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Judge tosses Fenwick case

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A Cook County judge on Wednesday ruled that Plainfield North — not Fenwick High School — should play in the Class 7A football championship on Saturday.

Plainfield North will play East St. Louis for Class 7A state title.

After the ruling, Fenwick Principal Peter Groom said Fenwick won’t pursue the issue, and that the focus should be on the 16 teams playing this weekend.

Judge Kathleen G. Kennedy agreed Fenwick had shown “irreparable harm” but did not prove that the Illinois High School Association had applied its rules inconsistently.

Fenwick had lost the semifinal last Saturday to Plainfield North after a mistake by the officials led to a tying field goal. Plainfield North then won in overtime.

* Tribune…

Near the end of regulation in Saturday’s semifinal game, Fenwick was clinging to a 10-7 lead and had the ball at its own 15-yard line. With four seconds left, the Friars’ quarterback threw a deep pass on fourth down for an incompletion, seemingly ending the game.

But the officials ruled that play to be intentional grounding, a penalty. With no time left on the clock, the officiating crew then awarded Plainfield North one play, allowing them to kick a game-tying field goal.

In extra time, both teams scored, but Plainfield North ran in a two-point conversion, setting off a wild celebration for the Tigers and eliciting anger and confusion from the Fenwick faithful.

Several hours after the game, the IHSA issued a statement that stated the officials erred when they gave Plainfield North one final play after the passing penalty.

The IHSA cited bylaw 6.033, which states “the decisions of game officials are final.”

* There is some IHSA precedent…

Fenwick’s appeal cited a 2008 case in which the Mississippi High School Activities Association reinstated a team into the playoffs three days after a similar enforcement of an incorrect call on the final play of regulation allowed a team to score an apparent game-winning touchdown. Also in 2008, the IHSA established precedent by overturning results of the Illinois wrestling tournament three days after Edwardsville celebrated beating Granite City by half a point. A recount revealed Granite City actually won 2171/2-217 and the IHSA — after initially clinging to a rule that says results must be corrected within 30 minutes of the end of a tournament — rightly reversed the outcome.

In that case, the Edwardsville coach detected the scoring error himself and contacted the Granite City coach in a display of the type of sportsmanship we all want to define youth sports.

* Official IHSA statement…

Today’s decision by the Honorable Kathleen G. Kennedy in the Circuit Court of Chicago to uphold the result of the IHSA Class 7A Semifinal Football game is not a victory. There is no celebration and there are no winners in this circumstance. It is simply a resolution.

The Fenwick High School community has been dealt a pair of devastating blows over the past few days, while Plainfield North had a historic moment shrouded in controversy simply for following the rules provided for them, first by the game officials, and then by the IHSA.

We will move forward now, in the short-term with eight state championship football games at the University of Illinois this weekend. In the long-run, it is our job as an Association, Board of Directors and membership to look at our policies and rules to see if and how we might be able to prevent instances like this in the future.

We appreciate Judge Kennedy’s ruling from the perspective that we believe it is vital for membership organizations like the IHSA to be able to self-govern within the rules set by our member schools. Judge Kennedy recognized the historic precedent that would have resulted if she had overturned the outcome of the game based on an officiating error. This is the same pitfall our membership foresaw in originally approving the by-law, and that our Board of Directors recognized in their decision not to consider an appeal.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 11:47 am

Comments

I think suing over a bad call is bad sportsmanship.

Comment by NoGifts Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 11:49 am
Them’s the breaks. Officiating no matter how good or bad is part of the game.

Comment by Huh? Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 11:50 am
Tribune had a nice article up about good sportsmanship and ethics in sports. Problem as I see it is if Plainfield North decided that it could not accept the decision and withdrew in favor of Fenwick, would that action be sanctioned by the IHSA? Probably not if they stick to their interpretation of their own regulations.

Sad situation all around.

