Calabasas claims it decided to withdraw from the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 high school soccer championship game against Los Alamitos less than 36 hours before kickoff. The CIF claims otherwise.
Regardless of who decided what, this sudden forfeiture results in a cancelation.
The Griffins high school soccer team will not get to experience a championship game as a result. They will be declared the winners by default without actually playing for the title.
Calabasas used an ineligible high school soccer player.
Calabasas High School enrolls approximately 1,700 students in Grades 9-12. The Coyotes were scheduled to play in the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section boys soccer final on Saturday. They were set to face Los Alamitos. The two schools are separated by ~50 miles.
That game will no longer happen.
Calabasas self-reported a violation of CIF bylaws and withdrew from the final on Friday. It stemmed from the use of an ineligible player.
- CIF-SS Bylaw 600. COMPETITION ON AN OUTSIDE TEAM
- A student on a high school team becomes ineligible if the student competes in a contest on an “outside” team, in the same sport, during the student’s high school season of sport.
- CIF-SS Bylaw 3511. PLAYOFF ELIGIBILITY
- An ineligible player is one who is in violation of any State CIF or Section scholastic residence, transfer, age, semesters of attendance, or other eligibility rules.
- A. Games in which the student participated, after the occurrence of the violation shall be forfeited (See Bylaw 500.2)
- C. Violations discovered after the first round of any playoffs will result in disqualification of the ineligible player’s team from the playoffs and forfeiture of its last playoff competition. In such cases, the losing team will advance provided the date of the next scheduled contest has not elapsed.
- An ineligible player is one who is in violation of any State CIF or Section scholastic residence, transfer, age, semesters of attendance, or other eligibility rules.
Los Alamitos High School has been crowned the champions of the third division without playing in the game, which is an unfortunate reality for the athletes who do not get to play in a championship game. The runner-up place will be vacated.
The CIF laid down the law.
Calabasas explained the violation in a lengthy official statement. The self-reported violation stemmed from a player who was deemed ineligible due to the expiration of an MLS Next contract.
However, there is some disagreement on how the situation proceeded to unfold. Calabasas claimed it would be allowed to continue in the high school soccer postseason under a warning from the CIF Southern Section. The administration decided to forfeit. Players were not consulted on the decision.
The CIF says otherwise. Assistant commissioner Thom Simmons said the Southern Section would not have allowed the Coyotes to keep playing. The self-reported violation was always going to result in forfeiture.