A Western Pennsylvania high school football game ended on a bizarre special teams play Friday night, as an offensive lineman advanced a blocked field goal for a touchdown after players on the other team began celebrating thinking they had won the game. The final play of the game between Central Catholic and Penn Hills was the highlight of what was a frantic finish between the two schools.
With 18 seconds left, Penn Hills scored a two-point conversion to take a 28-27 lead, leaving Central Catholic with just 18 seconds to try and get into range for a game-winning field goal. Central Catholic was able to set up a 49-yard field goal for kicker Rowen Kautter as time expired. But the kick was blocked by Penn Hills’ Raion Strader, leading to Penn Hills players celebrating thinking they had won the game.
However, the ball never crossed the line of scrimmage, meaning that it was still live and in play. Central Catholic lineman Anthony Shovlin picked up the ball and ran it the rest of the way for a touchdown, giving his team a 33-28 victory as Penn Hills players and coaches realized too late what had happened.
The final play was framed as “controversial” by Penn Hills, with some suggesting that the ball had crossed the line of scrimmage, which would have resulted in a dead ball and a Penn Hills victory. However, referees at the high school level do not have instant replay available to them, meaning that Central Catholic was left with a victory and Penn Hills was left with a difficult lesson to play to the whistle.
