St. Paul advances after O'Connell booted from playoffs
Cedric Inglehart, Gonzales Cannon Reporter
Friday, November 11, 2011
Gonzales Cannon Article | St. Paul Cardinal Football | Shiner Home Page
EDITOR’S NOTE:
After this story went to press, The Cannon was informed that the game has been cancelled, moving St. Paul into the second round of the playoff.
O’Connell (3-6) had apparently used a foreign exchange student who was living with a faculty member, O’Connell principal Marc Martinez told the Galveston Daily News (see story below). The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools ruled that O’Connell would have to forfeit all games in which the player had played and would have to immediately exit the playoffs.
Information furnished to St. Paul said that TAPPS had found that O’Connell had never established the student's eligibility under TAPPS rules, and because of that the student had exceeded his eligibility.
"Based on the information presented by O’Connell High School, the student in question has exceed four years from the date he initially enrolled in the ninth grade and more than three years after he initially enrolled in the tenth grade. Article V of the TAPPS Constitution sets these limitations for eligibility and these limitations are not subject to appeal."
The TAPPS notification places the school and head coach Anthony Cann on probation through June 2013 season and delivers a public reprimand. In addition, O'Connell would have to pay a penalty of $500 to St. Paul for lost revenue as the playoff game's host.
O'Connell disqualified from postseason
by Jordan Godwin
The (Galveston) Daily News
Published November 11, 2011
http://galvestondailynews.com/story/271414
GALVESTON -- The O’Connell Buccaneers’ football season has ended abruptly because of a disqualification.
The Buccaneers were supposed to play in the playoffs tonight against St. Paul from Shiner, but the team was told Thursday that because of a Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools rule violation, it will have to forfeit the game and the rest of the season.
O’Connell principal Marc Martinez said a foreign exchange student on the football team lived with a faculty member, and that is against TAPPS rules.
"It’s an unfortunate situation, and we didn’t know about the rule until we were informed today," Martinez said. "We just feel bad for our players because they were expecting to play a playoff game that they had worked hard for all season."
O’Connell (3-6, 2-2) was led by running back Adrian Josey-Myles, who had multiple 200-yard games on the season.
O’Connell football coach Anthony Cann could not be reached for comment.
SHINER -- The Shiner St. Paul Cardinals continue their defense of their state title this weekend when they play host to Galveston O’Connell Friday in the TAPPS Area Round of the playoffs at Shiner’s Comanche Stadium, beginning at 7:30 p.m.
The Buccaneers enter into the matchup with a 3-6 record, but they qualified for the postseason by winning two districts game. O’Connell (3-7) beat Summit Christian Academy 48-18 on Oct. 21 and even though they lost 36-6 last week to Woodlands Christian Academy, the Bucs secured a playoff berth as their district’s third place team.
The Cardinals (8-2) are hoping to capitalize and utilize the momentum from last week’s 57-0 drubbing of St. Dominic Savio.
St. Paul strayed away from their passing game and returned to its roots as a rushing team, piling up 312 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries. Brett Hodges ran for a team-high 102 yards and was followed closely by two-time, all-state running back Adam Hollenbach, who had 99 yards on just eight rushes.
The revival of the running game shows that the Cardinals can field a balanced offense. New coach Paul Johnston installed a spread attack this season and St. Paul has had a success throwing the ball around. Quarterback Dakota Kresta has completed 55 percent of his 191 attempts for 1,904 yards and 23 touchdowns.
The Cardinal skill players proved their versatility and effectively adapted to the new offensive scheme. After rushing for 2,000 yards last season, Hollenbach has produced with 24 catches for 413 yards and seven touchdowns in his new role. He still managed to be viable in the diminished rushing attack with 409 yards and four scores.
The main man for St. Paul this season has been senior wide receiver Justin Natal, who leads the team with 38 grabs for 901 yards and 12 touchdowns. Martin Kennedy has 21 catches for 351 yards and two scores.
Before last week’s loss, O’Connell had won three of their last five behind the running of Adrian Josey-Myles. The ball-control offense has only managed to score at a 13.8 point clip this season.
A parallel exists in the matchup with St. Paul because the Bucs also have a first-year coach at the helm in Anthony Cann, who took over Larry Hilton was fired six games into last season after going 0-6.
Cann has the Bucs back in the postseason after a one-year absence. The strength of their team is their defense, which operates out of 4-3 look. Linebacker Drew Rios is the defensive captain and he delivers most of the big hits along with Gabe Garza and Jeffrey Rivera.
The Bucs are sound on defense but have had difficulty defending against the big play, which should play in St. Paul’s favor. O’Connell is allowing an average of 33.9 points per game.
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