02Ram54

True I see your point, but if they knew that nothing could be done once the state playoffs began then how could you not pursue this quicker. Since they waited this long the point is almost mute. Either way Highlands has a great team and I take nothing away from them, I just wonder how they would feel if they were on the other side of the situation.

You say it like the KHSAA didn't appeal til after the start of the tourny. It's just that the ruling came down now, through no fault of the KHSAA.

I'll tell you who should be ticked off is Grant County. If Highlands loses all there regular season games they should not be in the playoffs. How can you make the playoffs by losing every district game? Grant County now has a better district record then Highlands yet Highlands is in the playoffs.

Right. If anyone affected should NOT be ticked off, it is the team that would have squeeked into the tourny. Bell Co. gave Highlands everything they could handle, and might have been able to win state. Or any other good team defeated by Highlands in the tourny.

If Highlands won with Mitchell and then was declared ineligible, I'd feel Highlands was the legit state champion on the field. Just my take.

Exactly. Better to fix things now, and let it truly be decided with LEGAL players.

Again, for those of you that missed it the first time, the game will be played as scheduled Saturday:

 

http://www.khsaa.org/handbook/bylaws/bylaw24.pdf

Sorry, slow typer! I had started my response before you posted that.

I disagree. It is better after the finals. Then the full compliment of players from the two finalists have prepared for each other with complete focus and played on the field to determine the champion. If the hammer falls "after" the finals then so be it but the GAME would stand in everyone's mind. Now, no matter the outcome, the RULING will be all anyone remembers.

What if Highlands won the game? In my opinion, it would still be the ruling everyone remembers, since a state title would have been taken away. Added on to that is the fact that Highlands and company would protest and talk about their 'stolen title' etc.. And it's not like the KHSAA decided that this was when the ruling would be handed down. Complain to the courts, or maybe complain about the original ruling. After all, if Mitchell had been ruled ineligible ALL the way through, this may not be an issue and Highlands might win the title without him. But we'll never know that.

Mitchell has been important...but he is not all the Birds have

Right, but what if he was the difference in a close game? What if pressure on Mitchell opened up other scoring chances? There's no way to know or sort that stuff out.

IMO it is too late to have another game between two schools and then the winner play Boyle. It's probably too late to let Bell play also. How fair would it be for the kids at Bell and Boyle to have only 3 days to prepare for a game? I would venture to say it would have to be played on Saturday because of logistics. I don't see the KHSAA pushing back one final to the following week and incurring more exepenses.

This really ticks me off.

Better late than never.

I can't believe the KHSAA would be this stupid. (Yes, now that I'm rational I can.)

 

Let Mitchell play. He's a part of the team and this throws everybody out of kilter. Stick 1 is absolutely right. From this point forward it's all screwed up. Highlands and Boyle have both had to go through a mind game that is no fault of either school or team but the fault of some overbearing suits who find their principle more important than the kids. Why could this have not waited until after the final if you are going to make Mitchell ineligible. That way if Highlands wins they know they had the best team in AAA. If Boyle wins they know they had the best. Records and court rulings can come after the fact but it wouldn't change the play on the field. Now everyone has been tossed in the air. :madman:

Now, before we all take it to the KHSAA...

This is not new. People knew that there was a risk invlved in playing Mitchell, that this might happen. I would have played him, but there you are.

As for 'why now,' well, better now than after a finals game in my opinion. I mean that. What I really wish is that this had been decided before the playoffs.