Judge denies appeal after Boston's English High School football left out of playoffs due to filing error

A judge denied a bid by Boston Public Schools to allow English High School's football team to compete in the MIAA playoffs, a spokesperson for BPS said Friday. 

The English football team was left out of the championship tournament because BPS did not submit the team's seventh and final game against O'Bryant High School to the MIAA before the start of the season, according to court documents.  

The MIAA requires that teams schedule a minimum of seven regular season games to be eligible for the playoffs. English High's game against O'Bryant was filed as a scrimmage instead of an official game, bringing English High's schedule below the minimum. 

BPS filed a request for a temporary restraining order, arguing that the MIAA did not accurately apply its own rules when excluding English High from the playoffs, according to court documents. It argued the game against O'Bryant should have been counted as a forfeit loss, which would have allowed the team to qualify. 

"We are disappointed that our MIAA appeal was denied. Tournament eligibility should be based on a team's record, not on clerical errors. The Eagles played a great season, and we will work with the team on how best to recognize their achievements while ensuring that such a mistake does not happen again," a spokesperson for BPS said. 

The MIAA said in a statement Friday that the tournament, which began Thursday, will continue as scheduled. 

BPS is reviewing its verification process to make sure schedule mistakes like this one don't happen in the future.