DATE: Tuesday, November 18, 1997            TAG: 9711180291

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   47 lines

ELIGIBILITY VIOLATION COSTS SCHOOL TEAM MONEY, WINS

Cape Hatteras High School's Cinderella soccer season was officially wiped from the record books Monday with news of a violation of state eligibility rules.

An error on the eligibility form of one player means the Hurricanes must forfeit all seven of their 1997 wins, and pay a $150 fine. Also, they must relinquish their share of state playoff gate receipts.

Despite the penalty, school officials say the sanctions don't minimize the team's progress.

Cape Hatteras had never won a high school soccer game until this season. The Hurricanes, 7-3-2 for the year, were defeated in the first round of the playoffs.

The infraction involves a discrepancy in the reporting of a student-athlete's birthdate. One set of documents indicated he was eligible; another did not.

``Whoever transferred the information to our forms when he came to this school either misunderstood the directions or wrote it down incorrectly,'' said Cape Hatteras athletic director Willie Foster. ``The kid was very upset. But he understood that we had to do what we did.''

Foster broke the news to the team earlier Monday.

``I spoke with the soccer team this morning,'' Foster said. ``They were disappointed, but they understood the action we had to take. I tried to impress on them that this season was not wasted, because the kids developed their skills and became a team. They still got something out of the season.''

School Principal Carol Weaver said the school's quick response to the discovery of a violation was important.

``We have to show the kids we have integrity,'' Weaver said. ``Everyone makes mistakes. We did in this case.''

Dick Knox, deputy executive director of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, said as a result of the ineligible player, the school must also pay $150 in fines.

The Buxton school discovered the violation, and notified the NCHSAA. The error was uncovered by school officials during a check of basketball eligibility records. All of the team's opponents were notified of the infraction.

``The monetary fine is normally $300, but since the school turned itself in, that amount is reduced by half,'' Knox said.

The school must also give up its share of gate receipts from its first-round state playoff history, the first in school history.

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