GOSHEN – No determination was made Thursday on Middletown’s effort to overturn the forfeiture of its Section 9 Class AA semifinal victory over Valley Central last weekend.
The Middies’ future rests in the hands of Orange County Supreme Court Justice Verris B. Shako, who is expected to hear the case at approximately 2 p.m. Friday. Shako is expected to issue a decision by the end of the day, about 24 hours before kickoff of the Class AA championship game, scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday at Monroe-Woodbury High School. As it stands, Valley Central and Newburgh Free Academy (NFA) will play for the title.
“You just have to keep having faith and leave it up to God,” Middletown running back Tyrell Glover said. “I have a really good feeling Middletown will be playing in the championship game.”
Middletown Superintendent Amy Creeden sought court intervention after appeals to Section 9 and the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) failed to reverse the forfeiture. The district filed an Article 78 proceeding, challenging the decision to disqualify the Middies from advancing to the Section 9 championship game.
In its court filing, Middletown called the decision to disqualify the team “arbitrary and capricious” and argued that it “must be immediately enjoined to avoid irreparable harm to Middletown’s student-athletes.”
Creeden maintained that the mistake was administrative and not the responsibility of the players. In its filing, the district also argued that the eligibility violation did not undermine the purposes of athletic rules, including fair competition, student-athlete safety and an equitable playing field.
“In this particular circumstance, none of those fundamental objectives, fair play or athlete safety, was compromised in any regard,” the filing states.
The district said the student involved served exclusively as a kickoff specialist, participating in eight kickoffs, following what it described as an adult administrative misunderstanding regarding his eligibility.
“This technical eligibility issue did not compromise competitive fairness or athlete safety,” the filing states.
Earlier Thursday, Newburgh school Superintendent Dr. Jackielyn Manning Campbell defended the district’s football program amid criticism surrounding Middletown’s disqualification
In a letter posted on Facebook, Manning Campbell said Newburgh’s student-athletes and coaches should not be blamed for the administrative error that resulted in Middletown being ruled ineligible.
“While we understand Middletown’s desire to protect its athletes from adult mistakes, it is deeply disappointing that our own student-athletes and coaches are now being unfairly criticized and scapegoated in the aftermath,” Manning Campbell wrote.
Sources said Valley Central coach Kyle Schneider was alerted to the ineligible Middletown player over the weekend by the Newburgh Free Academy (NFA) coaching staff who first saw the special teams player. NFA contacted Valley Central because its coaches had not previously seen the Middletown player on game film and wanted to know who he was.
Valley Central Athletic Director Theresa Uhelsky then reported the infraction to Section 9, sources have confirmed.
“We can agree that student-athletes should be supported for their hard work, sportsmanship, and resilience, not targeted for the administrative missteps of others,” Manning Campbell wrote.
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