By now, I'm sure you are all well aware of the decision the powers-that-be made Thursday night to declare Cheshire and Hand co-champions of the Southern Connecticut Conference girls' soccer tournament.
After both teams played to a scoreless draw after 100 minutes, lightning postponed the start of penalty kicks for one half-hour, by high school federation rule. Before that half-hour was up, the heavens opened and with the SCC boys final still to follow, the SCC commissioner, chairperson and both school's athletic directors thought it best to declare co-champions.
With everyone already sitting in their cars (the field and stands must be cleared during a lightning delay) and likely wet, it seemed like the safest, correct conclusion. There probably didn't deserve to be a loser. But once the boys game was postponed, maybe in hindsight officials should have waited to make a decision on the girls game.
This is a classic second-guess hours after the fact - whereas officials had less than a half-hour to make a decision. They don't have the luxury I have here.
But with all parties amendable to postponing the boys game to Friday, maybe they could have waited out the lightning, which did flash again several times after the decision had been rendered.
I agree to bring both teams back the next day just for penalty kicks would be wrong. But SCC commissioner Al Carbone did say that if the lightning and rain had come in between overtime periods, the teams would have had to come back to play the final 10 minutes - and then penalty kicks if need be.
So with the boys teams already going home, and all of the players and parents for the girls game still in East Haven's parking lot, would it have been worthwhile to wait until 9-9:30 to determine an outright champion? Maybe, maybe not.
But after 100 minutes of action, to have no true champion does ring hollow. No medal ceremony. The players found out sitting on their respective buses. That's no way to determine a championship on any level.
The CIAC chooses incorrectly to continue to have co-champions for its soccer finals. The SCC wisely instituted penalty kicks to determine its champions if necessary.
No one can predict Mother Nature, but maybe in hindsight, waiting it out for at least a little while longer might have been worth it.
Please feel free to add your thoughts on the decision.