Submitted photo – The officials appear to have made the correct call in difficult circumstances late in Saturday’s game at Crusader Field, as this submitted photo would suggest.
By Ray Hamill — A different angle provided a very different perspective on the controversial pass interference penalty in a football game at Crusader Field on Saturday, and it appears as if the officials got the call right after all.
St. Bernard’s was called for the penalty on a crucial fourth down play in the final minute of the game, as the visiting Fortuna Huskies looked to close out a 34-26 win with a playoff spot on the line.
The call, which kept the drive going and allowed the Huskies to run out the clock on the following play, enraged some of the home fans and coaches, who felt hard done by.
But a photo taken from the Fortuna sideline clearly shows the officials made the correct call, and in difficult circumstances at a pivotal time of the game.
The Huskies, who ran out the final seven and a half minutes of the game, must wait until next Sunday to see if they have made the NCS Division-5 playoff field, but it would appear to be almost certain that they will after Saturday’s win.
The Crusaders are guaranteed a place in the Division-6 bracket, but likely saw the top seed slip away with the loss.
All eight NCS playoff brackets will be released on Sunday.
Categories: Football, Fortuna, Sports, St. Bernard's
That photo shows that once the receiver has any part of his hand on the ball, he can be touched/grabbed/attempted to be tackled, that’s all…
It doesn’t matter how close the defender’s hand or arm or body is to the wide receiver prior to contact, and because players are good at timing their own body motion anticipating the play… because they probably done it before… it should have been a non call… Defender shouldn’t be penalized for using one hand to try to bat the ball down while using the other hand to get ready to grab onto the player just as soon as the ball is contacted…
… if there were picture frames previous to the picture frame above, then it would show more of the motion that video technology does…
… had the picture shown air space between the wide receivers hand and ball with the defender making contact, then that would be convincing…
… you got to let them play…
… we know Fortuna has been taking pictures because people have been complaining about the referees making calls and non calls that go to the advantage or benefit of fortuna…
☆ the video shows that the wide receiver is not shown to be herky-jerked or pulled downward…
… and that he made his best attempt to get up as high as he could, but it’s just wasn’t high enough as you could tell by the fingers with the right hand… opposite of the left side of the body where the beginning point of the tackle was being made by the defender…
… the pass was just a bit high as well…appeared uncatchable…
Just another Fair observation from a different angle…
The defender doesn’t need to wait for the offensive player to have possession in order to begin making the tackle…
Zoom in on the photo and you will see he is grabbing his bicep not allowing him to bring his other arm up to make the catch.. also restricting how high he can go up for the ball.. pass interference.. right call
In the video, the side ref didn’t start to reach for the flag to throw until after the tackle had been made … his right arm wasn’t even in motion to grab the flag out of his back right pocket when the wide receiver had his right hand on the ball… If there really was an infraction, the side ref would have had his arm in motion reaching to grab his flag…
… if the defender had his left hand tugging on the wide receivers left arm, the referee didn’t indicate his recognition of such with right arm motion to the back pocket prior to the wide receiver handling football that was a wee bit High and uncatchable…
… it appears the side ref and his photographic memory we’re retroactively placed in the play because it was so Bang Bang… it happens as we’re all human, but it’s why you must let them play, because if it’s not so obvious that the ref is immediately making the motion to recognize an infraction at the very time an infraction is committed, then that means it wasn’t obvious enough that it should be a flag…
This wasn’t a situation where one ref was depending on another ref’s viewpoint, and the delay to reach for the flag implies the ref read into the play that which he couldn’t time properly in order to make a non-call…
The wide receiver’s shoulders never changed any angle until after the ball was handled by wide receiver and tackle attempt was initiated…
… an infraction has to be something that affected the play materially, football is a physical contact sport with a lot of inconsequential brushing up against a player, lightweight touching… which is itsy bitsy contact, but it’s a contact that is not an infraction typically… refs do have to battle the whole consistency critique as well…
