District 3 Committee sides with Daniel Boone, declares ‘no-contest’ vs. Exeter

This District 3 Committee determined Friday that Daniel Boone’s game vs. rival Exeter will officially go down as a “no-contest,” rather than a forfeit, which Exeter was seeking.

The decision was brought to the district level when the two schools could not come to a mutual agreement.

Daniel Boone was forced to cancel its Week 9 game vs. Gov. Mifflin and its Week 10 game vs. Exeter due to a COVID outbreak within the football team.

The decision impacts the district playoff fates of both programs, as well as that of their opponents. District playoff spots are determined by a power rating. Had the game been declared a forfeit, it would have negatively impacted the Blazers’ power rating, as well as its opponents, and benefited the Eagles, and their opponents.

Doug Bohannon, District 3 Chairman, said the committee followed PIAA guidelines on the subject, which state that school can request a no-contest if “it made reasonable efforts to avoid an outbreak and that it’s failure to participate was unavoidable.”

The committee reviewed documents submitted by Daniel Boone, explaining how it has dealt with the COVID outbreak, and invited Daniel Boone superintendent Dr. Brett A. Cooper to the meeting via Zoom so that he could share information as to how his school followed its Health and Safety Plan.

“There was lots of discussion, and we felt it was a good communication,” Bohannon said.

With the Eagles and Blazers fighting for playoff positioning the decision was critical.

If Exeter had been granted a forfeit victory, in line with parameters established by the PIAA, it would likely have clinched an opening-round home game in the Class 5A tournament. With a no-contest ruling it’s possible the Eagles could slip below No. 8 in the power rankings and open on the road.

Had Boone taken a forfeit loss it could have been knocked out of the 14-team playoff field. The Blazers are currently No. 12 and would certainly drop with another loss. With the no-contest the Blazers likely will make the field.

Official brackets will be released Monday, after the District 3 Committee meets to review them.

Unofficial power ratings will be listed on the district website late Saturday following the completion of all regular season games.

Gov. Mifflin agreed to accept a no-contest last week when Boone was forced to cancel. Mifflin could have insisted on a forfeit win, though the Mustangs are so far out in front in Class 5A it would have made no difference for them.

All of this stems from widespread confusion over the PIAA rule, as well as the District 3 committee’s inability to make that clear to its member schools in a timely manner.

As the current rule reads, the “failure of a team to participate in a scheduled contest shall constitute an automatic forfeit, regardless of the reasons.”

That seems clear. However, many schools have already accepted no-contest decisions rather than request a forfeit victory.

A forfeit is awarded by mutual agreement between two schools.

The PIAA ruling, as displayed on the District 3 website, indicates that the “non-participating school” — meaning the one which can’t play due to a COVID situation — can attempt to convince the District Committee “that it made reasonable efforts to avoid an outbreak and that it’s failure to participate was unavoidable.”

A year ago, when the PIAA and school administrators were paralyzed by the ever-changing COVID landscape, long-standing rules were relaxed in order to allow as many teams to play as many games as possible.

The PIAA tightened that up this year, though it waited until Sept. 15 — several weeks into the football season, and practically the midpoint for sports such as soccer and field hockey — to clarify that ruling.

PIAA executive director Dr. Robert Lombardi said at that time that there was growing concern that some schools were using COVID as an excuse to “duck” stronger opponents, so the PIAA reminded its members that if it doesn’t, or can’t, play a scheduled contest it may be in danger of a forfeit.

“It has happened enough that there’s concern from board members, who are hearing from their constituents that they think schools might be ducking somebody,” Lombardi said. “We needed to get something in writing to give some guidance. Some people say they have too many players out so they cancel the game but then they practice, which seems to fly in the face of canceling the game.”

By that point many schools had already accepted no-contests from opponents who could not compete due to COVID outbreaks. In the weeks that followed, that continued to be the policy at many schools, either because of confusion over the changing rules or plain disregard for them.