Stoneham boys basketball forfeits games after player determined ‘ineligible’

STONEHAM, Mass. — Stoneham boys varsity basketball has forfeited several wins after determining one of their players was ineligible to play.

After being made aware of the potential issue on Thursday, Stoneham school officials opened an investigation and determined that one of the boys on the team was ineligible to compete under Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association regulations, Stoneham Superintendent Dave Ljungberg told Boston 25 News Monday.

Stoneham has forfeited every game 10-0 that was played while the ineligible player was on the team, according to Ljunberg. Entering Friday, Stoneham touted a 7-0 record.

The ineligible player has been removed from the team, Ljungberg said.

On Friday, Athletic Director David Pigone sent the following message to every team Stoneham had played to that point in the season:

“I am writing to inform you of an unfortunate situation that involves Stoneham High School using an ineligible player in our boys basketball game vs your team. Please know that we were not aware of this at the time of our game. As soon as we became aware of this we acted immediately and removed the athlete from the team and contacted the MIAA. The MIAA requires that we reach out to the Principal of each school we played with the ineligible athlete to inform them of this incident and to inform you that our game is now a forfeit on our end. We will be editing the arbiter score of our game to a 10-0 win in favor of your team. This is a difficult situation for many involved, especially the remaining kids on our team. We pride ourselves on following all rules set by the MIAA and will continue to do so. Thank you for your understanding and we apologize for this error.”

Ljungberg says the school is reviewing policies and procedures to determine how the ineligible player was allowed to play.

Stoneham schools say they will accept any sanctions levied against them by the MIAA.

“We are sorry that our basketball team has been placed in this situation, but we are confident that our remaining players will continue to represent us at the highest level of competition and sportsmanship,” Ljungberg said in a statement.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW