The Boston City Council on Wednesday, Nov. 4, voted unanimously to urge the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association to let the English High football team into the Division 8 playoffs, after Boston Public Schools failed to log one of the team’s games in the state’s scheduling system by a Sept. 18 deadline. Mass Daily News reported the vote as 11-0.
What happened to English High football’s playoff spot
According to the Boston Globe, BPS did not enter English High’s Friday, Oct. 30, game against O’Bryant into the MIAA’s Arbiter Live scheduling system before the Sept. 18 deadline. English won that game 12-6 and clinched its first City League title since 2021. Because the game was not entered, it counted as a scrimmage under MIAA Handbook Rule 34.6, the Globe reported.
That left the team, which fields players from English High and New Mission, with a 4-2 official record (5-2 overall) and six counted games, one short of the seven-game minimum to qualify. The Globe reported that English had been projected as the No. 10 seed in Division 8.
The MIAA’s account, as reported by the Globe, is that a member school alerted the association to the schedule issue and that English was told before Friday’s game that it would be treated as a scrimmage and would not count toward qualification or the power rankings.
BPS described the problem as “a clerical error in submitting the schedule.” In a statement, the district said, “We share the frustration and disappointment of our student athletes,” and added that “we will be appealing MIAA’s decision.” As of Thursday morning, no ruling on that appeal had been reported.
Coach Ryan Conway told the Globe, “It’s breaking my heart to tell them,” noting the program went 0-10 in 2023. BPS athletic director Avery Esdaile, who oversees athletics at 31 high schools, was not available for comment, according to the Globe.
The episode lands as the district is already under scrutiny for operations problems, including a council hearing on late school buses. Ongoing coverage of the district is collected on our BPS news page.
Inside the City Council resolution
Councilor Ben Weber filed the emergency resolution with Councilors Enrique Pepén and Brian Worrell, and the council took it up as a late file, which Councilor Sharon Durkan allowed, Universal Hub reported. The resolution called the MIAA’s decision “draconian and unnecessarily punitive,” according to the Globe. The item appeared on the council’s Nov. 4 meeting agenda.
Weber said the game had been scheduled last December. “In this instance, the MIAA got this wrong,” he said, adding, “There’s clearly less draconian ways to enforce these rules.” Councilor Brian Worrell called the news “heartbreaking” for students.
Councilor Erin Murphy apologized to the players and noted that mistakes like this have happened before. Councilor Miniard Culpepper, an English High graduate, said, “We should not ask children to pay the price of what adults did,” and urged the association to “let the young men play.” For other recent actions, see our City Hall decisions tracker.
The MIAA rules and past disputes
The MIAA’s position rests on its published deadline and its rule that unentered games count as scrimmages. Council members who spoke Wednesday argued that students should not bear the penalty for a paperwork error by adults.
There is precedent on both sides. In 2022, Fenway High basketball teams were barred from the tournament after BPS failed to file a required MIAA form, and the district said at the time that “BPS owns this mistake,” the Globe reported. Two years ago, families from Western Massachusetts schools including Minnechaug and Monson sued the MIAA in a separate dispute and won, according to the Globe.
By the numbers
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Official games counted | 6 |
| Minimum to qualify | 7 |
| Official record | 4-2 (5-2 overall) |
| Projected Division 8 seed | No. 10 |
| Council vote | Unanimous (11-0, per Mass Daily News) |
| High schools under BPS athletics | 31 |
Source: Boston Globe; Mass Daily News; table: The Boston Report. TBR note: counting the O’Bryant game would bring English to 7 official games, exactly the minimum.
What comes next
The Division 8 tournament opens Thursday at 6 p.m. with KIPP Academy against West Boylston, the Globe reported. Unless the appeal succeeds, English is scheduled to play a nonplayoff game at Pentucket on Friday and its Thanksgiving game against Boston Latin at Harvard Stadium. USA Today also covered the dispute. For more council coverage, read our recap of the Oct. 28 council meeting.
Sources
- Boston Globe, Nov. 4, 2026
- Boston Globe, Nov. 3, 2026
- Universal Hub
- Mass Daily News
- USA Today
- Boston City Council, Nov. 4 agenda
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