Baylor vs. Ensworth

[Rainwater]

if the game time temperature was 50 degrees, I wonder if the refs would have made the same call on the last touchdown to avoid overtime?

 

Pretty irrelevant.....officials don't make calls based on game temperature. The state championship is a reward based on their regular season. Baylor was up 21-7, they have no one to blame but themselves.

[shakinthefat]

There was the strange 1st down call at the end of the game, with a very good camera angle (reported by Mark Howard). The nose of the ball was 2 to 3 inches from the pole on a measurement and it was called 1st down for EHS. The call had Mark wondering "what the heck".

TSSAA officials never look at players feet coming down in the endzone.

EHS #1 came down on the line for the final TD against BA but the official was looking at the catch not the feet. Same goes for last night, not only did EHS's #11 step out of bounds prior to catch but when he came down with the ball, he was on top of the 2 Baylor players and his helment made contact with the turf outside the endzone for a out of bounds reception.

The officials either don't watch these things or are too afraid to make a controversial call at the end of the game.

 

But......BA and Baylor both had opportunities to win and came up short. EHS has the gold ball and deserve the championship.

Edited December 3, 2010 by shakinthefat

[tandem]

Who did or didn't have the ball when they came down is a moot point. It should have been a penalty for illegal touching of the ball by a player who had already stepped out of bounds on the Ensworth guy. On the replays the trailing official was looking right at it. If these guys are the best of the bunch in officials, what does that tell you about the rest? I'm not a Ensworth or Baylor fan, but Baylor got screwed.

Edited December 3, 2010 by tandem

[KWoodroof]

The TSSAA will be hearing about this one. From what a lot of people say, it shouldn't have even been Ensworth in the title game due to a horrible call last week, then, to decide the game like that tonight? What a joke. Someone wake these officials up and tell them its not Week 3. Let this one go into OT and see who wins, but dont call it like that. Highly frustrating. Yet, I do think Ensworth is the best team in the state, but both teams played well enough to win. Baylor should have put it away in the 3rd.

First the disclaimer: I'm an MBA man. I hate Ensworth. Not with the rivalry-type animosity I feel for Ryan, which extends no further than the football team. I'm talking a full blown hatred of the entire institution, a hatred that stems from the contempt I feel for their benefactor, who pouted when the Board of Trust informaed him that MBA was not for sale. I'm hoping a band of Vikings raze the school to the ground, burn everything there until there's nothing left, bury the ashes, and sow salt on the ground. In a word, I don't much care for them.

 

That said, any suggestion that their championship is somehow tainted is contemptible. True, both games were decided on controversial plays. Two points are important here. First, this is high school. There is no provision for replay. If you've ever officiated an athletic event, you know how fast things happen and how much there is to try to see. Football is probably the most complicated game in the world, and a jump ball situation in the corner of the endzone is probably the most difficult situation to call. If they're both blown calls, and I'm not convinced they are, it's just how things shake out sometimes. We were always taught that we shouldn't put ourselves in a position where one call determines the game...

 

Which brings up the second point. Neither BA nor Baylor should have been in this position. BA had Ensworth with 3rd and Goodlettsville to go, and let them complete a pass for a first down. It doesn't get any simpler: under great pressure, the Ensworth offense executed, and the BA defense choked in a way that should be written up in the TSSAA's record book. And ridiculed. Yearly. Forever.

 

The effect of Baylor's gross miscues is a bit more debatable. Two, not one, TD's called back for very clear penalties at the end of the half. Assume that Baylor goes in 14-7 at the half, and adds another two TD's to start the 3rd quarter (long drive after kick-off, short one INT). 28-7 looks much worse to me that 21-7, psychologically. Maybe Elder's long run does spark a comeback despite the 3 TD deficit, maybe not. Ensworth showed nothing if not a lot of resilience. That, and the kindness of opponents is why they have the big trophy today. BA and Baylor both have good teams and have had great seasons, but they have no one but themselves to blame for their misfortune.

[oldwiseone]

Well stated KWoodruff.....and from all I have read, Baylor lost this game simply by allowing Ensworth to be in the game at the end.

[Chattcity]

Some of you are saying Baylor made too many mistakes to win--that argument can go both ways. EHS had at least 2 fumbles that hurt--those kinds of things happen in tough hard fought games like this one.

 

EHS clearly has more athletes than Baylor does, but Baylor played with heart all night, as did Ensworth. When all was said and done, the breaks went Ensworth's way. Great game and great teams. These two can play with anyone, no doubt.

[Chattcity]

Pretty irrelevant.....officials don't make calls based on game temperature. The state championship is a reward based on their regular season. Baylor was up 21-7, they have no one to blame but themselves.

 

Why do they have to "blame" anyone. Elder makes a long run and mo changes sides. Give all the kids credit--Baylor and Ensworth-instead of trying to blame someone.

[countrypk]

Great game. I really want to commend both schools for their exemplary dedication to diversity in athletics. Few schools in our state can afford to assemble such an impressive number of students who, both large and small, can run the 40 in D1 completive times. It is truly an impressive and enviable accomplishment.

[Chattcity]

Great game. I really want to commend both schools for their exemplary dedication to diversity in athletics. Few schools in our state can afford to assemble such an impressive number of students who, both large and small, can run the 40 in D1 completive times. It is truly an impressive and enviable accomplishment.

 

Good point; Baylor had to convince UTC to hire Russ Huesman in order to get its fast running QB.

 

Your point is poorly disguised--and terribly flawed, at least as to Baylor. Being from Chattanooga, I don't know about EHS

Edited December 3, 2010 by Chattcity

[wareagle958]

Great game. I really want to commend both schools for their exemplary dedication to diversity in athletics. Few schools in our state can afford to assemble such an impressive number of students who, both large and small, can run the 40 in D1 completive times. It is truly an impressive and enviable accomplishment.

You can take that argument to another thread

[BLUEMOM]

Congratulations to the Ensworth Tigers. It was a great game to watch, although I have serious heartburn about cheering for either team. Miscues on both sides....great plays on both sides....great players. Most importantly.... It was awesome to be able to sit on my sofa, wrapped up in a big quilt, drink hot chocolate and make my football official Blue Betterhalf answer the tough questions all while enjoying the game on television. Thank you to the powers that be for the live broadcast!

 

All that being said, I am very jealous of BlueSon for being there in person and would love to have watched my team play there no matter what the game temp!

[KWoodroof]

Why do they have to "blame" anyone. Elder makes a long run and mo changes sides. Give all the kids credit--Baylor and Ensworth-instead of trying to blame someone.

My use of the term "blame" is more in response to those who are saying here and elsewhere that EHS's last two wins are the product of bad calls. I certainly don't mean to malign the kids at Baylor. I've had a soft spot for them since the MBA game (despite the unpleasant outcome, from my perspective). They don't have the athletes some of the other schools have (EHS and BA especially), but they play so well together, and make so few mistakes, and punish their opponents mistakes without fail. Like most good MBA teams, the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts. They got away from that Thursday, and it cost them. Much to my dismay.