Football: South East stripped of its City Section Division II title

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The City Section Division II championship in football won in December by South East has been stripped away by the section’s rules committee after determining the school used an ineligible player during the playoffs, Commissioner Barbara Fiege said Monday.

The title will become vacant. The school’s football program also has been placed on a one-year probation but will be eligible for the 2012 playoffs. The school can appeal the decision.

Marshall, which lost to South East in the championship game, had filed a complaint with the City Section.

“It’s never satisfying to have to take away a championship the players had earned on the field,” Fiege said.

Fiege declined to say why the player was ruled ineligible, but those close to the football program say a dispute revolved around whether a player had practiced for the required 10 days.

-- Eric Sondheimer