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Post by timholycross on Jul 22, 2023 8:10:11 GMT -5
Not, our Crusaders, the Bishop Fenwick HS variety:
"Word had filtered throughout the high school community for some time that Bishop Fenwick was in some hot water with the MIAA.
Friday afternoon, the MIAA delivered some serious heat when they sent out a press release stating that the Bishop Fenwick athletic programs would be ineligible for postseason play throughout the 2023-2024 season for violating Rule 87 of the MIAA Rule Book, which deals with primarily with waivers.
In the release, the MIAA stated that Bishop Fenwick made both written and factual statements in November of 2022 and again in 2023 to the Eligibility Appeals Board. The school later was asked to appear before the Board of Directors at a meeting on May 17.
The Board determined at that time Bishop Fenwick’s failure to comply with the MIAA rules and its pattern of conduct was serious, egregious and repeated to warrant discipline as spelled out in Rule 87.6.4 of the MIAA Rule Book. The Board then voted unanimously in favor of applying Rule 87.6.4.1 which calls for the suspension of school personnel from attendance at MIAA Tournaments and delivered the news to Bishop Fenwick.
Shortly after the MIAA release, the Herald obtained a letter sent by Bishop Fenwick Chairman of the Board of Trustees Neil Harrington to members of the school community. In the letter, Harrington acknowledged mistakes were made in a fifth-year waiver application for a student-athlete but insisted they were honest errors.
The letter went on to defend the school, saying no administrator ever sought out to deceive the MIAA in any way. Harrington went on to add that the school complied with the organization’s decision to deny the student-athlete the waiver.
Bishop Fenwick will be holding a community meeting on Monday, July 24 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium to answer questions and address concerns that students and parents may have."
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Post by Tom on Jul 22, 2023 8:59:47 GMT -5
MIAA isn't saying what the problem is and I can't find a news outlet reporting it
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Post by rgs318 on Jul 22, 2023 9:13:39 GMT -5
Seeing that thread heading was frightening...to say the least. Whew!
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Post by longsuffering on Jul 22, 2023 16:11:31 GMT -5
I made an initial guess the ban was due to the Bishop Fenwick team moniker "the Crusaders." Glad it's not that. I believe in playing by the rules and all that, but it's a shame to read this when Catholic Schools are dropping like flies. Bishop Fenwick doesn't need any excuse for potential students to choose other schools or any bad publicity.
If I was a member of the MIAA Board I might suggest an alternate penalty such as Fenwick players, coaches and administrators doing a day of community service painting the fences, benches, stands and refreshment booth at a local little league field that needs it or something similar.
That could actually generate positive publicity with photos of the gleaming freshly painted facilities transposed against the worn peeling before photos of the field.
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Post by longsuffering on Jul 22, 2023 16:14:08 GMT -5
Seeing that thread heading was frightening...to say the least. Whew! I need a cup of soothing Bigelow tea like Joe Torre recommended in commercials. |
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Post by hcmawfawo on Jul 22, 2023 17:29:25 GMT -5
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Jul 22, 2023 19:00:20 GMT -5
Georgetown men's hoops may be in for a post-season ban. IIRC, their APR last year was in bottom five percent of all Division I schools.
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Post by Crucis#1 on Jul 22, 2023 19:36:01 GMT -5
Could Fenwick withdraw from the MIAA and join the NEPSAC or another athletic association?
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Post by hc2020 on Jul 23, 2023 13:33:37 GMT -5
The MIAA has had its share of controversy and selective
enforcement of its rules. The extent of high school recruiting that takes place at many Mass. schools (not just the private ones) is well known and pervasive. For years it was rather well known and even a running joke that Everett HS football recruited players outside of the city. In fact, some years ago the Everett HS quarterback was the son of a Peabody firefighter who by city ordinance was required to reside in Peabody. Before that Everett HS had a standout RB who went on the play at Penn St. That player gave an interview his Frenchman year during which he stated that he was about to turn 21, clearly admitting that he was well over the permitted age limit when he competed during his senior year of HS. Nothing happened, despite these rather clear violations. The rationale for trying a blind eye to some extent is that because private schools can do some form if recruiting because they can enroll student beyond their city limits, the public schools should be given some leeway in order to provide a “level playing field.”
Whatever Bishop Fenwick HS may have done, it doesn’t justify punishing an entire athletic program and all of its student-athletes. A meaningful monetary sanction against the school and some other discipline against the adults who were personally responsible for the violation seems more appropriate to me.
