A lot has been said and written by Shamokin fans since Friday's Coal Bucket overtime loss to Mount Carmel about a fifth down the Red Tornadoes supposedly got on their overtime possession.
Here's what we saw, with a caveat. Sportswriters are not infallible judges; we sometimes miss things by putting our heads down and scribbling notes. Here's what we remember and what's in our notes.
First and 10, Blake Panko runs for three yards.
Second and seven, the Red Tornadoes are penalized five yards for illegal procedure.
Second and 12, Dominic Farronato is tackled for no gain.
Third and 12, and here's where it gets sticky. We have incomplete pass in the notes, but don't remember the play at all. It may have been written to explain the play over which there's controversy. Mount Carmel ran some kind of trick pattern. A flag was thrown.
In the old home pressbox, Mount Carmel's TV crew thought a receiver was wide open. At the other end, Press-Enterprise writer Justin Beiter thought he counted 12 Mount Carmel players on the field. We expected Mount Carmel to be penalized five yards for illegal substitution, setting up fourth and 17.
Instead, the officials waved off the flag completely and the play went on which resulted in Farronato's touchdown pass to Treyvon White.
No matter what happened, it's silly to say the officials decided the game. For the most part, they did a good job and were not conspicuous. That's the definition of good officiating.
PRAISE FOR SENIORS: For his part, Shamokin coach Pat DiRienzo, nor any of his staff, questioned what happened at the end. In fact, the final moments of the game were so hectic, one assistant coach asked reporters about several plays that happened, admitting that he just couldn't remember.
What DiRienzo did remember was the gallant play of his team leaders.
"How about my seniors?" he asked. "Were they great or what?"
Senior quarterback Tucker Yost was 10 for 16 for 156 yards and three touchdowns, and added 29 yards on 12 tough carries on the ground.
Running back Jon Demsko carried the ball 17 times for 182 and touchdowns of 65 and 68 yards.
DEFRANCESCO'S VIEW: Mount Carmel head coach Carm DeFrancesco said the instant classic was a plus in giving people in both communities a positive to talk about.
"This area is getting tougher around here. To have these two communities come together like this, and experience something like tonight, this has to energize both of the communities. People really got their money's worth. I've had a lot of moments in my career, but in terms of drama, this has to be the best."
EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS: While Line Mountain missed the No. 4 seed in the District 4 Class A playoffs by 10 points, the Eagles weren't completely left out of the postseason picture. The Eagles, who finished 5-5 with a victory over East Juniata in the regular-season finale, earned a spot in the four-team Eastern Conference Division I playoffs.
With date and time still to be determined, Line Mountain will open on the road against Tri-Valley, a team that beat the Eagles 21-14 in the regular season after Line Mountain held a 14-0 halftime lead.
In fact, the EC Division I playoffs will be an all Tri-Valley League affair, with Millersburg and Upper Dauphin meeting in the other semifinal.
BAD LUCK: The injury bug has certainly taken its toll on unbeaten Southern Columbia this season. First, running back/linebacker Blake Marks had to miss the early part of the regular season with a lacerated kidney suffered during summer passing scrimmages, then later, after his return, Marks went down with a serious knee injury that will have him sidelined indefinitely. Also, early on, the Tigers lost standout wide receiver/defensive back Luke Rarig for the season with a knee injury. Then, Friday night, in the regular season finale, speedy halfback Hunter Thomas went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter. He missed the remainder of the game, and his status is unknown for Friday night's playoff opener.