Five hours before the Gar-Field (Woodbridge, Va.) Indians were to play Hylton (Woodbridge, Va.) on Friday, they were told their season was over due to an ineligible player.
They were forced to forfeit three regular-season games, giving them a 5-5 record and too few power points to even qualify for the state playoffs, according to the Washington Post.
An appeal had been made earlier, but it was denied by a 4-0 vote.
Therefore, Osbourn (Manassas, Va.), a team the Indians defeated last week, 42-37, will take their place and meet Hylton on Monday in the Virginia AAA Northwest Region Division 6 state semifinals.
The Gar-Field players, of course, were shocked.
Senior wide receiver Laron Hinton told the Post, "My teammates were crying. There was anger. We were shocked. We feel cheated. We just sat there. We didn't know what to do."
Meanwhile, Osbourn coaches and players had to scramble. Uniforms had be reissued and a half dozen players had to be pulled out of basketball for today's 3 p.m. practice. Coaches were hopeful that a Sunday practice also would be allowed.