LYNN, MASS. (WHDH) - A judge ruled Friday that the Medford High School boys soccer team would be allowed to play in the finals and not forfeit their season after a mix-up off the field.
But, the boys are not celebrating a win tonight. They lost the division title to Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School 2-1.
Though they say they are happy they even got to play at all.
Medford High School received a temporary restraining order that allows the entire ineligible Medford Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team to participate in the scheduled Division 1 North Sectional Final match , according to an issue sent out by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.
The team originally had to forfeit the game after the administration did not file the proper paperwork for one of the players on the team.
The Medford boys soccer team lost in the state division title game, ending their season. The school was granted a court order just to play tonight’s game after the MIAA ruled the team ineligible. #7News https://t.co/wcKta1z0FW
— Justin Dougherty (@DoughertyJC) November 17, 2019
7NEWS learned that the player played soccer for three years in a row at a different school then took a year off and is now playing for Medford.
The rules are that students are only eligible to play for four consecutive years.
“I felt personally that it was an adult, clerical error and I think that rules are truly important but at the same time, to prevent students who have played all year, and they did a phenomenal job playing. They made it to that point,” Superintendent Dr. Marice Edouard-Vincent said. “We were willing to take a sanction or a punishment of some sort on the adult level or a district level but we just didn’t feel that it was fair to take today’s game away from them.
The state athletic association is still working with the school to make sure a paperwork error like this never happens again.
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