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 11:53 am
Run a sweep outside 4 seconds gone piece of cake

Comment by Foster brooks Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 11:54 am
“The judge further requested that Fenwick think about this by saying 3 Our Fathers, 2 Hail Marys, and pay court costs, filing costs, etcetera. … “

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 11:55 am
Clearly Madigan’s handpicked Cook County judge is just following orders to continue to stick it to Pat Quinn and his alma matter.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 11:58 am
From now on, those kids will hear Glory Days at a bar and slam their beers on the bar.

Comment by Someone you should know Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:00 pm
I’ve been relentlessly teasing my Fenwick alumni friends about this horrifying lawsuit … what an embarrassing episode for the school.

Comment by Deft Wing Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:01 pm
Judge had no option but to stay out of it.

A terrible shame. A stark life lesson for the kids, that will stick with them.

Comment by walker Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:03 pm
How very Fenwick.

Life isn’t fair, unless you’re a Friar.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:03 pm
Agree with Deft Wing. I’ve had more fun with the Fenwick alums than ever before! They typically have no sense of humor anyways and this just makes it so easy.

I feel for the kids but taking this to court was just dumb.

In closing,
Because… Quinn!!

Comment by Big Muddy Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:05 pm
I wish this were a dispute about the Academic Decathlon instead of a football game.

“Your honor, the judges should have KNOWN that the Kelvin to Celsius conversion rate is -273.15 degrees, not -253.15″ as stated by the ‘winning’ team”.

Comment by Colin O'Scopey Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:07 pm
O. W. — too hilarious!

Comment by Diogenes in DuPage Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:09 pm
Once the Fenwick coach sent his kids back out on the field after the call then that’s it. If he thought the game should have been over he shouldn’t have sent them back out. Bad call but the rules say once its over its over.

Comment by Been There Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:10 pm
Wouldn’t be surprised if the Speaker appeals this decision on Fenwick’s behalf and sets an appeal date for fall 2017. Keep Pat Quinn busy so it distracts him from running for governor again. Get those clipboards Pat. Time to reform the ISSA!

Comment by Almost the Weekend Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:19 pm
My question is: What are the players on these teams and students at both these schools coming away with and learning about real life from this unfortunate fiasco that is valuable? Anything?

Comment by Responsa Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:19 pm
- Diogenes in DuPage -, thanks.

Hopefully that might soothe this courtroom loss.

Maybe Fenwick was hoping for a King Solomon ruling, but even that seemed less and less.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:23 pm
That blurb about Edwardsville wrestling makes me feel better about the world.

Comment by m Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:25 pm
Brutal, all the way around. The Fenwick kids got hosed, the Plainfield kids have an asterisk by their great season, forever.

It’s killed all talk of the election in my neighborhood taverns.

The fact is, Plainfield should not, under the rules, have gotten that last, winning play. The refs blew it.

The key is that it was the last play, not in the middle of the game. It could have been fixed.

The IHSA should have had a mechanism in place to void the blown call and that last, outside-the-rules, play.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:33 pm
@Responsa: When I play golf, and the ball hits a tree, sometimesit kicks onto the fairway or even onto the greeen…other times it goes out of bounds or into the water. Keep playing. For Plainfield North, they caught a good break; Fenwick not so much.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:39 pm
I dont understand why they were throwing the ball. Errors are part of the game. Sounds like there were at least 2 in this one.

Comment by Lil Squeezy Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:41 pm
The refs were supposed to properly officiate a football game. They blew it.

The Fenwick administration was supposed to sculpt those boys into men and prepare them for the world. They blew it.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:41 pm
By not following the precedent set by the previous reversal of a bad call the IHSA has opened itself up the the critics who believe they are biased against private schools.

I blame the IHSA 100 percent and agree the case should not have been brought to court.

Amazing the national coverage on this, Mike and Mike, Good Morning America and positive coverage in Trib and local television supporting the Fenwick position that they won the game.

Unless East St. Louis wins the IHSA will be dealing with this for a while. At the very least the media should force the IHSA should to be on the record why the 2008 game was reversed and this was not. Parents entrust IHSA board members to do no harm and act impartially

Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:45 pm
Rich people with lawyers problems…

Comment by Longsummer Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:52 pm
===Brutal, all the way around. The Fenwick kids got hosed===

They sure did. Plenty of opportunities for honorable people to do honorable things….and they didn’t. Not the refs- the damn game’s over, call someone and get a correct ruling or consult the rule book. Not the IHSA, easily could have ruled the game over with no time on the clock and disallowed everything that happened after that. Not the IHSA again for not making the correct ruling on appeal.

