The East St. Louis Flyers’ undefeated football season came to a sudden and abrupt halt on Tuesday afternoon.
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) removed the Flyers from the upcoming state playoffs when they were forced to forfeit five games from the 2010 season. IHSA excecutive director Marty Hickman ruled on Tuesday that the Flyers had used an ineligible player.
The player in question is 6’4” 250-pound senior defensive lineman Charles Tigue, who was one of the Flyers’ leading tacklers. Hickman ruled that Tigue was attending East St. Louis while living in the Belleville in the Belleville East school district, thus constituting a violation of the IHSA’s residency rules.
Tigue, who is the nephew of Flyers’ head coach Darren Sunkett, was ruled ineligible five games into the season by the IHSA. He sat out the team’s remaining four regular season games while the matter was being investigated by the state. Tigue’s family filed an appeal on his behalf last week, but the IHSA ultimately ruled that the Flyers would have to forfeit the five games that Tigue participated in this season. East St. Louis was also forced to forfeit their 10 victories fro the 2009 season in which Tigue played in as a junior.
Said Hickman in a released statement, “No one wins in these type of situations. And while we appreciate the school’s cooperation with our investigation, member schools have an obligation to abide by our association by-laws, including the need to have clear enrollment processes in the place and the ability to verify residence rules.
The Flyers finished the regular season with a 9-0 record, but the ruling of five forfeits drops their record t 4-5, which eliminated them from the upcoming Class 7A playoffs. East St. Louis was a No. 1 seed and scheduled to host fellow Southwestern Conference school Belleville West in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium in East St. Louis.
East St. Louis was ranked No. 1 in the state and one of the favorites to win the Class 7A state title. They won the state title in 2008 and advanced to the semifinals last season.
With the Flyers regulated to the sidelines during this year’s playoffs, Belleville West will now face district rival Belleville East a first-round game on Saturday at East. The winner will face O’Fallon High, which moves up to the No. 1 seed vacated by East St. Louis and will receive a first-round bye.
