I have watched with great interest the situation that surrounds the State Playoffs for football and volleyball. It has been difficult to follow due to the number of particpates that have taken their fights to the court systems.
My immediate conclusion is that the ones suffering the most are the student athletes that have worked all season and now find themselves in limbo regarding the next step in their athletic career.
While I will qualify this statement, saying its an arm’s length observation… I fault the Secondary Schools Athletic Commission for the debacle. It is their job to make these types of decisions. While I for one, question why we needed a 4th division in light of fewer schools due to population decline and consolidation, If the SSAC felt they were justified, they should have foreseen this issue and clarified it on the front end not a few days before the payoffs were scheduled to begin. My personal observation is… its all about money. The SSAC financially benefits from the State Playoffs… 4 championships produce more revenue than 3?
I am preparing this column on Monday afternoon. A short time ago, I received emails from the Supreme Court with their decisions. Unfortunately, with our press deadline looming, I haven’t had time to sufficiently digest the results. One brief is 13 pages and the other is 19 pages of legal jargon. The conclusions are relatively short so I will present them here and delve into the details in a later writing.
State of West Virginia ex rel. West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission, vs.)
The Honorable John D. Beane, Jr., Judge of the Circuit Court of Wood County, and The Board of Education for Wood County,
Conclusion: A writ of prohibition is a “drastic remedy,” and Petitioner has a “heavy burden.” Where the trial court’s jurisdiction to act turns on a contested question of fact, and it must clearly shown that the circuit court’s factual findings are clearly wrong. The Circuit Court did not abuse its vast discretion in this matter, and the Petitioner’s request for a writ of prohibition should be denied.
State of West Virginia, ex rel. West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission, Petitioner v.)
The Honorable Anita Harold Ashley, Judge of the Circuit Court of Mason County, Point Pleasant Junior Senior High School
Conclusion: Based on the above, William Cottrill, Principal of Point Pleasant Junior Senior High School; James Higginbotham, the Athletic Director of said school; and F.H., the father of R. H., a minor, a senior football player at Point Pleasant Junior Senior High School respectfully request that, if this Court declines to issue a writ against the Circuit Court of Wood County, West Virginia,
Order entered by the Circuit Court of Mason County, West Virginia, on November 11, 2024, remain in full force and effect and the play-in games ordered therein be commenced posthaste.