GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
Although a pair of McAllen High boys soccer players were found to be ineligible at a Tuesday meeting of the District 30-6A executive committee, the Bulldogs will not forfeit the games in which those players participated, McAllen ISD confirmed Wednesday.
Instead, the two players have been suspended for the remainder of the season, and McHi retains its district championship and No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
McAllen High coach Fernando Segovia, McHi athletic coordinator Kevin Brewer and McAllen ISD athletic director Paula Gonzalez requested all inquiries be brought to Mark May, the district’s community information specialist.
“McAllen ISD agrees and stands by the decision of the District 30-6A Executive Committee,” May said in a statement via email. “Although McAllen High is still the district champion, two student-athletes have been ruled ineligible for postseason play. The information presented to the district misrepresented the facts used to determine eligibility. The district followed all protocols at the time of eligibility determination and was recently made aware that items on the Previous Athletic Participation Form were misrepresented.”
Yvonne Ayala, the principal at La Joya Palmview, which chairs the 30-6A DEC, did not return phone messages seeking comment.
Section 1207 (c) of the UIL soccer constitution states: “In the event an ineligible contestant is used in any League game or contest, knowingly or unknowingly, the minimum penalty shall be forfeiture of the game, contest or event.”
However, section 27 (b) (3) of the UIL’s constitution and contest rules states: “When a student who has participated in contests that count on League standing is found to be ineligible, and the school has properly verified eligibility based on the facts available, has exercised sufficient diligence in determining actual conditions and facts, and the district executive committee has previously ruled the student eligible, the State Executive Committee may find the student in question ineligible from the date of the hearing, and thus not require the participant school to forfeit contests.”
“The athletic department at McAllen has been in contact with the UIL compliance officer,” UIL media coordinator Kate Hector said in an email. “It was determined that the school did its due diligence in checking eligibility when the students began participating in athletics at McAllen, and therefore the DEC determined that McAllen is not required to forfeit games in which the ineligible students participated.”
Before the season, the parents, a McHi administrator, the previous school and the DEC were all required to sign off on a Previous Athletic Participation Form, which claims to have verified that the students are living with their parents at the new address, that the students were not recruited, and that the transfer was not made for athletic purposes.
May said the portion of the form that was filled out in error was question No. 9: “Are there other family members in grades K-12 attending a different school district other than the school district the student is now attending?”
“The parent put “no.” We have now learned there were two other siblings living outside our school district,” May said in an email. “To be clear, the two student-athletes do have residency in McAllen High’s attendance zone (we did a home visit). But because of false information on the form, they are now ineligible.”
Still, other coaches within the district were disappointed to learn of the ruling.
“It’s very clear here that these two kids were either recruited or moved to play with a better team,” La Joya Palmview coach Mario Ribera said. “They knew what school they were going to, because they knew they were going to win a championship, or district at least. The worst thing is, the coach knew about it.”
“This is not right,” Ribera added.
Donna North and Brownsville Porter were found on Tuesday to have used ineligible players and as a result forfeited all games in which those players participated.
If McAllen High were to suffer a similar penalty, La Joya Palmview would become the district champion, and Mission High would claim the final playoff spot. McHi is schedule to face Laredo United at 6 p.m. Saturday at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi.
Although initially very upset at the ruling, Mission High coach Christos Barouhas dialed down his reaction upon further review of the circumstances.
“After I read about the decision concerning Donna North and Porter, I was hoping we would have the same decision from the committee, and it didn’t happen,” Barouhas said. “I was so sorry to see my kids with long faces yesterday and today.”