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Another tough break as Avon forfeits two games, misses CIAC tournament

AVON, May 25 — Six Connecticut high school girls lacrosse teams, including Avon, had to forfeit at least one game after nine girls illegally participated in a tryout on May 15 in Acton, Mass., for a summer tournament called the Under Armour All-American Lacrosse Classic. The participation was ruled in violation of CIAC student eligibility rules pertaining to participation on outside teams during the season.

Nine girls were suspended including three from New Canaan and one from Staples in Westport. Athletes from New Fairfield, Ridgefield and Norwich Free Academy were also ruled ineligible.

The CIAC ruled all six schools must forfeit all games from May 15-23 in which an ineligible player participated. The players were suspended from May 15-23. However, after an appeal, all nine were reinstated as of Tuesday, May 24.

Avon had to forfeit an 18-8 win over Somers on May 18 and a 21-19 victory over Suffield on May 19. The unidentified Falcon player was also unavailable to play in a 13-7 loss to Haddam-Killingworth in the final game of the regular season on May 23. With the two forfeits, Avon fell to 7-9, one game shy of qualifying for the CIAC tournament.

It was a frustrating end to a season that saw Avon lose four games by one goal. The Falcons fell to Conard, 12-11, Suffield, 12-11, Granby, 10-9 and South Windsor, 8-7. A win in any of those four games would have been enough for the Falcons to earn a post-season berth. Avon had played in the state tournament 10 straight years from 2001 to 2010.

Staples had to forfeit two victories and lost an FCIAC semifinal to Darien, 19-5, on Monday without their best player and leading scorer junior Maeve Flaherty. New Canaan played without three players and lost to Wilton in another FCIAC semifinal, 14-11. New Canaan’s Olivia Hompe, their leading scorer, were declared ineligible along with teammates Elizabeth O’Sullivan and Wheatley Raabe.

Hompe was the only player of the nine Connecticut players who actually was selected to participate in the summer event.

Information from the CIAC, Danbury News Times, Ridgefield Press, Westport News, Hartford Courant, New London Day and New Canaan Patch was used to help compile this report.

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Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.

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