Football: Monarchs finally got over it

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

If it seemed as though coaches, players and officials met at midfield forever prior to the start of the first overtime during Mater Dei’s 46-43, triple-overtime victory over Carson at Long Beach Veterans Stadium, well, they did.

Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said there was ‘massive confusion’ about which rules were in play during the overtimes. ESPN2, which televised the game nationally, had informed the Monarchs earlier this week that National Federation of State High School Assns. rules would apply in any overtimes.

But when everyone conferred at midfield, that wasn’t the case.

‘All of a sudden they’re telling us, ‘No, you don’t kick extra points, you don’t go for two,’ ‘ Rollinson said. ‘Then all of a sudden that changes. It was a little chaotic. ... I don’t understand -- you can’t score on defense? Their coach [Mike Christensen] said, ‘Well, that’s the City [Section] rules.’ So I don’t think anybody really knew what rules we were on.’

Mater Dei prevailed in the third overtime when quarterback Matt Barkley lofted a pass to Derek Campbell in the corner of the end zone. Things had looked bleak in the second overtime when Barkley suffered his fourth interception of the game, but the Monarchs blocked a field-goal attempt to send the game into a third extra period.

--Ben Bolch