From what I could tell,
Murphy's mouth guard fell out. Match should have been stopped.
Finch threw a crossface, alleged bite occurs.
Ref stops match, sees blood and/or markings (not sure which), declares Finch winner by DQ.
I saw a few different moral gray areas surrounding the match:
1. After inspecting the "bite," the trainer declares the wound to be from Murphy's braces, that it was not a bite mark. Was this taken into account?
2. Why wasn't a head referee consulted before the DQ was enacted?
3. Was anyone at all consulted before the DQ was enacted?
As for the problems of coaching integrity, parenting or lack thereof for both parties, and the topic of questionable calls, all I have to say is this:
It really is just a high school match, but if there was no bite, its a really bad deal for Murphy.
If the alleged finger-giving/threats/justice for the Irish (and all the other whatnot), that's a problem best dealt with in the home. It is up to a parent to set an example for a child, and if that's the way they choose to set it, so be it. (grow up for pete's sake)
I think the situation could have been handled in a better way. GFRR fans are now labeling FD wrestlers as cheap, FD fans think Murphy is an awful kid, both sets of parents showed social ineptitude, and Finch was even Boo'ed on the podium! I can't help but to think that the situation was handled poorly.
I think some of the blame lands on the ref. No margin of error should be left when dealing with DQ's; Murphy most likely won't be at state, and Finch has been exposed to some criticism that probably shouldn't fall on his shoulders, as an 8th grade student athlete.
This will come across as naive, but I think we could use a little sportsmanship and a little honesty.
More than anything, I hope this incident leads to a more transparent protocol for dealing with "iffy" situations or "tough" calls on the mat.
