WHAT’S CAUSING ALL THIS? / By MITCH LUCAS | Officials made wrong call in Henderson-Community, and let’s not pretend there’s a real ‘protest’ policy

It should be noted that I, Mitch Lucas, am not an attorney.

I did go to the University of Alabama with the intent to become one – but only briefly, and decided after taking a few classes that I would abandon that notion.

So I’m not Perry Mason. I’m not Matlock (either version). And if you’re under 30, I’m not Harvey Specter, either.

But I do have eyes. And my glasses come from Kilgore-Gilmer Eye Care Center, so I know my vision is corrected.

And my eyes, ears and everything else tell me that the University Interscholastic League needs to abandon the pretense of any protests.

Several ETBlitz.com readers, including one very good friend of mine, correctly point out that the UIL protests of games that are *over* are not going to happen.

What I’m saying is, if no protest is ever going to have a chance, then make that clear – and make it known to officials that they HAVE to be better.

My friend commented that TASA, the officials’ association, should use this tape, and any other footage, of this play and use it to better train umpires in similar situations.

I agree completely. They should use this as a learning, training experience.

But it stinks for the kids on the 2025 Henderson High School softball team. And it KIND of stinks for the kids that play for Community, because in the eyes of many, that win was tainted, all because of the reversed decision.

I know officials have a lot of things to watch, in any sport. They’re supposed to keep an eye on what’s happening on the field of play, or the court. They’re supposed to be the overseers of contests, sure. But they’re also supposed to be the overseers of fair play.

But apparently, in the UIL board room on Monday, as sports radio show host Colin Cowherd is fond of saying, a fair is a place where you ride rides and buy corn dogs.

Come back with me to the Henderson-Nevada Community game three, on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Athens High School.

Henderson’s up, 4-3, in the seventh inning. If they get three outs, that sucker is over, book closed, end of story, Henderson advances to play Sanger in the third round of the Class 4A-Division I playoffs.

If Community can score at least one run, the game goes to extra innings.

By now, most of you know what happened. Community’s batter is at the plate, and there’s a base-runner (I’m sorry, don’t have her name), who is going to attempt to steal home and tie the game up.

She does leave third, re-thinks the situation and tries to go back. It’s a scrum, she leaves the base path, is tagged out – this is important: she’s called out by the umpire – and then goes on to home plate.

The batter immediately throws her bat, because she believes that Community has lost. Henderson’s team celebrates, thinking that they’ve won. And that’s when the whole thing takes a nose-dive.

The runner who was tagged out argues she was obstructed by Henderson in the play. Her coaches argue it, too, and before long, the officials – including the umpire who called the game and said it was over – discuss things. They decide to overturn the decision, and furthermore, the run scored, that we’re tied at 4, and heck, we’re going to extra innings.

The game resumed, continued for three innings, and ultimately, Nevada Community was ahead on the scoreboard and was awarded the win.

And in all honesty, that was the wrong decision. When the official ruled the young lady was tagged, that should have been ballgame.

The protests by Henderson ISD were filed Monday, and turned down.

I’ve been covering sports for 31 years, professionally. I’ve seen A LOT. And the only time I ever remember the UIL agreeing to overturn anything based on a protest was a couple of years ago when Lufkin appealed after it was placed in a football district that would be crippling.

But that’s different. It was an appeal of a realignment.

My opinion, which matters not much, is that when that umpire ruled the runner had been tagged, and that the game was over, is that THE GAME WAS OVER. There should not have been any protest, any reversal. The game was over.

Unfortunately for the officials and for the UIL, we have the benefit of video.

Hindsight is very much 20/20. But the official had made the correct call, and then was convinced to overturn it. I don’t even remember the last time I saw that happen in a Texas high school game of any kind.

This shouldn’t be allowed to continue, because it emboldens the officials – they know the UIL has their back regardless, and they have carte blanche to do as they please without fear of any reprisal.

So, where does this leave Henderson? Unfortunately, out of the playoffs.

Where does this leave Community? In the third round facing Sanger.

Where does this leave the UIL? Well, in a lot of people’s eyes, in a no-win situation, thanks to the decision by these officials to allow the game to continue.

Let’s hope that the UIL, after this, ends the façade that you can protest anything, because  obviously, protesting a decision and actually WINNING that protest is as likely as me jumping off AT&T Stadium with cloth wings and thinking I can fly to Tulsa.

My heart goes out to the kids from Henderson, and their coaches, and the fans. I wish they could get relief here. At the same time, the kids from Community, they didn’t make this call.

Bottom line, the officials shouldn’t have reversed the umpire’s decision. A mess is a mess is a mess. And this one is one mess that will never be forgotten.