The girls’ lacrosse teams from Kell and Blessed Trinity high schools were set to face off in the Class A-AAAAA state championship in Georgia on Saturday at Lakewood Stadium, but that game did not take place as scheduled.
Moments prior to the game’s scheduled start time, referees noticed that the goals that were in place were bent, and not fit for use. A backup set of goals was brought in, but it was found that those goals also had an issue—this time that the nets were improperly secured with zip ties, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.
As the delay dragged on, a third problem was discovered, this time with the lines on the field. The restraining line was not properly painted.
After some discussion, the game was ultimately postponed and rescheduled. The makeup game will take place Wednesday, at a different neutral site.
1A-5A Girls Lacrosse State - Kell vs. Blessed Trinity is rescheduled to Wed., May 17, 7:00 pm at #Walton HS. https://t.co/AeUBbYAcrh pic.twitter.com/NUulQujiZX
— GHSA (@OfficialGHSA) May 15, 2017
Denis Tallini, the GHSA administrator for lacrosse, told the Daily Journal that he wasn’t sure why the field wasn’t inspected ahead of time.
“The Atlanta Public Schools were in charge of making the original setup,” Tallini said. “I don’t know when they brought them in. Nonetheless, when we got here, I didn’t have an opportunity to inspect them, and I’m not an official, so I wouldn’t know what was appropriate and what wasn’t. The officials got here and said ‘We’ve got a problem with these goals,’ and the coaches agreed to that.”
This is the second embarrassing championship event for the GHSA in just over a year. Last year, state basketball championships were played on a court that wasn’t set up according to regulations. Baskets weren’t aligned correctly, resulting in extra-long free throw and 3-point shot attempts.
From AB: Incorrect Court Impacts HS Basketball Championships
