White/Ofori Match

[ru4mocs]

From John Hunt's story in Chattanoogan.com:

 

He was looking for his first state title, but the soft-spoken Blue Raider lost by disqualification when he was penalized for the fourth time for supposedly grabbing White??™s headgear.

 

Nashville??™s Tim Abel was the referee in charge and he was the one who made the call that ended the match prematurely.

 

Cleveland coaches Heath Eslinger and Al Miller were both infuriated by the turn of events.

 

Soddy Daisy??™s Steve Henry and Bradley??™s Steve Logsdon weren??™t very happy either.

 

???That kid??™s headgear was so loose that it shook every time his head moved,??? stated Miller, who served as the head man for the Blue Raiders for many years.

 

???I??™ve been at the state tournament every year since 1966 and that??™s the first time I??™ve ever seen a referee take a match away like that.

 

"It??™s like he always wants to be the center of attention, but it??™s so unfair to decide a championship match in such a questionable manner,??? Miller added.

 

???Life??™s not fair and we just have to move on and learn from it,??? Eslinger said several minutes after the emotionally-charged event transpired.

 

???Max Ofori is such a great kid and I hate it for his sake, but 20 years from now, he??™ll still be a great person because he??™s just a great person.

 

???We lost a tough match in an unfortunate situation, but you know what? There??™s probably a parent down the street at Erlanger Hospital who just lost a child, so we have to keep these things in perspective.

 

???These last 20 minutes have been very hard, but I??™ve had a chance to teach my kids so much more than just the benefits of wrestling.

 

"I??™m trying to make a difference in their lives and that??™s why I??™m in this business. We??™ll just have to learn from our mistakes,??? Eslinger added.

 

???That??™s an awful way for this tournament to end,??? said Logsdon a few minutes after it happened.

 

???It??™s just not fair to Max or the guy from Cookeville. His win is tarnished by the way it ended, but Max just got robbed. That should have never happened.

 

???Cleveland is one of our biggest rivals, but I care about their kids and their successes. I??™m heartbroken for Max Ofori and the way his match ended tonight,??? Logsdon nodded.

 

???I??™m happy and sad at the same time for the way this tournament turned out. I??™m happy for the way we wrestled, but I??™m just gut-sick over that match at 215,??? Henry nodded.

[MHCoach]

From John Hunt's story in Chattanoogan.com:

 

He was looking for his first state title, but the soft-spoken Blue Raider lost by disqualification when he was penalized for the fourth time for supposedly grabbing White??™s headgear.

 

Nashville??™s Tim Abel was the referee in charge and he was the one who made the call that ended the match prematurely.

 

Cleveland coaches Heath Eslinger and Al Miller were both infuriated by the turn of events.

 

Soddy Daisy??™s Steve Henry and Bradley??™s Steve Logsdon weren??™t very happy either.

 

???That kid??™s headgear was so loose that it shook every time his head moved,??? stated Miller, who served as the head man for the Blue Raiders for many years.

 

???I??™ve been at the state tournament every year since 1966 and that??™s the first time I??™ve ever seen a referee take a match away like that.

 

"It??™s like he always wants to be the center of attention, but it??™s so unfair to decide a championship match in such a questionable manner,??? Miller added.

 

???Life??™s not fair and we just have to move on and learn from it,??? Eslinger said several minutes after the emotionally-charged event transpired.

 

???Max Ofori is such a great kid and I hate it for his sake, but 20 years from now, he??™ll still be a great person because he??™s just a great person.

 

???We lost a tough match in an unfortunate situation, but you know what? There??™s probably a parent down the street at Erlanger Hospital who just lost a child, so we have to keep these things in perspective.

 

???These last 20 minutes have been very hard, but I??™ve had a chance to teach my kids so much more than just the benefits of wrestling.

 

"I??™m trying to make a difference in their lives and that??™s why I??™m in this business. We??™ll just have to learn from our mistakes,??? Eslinger added.

 

???That??™s an awful way for this tournament to end,??? said Logsdon a few minutes after it happened.

 

???It??™s just not fair to Max or the guy from Cookeville. His win is tarnished by the way it ended, but Max just got robbed. That should have never happened.

 

???Cleveland is one of our biggest rivals, but I care about their kids and their successes. I??™m heartbroken for Max Ofori and the way his match ended tonight,??? Logsdon nodded.

