DISTRICT 11 COMMITTEE votes 12-0 to deny wrestler a chance to compete this season, but Easton can appeal.
By NICK FIERRO
The Express-Times
LYNN TWP. | Easton Area High School sophomore Alex Meade has been ruled athletically ineligible for the remainder of this wrestling season by the PIAA District 11 Committee.
In a hearing conducted Thursday at Northwestern Lehigh High School, the committee voted 12-0 with one abstention to keep Meade ineligible until the start of next season, but suggested to coach Steve Powell and the rest of the Easton contingent that they had a right to appeal to the PIAA’s Board of Directors, which could conduct a similar hearing and possibly overturn this decision as early as next Thursday.
At Easton’s request, Thursday’s meeting was held with no media present.
Afterward, Powell, athletic director Jim Pokrivsak and school board representative Roy Cortez declined interview requests.
“You’ve already written enough, “said Powell, who in an interview the night before said: “All the press has made way more out of this than there really is.”
Asked if The Express-Times has been unfair in its coverage, Powell replied, “absolutely.”
District 11 chairman Jack Wabby said he was not allowed to talk about the specifics of the hearing due to a possible appeal by Easton, which has not indicated what it will do.
“What the committee was looking for was any indication that (the transfer) was in whole or part because of athletic reasons, “Wabby said. “And if they feel that the information that they have or that the information presented to them substantiates that, then (the athlete) is ineligible.”
Meade, a defending Delaware state wrestling champion, enrolled at Easton on Jan. 6 after transferring from Caesar Rodney High School in Dover, Del. He won his state title at Caesar Rodney before transferring to Christiansburg, Va., before the start of this school year.
But Meade left Christiansburg and returned to Caesar Rodney after being ruled ineligible in Virginia due to residency issues. Upon his return to Caesar Rodney in November, he was ruled ineligible for 90 days, as per Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association rules governing transfers.
Shortly after an appeal to the DIAA state board was unsuccessful, Meade turned up at Easton one day before the Red Rovers hosted Caesar Rodney in a dual meet on Jan. 7. The Riders went on to score a 35-31 victory as Meade was held out of Easton’s lineup. He has not competed for Easton this season.
According to the committee, Meade has established legal residency within the Easton School District, but it declined to identify what municipality.
Christiansburg is ranked sixth, Easton 14th and Caesar Rodney 26th in the country by the Amateur Wrestling News.
The fact that Christiansburg is coached by former NCAA champions Daryl Weber and Kevin Dresser impressed Meade’s father, according to an article last year in the Delaware State News.
“Maybe with some of that input, they could take him to a level that I couldn’t, “Alex Meade Sr. told that paper in August. “It’s kind of like rolling the dice. I always try to surround him with the best people that are going to help him in the sport and in life.”
Earlier this month, Powell said Meade’s transfer to Easton was for academic reasons only.
A possible appeal by Easton carries a caveat, according to Wabby.
While the state Board of Directors could overturn the district’s decision and grant Meade instant eligibility, it also has the power to declare him ineligible for a full calendar year from the date of the hearing. If that happens, it would mean Meade would miss most of next season as well.
Wabby and vice chairman Dennis Nemes confirmed that this was a unique case. The committee has ruled wrestling transfers ineligible before, they said, but none of the individuals carried the credentials or could make the possible impact that Meade is expected to if he joins Easton’s lineup.
Nick Fierro can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at [email protected]
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