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A bizarre string events took place during a high school football game earlier this week, headlined by a highly controversial move by a member of the officiating crew.
The shocking incident took place on Thursday during the fourth quarter of the South Group 5 NJSIAA Regional Invitational Tournament first-round matchup between Vineland and Eastern. At the time, Eastern had the ball, trailing 14–13.
After an Eastern receiver was tackled right at the line to gain on fourth down, the referee called for a measurement. However, during the process of the measurement, the official appeared to not only move the chains closer to the nose of the football but also move the ball forward before quickly signaling for a first down.
Several Vineland players who were awaiting the call reacted to the decision in disbelief, while Eastern began to focus on the next play. Eastern would score just two plays later, much to the dismay of Vineland coach Dan Russo.
“I saw it, 100% saw it and questioned the decision,” Russo said Friday, per NJ Advance Media. “The official on my side of the field said the referee just turned the ball. I complained but there’s no instant replay like college or the NFL. There was nothing I could do.
“Up to that point, there were no problems in the game. I’ve never seen a head official do something like that before. I felt like we had them stopped, they were at least six inches short. Then … I felt he pushed the ball forward.”
The controversial moment didn’t end up impacting the final result of the game as Vineland ended up scoring the game-winning touchdown for a 20–19 victory. Regardless of the outcome, the official will likely find himself having to answer questions about his actions in the days to come.
