Is your school's administration this irresponsible?

[Balldog]

The high school I coach baseball for is having a good season in football, we used to be in the playoffs for about 5 years straight. We started a soccer program, which has taken the number of athletes from football and made us more of an average 5-5 give or take a win or two team. This year's team was thought to be the same 4-6 if they were lucky. After playing the #1 team in the state and defending state champs in Week One and losing 27-6, they played another Top 10 which they lost to 35-14. The next week brought to town one of the usual toughest opponents, we won 20-8 to go to 1-3. Then we played the smallest school in the state, who we haven't lost to since I have been alive, we beat them 56-7. Then comes our next opponent ranked #8 we win in a thriller 30-28 to go 3-2 with not much competition the rest of the season except for Week 9 in which we play the team that is ranked #2 in the state. This is exciting right? The community is starting to come to games like they used to.

Now for the let down, under new OHSAA rules an athlete can not play at another school the year before and open enroll to a new school without sitting out a year or establishing residency in the new school district. A sophomore whose parents got a divorce last year, his father moved to Kentucky and his mother had a mental breakdown or something so he went and moved with his aunt in our school district. In order for him to be eligible to participate his mother was to sign some waiver but she never did. The school never notified the football program that he could not play. Well during the 56-7 win in Week 4 the kid played in the last minute of the game, he isn't very good. Just this week the administration notified the football coaches of the violation and recommended turning themselves in and forfeiting the game.

So, these kids who busted there asses all summer to get back to being a playoff caliber team now has virtually no shot of making the playoffs. They can win out, including beating the #2 in state and no win the conference championship. This is a big blow to the kids and the football program. Teams they are battling for playoff positions for play this team that now gets the victory and these teams will get extra points for beating them because they beat us now. What a shame.

Not sure if this is somewhat related but the Superintendent has offered her resignation.

[JonInMiddleGA]

In Georgia, this sort of thing isn't all that uncommon really. It was the topic of choice for one of the Atlanta HS sportswriters before the season even started, a column that basically wished for a season with no forfeits.

And that dream ended after week one. I believe there have been at least 2 others since then. And the top rated TV news station had some sort of special report last night about some sort of possible forfeit involving what appeared to be a top basketball program (I saw the teaser but missed the segment, so I'm not sure about the details).

[RendeR]

The football program officials should apply for a waiver of the forfeit based on the facts of the case. A) the kid played in the last minute, he did not affect the outcome of the huge victory. B) the outside circumstances based on the mothers mental health and her lack of ability to properly handle the paperwork required etc etc.

Most likely if they come forward with it all they'll be told its a non-issue and the win will stand.

[Joe]

they should be expected to play within the same rules as every other school

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by George W Bush

they should be expected to play within the same rules as every other school

there are exceptions granted to almost all rules at all educational athletic levels. This case is no different. The player did not affect the game, no harm, no foul.

[Balldog]

Originally Posted by George W Bush

they should be expected to play within the same rules as every other school

I agree, but the football program was unaware of the situation. It is the school's administration, specifically the AD's responsibility to make sure all players are eligible. I don't have a problem with the forfeit, I just don't get how a grown man can simply let a bunch of kids down like this because he is too lazy to do his job. Trust me the guy is lazy I have had to work with him the last two years.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

In Georgia, this sort of thing isn't all that uncommon really. It was the topic of choice for one of the Atlanta HS sportswriters before the season even started, a column that basically wished for a season with no forfeits.

And that dream ended after week one. I believe there have been at least 2 others since then. And the top rated TV news station had some sort of special report last night about some sort of possible forfeit involving what appeared to be a top basketball program (I saw the teaser but missed the segment, so I'm not sure about the details).

My freshman year in high school, just days before the play-offs, the GHSA magically turned our 9-1 season into a 2-8 affair because of a move-in who had played sparingly (mostly during garbage time) during seven of the season's wins.

[Ksyrup]

My high school, which was in Georgia, was awful in football until my Junior year, when a pretty good RB transferred in and we had a great season by our standards. Next year, he was ruled ineligible, and we forfeited all 11 or so games from that year. It happens.

[clintl]

I can see how something like this could slip through the cracks. And really, it's the football coach's or AD's responsibility to keep track of eligibility, not the superinitendent's.

[Balldog]

Originally Posted by clintl

I can see how something like this could slip through the cracks. And really, it's the football coach's or AD's responsibility to keep track of eligibility, not the superinitendent's.

I agree, I'm not certain if this had anything to do with her resignation. It is the AD's responsibility, every Spring we have to hand in a baseball roster to the AD and he is then responsible for verifying that all the players are eligible.

With this small of a school its not like he wouldn't have noticed a new kid, also with the amount of attention that has been focused on this area because of how it effects a few private schools that we play and have played in the past.

[akw4572]

Originally Posted by Balldog

I agree, I'm not certain if this had anything to do with her resignation. It is the AD's responsibility, every Spring we have to hand in a baseball roster to the AD and he is then responsible for verifying that all the players are eligible.

With this small of a school its not like he wouldn't have noticed a new kid, also with the amount of attention that has been focused on this area because of how it effects a few private schools that we play and have played in the past.

I coach baseball in NKY, we need to hook our teams up. In our school it's the AD's job to get the eligibility sheet from the coach after they hav filled it out with a birth date, and place of each athlete. If the football coach in this instance got that sheet in on time, and the AD didn't follow up on that, it's a failure on their part.

[DanGarion]

It is the AD's fault for this occurance. When I was in high school I worked closely with our AD as his teachers assistant for 3 years and he's the person that processes the players eligibility. Every player had to see the AD before they played any sports.

[JeeberD]

Back in the mid-nineties a basketball player for UTEP was found to be inelligible during the postseason of his second year with the team. Turns out that some of his transfer credit didn't qualify or something, so he never should have played for the team. Luckily, we didn't have to forfeit all the games he played in, but we did have to forfeit all postseason games...

Kevin Freakin' Beal