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OTTUMWA — Phil Lite didn’t mence words.
When it came to the call that will haunt Ottumwa High School football fans for some time, the first-year head coach of the Bulldogs had to be honest.
“I don’t say a whole lot about officiating. I’ve don’t jump on officials. I never have,” Lite said. “In 40 years of coaching, that’s probably the worst call I’ve ever seen.”
The call erased what could have been a glorious moment at Schafer Stadium as the Bulldogs literally had their hands on a potential state playoff berth. Leading 21-14 with just under four minutes left in a do-or-die regular-season finale with Waterloo West, Ottumwa’s defense appeared to have made the play that could have all but clinched the program’s first postseason berth in 11 years when a blitzing Tyler Schaus seemed to separate Waterloo West quarterback Brady Dean from the football giving Charlie Morgan a chance to return the fumble recovery back down the field with an opportunity to score a game-clinching touchdown.
Instead, officials waved the play off saying that Dean was throwing the ball when he was hit by Schaus. No sack. No fumble recovery. No touchdown for Ottumwa.
Dean would score the game-tying touchdown on the very next play. Then, with just 25 seconds left, the Waterloo West quarterback would find Deztin McMarrin down the field for a game-winning 44-yard touchdown pass as the Warhawks won a thrilling and emotional battle against the Bulldogs, 28-21, earning a trip to the Class 5A state football playoffs for the first time in four years while bringing Ottumwa’s winningest season in 15 years to a sudden end.
“I think everybody on this sideline felt like we were going to find a way to score the winning points,” Lite said. “Unfortunately, time ran out on us. We made too many mistakes in the first half. We were constantly one man away from getting a…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/prep-football-warhawks-deny-bulldogs-161600694.html
Author : Ottumwa Courier, Iowa
Publish date : 2024-10-28 16:16:00
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