 

???I??™m happy and sad at the same time for the way this tournament turned out. I??™m happy for the way we wrestled, but I??™m just gut-sick over that match at 215,??? Henry nodded.

 

 

I had the opportunity to watch these two wrestlers wrestle several times this season. I can say they are both very passionate and very aggressive wrestlers. But reading the above statement, I would have to say, this is just a little one sided. If you look back at the region 3 215lb finals last week, this same thing happen. The ref calling that match between the same two wrestlers didn't call the headgear violation, but he made sure he called a stalling call on White. I would like to say, that if the shoe was on the other foot, Friday night, how different would the above statement have been. I agree with several other comments on this issue, rules are rules and if your going to call stalling or locked hands, then you must call the headgear violation as well. If it would have been White who made the headgear violation, I'm sure you wouldn't have heard the Cleveland Coaches or any other Chattanooga Coaches saying anything about it then. I have to say, I have seen Tim Able call many matches, and I can't say there is a more consistent ref in the state and the secondary ref who was backing Able, also called one of the head gear violations, seen from a different angle. Again, nothing against Ofori, he is a tough wrestler, but, it was clearly the right call. I would have liked to see them finish the match, but that is part of the sport. He did throw is head gear after the match, showing unsportsmanlike conduct also. There were no complaints or crying last week from the Cookeville Coach in the news paper, when they called White for Stalling when both wrestlers were clearly violating that rule.

[bradley08]

Wow ! Its amazing how opinions can vary from one person to the next. I didnt expect anyone to come to the defense of these calls that were made. First thing I would like to address is the comment about the Cleveland fans being classless. That blows my mind! I thought they handled it very well considering that was the most bizarre loss I have ever witnessed and in my opinion the worst officiated match I have ever seen. Everyone around me was astonished at the calls and I wasnt anywhere near anybody from Cleveland or Bradley county. Unless my ears are deceiving me 80% of the gym was boo'ing. i watched the match very intently and closely and can tell you what I saw from my perspective. I saw a kid who attacks the head and shoots double legs because thats all he knows. this kid has been wrestling exactly two years and he makes it to the state finals. I think he needs to be commended and his coaches as well for teaching him how to win in such a short period of time. he was snapping the head and once it looked like for a split second he grabbed the headgear. He never gained an advantage, he never scored a point from this. I would have checked the kids headgear to see if a strap was loose because Ofori was just snapping the head quickly. he wasnt reaching up and leaving his hand there and grabbing a handful of headgear. The next time it was called it looked like to me he just snapped the kids head and he didnt even advertantly grab the headgear at all. The ref calls it again. At this point I would have definitly checked the straps to see if one was sticking up or loose. Again this was just a quick head snap and it would have been very difficult to grab the headgear if you tried. Again, no points were scored and no advantage gained. Im talking a fraction of a second if there was any headgear grabbing at all. Then there was the other fantom call? what was that? I think the second referee gave some kind of signal about illegal turning of the head? Im not even sure what he called. I have never criticized a ref before and dont like to even now but in my opinion a kid got robbed tonight of living a dream. the headgear should have ben checked because if there were any headgear grabs they were of of head snaps and lasted about a tenth of a second. the other call was who knows what. never was a point scored, never was white put into a compromising position by any headgear grabs. My heart goes out to both wrestlers. It didnt end up the way either one wanted it . I thought the Cleveland fans, coaches and ofori himself handled it very well. I thought white handled the situation with total class as well. it would be interesting to see how some of these other teams coaches and fans would have handled it if it had been one of their kids.

[tromo]

