Controversial White/Ofori match WATCH NOW

[jonesstreamcasting]

READ FIRST: Jones StreamCasting has made available this match for your viewing, where Cleveland Senior Max Ofori (46-1) Vs Nick White of Cookeville. This is the first time in the history of TSSAA, that a wrestler has won the state championship WITHOUT scoring a single point. Thanks to Nashville Referee Tim Abel, that is exactly what happened! Coaches, fans, other referees were shocked at State championship was decided like this.

 

 

 

There were 4 penalty points awarded to Cookeville and 1 to Cleveland before the final disqualification. Ofori scores a 2nd period escape for the only score of the match.

 

 

 

BEFORE YOU WATCH you must know some things about Max Ofori. He is a 4.0 student considering Harvard, West Point, American University and other Ivy league schools. He is such a FAST study that this is only his 2nd year wrestling and he was 46-1... and in the state championship finals. He was the leader in the Chattanooga times area take downs listing by more than 20 ahead of the next guy, the only 215 pounder to lead that we know of. He has used the "tap and go" and attack the head his whole two years with out a single penalty. This was his 47th match this year doing this! He beat Nick White by major the first time and decision the 2nd time. Max is a very bright guy, he "gets it." You do not have to warn him 4 times! In this case, he didn't have a clue what referee Tim Abel was seeing. We understand that maybe Nick White had a cauliflower ear and loosened his head gear kind of like a football player having a "tear away jersey." BUT, you don't see the head gear move. Most of you have seen headgear come off or be twisted many times without penalty. THIS SEEMS TO BE A CLEAR CASE OF ONE REFEREE INTERPRETING THE RULES DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER 47 REFEREES that called his matches this year.

 

 

 

Nick White did a great job and expressed his concern to Max Ofori. He is a great wrestler but Nick White will bear the cross of referee Tim Abel's judgment that taints his championship. That is a cross, we at Jonesstreamcasting hope no wrestlers should have to bear in the future.

 

 

see: www.jonesstreamcasting.com ... click on " controversial state championship match Ofori 215lbs or

at youtube THEN POST YOUR COMMENTS HERE.

[nununu]

In my opinion, I did see two pulls of the headgear. But the last two are questionable. It is a shame that a state championship match is not decided on the mat.

[CHSCOACH]

Having been in a very simular situation and losing a state semi-final where a kid never earned a point, I know how your kid feels. But the fact that other refs never called rule fractions is not a valid argument. Just because one cop doesn't pull you over for speeding doesn't mean the next one shouldn't either. Tim is a great ref, but he is going to call every fraction to the rule book. Other wise what good is a rule book. If you are upset that Tim called the match by the book and other refs have let things slide this year, who is really at fault. Again I fell sorry for your wrestler and the way the match ended it's tough to live with I know. I promise you Tim feels the same way about your wrestler as I do he called it like he saw it and doesn't feel bad for calling it by the rule book. I wish Max al the luck in the world from what you have posted about him looks like he will continue to work hard and will prove to be very successful in life.

[countrypk]

Although it's kind of grainy, it looks like White had a loose head gear. He has to straighten it several times. I don't think an appropriately fitting head gear would move around like that. Hey, bad things happen to good people and it's what you do with it that is important. Based on what I've read about Ofori, I'm sure he'll overcome the dissappointment and do well.

[tnsmokediver]

READ FIRST: Jones StreamCasting has made available this match for your viewing, where Cleveland Senior Max Ofori (46-1) Vs Nick White of Cookeville. This is the first time in the history of TSSAA, that a wrestler has won the state championship WITHOUT scoring a single point. Thanks to Nashville Referee Tim Abel, that is exactly what happened! Coaches, fans, other referees were shocked at State championship was decided like this.

 

 

 

There were 4 penalty points awarded to Cookeville and 1 to Cleveland before the final disqualification. Ofori scores a 2nd period escape for the only score of the match.

