An issue surrounding the use of an ineligible player has thrown the Section 9 Class AA football playoffs into chaos ahead of this weekend’s sectional championships.
Middletown, which boasted an undefeated record after its sectional semifinal win over Valley Central this past weekend, had been scheduled to face Newburgh Free Academy for the Section 9 title this coming Saturday, but has since forfeited that win for using an ineligible player.
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According to a letter posted to the Enlarged City School District of Middletown’s website signed by superintendent Amy Creeden and athletic director Justin Sturge, in the aftermath of Middletown’s 48-15 win over Valley Central, “a question was raised regarding whether one of our varsity football players met postseason eligibility requirements.”
After reviewing the situation with Section 9 officials, it was confirmed that the unidentified player did not meet the minimum requirement of participating in three regular-season games to be eligible for the postseason.
The letter called the issue an “unintentional adult error in understanding the rules,” and the district immediately requested a waiver from Section 9, which was denied. The district then appealed to the state high school athletic association, but the appeal was also denied.
Due to the forfeit, Middletown’s record has been dropped to 9-1 and Valley Central has been inserted into Saturday’s Section 9 Class AA final against Newburgh.
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“We want to be very clear: this was an error made by adults, not our scholars,” the letter reads. “Not one student-athlete did anything wrong.”
In a statement to the Times Union, NYSPHSAA Executive Director Robert Zayas said: “NYSPHSAA recognizes the disappointment and frustration surrounding the circumstances involving the Middletown varsity football program, particularly for the student-athletes who have worked hard throughout an outstanding season.
“The rules and eligibility standards of NYSPHSAA are established and approved by our member schools through the Association’s formal governance process. As Executive Director, my authority is defined by the NYSPHSAA Constitution and Handbook, and any exceptions to established rules must be consistent with the provisions approved by our membership.
“While we recognize the circumstances surrounding this violation, NYSPHSAA has a responsibility to ensure the consistent and equitable application of its rules and eligibility standards across all member schools.
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According to the letter on the district website, the Middletown school district “is actively working with legal counsel to pursue further legal recourse on our team’s behalf. This is a fluid situation. We want to be honest that the chances are limited, but our young people deserve every effort we can make for them, and we will make it.”
Neither Sturge nor Creeden responded to a request for further comment from the Times Union, and Section 9 executive director Greg Ransom did not reply to a message seeking comment.
Mid-Hudson News reported that Valley Central coach Kyle Schneider was alerted to the ineligible player over the weekend by the Newburgh Free Academy coaching staff, and that Valley Central’s athletic director then reported the infraction to Section 9 officials.
The Section 9 Class AA champions are scheduled to play the winner of this weekend’s Section 2 Class AA Super Bowl between Christian Brothers Academy and Saratoga Springs in a state quarterfinal game on Nov. 21 at Colonie High School.
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The Middletown situation isn’t the only controversy surrounding sectional championship games across the state this weekend.
In the Rochester area, the Section 5 Class B championship game is up in the air after a bench-clearing fight involving East/World of Inquiry School and Monroe following Saturday’s semifinal, which East/World of Inquiry won.
Section 5 has announced it is reviewing the incident, which happened in the moments after East/World of Inquiry knocked off the defending state champions, but as of Tuesday, it was unclear whether East/World of Inquiry would be able to compete against Honeoye Falls-Lima in a sectional championship game this weekend.
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This article originally published at Undefeated Middletown football team out of Section 9 final due to eligibility issue.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
