The coveted gold football reflects with brilliance the jubilant smiles of those who gather around it in victory.

It represents the ultimate achievement in Maine high school football – the state championship. It stands for the realization of young men’s dreams, the fruition of hundreds of hours of hard work and sweat.

This fall, the Madison High football team had its sights set on taking home the gold football for the third straight year. The Bulldogs were to have faced Livermore Falls in Saturday’s Class C championship game.

Instead, the Bulldogs are fighting through the pain and tears of having their dreams destroyed overnight.

Madison was forced to forfeit all its games and withdraw from the title contest after it was discovered the Bulldogs had an ineligible player on their roster. Madison officials discovered Tuesday that one of their players, starting senior lineman David Nile, had entered high school in 1986.

The revelation came after Nile’s younger brother, who moved back to the area, arrived to enroll as a senior at Madison High.

The Maine Secondary School Principals’ Association’s eligibility rules include an “eight-semester rule,” which affords student-athletes eight consecutive semesters of athletic eligibility starting when the student first enters ninth grade.

As in similar situations which have involved ineligible players, this entire episode should have been avoided. Madison’s football team, including coaches, players, parents and supporters deserve a better fate.

Even though Madison did not intentionally violate MSSPA rules, it is inexcusable that the situation went undetected.

Someone in the every high school should be in charge of reviewing the academic records of all students who play to compete in interscholastic athletics. In my opinion, it should be the responsibility of the athletic director.

It may have been a general unawareness of the MSSPA eligibility rules that allowed Nile’s eligibility to go unchecked after he enrolled at Madison. But, since he was a transfer student and had dropped out of school at one point after starting ninth grade, it should have sent up a red flag.

In recent years, the MSSPA has taken great pains to remind school administrators and coaches to check the eligibility of their athletes. The warnings have come because every year the discovery of an ineligible player forces teams to forfeit games and leaves players wondering who was at fault.

Only last year, the Bangor High boys soccer team forfeited its victories and a playoff spot and the Portland football team forfeited one game because each was found to be using an ineligible player.

The athletic director, or someone appointed by the AD, should examine the records of every student-athlete to determine the year the student entered ninth grade, his or her birth date, and the student’s academic standing. This must be done prior to each of the three sports seasons.

In the Madison case, it is obvious the athlete’s records were not so much as looked at. Either that or school officials are still not familiar with MSSPA eligibility guidelines.

Since the football player found to be ineligible enrolled in high school, albeit in another town, in 1986, he would therefore have used up his eligibility last June. Had the situation been checked in advance, Madison may even have been able to obtain additional eligibility for the student.

The MSSPA Eligibility Committee may grant eligibility for a variety of reasons, including in the event of special circumstances which warrant an exception. But, it’s too late now.

The sad part of the Madison situation is that the players are being penalized for something which should have been detected. Had the player been found ineligible prior to the football season, the Bulldogs could have gone about their business of winning football games. They likely would still be playing for the state championship on Saturday.

David Nile and the entire Madison football team are the innocent victims of an unfortunate, but avoidable, oversight. Hopefully, their dilemma will serve as a reminder to the importance of reviewing students’ records.

Athletic directors must assume the responsibility of checking the eligibility of their student-athletes before the start of each season. Those that don’t may wind up breaking a lot of young people’s hearts.