Sports

Fenwick Community Reacts to Judge's Decision to Let Plainfield Football Win Stand

The judge denied an overturn of the win, which was made possible for the Plainfield team due to an officiating error.

Anicka Slachta's profile picture
Anicka Slachta, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

After an officiating error handed Plainfield North a football win against Fenwick High School on Saturday night, a Cook County judge has denied a bid to overturn Plainfeild North’s win.

Needless to say, Fenwick fans aren’t thrilled.

Plainfield North received an untimed down in the fourth quarter of last weekend’s game, allowing them to tie the score with a field goal and go on to win the game in overtime. Before this call, Fenwick was seconds away from winning the game with a 10-7 lead.

Find out what's happening in Oak Park-River Forestfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

A 41-page lawsuit was filed Nov. 21 in Cook County Circuit Court against the Illinois High School Association, according to the Cook County Record. It asked the court to issue a restraining order and a “permanent injunction, to essentially declare Fenwick the winner of that IHSA Class 7A state semifinals playoff game.”

Judge Kathleen Kennedy heard around 45 minutes of arguments from lawyers representing Fenwick High School and the IHSA before making her decision Wednesday, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Find out what's happening in Oak Park-River Forestfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Fenwick’s lawyer, Peter Rush, claimed that officials didn’t have the authority to continue the game, and therefore violated IHSA bylaws, the Tribune reported. Rush argued against IHSA’s claim that their bylaws prevent them from correcting officials’ calls.

Peter Groom, Fenwick High’s principal, told the Tribune the school was upset, but he wished Plainfield well in Saturday’s championship and said the school wouldn’t pursue any more legal action.

“We owed our students a fair hearing of their grievance,” he said. “We received a fair hearing, and now it’s finished.”

Fenwick High School released a statement on its website Wednesday afternoon expressing disappointment in the court’s decision, but being careful to not blame the Plainfield team for the outcome of the game.

“We applaud the Plainfield North athletes and coaches for a well-played semi-final game, and we thank them for their continued sportsmanship and understanding during this difficult week for everyone involved,” the statement reads.

When the school posted the announcement on its Facebook page, responses came quickly. Many Fenwick fans simply expressed their disappointment in how the season ended and thanked the players for a great several months.

“It was a good fight til the end,” one user wrote. “Those boys will always know in their hearts they won this game, even if they are not going to State. I am so proud of each and every one of you; you are all exceptional young men.”

Another commenter said he was proud to be a Friar.

“So glad we didn’t just let this pass without a challenge,” he wrote. “But, like the election, I accept the outcome and will move on.”

Other members of the Fenwick community weren’t so pleased.

“What kind of teaching moment is this for the team at Plainfield?” one comment reads. “It’s OK to cheat?”

Another wrote, “Plainfield North was given the opportunity to exhibit sportsmanship and they passed on it.”

As a result of Plainfield’s win, the team will be advancing to the 7A state championship Saturday. They’ll play against East St. Louis at 4 p.m. at the Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

District 202 spokesperson Tom Hernandez said the district empathizes with Fenwick High School, but appreciates the court’s decision.

“(We) will continue to prepare to play in the state championship Saturday afternoon,” he said. “We will do our best to be worthy of the opportunity and will represent District 202 proudly.”

David Bressler, an IHSA attorney, told the Tribune on Wednesday that game officials make hundreds of bad calls a week, “and that courts would be flooded with lawsuits in Fenwick won the legal fight.”

“I wish there was a way that Fenwick could participate in the game, but there’s not,” he said. “Sometimes the law is not fair.”

Check out some more reactions from the Twitter community below.

--

Image via Shutterstock

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Oak Park-River Forest