The days leading up to Lamar County's Friday matchup with Mary Persons were filled with gang threats from MP players and the game ended controversially as Lamar threatened to tie the game.
The Trojans had come back from a 29-13 deficit, pounding away at an MP defense that was done for the night. Three Dogs defenders were knocked out of the game. LC cut it to 29-27 with 1:53 left in the third period and lined up to kick a PAT when MP was called for offsides. Trojan coach Jamie Abrams elected to go for two but MP coaches rushed on to the field with a lightning detector and called the game before the PAT try from the one yard line.
After multiple delays the game was ended just after 11 p.m. with MP up by two.
There had been lightning in the area all night but nothing was done until the Dogs began getting stuffed on offense and outrun badly on defense.
Lamar officials believe the PAT try has to be allowed and are checking with the Georgia High School Association. Lamar fans felt MP hid behind its lightning detector.
Realtime scoring from the game was provided by Walter Geiger from the sidelines.
Andruw O'Neal roars into the end ozone on a 21-yard TD catch Friday night at MP. Trojan coaches and administrators were livid over the way the game ended early due to lightning. (Photo: Walter Geiger)
C. GHSA Policy on Interrupted Games
Postponed and Games Stopped by Weather: Any GHSA competition may be interrupted due to human, mechanical, or natural causes when it is necessary to protect the safety of players and spectators.
1. Postponed games are games that are postponed before they actually begin.
a. The host school shall notify the opposing team and the officials as early as possible when a contest is postponed.
b. The host school is responsible for determining whether an event is to be postponed until the time that game rules turn that responsibility over to game officials.
c. After administrators agree on the rescheduling of the postponed contest, the host school must notify the GHSA office.
***2. Games Stopped by Weather are games that games interrupted in progress.
a. All GHSA member schools are responsible for having workable lightning detectors and for having game management personnel trained in the use of these devices; lightning detectors must be monitored by game management throughout the game. Due to their presumed greater accuracy, indications from permanently installed lightning detectors have a higher priority than indications from hand held lightning detectors. Regardless of the type of detector provided by the home school, the officiating crew will honor any request by game management to interrupt the game based upon game management’s determination that the potential for dangerous lightning exists in the area of the game. Notwithstanding the requirement of the home school to have and use an approved lightning detector, the officiating crew will also interrupt play for any thunder that is close or loud as well as for any visible lightning. In such cases, the crew will interrupt the contest without regard to whether game management concurs. Play will also be stopped for extreme cold, weather conditions that game management declares would not permit safe travel home and any other dangerous field conditions noted by the crew.
***3. Schools of the Same Classification
a. All games between schools of the same classification must be played to completion.
b. There is NO two-hour cumulative delay.
c. There is NO 11:30 p.m. curfew.
4. Schools of a Different Classification
a. All games between schools of different classifications will be called after a two-hour cumulative delay.
b. There is a mandatory 11:30 PM curfew unless there is a game in progress in overtime; in that case, the curfew is waived.
c. If the game is terminated prior to halftime, it will be a “no contest”.
d. If the game is terminated after one half has been completed, it shall be considered a complete game. The team leading in the score shall be declared the winner; or if tied at this point, the contest will be declared a tie.
5. The GHSA office SHALL be notified of any terminated game.
6. Paying officials - in shortened or postponed games:
a. If a scheduled game cannot be started due to weather-related conditions, officials who come to the game site will be paid travel if the officials’ contract mandates travel fees.
b. If a game is interrupted by weather before it becomes a completed game, the officials will be paid one-half of the regular game fee.
c. If a game is an official game at the point of interruption, the officials will be paid full fees.
d. Beyond these conditions, no officials’ group(s) may hold the schools responsible for weather-related postponements.
Kim Shaw