English football appeals MIAA decision on playoff eligibility

The Boston Globe · Matt Porter · 2026-11-05 00:13 UTC

It’s unclear if BPS can move quickly enough to solve the issue. The first Division 8 playoff game is Thursday.

A glimmer of hope for the English/New Mission football team arrived Wednesday: Boston Public Schools admitted that its mistake cost English a playoff berth, and announced it would challenge the MIAA’s decision to make the Eagles ineligible.

English, which won the Boston City League by beating O’Bryant last Friday, was projected as the No. 10 seed in the Division 8 playoff bracket. But since no one from BPS submitted the O’Bryant game on the ArbiterLive software platform the MIAA uses for scheduling, English was found in violation of MIAA rule 34.6, which states teams must submit their schedules by a certain date each season (Sept. 18 this year).

With that game counted as a scrimmage, English (4-2) was one game shy of the seven-game minimum for state tournament qualification.

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