Past joins present as Catholic rivalries square off

  
    It seemed like old times as the Catholic League opened play this past weekend.
    Attendance at Hoss Memtsas for the Archbishop Shaw vs. Archbishop Rummel game and at Tad Gormley for the 94th Jesuit vs. Holy Cross and St. Augustine vs. Brother Martin games was impressive.
    When the Blue Jays and Tigers clashed on Oct. 11 in the most exciting game of “Rivalry Week,” the crowd blanketed most of the east and west stands. It is estimated they numbered between 10,000-11,000.
    Holy Cross appeared to have the larger number of spectators, a product of the administration’s promoting the rivalry to parents, alumni and student body.
    And the game, decided on a final-second field goal by Reed Gravolet, which gave the Tigers a 16-13 victory over the Blue Jays, was by far the most suspenseful.
    On Oct. 10, Archbishop Rummel retained the Megaphone by overwhelming a very capable Archbishop Shaw squad, 38-0.
    In the weekend finale on Oct. 12, Brother Martin battled toe to toe with a much more talented St. Augustine opponent. But in the end, size and speed ruled the afternoon as the Purple Knights pulled away to a 49-21 victory.
    But all six head coaches can ask for their “playoff bonuses” because they will be post-season contenders in a Division that has just 10 teams.
    Also ticketed for the post- season in the Select division is every other school in the Archdiocese of New Orleans … a lot of bonuses to go around!
Who’s the boss?
    Sports officials have no intention of becoming celebrities or newsmakers. Their jobs are to oversee athletic events and to enforce the rules of the sport for the good of participants and spectators.
    Officials are the sole judges and jury regarding what transpires between the lines. They are the final word because they know the rules of the sport; that is, unless you are officiating a football game in Covington or Mandeville.
   Two local and well-respected officials, doing their duties in the best interest of St. Paul’s and Mandeville high schools during the third period of a football game on Oct. 11, were arrested by a Covington police officer for soliciting his aid to help them do their jobs. The policeman’s son is a member of Mandeville’s football team.       
    At every level of competition, whether it be professional, collegiate or high school, where law enforcement officers are detailed, there is a distinct separation of power between the men wearing a badge and the men wearing stripes.
    Officials are in charge of everything that pertains to the competition from the moment they step onto the field or court until the final horn. Detail policemen are responsible for crowd control and security, and that includes the security and protection of the officials.
    If a situation arises where fans are crowding the sidelines and impeding the movement of the sideline official, as there was in the game between St. Paul’s and Mandeville, and the officials ask an attending police officer for assistance in moving the spectators back, it is the duty of that cop to do so. Instead, this particular policeman used the power of his position to goad the officials into a confrontation that led to their arrests and subsequent fines for alleged “intimidation.”
    The spectators, claiming to be equipment managers, were obnoxious and creating a nuisance on the sideline.
    LHSAA associate director, Keith Alexander, who oversees the state’s high school officials, said, “The officials were having some problems with the chain crew and also some equipment managers or some other people with Mandeville,” Alexander said. “The officials were basically told by the police department that they needed to get the game going and not worry about what’s going on with the fans. At that time (the referee) said he would just get the home team management involved. That’s when the officer said, ‘No, I will be involved in it now.’”
    This cop was out of line.
    Ron Brocato can be reached at [email protected].