Michigan recount now in doubt; Pennsylvania sets hearing

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Nick Barbieri hired as Pittston Area football coach

<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; The District 2 athletic committee voted unanimously Tuesday to allow Nanticoke senior softball player Morgan Briggs to play her final season despite participating in an all-star game as a junior.</p><p>The committee heard about 30 minutes of testimony before rendering a 7-0 decision. Two committee members &#8212; Hazleton Area athletic director Fred Barletta and Pittston Area principal John Haas &#8212; participated in the hearing but not the voting since their softball coaches were involved in the game.</p><p>Briggs&#8217; status for her senior season was in jeopardy after she played one inning in the annual Kiwanis Senior All-Star Game on June 26 at the Back Mountain Little League field.</p><p>&#8220;It was beyond stressful,&#8221; said Briggs, Nanticoke&#8217;s starting catcher. &#8220;It was like a dark cloud hanging over my shoulders. I just really wanted to get it over with because it bothered me.&#8221;</p><p>The PIAA prohibits underclassmen from participating in all-star games, with the penalty being the loss of one year of eligibility from the date of the infraction. The District 2 athletic committee is the local extension of the PIAA and hears initial eligibility cases, which could then be appealed to the PIAA Board of Directors if necessary.</p><p>Briggs and her mother, Dr. Jackie Cain-Briggs, reported the violation immediately to the Nanticoke High School administration, which then forwarded the information to District 2 chairman Frank Majikes. It took six months for a hearing due to difficulties getting everyone involved to agree on a date.</p><p>Briggs admitted to the athletic committee she played in the game, catching one inning and batting in the bottom of the first before Times Leader sports correspondent Tom Robinson informed the coaches she faced the loss of eligibility for playing. She was then removed from the game.</p><p>Briggs said she and Nanticoke junior Jenna Lipowski attended the game with no intent of playing. There weren&#8217;t enough players to field two teams, so she, Lipowski and Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Colleen Cwalina &#8212; also an underclassmen &#8212; were approached by Hazleton Area head coach Heather Dale, Tunkhannock head coach Bob Hegedty and Tunkhannock assistant Ron Hampsey about playing.</p><p>Briggs had just finished a softball workout and had her catching equipment in her vehicle, so she said she would play. Lipowski and Cwalina declined because they didn&#8217;t have their softball gear.</p><p>&#8220;For the love of the game and the respect for my senior friends at the time and so they wouldn&#8217;t be denied an opportunity to play in their last game, I participated,&#8221; Briggs told the committee. &#8220;I only participated for one inning and then Tom Robinson from the Times Leader approached Mr. Hampsey and told him by me stepping on the field my eligibility could be affected for the next season.</p><p>&#8220;Mr. Hampsey told me that and I got off the field as fast as I could because I didn&#8217;t want to do anything to hurt my senior year of eligibility.&#8221;</p><p>Attorney Charles Coslett, who represented Briggs, showed the committee a picture of Briggs and a Nanticoke senior teammate taken at the game. The teammate was wearing a Nanticoke uniform while Briggs was wearing clothes from her softball workout, demonstrating she had no intent of playing when she arrived, said Coslett.</p><p>Dale, Hegedty and Hampsey all said they didn&#8217;t know they were violating PIAA bylaws by having Briggs play. They also said the umpires told them she could play because the game wasn&#8217;t a PIAA-sanctioned event.</p><p>Pittston Area head coach Vito Quaglia, who is also a member of the athletic committee but wasn&#8217;t present Tuesday, was also coaching the game. He called Majikes to get clarification on the rule, but was unable to reach him. He then contacted District 2 secretary Mike Ognosky, who said Briggs should be removed from the game.</p><p>Coslett reminded the athletic committee prior to deliberations that the section of the PIAA bylaws involving illegal participation in all-star games allows for modification of the penalty if the student lacked culpability.</p><p>The athletic committee deliberated about 20 minutes before finding Briggs eligible to play.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want this to happen to any other kid,&#8221; Briggs said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t want anybody else to fall into this trap.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By John Erzar</p><p>jerzar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach John Erzar at 570-991-6394 or on Twitter @TLJohnErzar</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Nanticoke softball player ruled eligible by District 2