And eventually…Fenwick, for going to court to decide the outcome of a game after reasonable remedies were exhausted and denied. Could the court really overturn the (Lousy) judgement of an association?

The kids got hosed. Plainfield goes into the championship game with the burden that they’re illegitimate whether they win or lose.

This was correctable in so many instances until it wasn’t. Sad.

Comment by A guy Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:52 pm
We always told our players that there were other plays in the game where we didn’t execute and could have kept us from being in that position where a bad call from an umpire or ref decides the game

Comment by jon r Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:55 pm
Fenwick is not going to take this well…not a happy Thanksgiving for Fenwick Nation…

Comment by Loop Lady Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 12:59 pm
It wasn’t a “bad call.” That would be a judgment of whether a pass was complete or incomplete. The IHSA is a disgrace. Their “by-law” encourages officials to not know the rules, and then to defend it in court, well, there is just no other word-disgraceful.

Comment by Michael Westen Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:02 pm
Moral of the story: never let your team be in a position to let a bad call determine your fate. What’s left out is that they still played overtime (that Fenwick agreed in the end to play). So they still had chances to win even after the bad call. And didn’t. You’re not the first school to get hosed to end their season. You won’t be the last. Move on.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:02 pm
The Fenwick kids are not all rich Longsummer.

They have plenty of diversity in their student body both in terms of race and income. Your comment is uncalled for and inaccurate.

What is the lesson for the Plainfield coaches and administrators when everyone agrees they did not really win the game?

Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:03 pm
jon r

Bingo.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:04 pm
Agree with the judge- but: Mistakes by referees, coaches, IHSA for limiting their ability to correct a mistake after the fact, etc., etc. Seems that someone should have called timeout - even if it meant holding up the game to research the rule, call the IHSA or whatever it took to get it right.

Comment by justacitizen Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:11 pm
IHSA should revisit the bylaws in this situation. This was not a call that was open to interpretation by the officials. This was a fundamental failure to know the rules by officials that should have known better. Therefore the IHSA should put a mechanism in place to allow for reversals of the misapplication of rules, particularly during playoffs.

Comment by MyTwoCents Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:12 pm
I

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:12 pm
=officials that should have known better.=

Probably. But these men and women get around $100 bucks a game.

The NFL officials screw up like this and the NFL does not over turn the result and they get $100,000 per year.

Time to move on. This is not that important.

BTW- when it happened to our school the kids were over it a week later. 14 years later they are still over it.

Their parents…not so much. There in lies the problem.

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:18 pm
This was not just a bad call. This is akin to saying that at touchdown is worth 5 points instead of 6.

They didn’t get the call wrong, they got the rule wrong. Shameful.

Comment by Try-4-Truth Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:19 pm
–We always told our players that there were other plays in the game where we didn’t execute and could have kept us from being in that position where a bad call from an umpire or ref decides the game–

Oh please. It wasn’t a “bad call.” The game was over, and the other team got another play to score the winning points, in violation of the rules. .

It’s akin to the ‘72 USA/USSR basketball game in Munich.

The mistake was easily reversible. That illegal last play is voided, as is the score that resulted from it.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:20 pm
Although this is sad, there were some teachable moments about mistakes happen, don’t blame others and life is not always fair. Instead we have blame everyone but ourselves and then litigate. Ditto with Jon f.

Comment by pool boy Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:24 pm
“It’s akin to the ‘72 USA/USSR basketball game in Munich.”

It was an Illinois High School Football Semifinal game.

WS, you’re my favorite poster here, so this is with respect.

The Fenwick boys got hosed.

