A group of Heidelberg High School parents who met Friday with officials from the military school system are waiting to see if the discussion will reverse a decision requiring the school football team to forfeit a game, ending its bid for an undefeated season.
About 10 parents met with Nancy Bresell, director of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools in Europe, and several district administrators to explain why they felt the forfeit for what game officials called unsportsmanlike play at the end of the Lions’ 54-19 victory over Wiesbaden on Oct. 9 was unjust.
Among those attending the meeting at DODDS-Europe headquarters in Wiesbaden were athletic director Karen Seadore, who announced the decision, Heidelberg’s principal KJ Brewer, who filed an appeal, and representatives from coaches and referee associations.
“They gave us a fair hearing and we are hoping to get a good result,” said Jeanne McBride, a Heidelberg parent who helped arrange the private meeting.
Harvey Gerry, chief of staff for DODDS-Europe, said Bresell hoped to bring the dispute to a quick resolution. However, a final verdict was likely to be a few days away, he said.
“They had a number of observation about the rules involved here,” Gerry said of the parent representatives. “That’s part of what we’re trying to figure out here. We’re trying to get to the ground truth. It’s very complicated.”
According to parents and Gerry, Wiesbaden coach Steve Jewell asked for a review after the game from the referee, which prompted the forfeit ruling. Parents say that violated the rule book.
In announcing the forfeit last week, Seadore pointed to testimony from the game’s referee, who said “the Heidelberg Lions failed to put their team on the field after being directed to do so by the referee.” He added that according to the National Federation of High School Associations, the penalty associated with the infraction is forfeiture of the game.
Heidelberg coach Brad Shahan did not attend Friday’s meeting. Earlier this week, he declined to comment on what happened at the end of the game and referred questions to Brewer. Brewer was out of the office Friday and could not be reached for comment.
However, upset parents have come to the coach’s defense, saying players are being punished for bad end-of-game decision-making and confusion created by referees, which caused the team to believe time had expired.
While the resulting loss ended Heidelberg’s undefeated season, it did not affect the Lions’ chance at the Division I championship. Heidelberg hosts Ramstein in a semifinal game at 1 p.m. Saturday.
