I believe you are allowed to reclass but you are only allowed to play the first 4 years of high school. That's why most people that do reclass do it in 8th grade. I imagine that there would be a whole lot more 5th year seniors in high school if that was the case. If you aren't ready to compete in college is why kids end up attending the post high school prep schools for one year.
Middletown???
- Thread starter SmyrnaOnTop
- Start date
That’s interesting. The DIAA will have their hands full at their next board meeting. Decisions will be made.
You have 4 consecutive years to play once first entering 9th grade this is whether you play or not. You cannot reclass and play a 5th year in Delaware, Reclassing has to be done before 9th grade
It's the same in most states but some have a few tweaks. The kids who reclass after starting high school are going to schools that are not part of an association ie.. St Frances, Life Christian Academy or other independent non associated schools.
Delaware Indy Conference schools (Tatnall, TH, St Andrews, Friends, Sanford) allow 5th year players but those players are not eligible to play vs any DIAA full member school or the other states State Association member schools like PIAA, MPSAA or NJSIAA
Last edited:
and you can't turn 19 prior to June 15th. So not all kids can reclass in 8th depending on when they started school and having the right birth date. You could age out before your Sr season. DE at June 15 is a bit earlier than most states. Most states the cut-off is 19 by Aug 31 and some others Aug 1st. PIAA is June 30, MPSSAA and MIAA Aug 31, NJSIAA Aug 31
So if you are a Maryland kid and turn 19 say in July you could consider coming to Delaware and be eligible at least by age providing you are in the 4 year window.
Last edited:
So what’s the punishment? For me, if what we’ve all heard/read is true, DIAA should
1) strip the 3A title away. No champion for 2021
2) vacate the player-in question’s awards (all-district, all-state, etc)
Having said that, I believe DIAA will say “they deserve credit for self-reporting, and they’ve assured me it won’t happen again”, and do nothing.
Thoughts?
1) strip the 3A title away. No champion for 2021
2) vacate the player-in question’s awards (all-district, all-state, etc)
Having said that, I believe DIAA will say “they deserve credit for self-reporting, and they’ve assured me it won’t happen again”, and do nothing.
Thoughts?
"IF" what has been heard/read is true, then
For me, I would still need to know more and see the transcripts and paperwork as well as the residency proof, to try and determine who knew what when. As far as academic eligibility it is pretty clear cut. Either the transcripts show he had passed 5 credit courses and 2 of them being core courses (Math, English, Science, Social Studies, World Language) or it doesn't. If it does but it was found out they were doctored then it's different than if MT knew and played him anyway.
The self report deal doesn't exonerate if it was a spring sports coach who saw the issue and reported it but the football coach ignored it until it came out. Big problem there. It's not really adding up for me that no one knew he was academically an issue until spring sports season. Really the AD should be on top of this stuff anyway. I would also want to know how a kid from Philly finds his way to Middletown.. like was it a relationship with one of the coaches or family etc...
In any case my best guess is the 2021 football season will be vacated and the coach gets a 13 game suspension to coincide with the 13 games and scrimmages the player played in. There will be debate on whether MT football program is punished further by being ruled ineligible for the 2022 playoffs, not sure how that will go but it would be consistent with what I have seen other state associations do in these cases. I will guess and say DIAA doesn't go that far. And of course the obligatory $500 fine
Last edited:
In DIAA fashion they will investigate it for 3-4 months then conclude the above
The fine is “silly”. Taxpayers foot the bill for the fine and the money goes back to the taxpayer
OK...from what Huskerman is saying (and he doesn't trade in BS), this is probably more serious than I assumed. Let's just get to the truth, have DIAA mete out punishments and then move on. I will leave it that. There are some folks here that may want to turn this into a beat down but that only serves a purpose for a couple of days....and we have to get a sense of what is true....everybody have a nice weekend.
Well said Bummy, yes get to the truth, and handle it sooner rather than later, we could all move on and focus can be put back on to more positive aspects. You have to wonder if it comes out as a slap on the wrist will other schools be willing to look the other way or if it is a severe penalty will that be enough for schools to take notice and make sure they are all with in the rules.
