Duluth wins again after fourth quarter replay
By BILL SANDERS
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
The night started with a third-and-18.
And even the most casual fan could tell this was not your typical high school football game.
No coin toss. No opening kickoff. No first, second or third quarters.
Monday Night Football at Duluth High School was unique, to say the least. Never in Georgia had two teams met like this, replaying a portion of a game held days earlier.
For $2 you could watch 11 minutes, 51 seconds of football. And for two more bucks, you could enjoy the Duluth "Protest Special" at the concession stand: A hot dog, a bag of chips and a soda.
And the pre-game music played over the public address system? The theme song from "Shaft."
When the final 11:51 was over for the second time, Duluth had once again defeated Dacula and earned a spot in Friday's Region 8-AAAAA playoffs against Shiloh. The final, official score was 17-10, much to the delight of the cheerleaders, band members and the 500 or so sprinkled through the 10,000-seat stadium.
Nine days and 22 hours after James Westbrook was flagged and ejected for a personal foul, play resumed with Duluth facing a third-and-18 from its own 12-yard line, leading 10-7. The Wildcats promptly got a 5-yard illegal motion penalty, making it third-and-23 from the 7.
Quarterback Dante Williams then hit Tyler Davis for 24 yards, and a touchdown-scoring drive was under way. Dacula could manage only a field goal in its second-chance effort.
The historic replay came because an official wrongly ruled that the personal foul was a dead-ball penalty. Duluth was penalized 15 yards, but the yardage was marked off after the completion of a play in which Duluth had made a first down. So instead of it being third-and-18, officials said it was still a first down. Duluth went on to score and to an apparent 17-14 win.
Dacula protested, and Georgia High School Association Executive Director Ralph Swearngin upheld the protest.
Duluth coach Bill Shields, angry when the ruling came down, hadn't cooled off much by Monday night.
"We're having to replay something we already played," he said before the game. "I have to tell the kids what you did out there the final quarter didn't mean anything.
"I at least wish the GHSA had let us discuss this. I found out about it in a fax. We didn't get to say why we thought it shouldn't be replayed."
If Duluth was unhappy with the do-over, Dacula still got the worse end of it. The Falcons now must play three-time defending state champs Parkview on Friday night. On three days rest.
