FHSAA confirms officials made key mistake during Central Florida playoff game

Flagler Palm Coast’s complaint about late-game miscue in 36-35 loss is affirmed

Flagler Palm Coast's Roman Caliendo (81) breaks free from a couple of Spruce Creek defenders during the Region 1-7A quarterfinals, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. / David TuckerNews-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) ruled on Monday that the officiating crew for the Spruce Creek-Flagler Palm Coast football playoff game made a key mistake late in the final minutes of a close game last Friday.

FPC athlete director Scott Drabczyk told High School On SI on Wednesday that its school district, Flagler Schools, sent a letter to the FHSAA written jointly by both FPC and district level administration teams outlining the “glaring officiating issues” that took place during a Class 7A, Region 1 playoff game last week.

At the heart of the complaint was a down marker mistake with FPC trailing Spruce Creek, 36-35, with less than 2 minutes remaining. The Hawks had just taken the lead on a touchdown catch by Anthony Hayden and a two-point conversion reception by Kamron Chamble, according to a story in the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Taking possession at its own 34-yard line with 1:26 left, FPC drove to Spruce Creek’s 31-yard line in just five plays. The Bulldogs’ Marcus Mitchell Jr. then caught a 9-yard pass from quarterback Hayden Hayes on first down.

Spruce Creek then sacked Hayes for a 5-yard loss on second down, setting the Bulldogs back to the 27-yard line. With the clock continuing to run, FPC called a timeout before third down.

When the teams returned to play, referees skipped ahead a down, flipping the marker from third to fourth, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. FPC then completed a pass and the wide receiver was tackled short of the first-down marker, giving the Hawks possession on a turnover on downs.

The officiating miscue not only cost FPC a down, but a chance to potentially make a game-winning field goal with time running out. As a result, fifth-seeded Spruce Creek (8-3) won the game and advanced to play No. 1 seed Lake Mary (9-2) on Friday night in the regional semifinals.

It was only the second loss all season for fourth-seeded FPC (9-2), which defeated Spruce Creek, 50-39, during the regular season.

“At the end of the day, that’s a great Spruce Creek team,” FPC coach Daniel Fish told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. “Made plenty of plays. I thought we made enough plays to win, as well. It was a one-point game. Hat’s off to them.

See that when this sequence begins, it’s second down and then show me the next two downs @FHSAA pic.twitter.com/ipnZBrSVH6

— Michael Lischio Jr. (@FootballCounty1) November 16, 2024

“I just hate it for my kids to have that ‘what-if’ in their head because they didn’t deserve that,” Fish said. “I’d rather (Spruce Creek) just win the game outright or get a pick there at the end. But to have it taken away, that’s very unfortunate.”

The officiating error prompted FPC to file a complaint to the FHSAA and Drabczyk said the association confirmed receipt of the letter sent to them on Monday. “I spoke with (Craig) Damon (FHSAA chief executive officer) by phone later that day. “The FHSAA has confirmed the crew made a mistake, and we have been notified that appropriate steps are being taken through the state office with the officials association that was assigned to our game.”

It was a strange finish to a game that saw Spruce Creek rally from a 28-6 deficit to win. Quarterback PJ Miller completed 16 of 22 passes for 219 yards and four TDs, while Hayden ran eight times for 78 yards and a TD and caught three passes for 38 yards and a TD for the Hawks.

For FPC, Hayes completed 22 of 29 passes for 328 yards and two TDs and ran 13 times for 51 yards, Mitchell ran 22 times for 77 yard and three TDs and caught three passes for 36 yards, and Roman Caliendo caught six passes for 100 yards.

"Mistakes by the refs happen all the time, and they happened throughout the night for both teams," Hayes said. "Unfortunately, for us, another one happened during a pivotal point in the game. In my eyes, the team and I should've played better throughout the game so that we were never in in that scenario to begin with, but the mistake from the refs to take away an entire down and end the game can't happen then and it did.

"Props to Spruce Creek for what they did on the field and I feel they deserve to go far in the playoffs, but I feel that we should have had the proper chance to win or lose the game in the end," Hayes said.

"As far as how the season went for the team, I am proud of every person involved," Hayes said. "All of the players really bought into the program and vision and contributed in their own way to our great season. Thankful for the coaching staff and the players for making my final year as great as it was. A lot of us on the team having record-setting years and achieving things that have never been done before is truly special."