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You would think, after seeing Nathan Vasher, Antonio Cromartie, and Devin Hester turn missed field goals into points for the other team in the last few years in the NFL, that coaches and players at all levels of football might do a little more planning for missed field goal situations.
But I suppose practicing for situations in which the only thing the returner should do is kneel would require a lot of foresight. And so, I can't blame the unnamed Otter Valley High player who, at about the 1:30 mark of the above video, hauls in a missed field goal, briefly celebrates holding onto what he believes is a 16-14 win while running off the field, and spikes a live ball.
How was he supposed to know that Jericho Mount Mansfield's Jeff Sutherland would smartly scoop up the ball and score, turning that 16-14 "win" into a 20-16 defeat worth the first few minutes of the local news' sports segment? (Note to local sportscaster: Lee Corso's phrases don't sound good when Corso says them.)
At least the Otter Valley player's in good company, sort of. Deadspin's Dashiell Bennett titled his take on the play "Leon Lett Is Finally Off The Hook," though which bonehead error he's referring to is unclear. Personally, I think the spike of a live ball is more reminiscent of Plaxico Burress' spike-turned-fumble in his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2001: Burress made a catch, wasn't touched, and celebrated by spiking the ball, which was, of course, recovered by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Let's just hope that Burress' other troubles don't rub off on this guy. YouTube shame pales in comparison.
(HT: Deadspin.)
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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I’ll question your fundamentals. As described (ball caught by team in the endzone), using federation rules (most high schools use those rules), the ball is dead once it crosses the goal line (automatic touchback). This is different in college and pros. Fundamentals change with level. Maybe the newscaster was wrong on where it was caught (hard to tell on video), and then this was ruled correctly… either way, catch the ball and take a knee.
by ralfyves on Sep 30, 2009 1:30 PM EDT reply actions
To make up for it, the kid will only get to consume 19.4 gallons of maple syrup this year, almost half of the average 40 gallons per annum consumption rate. He’ll also be called "Acorn Balls" by the cheerleaders.
by Raisin' up off the cot on Sep 30, 2009 1:39 PM EDT reply actions
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