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Dunbar shows class in spite of controversy | news-press.com | The News-Press
Dunbar shows class in spite of controversy
Sam Cook
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The greatest catch of Javian Battle's prep football career turned out to be a bummer.
"It didn't sink in until (Monday),'' says Battle, a senior at Dunbar High. "That was my last high school game.''
This isn't the way prep football games should end - decided when one official overrules another's touchdown signal. The reversal preserved Naples' 17-14 victory against Dunbar in Friday's Class 4A-3 Region semifinal at Staver Field.
"I know I had possession of the ball, but (the official) told me I was out of bounds,'' Battle says. "The tape clearly shows it was a touchdown.''
By 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, the disputed play had been replayed 1,400 times in 25 hours on news-press.com.
Florida High School Athletic Association Rule 12.3.3 says "The decisions of contest officials shall be final.'' The rule also says schools should file reports of unsatisfactory performances by officials.
Dunbar Principal Carl Burnside and coach Phil Vogt sent clips of the play to the FHSAA.
Burnside, who took the reins when Dunbar reopened in 2000 after closing for integration in 1969, didn't have to wait long for a silver lining Friday night.
"Our kids were devastated, but they really handled the loss with class and dignity,'' he says. "It was a great football game. Life lessons are learned from losing. We had a magnificent season. We're well-coached. We're disciplined."
"The best is yet to come for Dunbar football,'' Burnside said.
Vogt, who has coached at Dunbar for three years, says the uniform carries responsibilities.
"Above all, when we wear that uniform, we represent the school,'' he says. "You gotta be under control.''
Naples coach Bill Kramer, who runs the best program in Southwest Florida, says he wouldn't expect Dunbar players to react any other way.
"They behaved like champions,'' he says. "That's what champions in sport do: They're humble when they win and resilient when they lose.''
No fan wants a controversial call to decide a game, but host Dunbar benefitted from a reset Oct. 17 against Fort Myers.
Green Wave coaches and players said the clock ran out, but officials ruled the Tigers called time out with two seconds left. Junior Jorvonte Jones then took a pass 28 yards for a touchdown and a 21-15 Dunbar victory as time ran out.
Let's replay Friday's pivotal play:
Receiver Battles and Naples defensive back Mark Pearson stretched for the ball with the game hanging in the balance.
Pearson had good position in front of Battle, yet the Tigers senior reached over his foe to grasp his half of the ball.
The players took several steps and tumbled out of the back of the end zone, holding the ball with all their might.
The closest official signaled touchdown, which would have pushed Dunbar ahead 20-17 with 10.6 seconds remaining.
But the sideline official, gesturing the players were past the end line, waved off the score. The officials huddled and declared the pass incomplete.
According to the rule book, when two players share possession, the offensive player prevails. In this case, touchdown Dunbar.
I watched the tape 25 times. It appears Pearson and Battle both snugly hold the ball without juggling as they fall out of bounds. I sent the tape to my stepson, Carl Tipton, a football coach at Lake Mary High, north of Orlando. He says the officials made the correct call.
But the officials, who were from Broward County, don't have the luxury of replay.
"I saw the video as a call that could have gone either way,'' Kramer says. "The officials do the very best they can. I've been on the other side of it.''
Contacted Tuesday by The News-Press, John Craven, president of the Broward Football Officials Association, said "Per FHSAA policy we can't comment to the media.''
Spokeswoman Christina Alvarez says the FHSAA never overturns officials' decisions.
"The referees are an extension of the FHSAA,'' she says. "When they make a call, we trust their judgment.''
Fans debate judgment calls in sports for decades, but the night wasn't a total loss for Dunbar.
Battle, the almost-hero, says a winner's qualities are important - especially when you lose.
"Something told us to keep our cool,'' he says. "We didn't want to be known as the team that lost and got mad.''