That the administration and the parents have blown this up is, frankly, pathetic. Entitlement and privilege through the roof. Should Proviso West ever get hosed out of a chance to play for the title, I very much doubt they’ll pursue emergency litigation.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:25 pm
A lesson from Kipling would have been cheaper for Fenwick and better for the kids: “If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same, then the earth is yours and all that’s in it, and once more, you’ll be a man my son”

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:27 pm
Alfondo Gonz - And the Plainfield coaches and administrators were supposed to follow the sportsmanship and integrity lesson the Edwardsville coach gave us and the IHSA was supposed to uphold their previous precedent.

Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:30 pm
–A lesson from Kipling would have been cheaper for Fenwick and better for the kids: –

When did Blago get Internet privileges?

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:32 pm
I having been officiating IHSA football for over 25 years. This mess fall onto the IHSA. They have for years allowed their favorite crews to officiate the final rounds of the playoff and most of them don’t know all the rules or how their applied. It time for the IHSA to develop a true officiating grading system to stop unqualified officials from ever walking onto a playoff field, and no I’m not complaining because my crew gets playoff games ever year.

Comment by The Ref Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:35 pm
There are no winners here. Fenwick got hosed and Plainfield’s victory is forever tainted. Very sad. Let us hope that the ISHA installs a fix for this sort of thing so that it doesn’t happen in the future. And, by the bye, I would like to see the young men of Plainfield take a vote as to whether they should accept the win. That, in a perfect world, would put the controversy to rest.

Comment by Keyser Soze Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:43 pm
===Moral of the story: never let your team be in a position to let a bad call determine your fate.===

That’s the moral of the story??? That’s the densest thing I’ve seen in while. It’s akin to the moral of the story is to decide the outcome before the game begins.

The moral of the story might well be that Fenwick should not have lined up for another play until a truly definitive ruling was made on the play that ended the game with no time left. Hindsight is 20/20, but that might be the approach taken by the next team victimized by playoff officials not knowing the rules and even worse, not consulting a rule book or a higher authority to get it right. There was NO time left on the clock.

I’m not a Fenwick alum either. I’d make the argument for the other team if the roles were reversed. Although my guess is that in that circumstance, Fenwick would have forfeited the game.

Comment by A guy Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:46 pm
The IHSA has stuck it to the private schools forever (see the cancellation of the state wrestling tournament in ‘95). Fenwick shouldn’t have sued, but its way past time for the private schools to take their ball and go home. Same for CPS. The IHSA is a complete joke. Look at any regional bracket and prove me wrong.

Comment by brutal Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 1:47 pm
== Should Proviso West ==

Think you’re actually aiming for Proviso East here. That’s the school closest to Fenwick. But…Yes they would protest. They took it one step too far, but they were right all along.

Comment by A guy Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 2:14 pm
Bad calls are part of life. Fenwick should not have gone to court.

In college we lost a game to Michigan when the refs called a 4th down touchdown pass complete. The game films showed the receiver never caught it, it went through his hands and ended up 10 yards away.

Our head coach never complained publicly. but singed the ears of the Big 10 officials in private.

Later heard that the officiating crew never worked a Big 10 game again.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 2:27 pm
Fascinating, fascinating . . . what a first world kind of problem to get worked up about. Sorry for all involved, especially the kids, but really, aren’t there other issues out there that need our energy and attention far more than this?

Comment by Flapdoodle Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 2:28 pm
Sorry, 2:27 was me.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 2:28 pm
Lot to unpack here… But first let me start with my bias, my son’s team (Sophomores) won the first game ever played on Plainfield North’s new turf field this year (our varsity won was well) so if somehow they end up 7A champs, it is kind of nice to know you beat the 7A champ kind of handily (yes OW, OHS beat them too)…

Then there are the two kids on North’s team that I coached as youth football players, I have to admit there is a level of pride in that.

First, The Ref, Amen…. We had a guy who did multiple sophomore games this year for us as a umpire who couldn’t really move (he looked like he needed a hip replacement) and had one crew with him that had three members that we mobility challenged. Try reaching out to a conference or the IHSA about that good luck.

I get why Fenwick did what they did and I agree with the judge. Don’t think taking it away from PN after they won it what both teams must have thought at the time was a legitimate overtime is the answer.

