Football: NJSIAA denies appeal by Timber Creek player

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association has denied an appeal by a Timber Creek High School student athlete who was declared ineligible for the school year by his own school district.

After a hearing on Friday that lasted for nearly four hours, the NJSIAA's Eligibility Appeals Committee upheld the ineligibility ruling that the Black Horse Pike school district has imposed on the student who transferred to Timber Creek in the summer.

But the NJSIAA continues to examine and evaluate information related to the Timber Creek football program that has been forwarded from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, according to NJSIAA attorney Steve Goodell.

"This was one aspect, one element," Goodell said Monday of the ruling by the EAC. "We continue to look hard at the information that was provided to us by the Camden County Prosecutor's Office."

Goodell said the NJSIAA was working with the Black Horse Pike school district to further assess and evaluate the information provided by the CCPO.

Dan Long, the attorney for the Black Horse Pike school district board of education, said the district is "cooperating fully" with the NJSIAA.

"Just as we cooperated with the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, we're cooperating with the NJSIAA," Long said Monday.

The CCPO on Sept. 9 dropped a three-month investigation into the Timber Creek football program, announcing that no criminal charges would be filed but indicating that "residency descrepencies" had been uncovered and would be forwarded to the NJSIAA and the school district.

In early September, the Black Horse Pike school district self-reported two transfers of questionable circumstances to the NJSIAA, according to NJSIAA associate director Larry White.

White said the school district informed the NJSIAA that one of the students had transferred to Timber Creek without a "bona fide change of address" and would be ineligible for the football team's first four games and the other had transferred for "athletic advantage" and would be ineligible for the school year.

The student athlete who was declared ineligible for the school year appealed the decision to the NJSIAA, resulting in Friday's emergency session of the organization's Eligibility Appeals Committee.

The student athlete was present at the hearing at NJSIAA headquarters on Friday along with his parents and an attorney who was presenting his case.

Black Horse Pike superintendent of schools Dr. Brian Repici attended the meeting along with Long.

Testimony was heard from an investigator from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

In the case of the student whose appeal on Friday was denied by the Eligibility Appeals Committee, "there is no punishment for the school," White said Monday in an email.

Timber Creek (3-0) is the No. 2 team in The Inquirer Top 25 rankings. The Chargers, the defending South Jersey Group 4 champions, play Friday at Eastern.

-- Contact Phil Anastasia at panastasia@phillynews.com

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