Sounds like you should become an official since you clearly know the rules so well, and can react with lightning fast times…
In the NFL (just as youth do in high school) a wide receiver uses his dominant arm and hand and side of body to reach up higher to make an attempt at an uncatchable pass thrown too high in order to get at the ball to haul it down …
Is there some weird high school rule that says a wide receiver has to have both hands touching the football before the defender can make contact? Just curious…
Look again there is air space and he clearly has ahold of his arm keeping him from catching the ball…you can borrow my glasses if you like!😲
Its obvious that the hand holding the bicep was there before his hand touched the ball .. and was seen so by the official. The reciever must be given the chance to make a clean catch.. if it was just this picture then you would have a argument but from the officials side which is where the call came from .. the contact was before the catch he saw it and this picture shows he didn’t throw a unnecessary flag .. cause there is definitely contact
Totally agree! He must be a St Bernard’s fan…😁
The only thing obvious in the picture is legal contact… now if you have video from that angle or another picture that shows air space between the ball and the hand and the receiver while the defender is grabbing, then we can agree, but that’s just not the case as the evidence and facts do not show guilt…
When you’re done working off of your assumptions and have actual evidence and facts to provide then you can come down off your high horse… cuz just like soccer there is such thing as legal contact like shoulder-to-shoulder when the player in possession or contact of the ball is being challenged by the defender…
In the video it is clear the referee never even motion to reach for the flag until after the point that which the picture illustrates… if the ref claims there was an infraction prior to that picture, then the rep would have already had his arm motioning back to his pocket because he has to throw the flag regardless of whether the receiver catches the ball or not… by delaying his observation and action, that clearly exposes to a seasoned referee that there was a bit of uncertainty in the judgement by the ref… and the delay had nothing to do with avoiding hitting any player with the flag…
These assumptions are why it was a pathetic call… not to mention that the picture shows an angle relative to the video showing the angle of where the side ref was located who made the call and he definitely could not see clearly the defender’s hand… which means it’s Highly Questionable as to any tugging down on an arm from that angle and the body position of the players involved… in the video you can quite clearly see the wide receivers body angle get tugged down AFTER the wide receiver made contact with the football…
… there are times in sports when you let them play the game and you don’t get nit-picky calling things that you’re not exactly sure of… the delays by the side rep show he did not recognize something when it happened otherwise the flag would have already been in motion to be thrown at the time the picture was taken…
Scott, you played soccer… it’s called trifling…
Let it go.. doesn’t matter anymore…
Why do you think the NFL uses instant replay?
Because humans make mistakes at important moments like that one .That was a important 1st down and the official made the call he thought he saw .. right or wrong the pic at least shows contact which means he didn’t see nothing.. now when was it made would only be known with a better angle .. the fortuna player was definitely looking for the call after the play.. unfortunately this is all human judgment. Yes I played soccer but my father was a football official for 10 years before he passed and a good one .. we discussed this exact issue all the time . Because it pretty much happens on every play.. but did it happening effect the play .. if not let it go but if it did then you call it.. this wasnt happenings off the play .. it was the play.. and in soccer we call it advantage
Hey, it is great that you have a solid stance and don’t flip flop… but the picture is instant replay too and there’s no infraction based on that picture and that’s what this thread is all about… a picture and a video… for which neither shows that a foul was committed… that picture did not show air space between the wide receivers right hand and the ball and the backside video clarifies that… the wide receivers hand was on the ball in the picture and that much is clear as day and spotlight…
The referee would have to see through the wide receivers left bicep and his upright forearm immediately prior to WR making contact to the ball.
