Ellsworth boys soccer forfeits 3 games 2 transfer students ruled ineligible; others suspended for actions at party

The Ellsworth High boys soccer team has had to forfeit three games because of two ineligible players, and the Eagles will miss several other players who have been suspended due to violations of the school’s chemical health policy that occurred recently at a party.

The ineligible players were transfer students who had switched to Ellsworth over the summer. Both students were ineligible to participate in athletics for the 2004-05 season at their sending school.

Ellsworth superintendent Frank Hackett declined to say which school the students had attended, but said it was the sending school that had alerted Ellsworth officials to the students’ ineligibility.

After conducting an investigation, Ellsworth determined the two students were also ineligible to participate at Ellsworth this fall. Both students were on the Eagles’ soccer roster for the first three games.

Hackett said the school department self-reported the violations to the Maine Principals’ Association, which regulates high school sports in the state.

“We take responsibility for putting the team and the school community in this situation,” he said Wednesday. “We have looked at our internal procedures for determining eligibility and we have cleaned up the process.”

The defending Eastern Maine Class B champions had a 1-0-2 record before the forfeits. The Eagles were listed as having an 0-3 record and ranked 12th in Tuesday’s Heal Point standings, which reflect games played through Saturday.

The Eagles beat Caribou 3-2 Monday. Their previous game results included a 0-0 tie against John Bapst of Bangor, a 4-0 win over Hermon and a 1-1 tie against Mount Desert Island.

According to MPA policy, when a student decides to transfer and his parent or legal guardian hasn’t made a physical change in address, both the sending school and receiving school must fill out a transfer waiver form that certifies the student is not transferring for athletic reasons.

There is nothing on the form that addresses the transferring student’s eligibility.

MPA eligibility requirements state that students must be enrolled in at least four full-time classes during a semester and must have passed four classes in the previous semester. Most schools, according to MPA executive director Dick Durost, have their own, stricter policies.

Durost said to his knowledge, Ellsworth reported the violations to the MPA as soon as possible and lauded the school department’s decision to self-report.

“This is something Ellsworth should be commended for,” Durost said. “It’s a difficult decision to report [an ineligible player] because then you’re penalizing the rest of the team by doing the right thing and forfeiting those games. … This is setting a good example and the community should be proud.”

Hackett also confirmed soccer players were suspended after it was revealed there had been violations of the school’s chemical health policy during the party. The suspensions were handed down last week.

He declined to say how many students were involved but confirmed some were soccer players.

“We have had some students who were involved with a party,” he said. “We investigated and we’ve taken action.”

Suspensions were handed out individually and based on each student-athlete’s involvement in the party, Hackett said.

Hackett confirmed that one student-athlete has been suspended for one year.

According to Ellsworth’s chemical health policy, a first-time violator who participates in an extracurricular activities is suspended from school and is placed on a three-week probationary period, during which time the student-athlete cannot participate in games, scrimmages and may not sit with the team on the bench during a game or wear the team’s insignia but may participate in practices.

Repeat violators will be denied participation for one year.