The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

OHSAA: DQ stands for Franklin doubles team; details disputed

High school sports results for May 26
5/26/12
Wayne boys win team track title
5/25/12
Bellbrook tennis duo advances to semifinals
5/25/12
Jefferson grad takes lessons from Miami Heat cousin
5/25/12
T-Bolts excited for state debut
5/25/12
> More high school headlines

By Rick McCrabb, Staff Writer Updated 3:32 AM Thursday, May 20, 2010

FRANKLIN — A high school doubles tennis team double faulted without taking the court.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association has upheld the disqualification of Franklin High School senior Cody Buffenbarger and junior Stefan Mangroo from the district tennis tournament. The athletes were disqualified from the sectional play because Mangroo, a Seventh-day Adventist, refused to play on Saturday, his Sabbath.

And Franklin school officials said there are “discrepancies” regarding the circumstances.

The OHSAA announced the decision Wednesday, May 19, after talking to Franklin school officials, then holding a conference call with the Southwest District Athletic Board.

Franklin Superintendent Arnol Elam and FHS Athletic Director Rodney Roberts said the doubles team was disqualified because of Stefan’s religion and miscommunication among the tournament director and the athletic board.

They said the athletic board was informed that the Franklin team was offered to play the semifinals on Friday, and that the information swayed the final decision.

“That is not the truth,” Roberts said Wednesday about the offer to play Friday. “There are discrepancies in the stories.”

Rodney said he called the other three coaches in the sectional — Monroe, Waynesville and Bethel-Tate — and all three said moving the date of the matches was never offered.

He said the Franklin team “would have jumped on” a chance to play Friday.

Elam and Roberts said they were disappointed the athletic board didn’t allow school officials to represent themselves in Tuesday’s conference call.

Buffenbarger said this would have been his first year qualifying for districts, which begin today, May 20. He said he was “a little frustrated,” but he supported Mangroo’s decision to skip Saturday’s matches “125 percent.”

Elam said the doubles team, by advancing to the sectional semifinals, had “won their way to the district.”

Lisa Hart, Buffenbarger’s mother, said she was “saddened” by the state’s decision.

Roxanne Price, OHSAA assistant commissioner, said the rules clearly state that teams that don’t play can’t advance to the next round. She said Franklin officials should have mentioned at the May 2 seeding meeting that Mangroo wouldn’t play on Saturdays.

Share this article