Moline Must Vacate Football Victory Over Rock Island

At today's (October 16th) meeting of the Illinois Board of Directors, The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from Moline High School. The student was ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-laws.

The Executive Director had ruled in September that the Moline football team had rostered and played an ineligible student athlete, Kaeden Dreifurst, during games against Alton and Rock Island and the Moline Athletic Department knowingly allowed them to do so.

Moline Athletic Department did not get the proper paper work to the IHSA before the season started.  Despite knowing the paper work was not filed in the appropriated guidelines, Moline Head Football Coach Mike Morrissey felt very confident Moline would win their appeal.

"He’s eligible," Moline coach Mike Morrissey told the Quad City Times in regard to the Executive Director's ruling and the appeal.

Moline won the Western Big 6 Week 3 game against Rock Island 35-28.  Dreifurst rushed for 227 yards and scored two touchdowns in the victory.

Dreifurst was held our of a Western Big 6 loss to Alleman in Week 4.

Moline now falls to 3-4 on the year and 2-3 on the Western Big 6 Conference.

The Board also ruled Dreifurst ineligible for this week's game against Geneseo.

Moline Athletic Department was involved in a ruling, just in another state, of another high school football players eligibility earlier this season when they lobbied the Iowa High School Athletic Association to rule a Bettendorf football player ineligible because of transferring.  Bettendorf was not found to be at fault and the player has been eligible all season.

You can read more about the Board's decision here on this Quad City Times link.