Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 23, 1995 TAG: 9511240002
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-5 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Everyone pointed fingers at the VHSL's playoff rules when it was announced last week that E.C. Glass had used an ineligible player for two games and had been forced to forfeit a pair of victories, making Heritage the Western District champion.
The offending player had been advanced from the junior varsity and played only nine plays in a mop-up role in two blowouts by Glass. His presence didn't affect the game.
As a result, North Stafford, which had done nothing wrong, was replaced in the Northwest Region Division 5 playoffs by Heritage, also an innocent bystander. The VHSL, under its rules and regulations, was powerless to reverse what will be looked at as one of the great injustices of all times.
North Stafford athletic director, C.D. Burton, who is familiar to Timesland readers as a former football coach at Covington and old Clifton Forge, painted a picture of just how bad some days can be for young athletes.
North Stafford was practicing for a Northwest Region game at E.C. Glass. The next moment, they were out of the playoffs without so much as a coin flip at midfield.
E.C. Glass discovered the ineligible participant Wednesday and by that afternoon, North Stafford's season was history.
``It's the only time I can recall that the VHSL had to punish a non-offending team,'' said Burton. ``According to the rules, everything was administered correctly because once you come to an ineligible player, you're gone [lose the game].''
Glass' loss knocked the Hilltoppers from the top spot to the bottom rung in the region. Heritage, as Western District champion, was third; Pulaski County jumped to second as Roanoke Valley District kingpin and Commonwealth titlist Brooke Point was first. North Stafford didn't have enough points to beat out Glass for the one wild-card spot.
``I've got 45 kids who didn't do anything wrong,'' said Burton. ``We had to sit them in an assembly [Thursday] morning. We walked them through what happened and tried to explain exactly how the point system works and that normally eligibility and forfeiture rules take care of themselves.''
This was less than 48 hours before North Stafford was to get on a bus for Lynchburg. ``Our kids can't understand why we didn't have a five-team region, even if it meant extending [the playoffs] a few days. The timing and the emotion for the seniors who will never put on a uniform again is bad. The league [VHSL] didn't seem to have much empathy for our situation at all. [They acted as if] this is the way it is, life isn't always fair. We're dealing with youngsters, not adults.''
North Stafford officials studied options. They didn't go to court, always an alternative in this grab-the-nearest-attorney world. Burton said it would have been hard to sue the VHSL because that's like "suing yourself.'' Other schools and their supporters should take note and file this under making the best of a horrible situation.
Maybe the VHSL will close the loophole that allowed this to happen. Ken Tilley, executive director, provided no insight on how to prevent this occurrence in the future, though he admitted to being very uncomfortable at what happened.
``Maybe there could be a rule and if you have to forfeit, you forfeit everything,'' said Tilley. ``That's pretty darn severe for one little error. The kid [at Glass] gets in for only a play or two, so is that fair to them [to be out of the playoffs]?
``Life isn't fair. Sometimes officials make bad calls, sometimes a player fumbles. Sometimes you're ineligible. There's no way to settle it to everyone's satisfaction. Someone will end up suffering. If membership feels there's a more appropriate way of dealing with these situations, I hope we can adopt it.''
Here's one suggestion. If a team finds an ineligible player after the regular season as Glass did, a VHSL playoff committee composed of one principal, one athletic director and one superintendent from each of the six football divisions, should ascertain whether the offending player affected the outcome of any game.
If he did, that team should be out of the playoffs with the next squad, according to the point standings, added to the the tournament. If, as in Glass' case, the ineligible player didn't affect a game, the pairings stand and the Hilltoppers remain No.1 in the region. In place of forfeiting games, Glass should be fined heavily as a school with the money to be used for travel expenses by the region and split among schools going on the road.
Don't blame Glass for this snafu. The Hilltoppers could have remained silent for four days and North Stafford would have been in the playoffs. Glass reported itself even though the infraction was minor and was a clerical error that wasn't caught until the player's eligibility form surfaced for basketball.
If the Hilltoppers hadn't come forth immediately, despite the consequences, all VHSL rules would have been a joke.
``This kid was a sophomore who came out for football late. His summer school grades were typed on unlined paper with four inches of space between the name and the grade,'' said Glass athletic director Frank Murray.
``My viewpoint is the VHSL likes everything laid out so that it avoids making a tough call. What should have happened at this late date, get all the information, see what impact the player had, and if he had any impact, Glass shouldn't be in the playoffs.''
Glass is also a loser, though it isn't an unjust penalty. The Hilltoppers would have been at home for any regional playoff game. Now they'll be on the road twice and it costs $2,500 to transport the team, cheerleaders and band to any playoff contest. So the Hilltoppers will spend $5,000 minus some team travel reimbursement, a considerable sum for tight budgets, to participate in the playoffs.
North Stafford might not have lost a penny, but it's deficit was much larger.
FAMILIAR FACE: DeWitt House, the new principal at Martinsville, has been around. When he attended the Region III girls' basketball tournament at William Byrd last week, House knew a lot of people. He had worked for three of the six participating schools.
Besides Martinsville, House was assistant principal at Lord Botetourt. From there, he went to Liberty as principal.
He also was assured of a team in the state tournament once Lord Botetourt beat Brookville. The Cavaliers played Martinsville in the semifinals with the winner moving to the Group AA tournament this week.
HAZARDOUS DUTY: William Byrd's Michael Berry went through the entire football season, as Timesland's second-leading pass receiver and punter while playing defensive back to help the Terriers go 8-2 with hardly a scratch.
So what happens? In the first week of basketball practice, Berry reaches out his right hand to brace for a fall. He suffers a broken hand and likely is out until the first of the year.
Berry had a knee injury in football last year that slowed him for basketball so he never did show his true talent. He was ready for soccer when he made All-Timesland on Byrd's standout team.
TOUGH DISTRICT: It's not surprising that two Blue Ridge District teams - Lord Botetourt and William Byrd - rolled through the Region III girls' basketball tournament to make the Group AA tournament.
The six Blue Ridge District teams had a 43-16 record against non-league opponents. Lord Botetourt and Byrd each swept all 10 non-district games they played going into the Region III tournament. Three more victories increased their overall record to 46-16.
The only losing record was Rockbridge County (2-6).
Against the Piedmont District, the Blue Ridge went 8-2, including two Region III victories. The average difference in score against Piedmont teams was 7.5 points a game. Byrd was 4-0 against the Piedmont.
by CNB