Syracuse, N.Y. -- For 24 hours last week, the Jordan-Elbridge football team thought it had posted its first win of the season.
At the end of the Eagles’ game against Hannibal on Thursday, the scoreboard read Jordan-Elbridge 41, Hannibal 6.
Now, it will forever go down in the books as Hannibal 1, J-E 0. The use of an ineligible player forced J-E to forfeit.
According to J-E superintendent James Froio, the school’s athletic director was alerted by another AD that one of the Eagles’ players might not live in the school district. Froio would not identify the player but said he played in each of the team’s first two games, which were both losses.
Froio said the district had on file a copy of a lease for a residence at which the student supposedly lived. When school officials went to the residence, a woman who lived there said it was not the student’s home.
“We jumped right on it and, sure enough, it was true,” Froio said. “There was a woman living there. The only thing she said is, ‘You know, it’s so funny. I’ve been getting his mail. But he doesn’t live here.”
Froio said he thinks the student’s proper’s district is Solvay. Froio has told the student’s parents they must register for the district in which they reside. He said the parents did not explain the mistake.
“Oh no, no. They weren’t communicative about any of that. They just said, ‘OK,’'’ Froio said. “I’m glad we found out when we did. It would have been a lot worse had we gone through the whole season. I’m glad that people communicated to us so we could take action on it.”
Froio said the coaching staff met with players Saturday to give them the disappointing news.
“I feel bad for the team. It’s too bad that all the other players have to suffer a consequence for somebody else’s irresponsible behavior,” Froio said.
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