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BULLETIN
Farrell Area School District solicitor Jim Nevant confirmed late this morning the school board has decided not to pursue a legal injunction against the PIAA in an effort to overturn Monday's ruling. The PIAA upheld a recent WPIAL decision that forced Farrell to forfeit 13 victories for using an ineligible basketball player.

This updated information was not available in time for the story below.

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The Farrell High boys basketball program's dream of Hershey gold apparently has been extinguished for good.

The Steelers learned just before noon Monday the PIAA Board of Appeal had upheld a WPIAL decision regarding the eligibility of star basketball player Iren Rainey.

That WPIAL decision two weeks ago forced highly-touted Farrell to forfeit 13 victories -- all games in which Rainey played this season -- costing the Steelers any chance at a playoff berth.

"The Board of Appeal voted to sustain the decision of District 7," PIAA assistant executive director Melissa Mertz told The Herald Monday afternoon, about an hour after informing Farrell Area School District officials of its ruling.

PIAA executive director Bradley Cashman was scheduled to fax a copy of the PIAA's ruling to Farrell later Monday, she added.

Mertz also said the PIAA would not release a copy of the ruling -- only Farrell could do so if it chose to -- or the Board of Appeal's vote total to the media or public.

While Farrell's options before the state's governing athletic body have been exhausted, Mertz said the school or Rainey's parents could seek a legal remedy through the state court systems.

Farrell Superintendent Richard Rubano said Monday he, along with the school district's board of directors and solicitor Jim Nevant, will need to look at the possibility before a final decision is made.

"I can't tell you at this point if we're going to do that," Rubano said. "That is an avenue, but at this point what purpose would it serve? Although I'm only speaking for myself."

A Youngstown television station, WFMJ, reported Monday evening that an unidentified source close to the situation said that Farrell intended to file an injunction in an attempt to overturn the PIAA's ruling.

Early this morning, however, Rubano said the television report was incorrect.

As far as an injunction goes, time would be of the utmost importance for Farrell as the WPIAL held its seeding meeting Monday and is slated to hold its pairings meeting for bracketing today.

The 5-member PIAA Board of Appeal heard Farrell's appeal of the WPIAL ruling Friday at PIAA headquarters in Mechanicsburg. Mertz said Cashman reported testimony and deliberations lasted more than 2 1/2 hours.

Attending the hearing from Farrell were Rubano, high school principal Charles Sanitate, Nevant and Rainey, a 6-foot-1 senior who transferred from national basketball powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.

"It was cordial," Rubano said, characterizing the hearing. "And they thanked us for our presentation and our decorum."

Rainey was deemed ineligible by the WPIAL when it discovered through an unidentified source that a pair of administrative procedures were overlooked by Farrell school officials after it was reported Rainey didn't enroll at the school until early September, nearly two weeks after Farrell's first day of classes.

Those procedures, which are mandatory based on PIAA rules, were: 1) obtaining a principal-to-principal sign-off from Oak Hill Academy indicating Rainey's transfer wasn't for athletic reasons; and 2) petitioning the WPIAL to gain his eligibility.

Farrell was mandated by PIAA rules to do both, but in the end did neither.

"It was my decision, in conjunction with the board, to make the appeal," Rubano said. "And we did it for the kids. We owed it to the senior players on the team to take it to the next level, and we did."

Ironically, it appears that next level would have proven beneficial to Farrell had it only been accomplished at the beginning of the school year.

"We won the battle, but lost the war," Rubano said. "Our intent was to go down to argue that Iren did not transfer for athletic purposes. And they (the PIAA Board of Appeals) voted 5-0 to grant him a waiver to let him play now. But obviously it's too late."

Too late, that is, for Rainey and the Steelers, who short of a long-shot legal remedy, saw their season come to an end Friday evening following their victory over Summit Academy. That win lifted Farrell's final record to 4-8 in WPIAL Section 2-AA and 4-20 overall.

"It's just an unfortunate situation," Rubano said. "What I have to do now as superintendent of schools is take a more active role in the athletic department and I intend to do that. I intend to make sure something like this never happens again."

Especially to another group of superb athletes, who through no fault of their own apparently will be watching the post-season this year from the stands.

"No one is blaming the kids for anything," Rubano concurred. "And Iren Rainey has a lot to be proud of. He represented himself, as did his teammates, extremely well."

WPIAL executive director Larry Hanley did not return calls from The Herald seeking comment.