Oct 16, 2014 5 min read

How is a coach supposed to explain to his or her team that a technicality prematurely ended its playoff hopes?

Peters Township field hockey coach Mary Rae Rocco had to ask herself that question. Less than 24 hours after the Indians improved their Section 2-AAA record to 8-4 with a 9-0 win over Woodland Hills, Rocco received a phone call from Brian Geyer, Peters Township’s athletic director.

Unlike other sports, the WPIAL does not post tiebreaker scenarios for field hockey on its website, so Rocco asked Geyer to call the WPIAL Thursday morning to see what the qualifications were.

Geyer called back with bad news.

The WPIAL informed Geyer that section champion Fox Chapel was forced to forfeit its game against Mt. Lebanon Tuesday night. To make the playoffs, Peters Township needed Fox Chapel to beat Mt. Lebanon and the Blue Devils to lose again last night to Upper St. Clair.

With Fox Chapel undefeated, the Indians’ players thought their playoff hopes would rest on a Thursday night game. Instead, the team found out via email from Rocco that their season was over. Seven seniors are left searching for answers.

It boiled down to a scheduling mistake by Fox Chapel, which played an extra game in Shaker Heights, Ohio, last month. The PIAA limits a field hockey season to a maximum of 18 games. Doing so would put the program on some sort of probation the following season, which could include anything from fewer preseason practices to an elimination of scrimmages. Punishment is determined on a case-by-case basis.

Instead of taking a penalty for the mishap, Fox Chapel athletic director Michael O’Brien submitted a letter of forfeiture to Mt. Lebanon, which would have been the Foxes’ 19th game if played. The forfeit win gave Mt. Lebanon the second and final playoff spot from the section and eliminated Peters Township from postseason contention.

“(Fox Chapel) did not anticipate the extra game being an issue until last week,” Geyer said. “To avoid breaking the PIAA rule, they took the forfeit. It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing you can do about that.”

Rocco is upset the situation played out this way.

“It is insane. I’ve never even heard of that rule,” Rocco said. “If Mt. Lebanon beat Upper St. Clair (Thursday), then fine. They legitimately made the playoffs. It’s great that Fox Chapel was penalized and everything, but it completely screws the rest of the teams that have a stake in it. I don’t see how that’s exactly fair.”

O’Brien did what he thought was right, and the Foxes did not commit the error on purpose. The PIAA has run into a similar problem when holiday basketball tournaments caused teams to play more games than allowed, and some teams participated in extra scrimmages, which has been an issue in football. But is it better for the administrators to regulate the season length in this manner? Why not make Fox Chapel, or any team in this scenario, forfeit a game that has already been played?

Predicting the outcome of last night’s game between Upper St. Clair and Mt. Lebanon was impossible, but at least Peters Township had a chance to reach the postseason. All it would have a taken is a loss by the Blue Devils.

Instead, Rocco, her players and their families found out the season was unexpectedly over because somebody couldn’t count to 18.

The PIAA’s bylaws are clear. Each sport is given a first practice date, a maximum number of scrimmages and a maximum of regular-season games. While the decision can not be appealed, it should show the WPIAL and PIAA that the system is flawed.

Fox Chapel made a mistake that was the fault of its coach and athletic director. Instead of forfeiting a previous game, which would not have impacted the standings, the Foxes decided to give Mt. Lebanon the win and the playoff berth. WPIAL and PIAA officials shrugged their shoulders and moved on. If this happened in football, there would have been an uproar.

Is it legally correct? Yes, but it reeks of incompetence. There has to be a better way to handle the situation. Hopefully, the WPIAL and PIAA re-evaluate how they enforce scheduling rules.

PIAA officials can rest easy knowing Fox Chapel’s players did not play an extra game. Did playing that extra team in Ohio give the Foxes a competitive advantage that deserved penalizing a rival school? It doesn’t make sense.

“We are proud of the girls for working so hard,” Rocco said. “You don’t want to come off as bitter, but at the same time, I don’t want to roll over and say that’s how it is. It stinks, and it’s a horrible situation to be in. It’s beyond frustrating to find that out now.”