WATCH: Referees blown call in Georgia 3A state championship, gives Sandy Creek victory over Cedar Grove

Football season is wrapping up across America. And that can mean only one thing, high school football playoffs are in full swing. The Georgia high school football playoffs saw plenty of controversy on Saturday, when Sandy Creek was facing off against Cedar Grove in the 3A state championship. On 3rd and goal with less than a minute remaining from the two-yard line, Sandy Creek running back Travis Franklin took the direct snap in the backfield, following a convoy of blockers. Despite Franklin being clearly stonewalled at the one-yard line by a swarm of Cedar Grove defenders, the referees officiating the game ruled that Sandy Creek scored a touchdown, giving them a 21-17 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The blown call gave Sandy Creek the Georgia 3A state championship crown.

Check out the play here and decide for yourself. This is an excellent angle from right around the goal line.

The lack of an instant replay system at the state championship level for Georgia high school football will hopefully get analyzed this off-season. It’s not the first time a blown call has cost a team a state championship in the state of Georgia, either. In 2017, Peach County lost to Calhoun. Noah Whittington clearly crossed goal line with the football in his hands, and it should have been called a touchdown. However, referees ruled the pass incomplete.

Having instant replay can only make the referees lives a bit easier. It’s never easy to be an official, but for a highly egregious call like the one in the Sandy Creek-Cedar Grove game to incorrectly determine who wins a state championship is just bad for everyone involved. Franklin wasn’t close to being in the end zone. Hopefully, the error forces Georgia high school football to see if they can get instant replay in place for the state championship games, at the very least.