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Post by hc2020 on Jul 23, 2023 13:44:37 GMT -5
Could Fenwick withdraw from the MIAA and join the NEPSAC or another athletic association? Yes, they can but there are many other Considerations that go into such a decision. Ironically, many high school students in Mass. who transfer to ISL or NEPSAC schools from other high schools “reclassify” when doing so and essentially repeat their prior academic year upon transfer so as to benefit from an additional year of playing time (and associated recruiting options) as well as an additional year of physical growth. So, if the issue with Fenwick was a student-athlete seeking eligibility for an added year, a transfer to an ISL or NEPSAC school instead would have been a non-issue (albeit an expensive one since those schools are considerably more expensive). |
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Post by longsuffering on Jul 23, 2023 14:22:58 GMT -5
Could Fenwick withdraw from the MIAA and join the NEPSAC or another athletic association? Yes, they can but there are many other Considerations that go into such a decision. Ironically, many high school students in Mass. who transfer to ISL or NEPSAC schools from other high schools “reclassify” when doing so and essentially repeat their prior academic year upon transfer so as to benefit from an additional year of playing time (and associated recruiting options) as well as an additional year of physical growth. So, if the issue with Fenwick was a student-athlete seeking eligibility for an added year, a transfer to an ISL or NEPSAC school instead would have been a non-issue (albeit an expensive one since those schools are considerably more expensive). How about a brief explanation of the difference between the ISL and NEPSAC when you have a chance? We hear about the ISL less often. Thanks. |
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Post by hc2020 on Jul 23, 2023 14:50:49 GMT -5
Yes, they can but there are many other Considerations that go into such a decision. Ironically, many high school students in Mass. who transfer to ISL or NEPSAC schools from other high schools “reclassify” when doing so and essentially repeat their prior academic year upon transfer so as to benefit from an additional year of playing time (and associated recruiting options) as well as an additional year of physical growth. So, if the issue with Fenwick was a student-athlete seeking eligibility for an added year, a transfer to an ISL or NEPSAC school instead would have been a non-issue (albeit an expensive one since those schools are considerably more expensive). How about a brief explanation of the difference between the ISL and NEPSAC when you have a chance? We hear about the ISL less often. Thanks. |
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Post by hc2020 on Jul 23, 2023 14:53:17 GMT -5
How about a brief explanation of the difference between the ISL and NEPSAC when you have a chance? We hear about the ISL less often. Thanks. Not familiar enough to know all the differences. I do know that the ISL has a reputation for being among the most competitive and talent-laden independent/prep. school athletic associations in New England. |
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Post by longsuffering on Jul 23, 2023 15:33:19 GMT -5
A quick check around here has Worcester Academy, the Bancroft School, Marianapolis, Pomfret School all in NEPSAC with St. Marks in the ISL and Putnam Science Academy in something called the Power 5AAA which might be NEPSAC AAA and Woodstock Academy playing all sports in the Eastern Connecticut Conference public school league but also offering an Independent prep soccer team that can play and train year round including games against MLS Next programs.
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Post by bfoley82 on Jul 23, 2023 18:37:30 GMT -5
A quick check around here has Worcester Academy, the Bancroft School, Marianapolis, Pomfret School all in NEPSAC with St. Marks in the ISL and Putnam Science Academy in something called the Power 5AAA which might be NEPSAC AAA and Woodstock Academy playing all sports in the Eastern Connecticut Conference public school league but also offering an Independent prep soccer team that can play and train year round including games against MLS Next programs. Woodstock Academy is technically a public school. Here is the listing from the Wiki page |
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Post by longsuffering on Jul 23, 2023 19:47:55 GMT -5
Woodstock Academy is fascinating. It has been a private school since it's founding in 1801 but functions as one public high school option for the kids in the surrounding towns who don't have public high schools so the towns pay tuition to the high school in the region the kids want to go to.
WA recently bought most of the former Annhurst College campus (a Catholic women's college that sent busses to Holy Cross mixers when HC was a Catholic men's college) that was originally sold to the former Data General Corp for a conference center and then was sold to the Hyde School, a prep school that consolidated to it's original campus in Maine after selling to WA. The town originally bought one classroom building from Annhurst across the street from the main campus for a middle school . All the buildings have always been well maintained by their institutional owners. I saw the US Coast Guard Concert band there in a beautiful auditorium with great acoustics.
So now Woodstock Academy has dorms and new athletic facilities to supplement their existing athletic complex and is probably increasing it's national and international recruiting. An attractive concrete wall and steps at the original campus has a plaque thanking the family of a recent graduate from China for donating it. It's quite a school.
The privately owned yet publicly used concept is similar to some town commons which are actually owned by the Congregational Church on one end of the common and not the town hall on the other end.
