Locust Grove Coach Reacts To Football Game Fallout

Tuesday, December 2nd 2014, 10:08 pm

By: News On 6

A state senator and the NAACP are preparing a plea to re-do the last minute of the football game between Oklahoma City's Douglass Trojans and the Locust Grove Pirates. This game has sparked a lot of controversy, due to the erased touchdown that cost Douglass the game.

The Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association will discuss whether to let the replay happen Wednesday night.

Locust Grove head coach Matt Hennesy thinks the whole situation is blown out of proportion. He said if OSSAA decides to re-do the last minute of the game, it'll open Pandora's Box to re-do any and all bad calls made at a ball game.

Hennesy stated, "I think it's a little bit ridiculous, and I think they've taken it far enough. You know, they had their voice. They said that there was a mistake. Everybody's admitted there was a mistake. It happens every Friday night in football."

The mistake caused the Douglass Trojans' game-winning touchdown to be taken off the board, because of a sideline infraction penalty. The call was right, but the touchdown should not have been taken off the board.



12/1/2014 Related Story: OKCPS Calling On OSSAA After 3A Quarterfinals Game

Hennesy said Douglass Coach Willis Alexander should have appealed the call immediately, but he didn't. "They would've gone and looked at it, looked it up in the book and listened to him, but all he was doing was ranting and raving about [how] it was a bad call," stated Hennesey.

State senators David Holt and Anastasia Pittman, as well as the NAACP, and even famed OU football coach Barry Switzer have all weighed in, asking for the OSSAA to allow the last minute of the 3A quarterfinal playoff game to be replayed. If the plea is agreed upon, playoffs may be pushed back.

Hennesy asked, "What about all the kids at the four other schools? Their seasons are going to get pushed back if this goes through, and [then] basketball is later, [and] wrestling is later. Are they really thinking about all the people that it's touching by changing this?"

Hennesy said that he won't let this affect his team. The Pirates are focusing on their next game in the semifinals against Heritage Hall. "We're going to move on, and that's what I'm planning on doing. We're not talking about Douglass around here. The only one allowed to talk about Douglass is me," stated Hennesy.