Somewhere the Evil Genius is smilingIt's unfortunate that no matter what gameplan a team comes up with to win a game a crew of bonehead officials can screw it all up. Whether through incompetence or an inability to resist the urge to make themselves bigger than the game and more important that the players, coaches and ticket-buying fans, the result is the same: tainting of the game.
I'm still sickened by what happened in our game with Kings Mountain on Saturday night. For the record, not only did Hickory have two first-half touchdowns called back on bad calls but the idiots in striped shirts also incorrectly flagged the Hickory defense for pass interference in the end zone on a 4th-down play that should have turned the ball back over to the Red Tornadoes but instead gave Kings Mountain a first down. The Mounties then scored their second touchdown of the game to push their fourth-quarter lead to 17-7.
Here are the three key incidents that helped change the momentum of the game:
- In the second quarter Hickory began a drive on its own three that burned nearly five minutes off the clock. That's exactly the kind of drive that the Red Tornadoes needed in order to keep Kings Mountain's explosive offense on the sideline and bring the action to KM's end of the field. But the drive stalled on the Mountaineer 31. Facing a 4th-and-4 situation, Kevin Shelton completed a nice pass to Trevin Parks who raced into the end zone for an apparent touchdown. It was a gutsy call and a perfectly-executed pass play. That is until the side judge on Kings Mountain's side decided that somebody must be guilty of holding. Hickory had no choice but to punt.
- After the Red Tornado defense hung tough on Kings Mountain's next possession the offense went back to work. Hickory drove into Mountaineer territory again and appeared to score when Trevin Parks took a reverse and then lofted a pass to Shelton on the sideline. Kevin not only made the catch but then got himself into the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown. A perfectly executed trick play that should have given Hickory a much-needed early lead. But the side judge on Hickory's side, a genuine hanky-tossing douchebag, threw a flag. Although he wasn't even in position to make the call he decided to flag Hickory for a phantom block in the back. It simply didn't happen.
And here's the real human cost of such a boneheaded call by the official. Not only did it cost Hickory a touchdown but it also ruined a special moment for Kevin Shelton. It's not often that a quarterback gets to be on the receiving end of a pass, not to mention a touchdown pass. As I said, the play was perfectly executed by all 11 Red Tornadoes on the field, especially Trevin Parks and Kevin Shelton. They deserved to have that touchdown. There simply was no foul. But for all time, thanks to the jackass in stripes, the play will only live on in our collective memories (and the game film, of course). That's not much of a consolation prize after the play of a kid's career in his final high school game was stolen by some worthless stooge afflicted with acute BCRS!
The Hickory fans who actually made the trip exploded in rage. People - even women - came out of the stands and down to the fence to yell at the knucklehead who threw the flag. I myself was threatened by him with ejection from the stadium because of a comment I made. Go figure!
To complete the farce, Hickory maintained the drive and got into the red zone. A hard hit by a Mountaineer linebacker forced a fumble inside the five that was recovered by the players in black and gold. Give a team enough mulligans and they will find a way to take advantage sooner or later. - The final injustice occurred in the final period when Hickory was trailing 10-7. When you consider that Kings Mountain was the champion of the Southwestern Conference and the #2 seed in the bracket while Hickory finished fourth in the CVAC and was a lowly #15 seed playing on the road, a three-point deficit was very impressive and still manageable.
After Kings Mountain had finally broken the scoreless tie late in the third period with a 29-yard field goal the Red Tornadoes quickly answered with a 64-yard scoring drive of their own. T.J. Wimbush led the way, picking up 41 yards. He capped it with a 13-yard touchdown run. Patrick Smith's PAT cut the Mountaineer lead to 10-7.
On the ensuing kickoff the Mountaineers returned the ball to midfield. Despite the good field position the Tornadoes battled them, giving ground reluctantly. It came down to a 4th-down play, a pass to end zone. Not only was the ball not catchable but the receiver managed to fall down. The linebacker who was in coverage was watching the ball and not interfering with the receiver. Nevertheless, out came the flag. Instead of Hickory taking over at the 13 the Mounties were given an automatic 1st-and-goal. They scored on the next play. The extra point boosted the Mountaineer lead to 17-7.
Earlier tonight I listened to the game between Shelby and Bandys. Bandys, a team from Catawba County, the underdog, playing down in Cleveland County. The Trojans pulled off an upset victory in overtime. I couldn't help but think that it could have been Hickory last week with the big upset down in Kings Mountain.
Of course, we'll never know for sure what would have happened if Hickory's two touchdowns hadn't been nullified and Kings Mountain's second touchdown hadn't been facilitated by a bad call. Maybe the Mountaineers would have found a way to win anyway. They were, afterall, the heavy favorites.
But you have to think that being down 14-0 at halftime would have had an effect on the Mountaineers. It's true, Kings Mountain did make adjustments in the second half that helped their offense. Yes, Hickory's kickoff and punt coverage units gave up too many yards to the Mountaineers that allowed Kings Mountain to have a short field. But all of that should have been in an effort to simply catch up - not forge ahead. If Hickory is winning 21-17 late in the game then maybe it's the Mountaineers having to gamble with the passing attack. Maybe Hickory intercepts and returns it for a game-clinching touchdown. We simply will never know. That's the sickness of it. That's the fault of the so-called referees. That's the real cost of Burke County Referee Syndrome.
Look at the assholes run!
