Pennsylvania: Valley Bounced from WPIAL Tournament

By Jim Stout Feb 7, 2008, 4:23pm

Ineligible player dooms Vikings; Chartiers Valley gains more favorable draw

By Chris Rossetti, www.d9sports.com

Special to MaxPreps.com

PITTSBURGH Chartiers Valley boys' basketball coach Tim McConnell will get his wish after all.

On Tuesday, when the WPIAL announced its playoff brackets in boys’ Class AAA, McConnell was miffed that his top-seeded Colts might have to play Valley, which had been a preseason top-ranked team in Class AAA, in its opening-round game.

But Wednesday, McConnell and the rest of the WPIAL found out that Valley won’t even be in the playoffs.

That's because the Vikings have been forced to forfeit their last five games because of the use of a player who was academically ineligible.

Those five forfeit losses also gave forfeit wins to Highlands, Knoch, Indiana, Kittanning and Mars and left Valley with a 4-8 Class AAA Section 1 mark, while upping Mars to a record of 6-6 in the section. That means Mars, not Valley, grabs the fourth and final playoff position awarded the section. The Planets will play Mount Pleasant in an opening round game Friday, with the winner facing top-seeded Chartiers Valley.