Saturday afternoon's GHSA 3A State Championship Game between Cedar Grove and Sandy Creek made headlines for all the wrong reasons, and it could lead to a big change going forward in the Georgia High School Association.
Down 17-14 with under a minute to go, Sandy Creek found themselves with First and goal to score the go-ahead touchdown from the Cedar Grove 2-yard line. After being stopped on first and second down, Sandy Creek called a direct snap run that appeared to be stopped one yard from the goal line by Cedar Grove. However, it was called a touchdown and Sandy Creek went on to win the ball game 21-17. With the win, Sandy Creek claimed their fourth state title since 2009.
One of the members of the Steakhouse, Rusty Mansell, was there in person as he helped call several of the title games this weekend at Center Parc Stadium.
"The only way he (the official who called for the touchdown) can make that error is if he thinks the two people that are laying in the end zone have the ball," Mansell explained on this morning's Steakhouse.
In the hours that followed the call, videos of the play went viral on Twitter, even becoming a national trending topic Saturday night. The main topic of conversation centered around why there was no instant replay, which is not used in the GHSA playoffs.
"That particular play is going to change forever how we have high school football in the state of Georgia," Mansell added. "We're going to have instant replay at least in the finals."
Maybe if the play isn't called a touchdown, the result isn't changed. Maybe Sandy Creek goes for it on fourth down and gets a score to go ahead. In games with this amount of magnitude and importance where you are looking to broadcast and publicize the best in your state, however, there shouldn't have to be moments like Saturday afternoon.
To its credit, the GHSA has already spoken about the future use of instant replay in future playoff games and it looks like this is something that's coming sooner, rather than later.
You can hear Rusty Mansell and Steak from this morning's Steakhouse on the missed call above. The Steakhouse can be heard daily 9 am to 11 am.