One team celebrates a 'winning' blocked field goal while the other scores the winning touchdown

Pittsburgh Central Catholic beats Penn Hills in one of the craziest finishes you'll ever see

Play to the whistle.

It's taught by football coaches from youth to high school to college to the pros.

It's hard not to think of that age-old advice after watching how Pittsburgh Central Catholic beat Penn Hills on Friday night.

While Penn Hills celebrated a blocked 50-yard field goal attempt, a Central Catholic lineman picked up the ball and ran to the end zone:

This might be the most insane finish to a football game I’ve ever seen. Central down 1, no time left, attempts a long FG, gets it blocked.

While Penn Hills celebrates, Central lineman recovers and advances the blocked kick for a TD.

https://t.co/TT7yuAPDjT

— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) October 15, 2022

Touchdown. Final score: Central Catholic 33, Penn Hills 28.

It looks very close in the video, but officials ruled that the ball never went past the line of scrimmage, which allows the offense to pick it up and run.

And run offensive lineman Anthony Shovlin did, sprinting to the end zone and shifting the celebration from one side of the field the other.

As often happens with close calls in high school football games, frame-by-frame images get posted across social media showing (or possibly showing?) that the referees missed the call.

But high school referees don't have replay, and they don't have time to sit on their computers going frame by frame to make the call. 

They have to decide on the fly.

And the players have to play to the whistle.

(Photo by Jeff Harwell)