Sports Opinion

Ruling to oust Archbishop is right move, may kindle private and public schools to compete separately

Amid much greater concerns, particularly the premature death of Coach Terry Ennis, one of the more beloved and most winningest football coaches in the state, Archbishop Murphy High School discovered the physical expiration of one of its football players had lapsed early in the season.
Suddenly, the schools seemingly minor clerical snafu had grown into a bureaucratic beast that would wipe out an undefeated season. Upon discovering the lapse, Archbishops co-athletic director Patti Means reported the mistake to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. Since the WIAA doesnt have the means to investigate every technicality, each school is required to self report violations. The WIAA ruled that all of the games that the student participated in be forfeited.
It was as if the perennially stellar football team was penalized because one player forgot to snap one of his chinstrap snaps. Did Archbishop get railroaded because it always wins? Was this the schools comeuppance for what several in the area regard as its unfair recruiting practices?
There are a lot of mixed feelings about what has happened to Archbishop Murphy and theres not a lot of sympathy in some respects, said Tim Tramp, coach of the Arlington High School football team. Its an unfortunate situation and I feel bad for the kids in particular. My feeling is pretty simple: Rules are rules and when they are broken, its very clear there are consequences to those actions.
Seattle Times columnist Craig Smith feels differently. He wrote that he is mad at the WIAA executive board for its no-mercy ruling that led to the forfeiture of eight of the teams 10 victories including the playoff win over Bellingham. Why does he think Archbishop deserved some mercy? Because the coach was dying.
But by showing mercy to a team whose coach is dying or one whose mascot ate the playbook, are you not diminishing the rules?
Part of me says Id like to see some compassion, said Lakewood High School Coach Dan Teeter, whose 47-20 crushing at the hands of Archbishop, was turned into a Cougar win after the WIAA ruling. But I understand how the WIAA wouldnt want to set a precedent. Tramp added that in 1999, his second year coaching Arlington, Inglemoor High School suffered a similar situation when one player lied about where he lived and the team had to forfeit several of its wins.
While Teeter sometimes feels the frustration of playing private schools that are not hindered by the district recruiting guidelines public schools must follow, he respects Archbishops program and said its reporting of the violation was a testament to its integrity and class.
With the things they had to overcome this year, he said, your heart goes out to those guys.
One official with knowledge of the Archbishop forfeitures said the WIAAs ruling exacerbates the sore spot felt by leadership of public schools. As a result of the WIAA ruling, the official said Archbishop will likely pay closer attention to similar technical issues, but not its recruiting practices.
Coach Teeter feels a residual effect of the ruling will make schools want to self-report less. He said he will continue to do things the right way in his program and added that, had he been in charge at Archbishop, he would have self reported, too. But he said some schools will look the other way.
Private schools such as Archbishop can recruit students within a 50-mile radius, according to the WIAA residence rules. Private schools can also waive tuition to athletes. Whispers among some community members say private schools often provide scholarships, offer transportation and open houses all to entice athletic superstars. But public schools must recruit within their district and must show that students actually live in the district if they want those students to play at the varsity level.
The official with knowledge of the Archbishop forfeitures, expressed empathy for Archbishop because a clerical error like that can happen easily, and that private and public schools have to work hard to stay on top of those issues. But at the same time there is resentment on the recruiting issue.
This kind of perceived disparity has led to the states of Texas, Maryland and Virginia, to create separate sports associations and playoff systems. Other states such as Louisiana, have been considering separation but three years ago ruled that schools with same-size student bodies compete against one another.
Whether parents, coaches and administrators push the WIAA in a similar direction while perhaps using Archbishop and other perennial private school winners as examples, may not be out of the question.
To me, lets separate the private and public schools so theres no impropriety on how you handle things or not, Tramp said. Tramp added that he would embrace an opportunity to recruit students beyond his district in the same way private schools are allowed.
Theres always going to be frustration in playing a private school in a public league, Teeter said. When youre successful, people are going to play for you. I think Archbishop does a lot of things very well and I hope that we can build up and earn a victory against them on the field rather than by forfeiture.