(This story will be updated)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — “Play-in” games for the Class AAA playoffs have been tentatively scheduled for Saturday as the rest of the WVSSAC high school football playoff games remain stalled.
Hampshire High School posted on their Facebook page late Wednesday afternoon that a game has been scheduled against Capital High School. The game will be played at Bridgeport Saturday at 1 p.m.
Additionally, a similar game has been scheduled between Point Pleasant and St. Albans for Saturday. That game will be hosted by Hurricane at 1 p.m.
Hampshire and Point Pleasant qualified for the Class AAA playoffs at the conclusion on regular season play on Friday evening. However, an order from Wood County Circuit Court required that the WVSSAC tweak their ratings points system to reflect classes of opponents when the games were scheduled, not necessarily when they were played.
Late Monday, Mason County Circuit Judge Anita Ashley issued a ruling ordering play-in games this Friday in the Class AAA playoffs that were to match Point Pleasant against St. Albans and Hampshire against Capital for the right to be among the top 16.
There is no word on whether or not “Play-in” games will be scheduled in Class AA and Class A to resolve the uncertain situations with Westside, Lincoln, St. Marys and Tolsia.
With competing injunctions at odds against each other, the Writ of Prohibition for the Wood County case has been filed with the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. No date or time for the Supreme Court hearing has been finalized.
Also on Wednesday, Wyoming County Prosecuting Attorney Gregory A. Bishop announced an agreement with the WVSSAC on record with the court. The announcement read in part:
“After negotiating with counsel for the WVSSAC, the Office of the Wyoming County Prosecuting Attorney placed an agreement on record with the Court. The agreement stipulates that the parties will enter an Agreed Order holding the Court’s ruling on the Board’s Petition for Injunctive Relief in abeyance. It also highlights the WVSSAC’s position on ranking points allocation for the 2024 football season, which aligns with the Wyoming County Board of Education’s stance: the rules governing point distribution should be applied both before and during the 2024 regular season. The WVSSAC further informed the Court that it would file a Writ of Prohibition seeking to set aside, dissolve, and abate the Wood County Circuit Court’s Order reverting the point distribution system to the one that was in place for the entire year.”
Spring Mills High School seeks restoration of four victories lost to forfeit
Spring Mills High School Principal Mark Salfia released a statement on Wednesday afternoon that the school is seeking to restore four victories that were turned to forfeits after it was announced that the Cardinals had an ineligible player take the field during Weeks 3-6 of the season. With the forfeits, Spring Mills fell from 8-1 to 4-5. The Cardinals are currently listed with a 5-5 record.
Salfia’s statement reads in part:
“We strongly believe the WVSSAC’s decision conflicts with the federal McKinney-Vento Act. This act mandates that Berkeley County Schools must immediately enroll all students experiencing housing insecurity and eliminate any barriers to their participation in extracurricular activities.”