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Mansfield to contest forfeit

E-mail|Link|Comments (4) Posted by Chris Forsberg, Boston.com Staff December 1, 2008 09:57 PM

Tuesday's scheduled Eastern Mass. Division 2 semifinal playoff matchup between Mansfield and Bishop Feehan has been canceled.

Feehan -- the region's defending Division 2 Super Bowl champion -- earned a forfeit victory and will advance to Saturday's Super Bowl after it was discovered that Mansfield use an ineligible player in two of its regular-season victories, according to a press release distributed by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association on Monday evening.

However, Mansfield coach Mike Redding said Monday night that the school's legal counsel will file an injunction against the MIAA's ruling Tuesday morning and that the team is hoping to play against Feehan at Bridgewater-Raynham as planned.

"It seems like the decision has been rushed," Redding said. "I would have hoped that much more discretion would have been made with an important decision like this that affects so many student-athletes."

If the forfeit is upheld, Feehan will meet the winner of Tuesday's other Division 2 semifinal between Reading and Walpole.

Mansfield, which reportedly used an ineligible fifth-year reserve in wins over Sharon and Oliver Ames (teams with a combined 1-19 record this fall), will drop from 8-0 in the Hockomock League to 6-2, vaulting North Attleboro (7-1 in conference play) to the top of the league standings.

The late announcement, however, will prevent the Red Rocketeers from competing in Tuesday's playoff in place of Mansfield. The Hornets defeated North Attleboro, 13-7, on Nov. 7.

From the MIAA's press release:

The decision was made by representatives of the Board of Directors and the Football Committee late this afternoon after an investigation into the facts of the situation and a presentation by senior staff officials. Administrators at Mansfield H.S. notified the MIAA earlier in the day of their discovery that a fifth-year student had played in games on Oct. 10 and 17, which Mansfield won. Under MIAA rules those games had to be forfeited dropping Mansfield's record in the league to 6-2, which was no longer the best in the league.
In reaching its decision to cancel the game officials considered replacing Mansfield with another team but concluded that this would be impractical for a number of reasons including:

Concerns for the health and safety of a substitute team which had not practiced or worked out in four to six days.
Concerns that a substitute team would not have had an opportunity to practice and prepare for the game.

Postponing the game a day would impact the winning team's time to recover and prepare for Saturday's Superbowl game.

The MIAA handbook states in Rule No. 60 that:

A student shall be under 19 years of age, but may compete during the remainder of the school year, provided that his/her 19th birthday occurs on or after Sept. 1 of that year. For Freshman competition, a student shall be under 16 years of age but may compete during the remainder of the school year provided that the 16th birthday occurs on or after Sept. 1 of that year. Principals must exercise great care in determining age of contestants, and in all doubtful cases, must secure birth certificates from the town clerk of the pupil's place of birth.

Earlier this season, the Lawrence football team forfeited a series of games for using an ineligible player.

Redding said the school’s administration was not 100 percent sure a violation had occurred with the student, who played three downs at the conclusion of the Sharon game and four at the conclusion against Oliver Ames, and that they were hoping to further investigate the situation and present more detailed information to the MIAA.

Redding did not know which court the injunction would be filed in, and said the athletic program was unaware the student-athlete was in his fifth year.

The Mansfield players were notified of the ruling at practice. Redding said he will have a team meeting Tuesday morning, and that he has told his players to be prepared to play Tuesday night as planned.

"We're hopeful, we're optimistic. Certainly both teams deserve to play in the playoffs. I think the violation, if there is one, had no affect on the outcome of our games and shouldn't tarnish anything the kids have accomplished this season. Hopefully a sense of reason will win out here," he said.

(Globe correspondent Jon Raymond contributed)

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4 comments so far...

this is so sad. let kids be kids - or more specifically, boys be boys - and let them play football

Posted by Sports fan December 2, 08 12:54 AM

This is unfair to all the kids who worked hard to get here. Let them play and determine the legality later. A kid who played 7 plays in games that outcomes were decided long before he stepped on the field. Do the right thing let them play!

Posted by Lancer Pride December 2, 08 07:09 AM

this is outrages ok so he was ineligible but he played 7 plays that didnt matter. I can see if he was a star Athlete and changed the outcome of the game, as the Charlestown Townies did last year but this kid didn't matter. LET THEM PLAY

Posted by East Boston December 2, 08 10:48 AM

As a parent of a senior football player I know how hard these kids work to play. If anyone should be penalized it should be the coaches. The kids did what they we're supposed to do through hard work and winning games. I feel especially bad for the seniors, for some this will be their last few games. Best of luck Mansfield.

Posted by Rebel Parent December 2, 08 11:35 AM

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Look for updates from:

Bob Holmes: A Reading resident (Go Rockets!) and Boston College graduate, Holmes is the Boston Globe High School Sports Editor. We remind you now that his weekly picks are often made in jest so everyone just calm down when he picks against Everett for 11 straight weeks.
Mike Carraggi: An Everett native (Go Tide!), Mike attends Eastern Nazarene college and is entering his second year with the Globe. He'll focus on Division 1 this fall, which means he'll spend a lot of time in his hometown, which Forsberg thinks is cool because the Tide have that Fried Dough cart.
Emily Wright: A Hyannis native (Go Barnstable Red Raiders!), Emily is a senior at Emerson College and has been with the Globe since the end of July. She'll cover Division 1A and will be the first intern we've trusted to navigate her way to Dennis-Yarmouth or any other school on the Cape.
Mike Grossi: A Lexington native (Go Minutemen!), Mike attends Northeastern and has been with the Globe for two months. He'll cover Division 2 and 2A and unsuccessfully lobbied to include Lexington in the preseason Top 20.
Jonathan Raymond: A native of Benicia, Calif. (a suburb of San Francisco), Jonathan attends Northeastern and has been working at the Globe since the end of June. He will be focusing on Division 3 and is likely woefully underprepared for covering a game in a foot of snow.
David Carty: A native of West Bridgewater (Go Wildcats!), David is a senior at Emerson College and has been working at the Globe for a year. He'll cover Divisions 3A and 4 because, "small school ball is in my blood."
The bench: You'll also catch updates from our regional contributors, including Globe North's Julian Benbow and South's Monique Walker. Correspondent Brendan Hall will have updates from the Globe West coverage area and will often try to sneak in Central Mass. news.