AUBURN, MI – Bay City Western handed over the Bay County Soccer Championship trophy to John Glenn.
But Glenn didn’t hoist it up high, like a rightful champion is entitled to do, instead deciding that no celebration was in order.
Western won the Bay County Championship on Aug. 21, going 3-0-1 against County foes Bay City Central, John Glenn, Essexville Garber and host Pinconning. After the fact, the Warriors discovered that one of their transfer students who competed was not eligible by Michigan High School Athletic Association rules and thus forfeited all four tournament games.
“It was my error,” Western athletic director Mike Thayer said. “There are steps in establishing eligibility at a new school, and I didn’t follow them closely enough. And that resulted in the forfeiture of the Bay County tournament.”
That reverted Western’s tourney record to 0-4 and Glenn’s to a tournament-best 3-0-1, rightfully making the Bobcats champions.
But in a sign of sympathy, sportsmanship and pride, Glenn is not claiming the crown for 2021. The Bay County Championship title will go vacant for another year.
“Mike dropped off the trophy to us as the second-place team,” Glenn athletic director Craig Aimar said. “But we’ve decided it is best to say that no champion was crowned.
“It’s an unfortunate circumstance. With all the paperwork and so many details, things can slip through the cracks. I can sympathize with that. And that’s no way to celebrate a championship.”
Thayer said the eligibility issue was cleared up after the Bay County Championship and before Western played any other games. The Warriors now sport a 7-5-1 overall record on the season instead of a 10-1-2 mark.
The difficult part was wiping out the title the Warriors thought they had claimed for the first time since 2018. Thayer said Aimar and Glenn boys soccer coach Brian Scherzer – who doubles as the girls soccer coach at Western – softened the blow with their gesture.
“The sportsmanship was outstanding,” Thayer said. “Soccer is a tight-knit community and both Craig and Brian have been outstanding through the whole process.
“All of the Bay County folks are helpful and understanding, and that’s why we’re able to continue these tournaments. With all the logistics and the cancellations and the rescheduling, if we didn’t all work so well together, it would never happen.”
Both athletic directors said there are no written rules to govern the presentation of a Bay County Championship in a forfeit situation. But they may have set a precedent this season.
Glenn is going to hold the trophy, not because it is moving up from second place to first place but because it was the last team to win it. The tournament wasn’t held in 2020 due to coronavirus issues and will go without a champion in 2021.
“You want the kids to win a championship because they won a championship, not because of a technicality,” Aimar said. “We’re going to leave it blank, and we’re looking forward to defending our 2019 championship next year.”
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