EXTRA DOWN HELPS NITRO, LEAVES
RIPLEY OUT IN COLD
Publication: THE
Published: 10/01/1996
Page: P4B
Headline: EXTRA DOWN HELPS NITRO, LEAVES RIPLEY OUT IN COLD
Byline: RICK RYAN
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
There was confusion at the
conclusion of Friday's Ripley-Nitro game at
Underwood Field - Frank Marino realizes that.
But Ripley's head football
coach is quite sure of something else. He
should have some recourse to right the wrong that he said was done to
him and his team.
The Vikings, protecting an
18-14 lead late in the game, had apparently
held Nitro on downs at the Ripley 8-yard-line. But the Wildcats (4-1)
were permitted to run a fifth down in their crucial series and went on
to score a touchdown on Zack Collins' 1-yard run as time expired.
The existence of an extra
down was corroborated by reporters covering
the game for both the Gazette and the Charleston Daily Mail.
The loss puts Ripley at 2-2
and injures its playoff hopes.
"I'm very upset about
it,' Marino said Monday night. "Our kids won
the football game. I've been up all weekend. Our film shows they got
five downs and it should have been our ball with 40 seconds left.'
The downs indicator with
the chain crew was apparently not flipped
from second to third on the series in question. Officials did not
catch the mistake and the Wildcats were able to run an extra play.
"We haven't filed a
formal protest,' Marino said. "But something's
got to be done. Everybody knew it [was fifth down]. The fans knew it,
everybody in the press box knew it, I knew it. Everyone but the
officials.
"I've got to face 55
kids after the game. What can I tell them? You've
done all you can do, but the six officials on the field couldn't count
to five.'
Marino is aware that the
Secondary School Activities Commission is
unlikely to make any sort of change if a protest is filed.
"We don't honor
protests,' said Warren Carter, executive secretary of
the SSAC. "We'll just have to investigate the
circumstances,
communicate and see what occurred.'
"In
recourse when it's proven he's right,' Marino said. "It
would be
different if I didn't protest during the game. I told them it should
have been our ball. Something's got to be put in the rules so this
doesn't happen again.
"Here's my suggestion:
I don't want to take a win away from Nitro, but
I don't want to have to put a loss on our record. Judge us on nine
games. Make this case the precedent. Call it the Marino Law or
whatever. If I have to sacrifice myself for the coaches of
Virginia
Marino feels his team is a
legitimate playoff contender, but Friday's
loss will hurt the Vikings' postseason chances in more ways than one.
"What if we go 7-3 and
don't get into the playoffs? What do I tell my
kids?' Marino said. "And I don't know what kind of carryover this is
going to have on my football team. Practice today was very lethargic,
kind of like, 'What's the use?'
"My kids are hurt. The
town's hurt. I'm hurt. I've got to look these
kids in the eye. I ask them to give me everything they have and they
did. I don't think it's right if I didn't do the same for them.'
Nitro athletic director Pat
Vance said he talked to his coaches over
the weekend and they assured him that their team was given the benefit
of an extra down.
"It was just an honest
mistake,' Vance said. "It definitely wasn't
planned.'
Making the omission even
more irritating to Ripley fans was the fact
that Rodger House, the father of Nitro sophomore quarterback J.R.
House, was on the chain gang working the game.
"He's been working the
chains for two years,' Vance said. "But it
doesn't have anything to do with Rodger. It's just a mistake. The guy
running the scoreboard in the press box should have changed [the down
indicator], too. And the officials should have caught it.'
Carter said the presence of
Rodger House on the sidelines violated no
standards.
"We don't have
anything written or preventing a parent from working on
the chain crew,' Carter said.
Marino said he wasn't
bothered by Rodger House working on the chain
gang.
"I'm accusing no one.
I'm not saying it wasn't an honest mistake,'
Marino said. "Mr. House should only change that [indicator] when an
official tells him to.'