Wow ! Its amazing how opinions can vary from one person to the next. I didnt expect anyone to come to the defense of these calls that were made. First thing I would like to address is the comment about the Cleveland fans being classless. That blows my mind! I thought they handled it very well considering that was the most bizarre loss I have ever witnessed and in my opinion the worst officiated match I have ever seen. Everyone around me was astonished at the calls and I wasnt anywhere near anybody from Cleveland or Bradley county. Unless my ears are deceiving me 80% of the gym was boo'ing. i watched the match very intently and closely and can tell you what I saw from my perspective. I saw a kid who attacks the head and shoots double legs because thats all he knows. this kid has been wrestling exactly two years and he makes it to the state finals. I think he needs to be commended and his coaches as well for teaching him how to win in such a short period of time. he was snapping the head and once it looked like for a split second he grabbed the headgear. He never gained an advantage, he never scored a point from this. I would have checked the kids headgear to see if a strap was loose because Ofori was just snapping the head quickly. he wasnt reaching up and leaving his hand there and grabbing a handful of headgear. The next time it was called it looked like to me he just snapped the kids head and he didnt even advertantly grab the headgear at all. The ref calls it again. At this point I would have definitly checked the straps to see if one was sticking up or loose. Again this was just a quick head snap and it would have been very difficult to grab the headgear if you tried. Again, no points were scored and no advantage gained. Im talking a fraction of a second if there was any headgear grabbing at all. Then there was the other fantom call? what was that? I think the second referee gave some kind of signal about illegal turning of the head? Im not even sure what he called. I have never criticized a ref before and dont like to even now but in my opinion a kid got robbed tonight of living a dream. the headgear should have ben checked because if there were any headgear grabs they were of of head snaps and lasted about a tenth of a second. the other call was who knows what. never was a point scored, never was white put into a compromising position by any headgear grabs. My heart goes out to both wrestlers. It didnt end up the way either one wanted it . I thought the Cleveland fans, coaches and ofori himself handled it very well. I thought white handled the situation with total class as well. it would be interesting to see how some of these other teams coaches and fans would have handled it if it had been one of their kids.

 

I guess you had binoculars or it was on a big screen and in slow motion and the tv camera man was so quick that

he had all the right angles so you had a better view than the ref.

come on man

[jakesdad]

bradley08 - I agree 100%. Any match that I have seen this referee officiate, the match is about this referee.

[rigger101]

So when the Clarksville Coach says something negative about Chattanooga Refs it's High Treason. Now we have some of these same folks attacking a Middle TN Ref that is one of the best I have seen.

 

What a joke!!!!

 

He is a class act that had to make the call! I have never seen anyone attack this ref's integrity!

 

???I??™ve been at the state tournament every year since 1966 and that??™s the first time I??™ve ever seen a referee take a match away like that.

 

"It??™s like he always wants to be the center of attention, but it??™s so unfair to decide a championship match in such a questionable manner,??? Miller added.

 

 

I do have a question about this match.

 

Is it true that the Cookeville headgear was loose begause he had an ear problem?

[BenAround]

I agree with Bradley08 as well. I am shocked that people are defending this ref, middle, east, west, it doesn't matter where he is from what he did was ridiculous.

[taketop]

The ref in question has a reputation of making the match about him. He should be ashamed of himself. Don't think i could have slept last night if I were him.

 

As for the Cleveland fan's and coaches.... they all handled it well.

[AChampionFindsAWayToWin]

The ref in question has a reputation of making the match about him. He should be ashamed of himself. Don't think i could have slept last night if I were him.

 

 

Amen. As it has been noted on this post, the ref is something of a "perfectionist," i.e. he seems to make some calls that really have no bearing on the match (bradley08 nailed it: any touch of the headgear never put Ofori in an advantageous position) almost in the hopes of having a meeting with the coach at the table.

 

JUST LET THEM WRESTLE!

[cmmndalum]

the ref makes the matches about the rules period end of story. The only way that ref would not sleep well at night would of been if he had not called the violations he clearly saw. and yes nick white has an ear problem one of the worst cases of califower ear i have ever seen. perfect storm of unfortunate situations.

[rasslinlite]

The ref in question has a reputation of making the match about him. He should be ashamed of himself. Don't think i could have slept last night if I were him.

 

As for the Cleveland fan's and coaches.... they all handled it well.

 

 

 

They handled it well. There were about 3 or 4 men (one might have been a coach) that came out of the stands and were almost on the mat. I would not call that handled. Yes it was very emotional but come on handled well I think not.

[AChampionFindsAWayToWin]

the ref makes the matches about the rules period end of story. The only way that ref would not sleep well at night would of been if he had not called the violations he clearly saw. and yes nick white has an ear problem one of the worst cases of califower ear i have ever seen. perfect storm of unfortunate situations.

 

 

Unfortunately, califlower ear is just one of those things that wrestlers have to deal with. White loosened his headgear to aleviate pressure, which is understandable, but the refs should have taken that into consideration. When it became evident that Ofori, who (as it has been noted in an earlier post) uses the "tap-and-go" technique, was getting tangled up in the headgear, the issue needed to be resolved.