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<p>CHICAGO &#8212; An Illinois high school football team that lost a playoff football game because officials made an incorrect call won&#8217;t be in the state championship contest after a judge on Wednesday rejected its bid to overturn the outcome.</p><p>Judge Kathleen Kennedy&#8217;s rejected an unusual lawsuit from Chicago suburban Fenwick High School seeking to reverse the Plainfield North High School victory last Saturday. Fenwick said it would not appeal the decision.</p><p>That sends Plainfield North High School to Saturday&#8217;s Class A state title game against East St. Louis. But none of the parties involved was celebrating.</p><p>Fenwick led the playoff game 10-7 and had the ball on fourth down on its own 15-yard line with four seconds left. The Fenwick quarterback heaved the ball downfield and used up the time left on the clock. Officials ruled the play to be intentional grounding, a penalty that gave Plainfield North the ball and one more play, which it used to kick a field goal and tie the game before winning 18-17 in overtime.</p><p>The Illinois High School Association, which governs prep sports in the state, said the call was a mistake. The association apologized to Fenwick, but said there was no way for the school to appeal the outcome through the organization.</p><p>In her ruling Wednesday, Kennedy cited an association bylaw that says officials&#8217; decisions are final.</p><p>The association argued that if Fenwick prevailed it could lead to a flood of lawsuits over incorrect decisions by officials.</p><p>&#8220;I wish there was a way that Fenwick could participate in the game, but there&#8217;s not. Sometimes the law is not fair,&#8221; David Bressler, an association attorney, argued in court.</p><p>Fenwick Principal Peter Groom said in a statement: &#8220;We applaud the Plainfield North athletes and coaches for a well-played semi-final game, and we thank them for their continued sportsmanship and understanding.&#8221;</p><p>Plainfield North spokesman Tom Hernandez praised the decision but, in a printed statement, stressed that &#8220;We reiterate our empathy for our friends from Fenwick High School and their supporters.&#8221;</p><p>Illinois association spokesman Matt Troha said he is not aware of a previous case in which a school in Illinois tried to use the courts to change the outcome of a high school sports event.</p><p>In 2014, an Oklahoma judge declined a high school&#8217;s request to have a football playoff game replayed after a referee&#8217;s mistake cost the school&#8217;s team a touchdown. The judge expressed concern about a &#8220;slippery slope&#8221; that could lead to future litigation over wins and losses.</p><p>The association said Wednesday that it will look for ways to try to prevent such problems in future, but it isn&#8217;t yet clear what that will involve.</p><p>&#8220;There is no celebration and there are no winners in this circumstance. It is simply a resolution,&#8221; the association said in an emailed statement. &#8220;The Fenwick High School community has been dealt a pair of devastating blows over the past few days, while Plainfield North had a historic moment shrouded in controversy.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Associated Press</p></bylineMeta></div>

Judge rejects bid to reverse high school football result