When Rockhurst missed on a second-and-20 pass late in the fourth quarter, Lee’s Summit West coach Vinny Careswell knew the Titans would soon get the ball and one more shot at winning the game.

Then came the yellow flag.

A personal foul was called on West, and that kept Rockhurst’s drive alive. West never got the ball back, and Rockhurst ran out the clock to seal a 20-17 in a Class 6 District 4 semifinal Friday night at West.

Rockhurst took possession with 6 minutes 9 seconds left and never let go of the ball. A holding penalty sent the Hawklets back to their own 45-yard line, and quarterback Derek Green missed on a pass over the middle to tight end Jacob Sykes.

But a West player appeared to throw a Rockhurst player to the ground after the play, which led to the penalty. Rockhurst picked up a first down on the next play, one of three first downs the Hawklets picked up over the final seconds.

“I completely disagree with the call on the personal foul,” Careswell said. “If anything it should have been no-call. It was basically him protecting himself from getting crushed on the ground. They said he threw him but I disagree.”

The call became more crucial when Rockhurst later faced third and eight from the West 33. The Titans pressured Green as a he scrambled in the back field, but he had enough time to find running back Brady McCanles. McCanles grabbed the ball and made his way to a first down on the 20.

For more, read the Kansas City Star