The thing that matters most especially in High School sport is keeping the integrity of the game. Hopefully Middletown didn’t do any of the things previously mentioned on purpose and it was an honest mistake. If it turns out Middletown did do all of the things mentioned on this thread they deserve every bit of criticism for compromising the integrity of the game.
No you need to reclass before HS, once your clock starts you have 4 to play 4.
It does happen and waivers are approved for TRUE hardships - serious injury, financial situations, etc.
The kid could go to some privates in PA/MD/NJ and it would be allowed - not MIAA or Interact they have rules too - but the boarding schools, friends league, etc. would allow it
On the subject of reclassing after entering high school... SFA had about 5 starters last year that were 5th year reclass transfers from other schools.. now they got their own players staying back a 5th year to chase some mythical National championship... It's getting silly
Yeah I posted this in another thread - HUGE trend in Football and Lacrosse specifically. Probably other sports too but I am just more familiar with them.
I know the kid says "win a natty" but usually they didn't get good offers so they reclass and it usually about recruiting but they try to cover it up with "win a championship" or something team oriented.
When I was growing up, this was what they meant by a "natty" in Middletown:
oh yes siree bob
Middletown needs to focus on the state first before they want to be a National Power. They won their first championship since 2012 and they might even loose the one they won this year.
Everyone remember when Red Lion said they wanted to go National.. That was fun
They could have if they wanted to. They should have been a Prep School and not be a DIAA member also having Sills leave and their new ownership group did not help them.Everyone remember when Red Lion said they wanted to go National.. That was fun
It was tad more complicated than that but yeah eventually it's what they tried to do. Don't think they (RLCA or ECA) ever beat a top 100 team though. Maybe not even a top 200 team. FYI.. That dude taking arrows in the gif above was me on here.. 😛
The highest ranking they got to was #224. MT finished #370 last year
Last edited:
A couple of tweets by couple of media guys on #DELHS.. Our man @Huskerman7 was first out of the gate though. So far no real takers..lol
Last edited:
They’ll start reporting once the DIAA has their board meetingA couple of tweets by couple of media guys on #DELHS.. Our man @Huskerman7 was first out of the gate though. So far no real takers..lol
Too much of that might cause you to repeat / reclass.When I was growing up, this was what they meant by a "natty" in Middletown:
Hey for clarification on this one do you mean they have 5 year football players?
I do know that in other sports - lacrosse, baseball, soccer, etc - at certain schools where the MS is at the same location or attached like Caravel, Tatnall, Friends, Milford, etc an 8th grader can play Varsity with no restrictions and they get 5 years to play 5 seasons. But always thought football was NOT one of those sports where it was allowed.
8th grade football players are allowed in those situations (schools) you mentioned. But no I am talking about 5th year seniors (5 years in high school) or players over the age limit. It is one of the reasons the Indy Conference schools are Associate DIAA members and not full members, The deal is those players (ones that would be ineligible at full member schools) can't play vs DIAA full member schools but of course they can play vs each other or out of state independent schools.
The latest situation I can remember was the big center (Big Ben) at St Andrews. He had to sit vs full DIAA teams and out of state member teams. St Andrews even had to FFT some games OOS when he played when he shouldn't have.
The couple fft losses OOS were because those teams were state associated teams and the player played. Of course he was not eligible to play in the DIAA playoffs either. No way they lose to Dickinson if he could. just saying
2013-2014
Schedule-V - St. Andrews - SAS-Saints
www.cardinals-sports.com
Tatnall had a real good BB player (Cooper) a few years back that was the same situation.
I am sure there are many others through the years but those are the high profile ones I know of or remember
Last edited:
Walter Davis (google him) played basketball for one year at Sanford. Dean Smith stashed him here to get his grades up to get into Carolina. That was like 73-74? Jesus, I am old.
That April meeting is going to be a crazy one. I was talking to some guys i now from Middletown and they said it was definitely more then one guy and its getting really messy.
DIAA going to earn those big salaries........
Wow that meeting if streamed will break the internet. 🍿 The apologist on twitter are going to look pretty silly I guess.
