Petition: Accountability sought from AHSAA

RED BAY — A petition created by a Red Bay man calls for the Alabama High School Athletic Association to replay six state semifinal basketball games after it was discovered the goals were approximately 3 feet too far on the court.

Kyle Senkbeil wrote the petition on March 2, which was the day Red Bay’s boys basketball team lost to LaFayette, 34-32, in the Class 2A semifinal at Legacy Arena in Birmingham.

That was the sixth of eight games played that day. AHSAA officials delayed the start of the seventh game for more than an hour to measure and adjust the goals to the appropriate position.

Senkbeil’s petition, which had over 2,700 signatures on Monday, calls for the association to acknowledge the goals were displaced; determine it was a rules violation under National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) standards, causing those six games to be played under illegal conditions; replay those six games; and implement “pregame equipment and court-geometry verification protocols” in future Final Four games.

“Arematchisnotabout overturning results,” the petition states. “It is about giving every team the fair shot they were denied.”

It points out every athlete on the 12 teams that played with the wrong configuration are used to a basket being 10 feet off the ground and 15 feet from the free throw line.

“They build their entire game around those measurements,” the petition states. “On March 2, the adults responsible for maintaining those standards failed them. A rematch would not guarantee a different outcome. But it would guarantee something more important: That these athletes competed and their seasons ended on a fair court, not a broken one.”

The petition contends the free throw line ended up being 12 feet rather than 15 feet from the goal. Three-point attempts from the corners were “warped into angled shots with severely diminished probability of conversion.”

Senkbeil said Friday he has a relative on Red Bay’s team and that player, like every player on every team who reached the semifinals, spent his life playing a game that has a set standard regarding goal placement. They did not realize they were having to adjust because they did not know the standard had been altered. Even if they had known, it would have been difficult to suddenly play with the changed standard.

“Like many people who follow high school sports closely, I care deeply about fairness for the athletes,” he said.

High school athletes dedicate themselves to sports year-round, Senkbeil said.

“When everyone else is relaxing at the pool during the summer, they’re usually at the court shooting,” he said. “That level of dedication is what it takes to reach a state semifinal, and potentially go even further. Most of the players in that tournament — on both sides — have put in that same kind of work. Having followed these players closely over the years, the shooting struggles during the game stood out.”

Red Bay averaged 64.6 points per game during the season, Senkbeil said, but scored less than half that amount (32) against LaFayette.

The other games and scores included:

• Marion County 74, Francis Marion 41

• Hubbertville 71, R.C. Hatch 60

• Winterboro 61, Kinston 22

• Brantley 62, Wadley 47

• Cold Springs 55, Lanett 43 “Schools and teams are held accountable in athletics,” he said. “When rules aren’t followed, teams can face penalties or even disqualification. So, shouldn’t the same standard extend to the organization responsible for enforcing those rules? What rules does the AHSAA itself have to follow? What happens when those rules are not followed? Are there consequences or accountability mechanisms in place? Oversight is not an unreasonable thing to ask for.

“Kids often recognize when something feels wrong or unfair, but they may not always know how to articulate it. As adults, it’s our responsibility to recognize, organize and articulate those concerns when there is merit. This isn’t about a bad call or a referee’s judgment. Something measurable actually happened. The goal of the petition was simply to organize those questions and ensure the athletes involved feel like their concerns were heard.”

He said he has not received a reply from the AHSAA but has been surprised by the large public response the petition has created.

“What has stood out the most is that the support isn’t coming from just one community or one team,” Senkbeil said. “I’ve heard from fans, parents and people connected to several schools who were watching those games and had similar questions about what happened. A lot of people simply want clarity. High school sports matter to communities across Alabama, and people care deeply about making sure the games are played under the same fair conditions for everyone.”

He said he was at work during the game but watched it on the NFHS Network.

“I’ve heard from several fans who said there were discussions about the goal placement prior to the game,” Senkbeil said. “I wasn’t there to personally hear those conversations, so I’ll let the people who were in attendance speak to what they observed.”

He said even if the games are not replayed, he would like the AHSAA to respond to the petition in some manner.

“Ideally, we’ll hear from the AHSAA with a clear explanation of what happened and what procedures exist for situations like this,” Senkbeil said. “I genuinely believe there are good, hardworking people involved in running the organization, and I have respect for the role they play in high school athletics across our state.

“At the same time, organizations that carry that kind of responsibility also have a duty to evaluate situations like this and ask how processes can be strengthened moving forward. Transparency is important when questions like this arise. From here, it’s up to the schools and families involved to decide how they want to proceed.”

The TimesDaily reached out to multiple AHSAA officials via email and text message to inquire about the association’s awareness of the petition, among other questions.

AHSAA Director of Communications Ron Ingram provided a statement from Executive Director Heath Harmon on the initial issues with the goals.

“It was brought to my attention that the goals might need to be checked,” Harmon’s statement reads. “I discussed the request with the BJCC and had both goals checked and adjusted as needed. The games continued after a short delay.”

While AHSAA officials did provide a basic statement, they did not answer the TimesDaily’s question as to whether they are aware of the petition, its claims or requests.

Red Bay Head Coach John Torisky said he is aware of the petition and while he appreciates the efforts and concerns, he doesn’t feel as though the team was cheated out of anything.

Torisky said he doesn’t believe the games should be replayed, simply because each team played on the same courts with the same goals.

However, he said officials should be held accountable for what happened.

“I hate that the kids didn’t get the opportunity to play on a court that was supposed to be set up to host a championship,” Torisky said. “I wish the state would have done a better job of communicating their mistake and apologizing to the teams that the court was not up to the standards it should have been.

“When you’re a coach, you’re held to a high standard and held accountable when you make a mistake. You would think they (AHSAA) would be held to a higher standards as well, but I guess not.”

Torisky said he has communicated with the AHSAA following Red Bay’s loss on Monday but has yet to receive any type of apology from the association.

Around Red Bay, there’s a sense of anger and disappointment in how the events transpired. If the AHSAA were to simply acknowledge their mistake, Torisky said, it would help soften the blow.

“We’ve got a lot of upset people here in Red Bay,” the coach said. “If they (AHSAA) would apologize, it would probably bring a lot of closure to people. But it doesn’t look like that’s ever going to happen.”

While he and his team continue to try and put the situation behind them, Torisky said in the event the Tigers make it back to Birmingham next year, he’s going to be prepared.

“We’re moving on and we’ll try and get back next season,” Torisky said. “But I jokingly told someone the other day that if we do make it back, I’m bringing a tape measure with me.”