A frustrated crew of officials called an already penalty-plagued high school football game Saturday after one of the players head-butted an official.
The game between Roger Bacon High School and Dayton Dunbar was broadcast on Twitch TV by Roger Bacon. A replay of the game posted by the Cincinnati Enquirer shows one of the Dunbar players head-butting an official between plays about midway through the second quarter.
At that point, the announcer says that both teams are being sent to their respective locker rooms and the game has been declared over by officials.
"The penalty that made the kid mad was their 12th penalty already," Roger Bacon coach Mike Blaut told the Enquirer. "They were marking off the ball, half the distance to the goal line, and that's when he went right after the referee and head-butted him. He hit him on the right side of his head."
Roger Bacon was ahead 23-8 at that point in the game.
"The kid ripped his helmet off and went after the white hat (referee)," Blaut said. "I just saw them scuffling. I yelled for my kids to get off the field because their sideline was getting out of control."
After the incident, officials threw the 13th and 14th penalty flags of the game, and promptly went to consult with coaches on the sidelines.
"He said, the game's over," Blaut said. "We're not playing this game anymore, you guys win. Get your kids in the locker room and get them out of here."
Blaut said he was informed prior to the game that the game would be tightly officiated.
"Our kids were really disappointed, especially my seniors," Blaut said of the early stoppage. "My son's on the team (Ryan). His first response was, 'They just took a game away from my senior year.' At the end of the day, we end up with the victory, so it's all good."
