Friday, Oct. 28, 2011: Skaneateles booted from playoffs, reinstated by court

   Leading off today: In a normal week, Central New York football observers might have spent today relishing the thought of former Syracuse University teammates Tim Green and Byron Abraham having to coach against each other this Saturday in the Section 3 Class C semifinals.

   Well, not so much anymore.

   In a dramatic series of developments Friday, Skaneateles was thrown out of the playoffs by Section 3 in the morning and reinstated -- for now -- by a New York State Supreme Court justice in the afternoon. Consequently, Skaneateles (8-0, ranked third in Class C by the New York State Sportswriters Association) and Utica Notre Dame will play on Saturday in Chittenango as originally scheduled, with the winner one game away from the NYSPHSAA quarterfinals.

   Skaneateles was granted a temporary restraining order by Justice Brian DeJoseph to block sanctions handed down hours earlier in a meeting of approximately 60 members of the Section 3 Athletic Council. Representatives of the school and the section will return to court on Tuesday; it's uncertain how long it might take for DeJoseph to hear witnesses and render a decision.

   Green emerged from the courtroom -- where procedings were held away from the public and reporters -- shortly after 5 p.m. to announce the judge's decision, saying, "I'm very happy to announce our kids in Skaneateles can play football," The Post-Standard reported.

   The day's drama continued an apparently unprecedented series of events in New York high school sports. Capping a five-month investigation, the school on Tuesday reported evidence of as many as nine instances of unidentified coaches trying to recruit students from other schools over the past two years. Green has maintained his innocence.

   The Post-Standard reported Friday that Skaneateles was censured by the section a year ago for using a player who had not met the requirement for the minimum number of football practices. At that time, Skaneateles was warned that it could face more substantial penalties if the school district committed any further violations of eligibility or sports standards. NYSPHSAA rules provide individual sections with the power to bar a school from athletic contests for up to a year.

   Utica Notre Dame coach surprised: Utica Notre Dame AD Gene Leuthauser was informed in the morning that his team’s game had been suspended, at which time Section 3 Executive Director John Rathbun asked him if the school would be able to play on a different date if necessary.

   "I just told him whatever Section 3 instructs us to do, we’ll gladly play when and where they ask," he told The Post-Standard.

   Abraham was planning to hold its scheduled practice and pregame meal Friday, even if they’ve been told the game was called off.

   "It’s disappointing, I think, for all of the people involved," he told the paper. "For the community of Skaneateles? My goodness. I couldn’t imagine being in something like that."

   When told the case might be headed for court, Abraham reacted with shock. "From my standpoint, how does the Supreme Court get involved in a high school football game? It’s amazing."

   Uncharted territory: Longtime observers I've corresponded with this week couldn't recall anything close to as jolting happening in the NYSPHSAA postseason. Making the situation more dramatic and urgent, football is a once-a-week sport, and teams are required to have four nights of rest between games. A protracted drama brought

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on by delays in State Supreme Court or subsequent appeals could throw the schedule into chaos -- particularly since Skaneateles has looked like a contender to reach the state finals on Thanksgiving weekend in Syracuse.

   The only situation I can recall that came remotely close because of its impact on the state championships came when McQuaid went to court in May 1989 to gain reinstatement after being banned from the Section 5 outdoor track championships.

   By extension, the penalty would have kept McQuaid out of the state meet as well. But the school's lawyer successfully argued that McQuaid's coaches did not violate a rule pertaining to the

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number of contests because none of its athletes competed in more than the maximum number of meets. The Knights' 3,200-meter relay subsequently won a NYSPHSAA title.

   Other states have had football playoff issues decided in court in recent years.

   In 2005, Oklahoma's State Supreme Court was asked to rule whether a state quarterback, suspended for kicking an opponent 19 seconds from the end of a state quarterfinal, should be reinstated. State semifinals were postponed twice and the governor -- a graduate of the affected school -- caused a stir by questioning Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association rules.

   Last fall, West Virginia's Supreme Court ruled that a circuit judge exceeded her authority when she allowed four South Charleston players to compete in the football semifinals following another fight-related punishment. The justices sided with the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission, which appealed after Kanawha Circuit Judge Carrie Webster allowed the four to play in the semifinal win and in the postponed championship game.    The WVSSAC required South Charleston to forfeit its 29-28 semifinal victory and moved Brooke High into the final.

   The West Virginia outcome does raise an interesting issue with regard to this weekend. Should Utica Notre Dame loses to Skaneateles, the fact that there was a disciplinary ruling beforehand would seem to mean the team would be in line to receive a forfeit -- as opposed to having the other semifinal winner advance on a bye.

   And here's the elephant in the room that no one wants to consider: What if Notre Dame gets players hurt on Saturday and then the Lakers lose in court?