(WXYZ) — Taylor Prep High School’s varsity boys baseball team was scheduled to take the field for the regional semifinals today. Instead, the game is canceled, and the rest of the season — forfeited.
The reason? The team violated a rule meant to prevent player poaching.
It is not the end of the season that Taylor Prep students hoped for. They won the baseball district finals last week. But now they have to give back the trophy.
At the district finals, the Taylor Prep Tigers varsity boys won, beating Canton Prep 15 to 0.
"We know in our hearts we came that day. We did everything we needed to do. We won," said Daniel Gonzales, Taylor Prep High junior.
Gonzales says he felt shocked that the Michigan High School Athletic Association forced his team to forfeit the season — barring it from the regional semifinals' game.
The MHSAA says it looked into a tip on Monday — and found the school had an ineligible player.
"Our transfer rule says basically if you play a sport in one season and go to a new school the next school year, you can’t play that same sport unless you meet an exception," said Geoff Kimmerly, MHSAA Communications Director.
There are 15 exceptions — for example, if your whole family moves — or you move between divorced parents.
The rule is in place to prevent player poaching and other problems.
"Building super teams, moving all over the place, changing teams if they don’t make a team at a school, changing schools on the spot," said Kimmerly.
Former Taylor Prep Tigers Coach Joe Passalacqua says it was an unintentional mistake and the school fired him over it.
"I was under the impression he made a residential change," said Passalacqua.
The school confirms he is no longer an employee. He says the tip came in after the student played at a tournament where his previous school's team also played.
"I wouldn’t have played him in a game if I was trying to hide something at a game where I knew Robichaud was," said Passalacqua.
"Loses his job over something and he didn’t have anything to do with anything either. It is just not fair," said Bert Edgerton, the father of the ineligible player.
Edgerton says he didn’t realize his son was ineligible to play at the charter school without moving — due to the fact he played at public school last year. He also says he fears this rule could block other students from pursuing the best academic program for them.
He denies that his son was poached.
"My son had an opportunity to better his education, went for it, and it's being ruled he can’t play sports while doing so," said Edgerton.
Passalacqua says, "MHSAA can take the trophy out of the case but they can't take away what they did on the field."
The school says it is fully cooperating with the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
