Vail, AZ
Bill McCulloch – 520 Sports Talk
This could have been a game for the ages on both sides of the ball tonight. Instead it turned out to be one of the biggest farces witnessed in recent history in the Santa Cruz Valley.
They hype, the anticipation of this rivalry game started early in the week with the build up for win number 300 for legendary Coach Jeff Scurran.
Scurran has had incredible success wherever he’s coached from Canyon del Oro starting in 1984, to the juggernaut he made at Sabino High School in the 90’s, to Pima College and even the Santa Rita Eagles and now the Falcons of Catalina Foothills.
No doubt the man has incredible coaching knowledge and longevity. With what was learned tonight about a letter sent to Empire High School earlier in the week predicting they would no only win tonight, but also celebrate on the Ravens field, isn’t setting the proper example of winning with dignity.
Yes, this gave Empire plenty of Locker Room Material to get hyped up for the game, but was that a smart move on the powers from the school on Sunrise Drive?
This is not ASU/Arizona in which classless barbs have been levied against the Cats from the taunting of Steve Kerr, hours after his father was murdered in Lebanon to Bobby Hurley’s tantrums at McKale Center.
This is not the NFL where trash talk is commonplace and often becomes racial or totally out of place.
This is High School Football where kids range from 14-18 years old. This is a place for taking the high road and setting an example as a Coach and Mentor.
Leading 12-0 at halftime at home, with few penalties levied, the nerves were felt on both sides. Could the Ravens hold the lead against a perennial state playoff team with Falcon kids trying to give their coach his 300th overall victory, or would halftime adjustments by this coaching legend allow his team to come back and gain the victory?
Empire lives and dies by the run out of the Wing T offense. Catalina Foothills filled with future college athletes runs and passes out of shotgun, pro sets and spread offense.
Both teams had success on offense at different parts of the game. Both team’s defense made key stops stopping the other’s momentum. The way football should be played.
Enter Referee Tommy Gin, Umpire Richard Garcia, Linesman Jaime Quintana, Line Judge Darren Cummings and Back Judge Joe Porter. These officials could have traded places with the officiating crew from the movie Remember the Titans, starring Denzel Washington.
Remember the storyline of a Virginia High School being integrated in the early 1960’s and the rampant racism and initial ill feeling from the community. T.C. Williams High brought together a team of different races and backgrounds into a ever improving team on their quest for an undefeated season and State Championship.
In one of the playoff games the referees under pressure from certain community leaders took the game out of the players hands and tried to make it impossible for T.C.Williams to win after leading much like tonight’s game. Only after an Assistant Coach threatened legal action was the game called properly and unbiasedly.
The bias tonight was not racial, but nonetheless as damaging to the integrity of the game.
The penalty flags flew as if they actually jumped out of this officiating crew’s pocket. Fantom holding calls, uncatchable passes with pass interference penalties being called. A young man’s helmet being knocked off by a tackle leading with the opponent’s helmet (highly illegal) and get this, an unsportsmanlike conduct originally called on the Falcons was overturned and reassessed against the Ravens.
This officiating crew couldn’t make a correct call or eat their flags when it looked like the Falcons may actually lose this game if their life depended on it.
Fact: there is holding on almost every passing play no matter what level of football.
Empire, which rarely passes, was whistled for holding on almost every pass attempt in the fourth quarter.
Subsequently, the Falcons would give their quarterback 5-9 seconds routinely to find a receiver with no holding calls.
Yes, the Falcons were whistled for penalties, but never when a drive was on the line.
As I stated before, poor officiating almost never dictates the outcome of a game. There are “what ifs” or “if we had only made that play” that far outweigh an officials bad call.
If I hadn’t witnessed this farce with my own eyes, I’d be the first one to discard any complaints from the losing teams coaches and fans.
It was like the Officials couldn’t wait to be “part of history” and be given the opportunity to tell their grandkids of a future generation how they were a part of this legendary victory.
This was no fault of the kids from Catalina Foothills. They came to play hard and gain the victory as they should week in and week out.
This was not even the questionable letter that was sent earlier in the week. Plain and simple, this was a game that was not determined Mano a Mano against two well coached teams. This was such a blatant effort on part of men who shouldn’t determine the outcome of a game, but rather keep the game within football the rules of football without prejudice.
A formal complaint will be filed Monday by the Empire Athletic Department to the AIA, the governing body for Arizona High School Sports, but it will fall on deaf ears or be swept under the carpet on the grounds of bias complaints from Head Coach Jeffries.
The game will go into the record books at a win for the Falcons and years down the road, the variables will long be forgotten, but for those Empire High Players this debacle in Vail the stigma of what should have been will last for decades to come.