9 hour meeting just to tell us in hour 9 that they will let the school investigate or pass it off to the football committee…or my fav…we don’t have enough members to vote tonight.
I wonder if the QB is involved. I brought it up on here a few years ago that he played for Christian Academy of Knoxville in 2017 as a CO 21 Freshman. He came to MT 2018 as a CO 22. So he played 5 yrs of HS ball. * There is video of him playing for CAK 2017 and he is on their roster on Hudl and MP so I am not making this up. I just figured he got some sort of waiver or something.
(edited) *video evidence is inconclusive
Last edited:
Wow! Never knew that about Davis BiB. As usual, you are correct. This is gonna be fascinating!
I know this won’t be popular and I’m fine with that. At what point do we stop talking about championships and ask ourselves what are we teaching our young men? The majority of coaches, me included, will tell you we coach because of the privilege we have to positively lead and influence these young men. I actually believe most of them, I just don’t think they know what that means or looks like…just like I didn’t when I first started.
If this were us, we would vacate the entire season, the lessons that these young men would learn from this is way more important and valuable than any championship. We must teach are young men that there are consequences for our actions! Before anyone says…why should the team pay for the actions of one? What do we as coaches preach everyday…team! Our motto is “Where one Buck goes, we all go” the meaning is simple and twofold, First, you represent us all wherever you go or whatever you do! Second, we will be there for you when you need us, now and beyond football! We have one rule…don’t do anything to embarrass yourself, your family, or your community. Notice we don’t say team, that’s because we believe that if you take care of things off the field, on the field success will become a byproduct of how we carry ourselves off it…It starts with me! Do we stumble and fail sometimes…yes! When we do we hold them accountable and remind them that failing doesn’t equal failure. Failing equals learning...Failure equals quitting. Then we love them through it!! Our hope it that the lessons learned today from their mistakes will guide them in the future BEFORE they make a bad decision. So we believe the reminder of what their decisions cost them today, will lead them to a different decision in the future. We remind them that your life will be equal to the sum of your decisions!
I hear the argument that the player in question was eligible for the playoffs and because all teams made the playoffs it didn’t matter. Well I will respectfully disagree. One thing that no one has mentioned…maybe it’s time to rethink everyone makes the playoffs? That’s not how the real world operates. These young men need to learn the lessons that come with “failing”! They won’t get every job they apply for or a date with every beautiful young lady they meet.
There’s an opportunity here…IMHO its failed opportunities like this (if they allow MT to keep the title) that has gotten us to where we are in our culture today.
The reality is that the DIAA shouldn’t have to make this decision.
If this were us, we would vacate the entire season, the lessons that these young men would learn from this is way more important and valuable than any championship. We must teach are young men that there are consequences for our actions! Before anyone says…why should the team pay for the actions of one? What do we as coaches preach everyday…team! Our motto is “Where one Buck goes, we all go” the meaning is simple and twofold, First, you represent us all wherever you go or whatever you do! Second, we will be there for you when you need us, now and beyond football! We have one rule…don’t do anything to embarrass yourself, your family, or your community. Notice we don’t say team, that’s because we believe that if you take care of things off the field, on the field success will become a byproduct of how we carry ourselves off it…It starts with me! Do we stumble and fail sometimes…yes! When we do we hold them accountable and remind them that failing doesn’t equal failure. Failing equals learning...Failure equals quitting. Then we love them through it!! Our hope it that the lessons learned today from their mistakes will guide them in the future BEFORE they make a bad decision. So we believe the reminder of what their decisions cost them today, will lead them to a different decision in the future. We remind them that your life will be equal to the sum of your decisions!
I hear the argument that the player in question was eligible for the playoffs and because all teams made the playoffs it didn’t matter. Well I will respectfully disagree. One thing that no one has mentioned…maybe it’s time to rethink everyone makes the playoffs? That’s not how the real world operates. These young men need to learn the lessons that come with “failing”! They won’t get every job they apply for or a date with every beautiful young lady they meet.
There’s an opportunity here…IMHO its failed opportunities like this (if they allow MT to keep the title) that has gotten us to where we are in our culture today.
The reality is that the DIAA shouldn’t have to make this decision.
Similar threads
