NGAC football title game reset for Thursday

The North Georgia Athletic Conference has rescheduled its football championship game for this Thursday, Oct. 25 at 4:30 p.m.

The Heritage Generals will travel to Gordon Lee to face the Trojans in the title game after the NGAC Board of Directors voted that Lafayette Middle School would have to give up its spot in the finals due to a player eligibility issue.

Lafayette beat Gordon Lee, 20-14, in the NGAC playoffs on Oct. 11 and was set to travel to Heritage for the finals on Thursday (Oct. 18).

However, the eligibility issue was discovered earlier in the week and league officials made the decision to postpone the championship game in order to address the situation.

Lafayette Middle School principal Kelly Long said the question of the athlete’s eligibility arose after he noticed the player’s birthdate while review- ing records for another school matter. The athlete in question is currently 15 years old, but will turn 16 prior to the end of the school’s calendar year.

He explained that once he noticed the player’s birth date that he checked with the football coaches. He went on to say that the coaches believed the way the league rule was worded that the player could not turn 16 during the (football) season itself.

Long said that he determined that the best course of action would be to consult with Lance James with the NGAC and Chris Jones, Athletic Director for Walker County Schools, for clarification of the rule since the Ramblers were scheduled to play in the championship game.

Long said he later received clarification that the league’s rule is that athletes can not turn 16 before May 1 of that athlete’s eighth grade year, which would make the player in question ineligible.

He said the issue was then turned over to the NGAC’S Board of Directors, who unanimously voted last Thursday not to allow Lafayette to participate in the title game.

The Board went on to award Gordon Lee the spot in the championship.

“It was simply a misinterpreted rule about age eligibility,” Long stated. “Our coaches did not do anything maliciously and there was no ill-intent on their part. However, once we realized that we might be in violation of the rule, we self-reported it. Like we explained to the kids, ethically and morally, it was the right thing to do.”

Long said the team was notified of the Board’s decision, while parents and others in the Lafayette community were informed of the situation via e-mail.

“This is by far the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do in my years as an educator,” he continued. “Our kids have busted their tails to get to this point, but they are tough and resilient. It’s disheartening for our coaches and players, but I’m very proud of the way they’ve handled it. It’s a lesson learned and a tough one, but it was the right thing to do.”

“I appreciate Kelly for doing what he did,” Walker County Superintendent Damon Raines explained on Friday. “It was just a rule misinterpretation, but he and the coaches talked about it once it was discovered and they took the high road. I hate it for Lafayette’s players and coaches, who have done such a great job all year, but I think the life lesson was the most important thing for the kids. The coaches and administration stepped up and did what was right.”

James said it was a tough situation all the way around and that he hated it for everyone involved, “especially the kids from Lafayette.”

“Every adult involved in this (league) from every school is in it for the kids,” James added.

Heritage Middle School earned its spot in the title game with a 22-0 home win over Rossville on Oct. 11.