Defenders are trained to jar a ball loose at the point of reception by the wide receiver when that wide receiver makes that ball contact… it was a bang-bang Play No Doubt… great effort by both teams… should have just been a non-call… similar to when Del Norte was the receiving team against Fortuna and made the same complaint and the ref made a non-call…
There was no airspace at all between the ball and the wide receiver’s hand at the point that the picture was taken, and it jibes with the video that shows the back side angle better because when receiver even had a better handle on the ball is when he got jerked down in an increased velocity…
It only takes a ref 4-6 tenths of a second from motion to having that flag in the air and that is supposed to be done immediately upon the ref observing the foul and the video clearly shows the refs mechanics and timing did not match up with the picture, but rather was after the picture…
The ref who threw the flag threw it immediately after the moment the receiver’s body increased in velocity to the ground…. video confirmed that too…
Video also confirms the angle of the referee who threw the flag to that of the three players involved in the receiving end of the play, as well as the direction and proximity on the field of the quarterback…
The ref had a very bad angle to make that call unless he’s got Superman eyes to look through body parts as he was positioned front side front as opposed to back side back of the transitional line that runs from shoulder to shoulder through the neckline…
No doubt the picture was taken from the best possible position on the field, most likely because a well placed photographer new the play and was going to be right where the play was going to end up and happen to be on the Fortuna side line… that’s some good operative work…lol, but really, if that same photographer has a couple still shots from before the picture that was provided to Humboldt Sports, then that would be great…
The defender is not committing an infraction when his fingers or palm of his hand are in the air space above any part of the body of the receiver including an arm when facing the ball… and that airspace is part of the motion undertaken by the defender in order to time his defense of the play… if a wide receiver goes up with one hand for a ball that was thrown a bit high, it’s okay for the defender to start yanking once the wide receiver has made contact with the ball…
… when a Defender is closing in on a wide receiver in order to time his hit at the point in time that the receiver makes contact with the ball, that’s just a non call…
Again, if there’s any other information a photographer or fan can put out there, then great, but until then, this Henchy High Horse Observer can only go off of the facts, and neither picture or video shows the defender did anything wrong…
Of course the defender could admit that he did something wrong because obviously no one had a great angle at all to observe whether the defender did anything wrong except for the photographer, whose only given one photograph that shows that what the defender is doing at that exact moment in time is not an infraction, because the wide receiver already has made contact with the ball and the defender’s just making a jarring hit and then beginning to tug down the wide receiver which shows up on the backside video at that point which the FHS wide receiver gets jerked down and the referee acknowledges with the flag thereafter…
See, this is good back and forth, really draws out the fans to have a good hearty difference of opinions…
Not everyone’s going to agree with the refs and not everyone is going to agree with the fans…
If all we fans on this thread learned was not to base our judgments and observations on the assumptions when provided evidence, then we all learned a valuable lesson in life today…
If there is a football rule in high school that states a Defender is guilty of a pass interference violation when he makes contact with the wide receiver after the wide receiver has already made contact with the football, then that would be a good read to shed some light…
Wide receivers are coached to tactically complain for a foul when they don’t catch the ball…
No, don’t favor either team but appreciate their hard play, but when you see a call as a seasoned referee where there isn’t a good angle and you’re having to look through body parts as if your Superman with x-ray vision powers and there’s a picture and a backside video when put together as evidence shows that it should have been a on-call, then what is the big deal for that observation to be part of the conversation that was manifested by the headline and title by the author of The article from Humboldt Sports, who’s doing the good things bringing Sports and constructive criticisms and commending for everyone involved that makes Sports greater on the North Coast even through debate online about the games…
The refs do a good job overall and on other threads henchy has defended them for making the right calls that went Fortuna’s way against Del Norte…
If this weren’t to be a discussion and people didn’t want it cuz they don’t like it then we could use this thread for the author of this article at Humboldt Sports to never put up an article again with the video asking whether or not the call was correct or not and then putting up a picture that says something about maybe making the right call but then a headline that says it was the right call…
Again Scott, can respect that you’re not flip-flopping, but we just don’t agree on assumptions…
For the Calvary members… we agree to disagree, nothing to get all mad over…enjoy the playoffs fans…
Yep, with an upswing of the arms in soccer, but remember in advantage, the AR flag is lowered or waved down by the referee if the Assistant Referee raised his/her flag and did not recognize the advantage signal by referee…
Cheers!
☆ sorry about your dad… remember him too on the sidelines cheering you on… nothing but positive back to ya…
This really sounds like Tomlin (Henchman) complaining again. The receiver is taught to jump up and complain? What coach in the H-DN would teach this? And the obvious question is how long was the defender pulling down the receivers arm before the ball got the Rest?. There is no picture or video that shows that.
Obviously nobody is pointing out that the ball was catchable, that the receiver out jumped the defenders and most likely would have caught the ball in a dramatic game winning fashion!! game over and whining never heard!!
Obviously the tomlinites and cruzzzaders (meaning they are in a week division and shouldn’t be) don’t take that into consideration!
Tomlinson is a piece of what’s on the bottom of a shoe when you don’t watch where you’re walking on the grass!
It’s a joy to see them feeling like they got screwed for once, hit the road guys.. take your crying elsewhere!