Sobrato has forfeited its two wins from this football season,
including its win against Christopher High and its El Toro Bowl
victory over Live Oak, the school announced Wednesday.
Sobrato has forfeited its two wins from this football season, including its win against Christopher High and its El Toro Bowl victory over Live Oak, the school announced Wednesday.
An academically ineligible player took part in the Bulldogs’ three games this year: a season-opening 40-26 win over Christopher, a 28-21 loss to Leland and the 28-21 victory over Live Oak on Sept. 17. The player, whom coaches and administrators are not permitted to name, was five credits short this semester of meeting the Morgan Hill Unified School District’s requirement to play interscholastic sports.
The school reported the violation Saturday to the Central Coast Section, Blossom Valley Athletic League and Sobrato coach Nick Borello. It was confirmed Wednesday by CCS commissioner Nancy Lazenby Blaser.
“This has obviously been a hard week for us,” Borello said Wednesday. “It’s one of those things where he probably would be eligible at another school. … He had a 2.0 (grade point average). That’s what I knew he had. But it’s not my job to check his credits.”
The violation was a result of an error in the school’s database, administrators said Wednesday.
It was discovered during a background check the school conducted after a counselor reported a credits issue with another student-athlete. No other violations were found.
“Our system is supposed to calculate it for us,” Sobrato athletic director Jeff Bernstein said. “But it wasn’t working for graduation credits. If it worked correctly we would be fine.”
The Bulldogs open Santa Teresa Division at 6 p.m. Saturday against visiting Westmont and remain in decent shape to qualify for the Central Coast Section playoffs. But their suddenly 0-3 record does hurt. Last year Sobrato finished 6-4 (4-3 Santa Teresa Division) and was a win shy of advancing to sectionals.
Players have responded well this week at practice.
“We’re not messing around at all,” senior wideout/cornerback Anthony Villarreal said. “We understand this next game could be our last chance at going to the playoffs. Our whole mindset has changed totally.”
With 19 starters back among 24 varsity veterans from 2010, the Bulldogs are favored to place high in BVAL’s B division, which guarantees one playoff berth.
Winning a league title is now a necessity for Sobrato.
“We have more pushing us now,” Borello said. “We were going for the league championship anyway. We got to win the next seven games to make the playoffs.
“I guess we’re fortunate, in one way, we didn’t catch this a week later. That would mean no playoffs, and for this team, that would be a tragedy. We believe this is a playoff team at the very least.”
The sting from forfeiting a city championship to rival Live Oak has not subsided.
“That hurt more than any part of this,” Borello said. “We’re just gonna have to take a little solace in the fact that we won it on the field. That one player didn’t have an impact either way.”
Live Oak, now 1-2, has new life entering its Mount Hamilton Division opener against visiting Leland at 7 p.m. Friday. Acorns coach Mike Gemo though did not celebrate the news.
“They still beat us,” he said. “I feel bad for the kids because they worked hard for those two wins. Hopefully they use it as motivation to go on and win league.”
CHS head coach Tim Pierleoni was informed of the news by athletic director Darren Yafai on Wednesday.
“I feel bad for those guys,” said Pierleoni, whose Cougars are now 3-0 on the year. “They are a good football team. That’s not really the way we wanted that win.”