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Post by timholycross on Jul 24, 2023 8:29:29 GMT -5
Could Fenwick withdraw from the MIAA and join the NEPSAC or another athletic association? Austin Prep did just that. Played anybody and everybody in 2022-23 (privates and publics, as they apparently transitioned too late), this year supposed to be pretty much all private. One school of thought was that they made the move thinking that eventually the Catholics would get booted from the MIAA. It would surprise me if that happened. |
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Post by timholycross on Jul 24, 2023 8:42:43 GMT -5
The MIAA has had its share of controversy and selective enforcement of its rules. The extent of high school recruiting that takes place at many Mass. schools (not just the private ones) is well known and pervasive. For years it was rather well known and even a running joke that Everett HS football recruited players outside of the city. In fact, some years ago the Everett HS quarterback was the son of a Peabody firefighter who by city ordinance was required to reside in Peabody. Before that Everett HS had a standout RB who went on the play at Penn St. That player gave an interview his Frenchman year during which he stated that he was about to turn 21, clearly admitting that he was well over the permitted age limit when he competed during his senior year of HS. Nothing happened, despite these rather clear violations. The rationale for trying a blind eye to some extent is that because private schools can do some form if recruiting because they can enroll student beyond their city limits, the public schools should be given some leeway in order to provide a “level playing field.” Whatever Bishop Fenwick HS may have done, it doesn’t justify punishing an entire athletic program and all of its student-athletes. A meaningful monetary sanction against the school and some other discipline against the adults who were personally responsible for the violation seems more appropriate to me. Been in the news a lot the past year, although irrelevant to the thread topic. If he was player of the year his senior year, 1996; then played at Penn State starting in 1998; no violation. 19th birthday was after the school year started. That's assuming he got redshirted and wasn't in hs in 1997. If so, clear violation. IMHO that birthdate restriction is a good rule for contact sports. Others may think differently. |
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Post by purplenurple on Jul 24, 2023 10:33:01 GMT -5
A quick check around here has Worcester Academy, the Bancroft School, Marianapolis, Pomfret School all in NEPSAC with St. Marks in the ISL and Putnam Science Academy in something called the Power 5AAA which might be NEPSAC AAA and Woodstock Academy playing all sports in the Eastern Connecticut Conference public school league but also offering an Independent prep soccer team that can play and train year round including games against MLS Next programs. St. Mark's is in the ISL and NEPSAC. The ISL is the Independent School League which includes both day and boarding schools in eastern MA and RI (Milton Academy, Groton, Belmont Hill, St. Sebastian's (Go Arrows!), St. George's, St. Paul's was switched out for Tabor recently, aforementioned St. Marks, etc. NEPSAC is more like the MIAA, the overarching conference that leagues like the ISL/SSL compete in the New England playoffs of whereas the ISL is a league like say the Bay State Conference or Catholic Conference. Hope that helped. |
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Post by gks on Jul 24, 2023 10:45:29 GMT -5
First of all we have no idea what the infractions were. Seems to me, with the penalty imposed, it's more than just a kid playing a fifth year of high school.
As far as Fenwick going the ISL/Prep route. As someone said earlier Austin Prep on the North Shore, did this very thing a few years ago. IMO this is the route many Catholic HS are going to go down for survival. Even mighty St. John's in Shrewsbury is getting their top athletes poached by the New England Prep programs.
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Post by longsuffering on Jul 24, 2023 10:57:43 GMT -5
A quick check around here has Worcester Academy, the Bancroft School, Marianapolis, Pomfret School all in NEPSAC with St. Marks in the ISL and Putnam Science Academy in something called the Power 5AAA which might be NEPSAC AAA and Woodstock Academy playing all sports in the Eastern Connecticut Conference public school league but also offering an Independent prep soccer team that can play and train year round including games against MLS Next programs. St. Mark's is in the ISL and NEPSAC. The ISL is the Independent School League which includes both day and boarding schools in eastern MA and RI (Milton Academy, Groton, Belmont Hill, St. Sebastian's (Go Arrows!), St. George's, St. Paul's was switched out for Tabor recently, aforementioned St. Marks, etc. NEPSAC is more like the MIAA, the overarching conference that leagues like the ISL/SSL compete in the New England playoffs of whereas the ISL is a league like say the Bay State Conference or Catholic Conference. Hope that helped. Excellent, thanks. |
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Post by Tom on Jul 24, 2023 11:37:18 GMT -5
First of all we have no idea what the infractions were. Seems to me, with the penalty imposed, it's more than just a kid playing a fifth year of high school. As far as Fenwick going the ISL/Prep route. As someone said earlier Austin Prep on the North Shore, did this very thing a few years ago. IMO this is the route many Catholic HS are going to go down for survival. Even mighty St. John's in Shrewsbury is getting their top athletes poached by the New England Prep programs. Per Fenwick's public statement, it is not about a kid playing a 5th year of high school. They say the person in question did not play. Seems to be more about willfully withholding information in the waiver request for said kid to play a 5th year |
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Post by hc2020 on Jul 24, 2023 17:16:13 GMT -5
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