last Monday. The organization essentially punted, saying there was no applicable guidance in the football rulebook.
The rulebook is clear in one regard: no tie games.
CHSAA told the schools to discuss the situation and declare a winner, essentially handing the decision to Pawnee.
"We tried to be fair, we tried to consider all aspects," Adams said. "If it had been corrected early in the second half then the coaches would have coached different. And it can't be replayed."
Mondt questions why none of the officials refereeing the game had kept track of the score that night. A CHSAA official said the rules are clear: the referees are not responsible for scorekeeping, but rather protecting player safety and implementing the rules of the game.
In high school football, the home team's scorekeeping book is considered the official record and, unlike basketball and several other sports, the visiting team's scorekeeper is not required to sit next to his host counterpart.
Mondt has told his players they need to move on.
"We just have to live with the result," Mondt said.
Both Adams and Mondt spoke of the need to move beyond the controversy for the good of their communities which, despite being separated by 25 miles, are as close to neighbors as they have in northern Weld County.
"I don't ever see that changing, you know, the need of being there for each other and helping," Mondt said.
Pawnee and Briggsdale haven't always been rivals on the gridiron. The teams played cooperatively in the 1990s as Crow Valley. The combined team won back-to-back state titles.
