This was one of those weeks when it was hard to get motivation to do a column. Could it be from a bad head cold, writer’s block or burnout from 627 trick or treaters on Halloween?

I’d like to say yes to any of the above, but sadly it is from emotional distress after seeing my beloved Rochelle Hubs lose a playoff game by the cruelest of measures.

Ahead 14-13 with less than a minute to play, all the Hubs had to do was recover an onside kick to seal the win. Instead, Geneseo managed to grab the loose ball and drove down to connect on a knuckleball field goal as time expired for a miracle victory.

Sorry to sound like a whiner as this isn’t the first time I shared emotional pains experienced from high school sport losses. Sure, I have a long history with the old alma mater of Rochelle, and still haven’t quite gotten over the sting felt on a long three-hour drive from Carthage in Barney Vecchia’s RV after an improbable football loss by Oregon in the 2008 playoffs.

Maybe putting this down on paper will have a cathartic effect and relief will be found. Rochelle was the only team in the state to lose a first-round rematch against a team that it had beaten (41-14) in the regular season, but it was a legitimate loss.

It was a different case for the Fairfield Mules in far downstate Illinois. Like Rochelle, they also lost on a last-second field goal, but winning team PORTA was allowed five downs before kicking the field goal.

Apparently, officials got confused in the frantic final seconds and failed to recognize the extra down.

Video evidence of the debacle was sent to the IHSA and here are excerpts from a statement by Executive Director Craig Anderson:

IHSA by-law 6.033 clearly states that “the decisions of game officials shall be final; protests against the decision of a game official shall not be reviewed by the Board of Directors. Neither have the ability to alter the outcome of a contest that has been determined on the field. The contest result shall remain final with PORTA Co-op advancing to the 3A second round.

I recognize that there will be calls for the game result to be changed, or for PORTA to forfeit, but neither option is a possibility within the IHSA by-law structure. What occurred on the field in the waning moments of the contest appears to be a simple case of human error, something that occurs in all levels of sport.

The most important part of what was essentially a 455-word apology to Fairfield from the IHSA was the fact that a human error occurred.

As evidenced by social media, people not only in Fairfield, but in all parts of the state are irate over this perceived miscarriage of justice. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a march with pitchforks and torches on the IHSA headquarters in Bloomington. Well, maybe not.

Let’s not forget a cautionary tale from 31 years ago.

In a quarterfinal playoff game between Stockton and Durand, officiating errors contributed to Durand losing 20-14. After being subjected to a barrage of criticism and insults, one of those officials attempted suicide.

Written on the back of a sheet of paper from the IHSA that mentioned the official had been selected to referee the state finals was the suicide note. That official was the son of one of the most successful officials in the state and had been waiting 20 years for the call to do a state final, like his father had done so many times.

After the game, the IHSA rescinded the opportunity to do that coveted state final. Combined with the outrage from Durand, the coach and educator couldn’t take it anymore. Into his garage he went on a November day like this, downing pills and turning on the ignition of his car to end the pain he felt.

Fortunately, he came to his senses before death set in and left the garage seeking help. Eventually he got back into everyday life, including officiating, but those scars from 1994 never left him.

As hard as it is to accept, we have no other choice than to realize that mistakes are made. Simple ones with little consequences can be easy to look past. But when one team’s playoff life is at stake, not so easy.

Throw out common sense, grace and kindness to our fellow man. The final outcome of a game has taken precedence over anything. Apart from divine intervention, emotions will overrule intellect.

Trust me, I know what that emotional roller coaster is like after seeing Rochelle stop a 2-point conversion at the goal line to preserve the lead, totally convinced the game was over, until the unthinkable happened. I’m no different that the Fairfield people whose team lost.

• Andy Colbert is a sports writer for Shaw Local covering high school sports in Ogle County.