Two New York high school football teams have been removed from sectional championship games following rulings regarding player eligibility.
Delaware Academy was forced to forfeit its semifinal win after officials discovered a violation of state requirements, “due to a sectional eligibility rule we were unaware of,” according to Superintendent Carey Shultz.
State rules mandate that athletes must be considered eligible participants for at least three regular season games to qualify for postseason play, as noted by the Yahoo Sports report.
Although the district filed an appeal, Section 4 officials upheld the initial decision, forcing the Bulldogs to forfeit their spot in the final against Tioga, the district confirmed Friday.
In a separate dispute, the Enlarged City School District of Middletown withdrew its court petition to reclaim its spot in the Section 9 Class AA championship, multiple media outlets reported.
The Middletown team, which held a perfect 10-0 record, was disqualified after using a kickoff specialist who had only appeared in one regular-season game, according to the Times Union.
The district previously described the error as an “unintentional adult error in understanding the rules” in a statement posted to its website.
During a hearing Friday in state Supreme Court, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association noted that the eligibility rule was clearly explained to athletic directors earlier this year, as documented in court records.
Meanwhile, the Section 5 Class B championship game between Honeoye Falls-Lima and East/World of Inquiry will proceed as scheduled.
Section 5 officials cleared the East/World of Inquiry team after an investigation determined that players were “misidentified as a disqualified player” following a recent bench-clearing incident.
The Middletown and Delaware Academy situations underscore the strict enforcement of postseason participation standards across the state.