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The state Department of Education denied an appeal from the Manasquan School District to postpone the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group 2 state championship game. The district's attorneys mentioned the decision in an emergency court filing on Friday, Mar. 8.
The title game between Camden High School and Newark Arts High School is scheduled for noon on Saturday, Mar. 9. It'll be held at Jersey Mike's Arena on the Rutgers University campus in Piscataway.
Manasquan officially lost 46-45 to Camden in the semifinals on Tuesday, Mar. 5. Video from the game showed Manasquan's Griffin Linstra grabbing an offensive rebound and releasing the ball from his hand with about 0.6 seconds remaining.
Linstra's shot went through the hoop after the clock hit 0.0 and Manasquan celebrated what it believed was a thrilling 47-46 win. After about a minute of discussion, the referees overturned the call on the court and ruled that Linstra did not get the shot off before time expired.
The NJSIAA released a statement, apologizing for the blown call but that the outcome of the game would not be changed. Manasquan responded by saying it would "pursue any available appeals."
The Clark Law Firm filed a lawsuit against the NJSIAA on Wednesday, Mar. 6. An Ocean County Superior Court judge turned the suit over to the Department of Education on Thursday, Mar. 7.
After acting education commissioner Kevin Dehmer denied Manasquan's appeal, Manasquan has one last chance to stop the title game. The Belmar law firm filed an "emergent appeal" with the appellate division of the state Superior Court.
In the filing, attorney Gerald Clark said Manasquan will suffer "irreparable harm" if the championship is played as planned because it "rightfully won" the semifinal.
"This travesty continues to cause immense heartbreak to the players, coaches, fans, and indeed much of the broader community," Clark wrote. "Beyond that, there is further harm to the players because playing in a state championship game can have a substantial impact on their recruiting and scholarship prospects."
Clark also said the lawsuit doesn't question the abilities of the referees, but the decisions made by the Department of Education and NJSIAA.
"It was highly unusual for what everyone agrees was the correct call made by the referee with the clearest angle, to be overturned after interference from a coach and/or NJSIAA representative in a state tournament," wrote Clark. "Under these circumstances the bylaws and constitution of the NJSIAA, read in pari material [on the same subject] with the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) rules, which the NJSIAA is bound to follow, compel the association to utilize its own undisputed video to declare Manasquan the rightful winner.
"This case does not question a judgment call of a referee. It seeks review of an arbitrary and capricious failure of the Acting Commissioner of Education to enforce the bylaws, constitution, and rules of the NJSIAA."
Newark's school superintendent Roger León released a statement on Thursday, Mar. 7 in favor of postponing the title game involving his district's Arts Jaguars if a judge grants a delay.
"If a reasonable delay will allow time for the court to issue a correct, full, and fair decision, we are in full support of such action," León wrote.
León also said a court should overturn Manasquan's loss if it's shown that an incorrect call was made "in the interest of justice and in the interest of teaching our students a valuable lesson."
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