Oftentimes, when an announcer jinxes the play on the field, there are a few quiet moments before tragedy strikes.
That was not the case Friday night during the California high school football 1-AA championship game between the Lincoln Hornets (11-2) and Pittsburg Pirates (12-2). The jinx and its impact seemingly happened in tandem.
This huge high school showdown featured quite the quarterback matchup. Lincoln was led by Akili Smith Jr., who is following in his father’s footsteps and playing for the Oregon Ducks next season. Pittsburg, meanwhile, was powered by Marley Alcantara, who came into the game with 40 touchdown passes and zero interceptions on the year.
Down 7-0 in the first quarter, the Pirates were deep in Hornets territory and looking to even things up. On 1st and goal, Alcantara took the snap out of the shotgun and let his receivers try to find space before firing the ball into the endzone. As he released the ball, announcer Steve Quis decided this would be the moment to note that the quarterback had “no interceptions on the season.” By the time he got to “season,” it was already too late as Alcantara was picked off.
The announcer jinx. Marley Alcantara picked off for the first time all season.
Video: NFHS
@nathancanilao @joseph_dycus @CB_Journalist pic.twitter.com/Kms4qAQ3TT
— Darren Sabedra (@DarrenSabedra) December 14, 2024
Unfortunately for Alcantara and the Pirates, that missed opportunity would come back to haunt them as the Hornets won 28-26 and took home the championship trophy.
Speaking of being haunted, Quis, who also calls college basketball for ESPN and serves as the Voice of UC San Diego men’s basketball, took to X afterward to accept the blame for the jinx, saying it might go down as “the biggest announcer jinx of all time.”
This one is clearly on me! It might go down as the biggest announcer jinx of all time considering the kid hadn’t thrown a pick in over a year and not one all year despite throwing 40 TD passes in 2024. Although I could see it developing https://t.co/OAUFa7eDxL
— Steve Quis (@SteveQuis1) December 14, 2024
