IHSA nullifies red card issued to QND goalkeeper, making Frericks eligible for sectional semifinal

QUINCY — The Illinois High School Association promotes a sportsmanship program entitled “Do What’s Right!”

Thursday, the IHSA followed its own motto and did the right thing.

IHSA executive director Craig Anderson and assistant executive director Beth Sauser acknowledged the red card issued to QND goalkeeper Max Frericks during the second of the boys soccer team’s regional championship game would not stand and he is eligible to play in Saturday’s sectional semifinal.

The QND administration received a letter from the IHSA late Thursday afternoon stating the red card was null and void because the center official admitted he made an error in issuing the card.

“I told (QND athletic director Bill) Connell this is the perfect time for the IHSA to do what their motto is and do the right thing,” QND coach Greg Reis said. “He actually put that in his email he sent first thing Thursday morning. He said it’s time for you to step up and do what’s right.”

With roughly 20 minutes remaining in regulation of Wednesday’s Class 1A regional championship against Monmouth-Roseville, Frericks stopped a shot by the Titans’ Ozzy Carmona by diving to his left near the post. Frericks used his hands and arms to stop the shot, but he never picked the ball up.

Subsequently, he dribbled the ball to the top of the box and picked it up when the Titans’ Alexis Bruntsh ran forward as if to attack.

That’s when the referee whistled the play dead, issued the red card and sent Frericks off. The referee ran to the linesman to explain his call and then approached the QND bench to offer an explanation to Reis, saying the red card was the result of a double-touching by Frericks.

Following the Raiders’ 5-2 victory, having never seen the call in 27 seasons as head coach, Reis reached out to other coaches, officials and anyone he thought could shed some light on the situation.

“I was on the phone basically the entire time coming back from Monmouth,” Reis said.

About the time he got home, Reis received a call from Monmouth-Roseville coach Zach Statham that the referee had informed him the red card would not part of the official game report submitted to the IHSA.

Reis checked his email and had a similar message from the official, stating the red card shouldn’t have been issued due to his mistake. However, Reis asked for official acknowledgement of the mistake in writing from the referee and the IHSA.

“I didn’t want to show up at the game Saturday and there be some big controversy whether Max could play,” Reis said.

The referee contacted Sauser, who is in charge of the boys soccer state tournament series for the IHSA, and admitted he made a mistake and the red card shouldn’t stand “because the player didn’t do anything to warrant a red card and it was his mistake,” according to Reis.

Connell followed up with an email Thursday morning, and QND Principal Mark McDowell made a follow-up call to Anderson on Thursday afternoon. When the Raiders finished practicing around 3:45 p.m., they received the news Frericks would be eligible.

He will start in goal at noon Saturday in the Chillicothe IVC Sectional when QND (10-10-2) faces Mendota (21-2-2) in a rematch of last year’s sectional championship game, which the Raiders won 7-1.

“Max is a captain for us,” Reis said. “When you’re used to playing with somebody for 22 games during the course of the year, that’s the guy you want behind you.”