Valor Christian girls basketball forfeits game due to over-scheduling
Valor Christian girls basketball has forfeit its final game of the season against D’Evelyn as a result of scheduling too many games this season.
The Eagles, currently ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, self-reported the mistake to the CHSAA office on Monday.
Valor Christian (21-3) was scheduled to host D’Evelyn (18-5) on Friday in what was essentially going to be a defacto championship game for the 4A Jeffco League. Both teams would have been 13-1 in league.
Instead, Valor has forfeit that game, and D’Evelyn wins the league.
Valor Christian scheduled 24 games this season. Under CHSAA bylaws, 4A teams are allowed to play 23 games. The Jeffco League had a vote prior to Valor’s win over Green Mountain on Wednesday and decided that the Eagles should forfeit the game against D’Evelyn because that would have been the 24th — and thus, the one that would have cause a violation.
Had Valor played 24 games, the program would have gone on restriction and been forced to miss the postseason, per CHSAA bylaws. No appeal would have been allowed.
“Under CHSAA bylaws, any time a team plays a game — and that means going on the court and playing the game — that exceeds the game limits, that team would be ineligible for the playoffs,” said CHSAA assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann, who administers basketball. “Because they discovered their mistake prior to that, and didn’t yet play (the game), it’s appropriate they forfeit it.
“They will move on and qualify for the playoffs if their league standings dictates. They will carry a forfeit for the game that would have created the violation.”
The school’s girls basketball program will go on probation as a result of over-scheduling. But it avoids the postseason ban.
“At any time, you’re glad to catch it early, because barring a team from the playoffs is something we don’t like to do,” Borgmann said.
Poudre boys basketball had a similar situation earlier this year, and forfeit a game against Greeley West on Feb. 13.