Comment by Oneman Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 2:29 pm
==That’s the moral of the story??? That’s the densest thing I’ve seen in while. It’s akin to the moral of the story is to decide the outcome before the game begins.==

It’s a high school football game. Get over it. For those trying to split hairs over “judgement calls” or whatever, please. It’s still a determination by the ref, even if obviously wrong. And it’s not unprecedented. For whoever compared it to the Cold War Olymoics…wow. No, it’s more like, actually exactly like, what happened in an Oklahoma State college game recently. And, just like what happened here, the results stood because even bad calls are final.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 2:29 pm
Another example: Colorado was incorrectly awarded a 5th down years ago at the end of a game, which they used to score a winning TD, which led to them playing for a National Championship. That title is still recognized as being Colorado’S. It happens, and parents/schools shouldn’t go crying to the Courts wasting their time when it does.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 2:34 pm
Amending….

The moral of the story is “don’t engage the handle Anonymous”.

Comment by A guy Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 2:35 pm
Alfonzo, from my long experience in athletics, I suspect most high schools would have thrown the Hail Mary in court under the same circumstances.

It’s not rich kids crying. They had a real beef, and there was an obvious remedy if you caught the right judge.

And please, all of you playing the “life’s lesson” card obviously haven’t spent too much time in the civil courts. This case was hardly frivolous in that world.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 2:45 pm
word slinger , what happened on the 3 previous plays that didn’t get a first down? why put the ball in the air on the last play of the game when you have the lead?

Comment by jon r Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 2:53 pm
It was “fixable,” because the game was technically over before the ref’s call was made. But the Association has to stick with their refs as a matter of consistent policy.

The kids got the harsh lessons that life is not always fair, and that people in power can make stupid mistakes.

Comment by walker Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 2:59 pm
For anyone who has seen the play a defender was nowhere near the QB. So much for putting the whistle in the pocket on calls that can be debated and letting the kids, not the refs decide the game.

Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 3:01 pm
East St. Louis Senior will make child’s play of whoever shows up anyway. Their football program, including the shiny stadium worthy of an NCAA college, is one of the few sources of pride in that town.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 3:11 pm
Didn’t Fenwick have some goofy reversal running play that could have sucked up 4 secs?

Comment by zatoichi Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 3:13 pm
==For anyone who has seen the play a defender was nowhere near the QB. So much for putting the whistle in the pocket on calls that can be debated and letting the kids, not the refs decide the game.==

That has nothing to do with whether it’s intentional grounding. So are you saying the ref should’ve “swallowed his whistle” and not called the rule as it’s listed in the rule book? Pick a side to be angry about, but don’t take both lanes.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 3:14 pm
Ws-

My disdain is not for the kids crying but the parents. And I am a lawyer.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 3:20 pm
=The IHSA has stuck it to the private schools forever=

Please, you diminish your post with that ignorant statement. Private schools have NOT had it stuck to them.

Go look at Elmhurst IC playing in 3A.

Their 30 mile radius of influence has roughly 8 million residents.

Most 3A schools are lucky to have 7,500 people in their districts.

They destroyed 6A schools and should be in 5A.

http://ihsa.org/SportsActivities/BoysFootball/StateSeriesInformationResults.aspx?url=/data/fb/3info1.htm

=I suspect most high schools would have thrown the Hail Mary in court under the same circumstances.=

I too have a pretty lengthy history with HS athletics as teacher, coach, and administrator.

With respect,most do not file suit. That is why this is so unusual. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were in the same position and parents wanted legal action, more reasoned heads prevailed.

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 3:34 pm
I did not see the game and the description of the controversial officiating decision puzzles me. I have never seen an intentional grounding call on a deep bomb type of pass where the receiver does not catch up to the ball. Usually, to avoid a grounding call, someone needs to be in the vicinity of the pass. The other question is why didn’t Fenwick punt the ball?

Comment by Coach Cleats Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 4:09 pm
I did not agree with the lawsuit, but I hope Plainfield gets pounced now.

Comment by Indochine Wednesday, Nov 23, 16 @ 4:33 pm
Is it true that the refs are facing excommunication?

Comment by northshore cynic Monday, Nov 28, 16 @ 9:38 am