We Need To Talk About How Oz's Goal In "American Pie" Should Have Never Counted
We're getting closer to the start of the 2021 college lacrosse season. Teams are back at school and finally putting out their season schedules. So being that we're less than a month away from some teams getting the year started, I figured I'd look back at some of the most historical moments in lacrosse history. And perhaps the biggest goal scored in the history of the game was this laser beam from Chris "Oz" Ostreicher.
Not only did the goal secure the win for East Falls High, but it also got Choir Chick so hot and bothered that she just had to ask Oz to prom.
But what if that goal never counted? What if the refs actually did their job and didn't miss one of the most egregious illegal screens in cinematic history?
Let's take a look at SECTION 5. a. of the NFHS lacrosse rule book, shall we?
No offensive player shall move into and make contact with a defensive player with the purpose of blocking a defensive player from the man he is playing, nor may the offensive player hold his crosse rigid or extend his crosse rigid to impede the normal movements of the defensive man. If contact is made between offensive and defensive players as a result of the offensive player’s setting a screen, the offensive player must be motionless before the contact occurs. Illegal contact must be made by the player setting the pick, which may include contact with his crosse.
All Oz's teammate had to do here was just remain still. He set a perfect pick at a perfect spot. Oz brushed shoulders off the pick, the way you're supposed to, and gets the separation he needs to be open for that look. The only issue is once the pick man launches himself into that contact with the defender. It may not look like much, but that's enough to get you hit with an illegal screen. The play should have been blown dead and it should have been red's possession. You know it, I know it, the whole world knows it.
And to think of the butterfly effect that call would have had on the rest of the franchise. If Oz doesn't score that goal, maybe Heather just bounces as soon as the game is over. She never asks Oz to prom, Oz never ends up leaving the championship game to go be a choir dork, he just continues to ball and probably ends up with a D1 scholarship. And then later on in American Reunion, he could just stick with his smoke girlfriend Mia instead of leaving her for Heather in the end.
If you really think about it, this missed call by the refs is responsible for ruining at least 2 confirmed relationships in the end. Probably countless more if we really dig deeper into this.
Anyway, lacrosse season is back super soon and so will The Crease Dive. You can expect new episodes coming out next week. Let's have ourselves a season.