Salmen came up short in its bid for a spot in the Class 4-A state football championship game Friday night, falling to the Archbishop Shaw Eagles, 14-10, in a thriller that came down to a little-called penalty and the final play of the game.

Salmen, trailing 14-10, took a punt at Shaw’s 49 with 18 seconds left. On first down quarterback Daniel Sams threw a pass that was tipped by wide receiver Isiah Tate, and Jamal Robinson made a great catch before getting tackled inside the 1.

After a spike and then a Shaw timeout, Sams snuck in from the 1 on what appeared to be the go-ahead touchdown as time ran out. But a flag fell to the ground, and a 5-yard penalty was called on the Spartans for aiding the runner.

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On the next play, with no time remaining and Salmen moved back to the 6, Sams completed a pass to Errol Scott, but he was knocked out of bounds at the 2.

“At the end we were very fortunate they called aiding the runner. They tried the push the quarterback over, and the referee threw the flag on it,” Shaw coach Scott Bairnsfather said, adding he’s begged for the penalty many times but never seen in called, particularly in that situation.

“It’s unfortunate for Salmen. That kid made a great play to get the ball down to the 1, had a chance to win the game and got a penalty like that. That’s lucky on our part, and we’re very fortunate to be going to the state championship.”

The sixth-seeded Spartans ended the season at 10-3. Shaw (9-4), the 15th seed, heads to the state finals for the third straight year and will take on Belle Chasse Saturday afternoon in the Louisiana Superdome.

Salmen coach Jerry Leonard, visibly upset for his team, walked off the field without commenting. Later, he reflected on the season-ending call.

“In all my years of coaching (19), I’ve never seen an official make a call like that to decide a game,” he said.

It was a disappointing end for the Spartans, who scored first in the game and got the home fans excited early.

Shaw took the opening drive to the Spartans’ 37, but Malcolm Pichon intercepted a pass, giving Salmen the ball first-and-10 at its own 37.

On his first offensive play, Sams made an option pitch to Scott, who threw a pass to Tate for 49 yards. A penalty brought the ball back to the 25, but on the next play, Sams, who finished with 124 yards, ran right, up the sideline and into the end zone for the score. Chris Gulino’s extra point was good, and the Spartans led 7-0 with 10:20 to go in the first quarter.

The score stayed that way until the second period. Salmen got the ball at the 50 with 2:07 left in the first and went on a 10-play, 43-yard drive, capped off by a Gulino 24-yard field goal, which made it 10-0. The big play was Sams keeping the possession alive with a 5-yard run on fourth-and-one.

After the kickoff, Shaw took the ball on its own 39, but on the first down Curtis Owens intercepted a Kyle Keating pass and returned it to the Shaw 13.

Salmen had a golden opportunity to extend the lead, but on third down-and-10, Sams was picked off by Chad Boyd, who returned it to his own 16 with 7:51 left in the half.

The Eagles took full advantage, going 84 yards in 12 plays, taking 6:41 off the clock. The drive ended when Keating hit DeMarko Baldwin for 25 yards. Mike Ledet was good with the PAT, making it, 10-7, heading into halftime.

In the third quarter, the Spartans had another scoring opportunity. Salmen began its second drive of the third quarter at its own 49 with 6:16 left. The Spartans used the rest of the third quarter clock and 51 seconds of the fourth quarter. With 11:09 left and facing fourth-and-goal from the 3, Sams ran right, but he was stopped for no gain, giving the Eagles the ball 97 yards from the end zone.

Shaw’s Holden Lombard, who ran for 94 yards, picked up two on the first play. Then he ran up the middle for 45 and another five was tacked on for a facemask. The Eagles moved it to the 22. An illegal procedure penalty backed the ball to the 27, and Shaw had a second-and-13. Keating attempted to throw but was intercepted by David Edgerson, but as he was returning the ball he fumbled, and the Eagles recovered.

Shaw had new life and a first down at Salmen’s 22. The Eagles moved the ball to the 9, where it was first-and-goal, but back-to-back illegal procedure penalties made it goal-to-go at the 19.

After Keating ran for 2 yards, he hit Breaud for in the end zone for a 17-yard scoring strike with 5:46 left in the game. Ledet was good with the PAT, and Shaw led 14-10.

Salmen took the ensuing drive to Shaw’s 20, but on second-and-five, Sams was sacked for a 15-yard loss. On third down, Sams was intercepted by Boyd in the end zone for a touchback with 2:03 left.

Shaw then ran it down to 30 seconds before punting, setting up the dramatic finish.

Leonard said it was a great season for Salmen, which lost its school and players when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

“I’m proud of the job the job the coaches and players did,” he said. “We’ve got the program back on solid ground.”