he Halloween game in Georgia between Duluth and Dacula gave us the call heard around the country. Every football official who has ever worked a game has to be thinking about the implication of this game on future rulings.
Editor’s note: When we read that the game happened on Halloween and that one of the schools was Dacula, we were certain Ed was trying to pull a fast one. But it’s real: Dacula is around 37 miles east-northeast of Atlanta. And nobody’s seen any vampires in town.
The error
On a play where a player commits a personal foul and is disqualified, the referee mistakenly enforces the personal foul as a dead ball foul rather than a live ball foul. The difference gave offending team Duluth a first down deep in their territory versus what should have been a third down and long even deeper in their territory. Dacula Coach Kevin Maloof attempted to point out the misapplication of the rule to the referee but to no avail; consequently, he appealed by filing a protest to the Georgia State High School Association, the agency responsible for overseeing athletics throughout the state.
The Georgia High School Association, after reviewing the enforcement, decided the error had substantial effect on the outcome of the game and ordered it replayed from the time of the error. GHSA spokesman Steve Figueroa said this is a first, a football game being replayed because of an officiating error. Protesting Dacula Coach Maloof views this as working for his players. Winning Duluth Coach Bill Shields sees no reason for the replay.
Continued...
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