Storyline: FH forfeits games due to an ineligible player

[wvbossman]

Fort Hill aside there are not many laws and rules or any law and order left in college, youth or high school sports anymore. Long ago when I was serving on a state coaches board for a low profile sport a very wise man with a lot of teaching, coaching and administrative experience told me a quote that I alway remembered.

"Rules are fine unless it's me or mine." I would say that applies to the current state of sports these days. College sports has NIL, the transfer portal and it's a money grab, that's it. It's a trickle down effect that is slowly making it's way to high school.

Now high schoolers jump from team to team to play for THE TEAM or for THE COACH or THE PROGRAM that will best suit their interests and needs or make them feel like a winner. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer and in time it will no longer be fun as the margin of victories grew larger and larger and it is no longer interesting.

I respect Fort Hill, Martinsburg and Bridgeport for all they have done, they are great programs. If you think for one minute they have not benifitted from transfers or people moving to their school then you are indeed naive. Heck, I'm a Frankfort guy and for once we benefitted from a few transfers this year.

In the past before the "new wild west" we had natural ebbs and flows in talent at schools. Your team had down years and then would rebound when the talent came back around. Now your team or program may no longer survive those ebbs and flows as people jump from the sinking ship to the sailing ship (the school with THE TEAM or worse yet travel teams) leaving many schools without enough members to field a competitive team or even have a team.

It was so geniune for so long but when you take a good thing (sports) and make it the ultimate thing then it quickly becomes a bad thing. They are first and foremost STUDENT athletes.

 

[ravemwp]

Very interesting for sure. I do know that the family in question is very well known not just in WV but also in the area, mainly through the father, his sons and athletics. I also know that the two young brothers still attend school in the Frankfort District and also play sports for teams in that district.

No doubt the athlete in question was ready for change and not just athletically. Sometimes kids need a change, a fresh start to give them renewed hope and a different environment to cultivate that. I am for that 100% and we should afford families and athletes that opportunity.

However, it is up to the parent to make sure that it is done in the right manner regardless of where the student chooses to attend. I know people who have sold houses and moved halfway across WV to give their child a different experience, I respect the fact that they have done it the right way.

I also know people in the past who claimed to have moved to an “apartment” only to pass them daily taking their child to another school in another state. I know we live in a society in which rules and regulations are meaningless but they are put in place for reasons and as adults we should do our best to model behaviors that develop the whole young person not just the athlete. Being a good athlete or being involved in sports should never excuse someone from doing the right thing.

I know Todd posted earlier that nobody wants to play for a team that is not good. There are pros and cons to that thought process too but that is a whole other topic. The concerning thing is just how many families are willing to transfer to play for the BEST team in every SPORT. Oftentimes the team they are transferring from really is not that bad but currently everyone wants to play for the only the BEST team.

i firmly believe that there are valuable lessons to be learned in both winning and losing but we are moving away from the lessons learned through losing and therefore not allowing young people to grow through their struggles. Adversity builds character, loyalty builds community and many times we look only into the immediate gratification of the athlete instead of doing what is best for them long-term as a person.

I’m not saying what happened to the FH Football program was fair or right. I was not part of the investigation so that makes me unqualified to make a final call. FH is a great football program and I admire what they have built. if you take some good out of the bad this year those young men learned some great life lessons:

1. Life is not always.

2. When you ascend to the top of the mountain someone is always looking to knock you off both justly and unjustly.

3. Bad things happen, sometimes it’s your fault, sometimes it’s not.

4.Although things may look bad and things may get very difficult (forfeiting wins, long, expensive bus rides) if you work hard, keep showing up and rally around each other you can perservere and still attain your goals.

5. There are lessons to be learned in both the wins and the losses.

6. If you only experience the good you can become complacent.

If we all step back and take a look at the big picture this team may have learned more valueable life lessons than many of the prior great teams that Fort Hill has ever had. This season may serve these young men and their families more in the long-term than any other life experience they have ever had.

As I stated before, it's not just about athletics, it's about the system. If said student is eligible to be in said school then that student can attend math class. Yet nobody cares what the kid is doing if not for athletics. The BOE determines who come and who goes. They need to get it right before this kind of thing happens again.

 

[TDHelmick]

Fort Hill aside there are not many laws and rules or any law and order left in college, youth or high school sports anymore. Long ago when I was serving on a state coaches board for a low profile sport a very wise man with a lot of teaching, coaching and administrative experience told me a quote that I alway remembered.

"Rules are fine unless it's me or mine." I would say that applies to the current state of sports these days. College sports has NIL, the transfer portal and it's a money grab, that's it. It's a trickle down effect that is slowly making it's way to high school.

Now high schoolers jump from team to team to play for THE TEAM or for THE COACH or THE PROGRAM that will best suit their interests and needs or make them feel like a winner. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer and in time it will no longer be fun as the margin of victories grew larger and larger and it is no longer interesting.

I respect Fort Hill, Martinsburg and Bridgeport for all they have done, they are great programs. If you think for one minute they have not benifitted from transfers or people moving to their school then you are indeed naive. Heck, I'm a Frankfort guy and for once we benefitted from a few transfers this year.

