Middletown school district takes fight to save undefeated football team's season to court
Undefeated team’s championship hopes now rest with a judge as players and coaches speak out about the devastating disqualification.
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Middletown’s undefeated football team didn’t give up on the field this season — and now its players are refusing to give up their fight for a championship off it.
After making history with their first undefeated regular season in 65 years, the Middies are fighting for a chance to finish what they started. Their championship hopes were upended by an eligibility mistake made by adults, but the players are still practicing, hoping a judge will give them one more shot.
The Middletown school district filed an emergency court petition Wednesday asking a state Supreme Court judge in Orange County to overturn a Section IX decision that knocked the team out of Saturday’s championship game against Newburgh Free Academy.
“After we told those kids everything was lost, the entire season, it was a really, really rough day,” said a team coach who posted a video to TikTok.
But instead of walking away, the coach says the players returned to the field within an hour, determined to keep practicing while the district fights for their chance to compete.
“They really showed up and came back like, yeah, we need a ball. We wanna practice one more time. We want to take back what was taken from us,” the coach said. “It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
The controversy centers on a soccer player who joined the football team as a kickoff specialist and participated for just 53 seconds in the Nov. 6 playoff game against Valley Central.
The district acknowledges that the student did not meet a requirement to be eligible for three regular-season football contests before participating in the postseason.
But the district argues the punishment is excessive and unfair to the rest of the team.
In its initial public statement, the district identified the student’s participation in a postseason game as the eligibility issue. However, its subsequent court filing also describes the student participating in an Oct. 30 regular-season game against Kingston.
According to the court filing, Section IX rejected the district’s appeal within approximately 20 minutes of receiving it.
The district is now asking a judge to intervene before Saturday’s championship, arguing that the consequences extend far beyond the football field.
“I don’t know why I should be punished for higher-ups’ mistakes,” said one senior linebacker. “I feel like as a kid, I shouldn’t be going through stuff like this.”
Other players say the season represents years of hard work, friendships and opportunities to earn college scholarships.
“Some of us are hoping to earn college scholarships. Every game is another opportunity to show what we can do,” one player said.
The district has acknowledged responsibility for the eligibility mistake and offered alternative penalties, including financial sanctions and additional training for athletic staff.
The petition names Section IX, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, Newburgh and Valley Central as respondents.
News 12 has reached out to Section IX officials for comment and clarification about the eligibility decision.
As of Thursday morning, a court hearing had not been confirmed. News 12 is monitoring the case and will provide updates.
