Bay View wins final game after WIAA sanctions force season to end

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It has been a week of ups and downs for Bay View High School football families. It started on a high because they were just one game away from going to the playoffs, but the week's ending with sanctions from the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association forcing the team to forfeit the entire 2024 season.

Talk about one high and low for the team, Bay View got to play Friday night, Oct. 18, and they walked away with a win, but the game doesn't count. The WIAA's decision means both Bay View and Milwaukee Pulaski High Schools can't play in the postseason for two years.

Complaints abound after a big shift for the week nine regular season finale.

"And they're being punished for something that's not their fault," said Amelia Santiago, mom of a Bay View High School football player in his sophomore year.

To give players a final game, some fast scheduling came together allowing Bay View to play the Riverside Tigers, a game that was originally supposed to be Bay View vs. Milwaukee Vincent after Bay View got moved into the same conference division as Vincent following the 2023 season. Had Bay View defeated Vincent, they would've advanced to the playoffs.

"We worked all year for this to look forward to something that then gets taken away from us," said Faith Lyons, sister of Bay View High School football player in his sophomore year.

This week after the WIAA discovered paperwork for that swap was never submitted, Bay View was forced back to its former conference division and forced to forfeit all 2024 games. The same thing happened to Pulaski High School.

"I'm upset because somebody made a mistake that costs all these people the opportunity that they worked so hard for," said Latrice Luckett, mom of Bay View HS football player in his sophomore year.

"Now all of a sudden out of the clear blue this is your last game and can't advance, can't do anything. There might be scouts looking and these guys are out here trying to have a career," said Elliot Russ, father of a Bay View HS football player in his junior year.

Parents see the decision as a loss of potential future opportunities. They say football's also kept these teens motivated in the classroom.

"My son was, he was pretty much failing and in order to be on the football team, in order to play, he had to get his grades up. So, he literally brought his grades up from U's and D's to B's," said Tierra Burks, mom of a Bay View High School football player in his junior year.

MPS has filed an appeal, but it won't be heard until later this year.