In the past before the "new wild west" we had natural ebbs and flows in talent at schools. Your team had down years and then would rebound when the talent came back around. Now your team or program may no longer survive those ebbs and flows as people jump from the sinking ship to the sailing ship (the school with THE TEAM or worse yet travel teams) leaving many schools without enough members to field a competitive team or even have a team.

It was so geniune for so long but when you take a good thing (sports) and make it the ultimate thing then it quickly becomes a bad thing. They are first and foremost STUDENT athletes.

As I already stated...the high school transfer mentality isn't so much about where you want to go, but what was lacking where you were.

College is different. That's now more about money.

 

[ravemwp]

Kids travel to play football every year.

The throwing shade at your school is all you're worried about. Just admit it.

We have laws and rules for a reason. We are a country of law and order, are we not?

If you only knew what you thought you knew. First admit what? I didn't attend, nor do I have any connection to Fort Hill. So not my school that others are throwing shade on. I am a former resident who relocated back to Cumberland after 40 plus years. Only to find the same arguments in 2025 that we had in 1975. It has never been about where a kid attended school, it's only about where they play sports. I have known Allegany Arrowettes from South End, and FH band members from West Side. Never do I remember either school having to forfeit any competition they won. They system is antiquated, and high school sports is quickly becoming a business. Isn't one of our goals to give our children better opportunity then we had. Fix the system. Sometimes the rules and boundaries don't fit as well in 2025 as they did in 1925.

 

[TDHelmick]

Very interesting for sure. I do know that the family in question is very well known not just in WV but also in the area, mainly through the father, his sons and athletics. I also know that the two young brothers still attend school in the Frankfort District and also play sports for teams in that district.

No doubt the athlete in question was ready for change and not just athletically. Sometimes kids need a change, a fresh start to give them renewed hope and a different environment to cultivate that. I am for that 100% and we should afford families and athletes that opportunity.

However, it is up to the parent to make sure that it is done in the right manner regardless of where the student chooses to attend. I know people who have sold houses and moved halfway across WV to give their child a different experience, I respect the fact that they have done it the right way.

I also know people in the past who claimed to have moved to an “apartment” only to pass them daily taking their child to another school in another state. I know we live in a society in which rules and regulations are meaningless but they are put in place for reasons and as adults we should do our best to model behaviors that develop the whole young person not just the athlete. Being a good athlete or being involved in sports should never excuse someone from doing the right thing.

I know Todd posted earlier that nobody wants to play for a team that is not good. There are pros and cons to that thought process too but that is a whole other topic. The concerning thing is just how many families are willing to transfer to play for the BEST team in every SPORT. Oftentimes the team they are transferring from really is not that bad but currently everyone wants to play for the only the BEST team.

i firmly believe that there are valuable lessons to be learned in both winning and losing but we are moving away from the lessons learned through losing and therefore not allowing young people to grow through their struggles. Adversity builds character, loyalty builds community and many times we look only into the immediate gratification of the athlete instead of doing what is best for them long-term as a person.

I’m not saying what happened to the FH Football program was fair or right. I was not part of the investigation so that makes me unqualified to make a final call. FH is a great football program and I admire what they have built. if you take some good out of the bad this year those young men learned some great life lessons:

1. Life is not always.

2. When you ascend to the top of the mountain someone is always looking to knock you off both justly and unjustly.

3. Bad things happen, sometimes it’s your fault, sometimes it’s not.

4.Although things may look bad and things may get very difficult (forfeiting wins, long, expensive bus rides) if you work hard, keep showing up and rally around each other you can perservere and still attain your goals.

5. There are lessons to be learned in both the wins and the losses.

6. If you only experience the good you can become complacent.

If we all step back and take a look at the big picture this team may have learned more valueable life lessons than many of the prior great teams that Fort Hill has ever had. This season may serve these young men and their families more in the long-term than any other life experience they have ever had.

Understand that when I state there are a solid amount of students every school year that get turned in for not living where they claim to be living, that almost all of those students are dealing with the standard breakdown of the American family.

So many students...are they living with a single mom, a divorced dad, a guardian, a grandparent, or even worse a relative hooked on drugs in and out of prison, etc? And even if so where do they lay their heads every night to sleep, eat and live? Every situation is different.

I would suggest walking in other people's shoes before passing judgement on these situations. There is way more to this than just athletics. If I'm not connecting some of the dots, read the previous paragraph again.

 

[ravemwp]

As I already stated...the high school transfer mentality isn't so much about where you want to go, but what was lacking where you were.

College is different. That's now more about money.

In your position, there are things that you can't say or even suggest, but I can. If you take your school colored glasses off and think honestly. There are several young, and very talented football players at the Blue school. If they have aspirations of playing at the collegiate level, are their chances, and opportunities enhanced by transferring to the Red school. It's fact that the Red school plays a better out of league schedule. Usually plays a longer season against better competition. More next level eyes see Red school players than any other Western Maryland school. Isn't that what any parent and athlete who wants to play at the next level want. Maximize your opportunities and abilities to better your chances of accomplishing your goals, both on the field and in the classroom. Education is expensive. If athletics can help with the cost, who are we to stop that because of what side of the street these kids live on.