 

 

 

BEFORE YOU WATCH you must know some things about Max Ofori. He is a 4.0 student considering Harvard, West Point, American University and other Ivy league schools. He is such a FAST study that this is only his 2nd year wrestling and he was 46-1... and in the state championship finals. He was the leader in the Chattanooga times area take downs listing by more than 20 ahead of the next guy, the only 215 pounder to lead that we know of. He has used the "tap and go" and attack the head his whole two years with out a single penalty. This was his 47th match this year doing this! He beat Nick White by major the first time and decision the 2nd time. Max is a very bright guy, he "gets it." You do not have to warn him 4 times! In this case, he didn't have a clue what referee Tim Abel was seeing. We understand that maybe Nick White had a cauliflower ear and loosened his head gear kind of like a football player having a "tear away jersey." BUT, you don't see the head gear move. Most of you have seen headgear come off or be twisted many times without penalty. THIS SEEMS TO BE A CLEAR CASE OF ONE REFEREE INTERPRETING THE RULES DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER 47 REFEREES that called his matches this year.

 

 

 

Nick White did a great job and expressed his concern to Max Ofori. He is a great wrestler but Nick White will bear the cross of referee Tim Abel's judgment that taints his championship. That is a cross, we at Jonesstreamcasting hope no wrestlers should have to bear in the future.

 

 

see: www.jonesstreamcasting.com ... click on " controversial state championship match Ofori 215lbs or

at youtube THEN POST YOUR COMMENTS HERE.

 

 

Heard alot about this match. Glad I finally got to see it from two angles.

 

First angle....couldn't tell exactly what was happening because of the quality and angle.

 

Second angle.....better quality and slowed down. From the looks of the film, Tim made the calls correctly. I did think he made the locking hands call a little quick but that is purley judgement. I thought the hand contact was incidental and not trying to lock hands to prevent Ofori from scoring.

 

I agree with CHSCOACH. He may not have been caught grasping headgear all year until that match. Nonetheless, he did it and got caught. Unfortunately he was caught by one of the best in a black and white shirt. Tim Abel did not decide this match. He called what he saw and by the book.

 

If Nick White looses this match by one or two points, this thread would be bashing both officials from the Cookeville perspective about how blind both Tim and Jack were for not calling technical violations and costing him the match.

[CoachDelgado]

Obviously I wasn't there, so I went and watched the match on youtube. The angle of the camera does not tell the whole story of what happened, so the judge for yourself mindset does not work in this case.

 

I agree with chscoach about what good are the rules if the the ref does not call them. I have worked with and coached with Tim as the referee and have the utmost respect for what he does. If he sees it, he calls it. I am officiating this year in Texas and have the exact same mentality. At a match at the end of January, I had a wrestler show up to weigh-ins with his hair braided and no hair cover. I told him he needed one. His coach said that no one else had required one all year so why start now. I told him because it is the rule and he will not wrestle without one. They were able to get one from the local sporting goods store and he did wrestle. The point being is if people start deciding that referees can decide which rules will be enforced a certain day and which not, then you have a certain level of chaos within the sport. Imagine if a referee decided to not call full-nelsons and headlocks without an arm during a dual meet. What would the coaches and athletes do and how would they feel about that?

 

Anyway, analyzing what I saw on the video Tim initiated the first, second and fourth penalties on Cleveland for the headgear while the third penalty was initiated by Jack. Two different referees from two different perspectives were seeing the same thing happen in the match. The locked hands call against Cookeville was a momentary overlap, but he was already the top man and that is all that is needed to make that call. I guess my only critique of the match would have been when the Ofori was on his feet, White was hanging onto his ankle, obviously changed directions when it was a lost cause, dragged him out of bounds and even used his leg to help push him out. I would have liked to have seen a fleeing the mat call on White for that one (he used the out of bounds to prevent a score)

[papbear3]

HOSE-A!!!!! I miss ya buddy!

[bozo]

Has anyone suggested changing the attack in the match? You have a ref well known for making every call no matter the team or wrestler and you have been hit multiple times. When you have been hit several times for locking hands, you let the opponent go and don't ride him? Don't grab his head or headgear? Arm chair quarterback's opinion, but it is an opinion

[tnsmokediver]

Has anyone suggested changing the attack in the match? You have a ref well known for making every call no matter the team or wrestler and you have been hit multiple times. When you have been hit several times for locking hands, you let the opponent go and don't ride him? Don't grab his head or headgear? Arm chair quarterback's opinion, but it is an opinion

 

 

Yes that has been brought up, but on another thread named the same.

 

I think this thread has been double posted.

[slapdamat]

Coach D........ good to hear from you..... and great post. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />