Mount Greylock Forfeits Six Boys Soccer Games

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Due to an administrative error, the Mount Greylock Regional School boys soccer team has forfeited six games it won between Sept. 6 and Sept. 26, the school reported over the weekend.

 

During the period in question, the team used an ineligible player, Principal Mary MacDonald said on Sunday.

 

“The inclusion of an ineligible player was the result of an administrative omission discovered during a separate review of our records,” MacDonald wrote in a news release. “The responsibility lies solely with administration and is not the fault of the individual player, the team or its coaching staff.”

 

In the period in question, Mount Greylock earned wins against Wahconah, Monument Mountain, Lenox, Hampshire and Taconic and a tie against West Springfield. It also played Pittsfield during the period in question, a game won by the Generals.

 

In compliance with Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association regulations, the school self-reported the violation to the governing body and the affected schools.

 

MacDonald said Athletic Director Lindsey von Holtz reported the error to the principal’s office and boys soccer coach Blair Dils.

 

“Because neither the coach nor the player are at fault for this error, and the responsibility lies solely with administration, we have asked the MIAA that Mount Greylock’s boys soccer team be considered as a tournament-qualifying team,” MacDonald said.

 

With the six forfeits factored in, Mount Greylock’s record is 1-10-1 with four games remaining, starting Monday at Monument Mountain. Teams with a .500 record qualify for MIAA postseason play.

 

In 2014, the Ludlow boys soccer team self-reported the inclusion of an academically ineligible player in 11 games, which the school forfeited. It appealed its postseason status to the MIAA, arguing in part that the student would have been eligible under MIAA rules but not the more demanding district rules, according to reports in the Springfield Republican newspaper. The MIAA denied the appeal, barring the Ludlow team and not allowing it to try to extend a run of 11 straight appearances in the Western Mass sectional final.