The Patriots have been mired in uncertainty after the NJSIAA disqualified the team earlier this week before the decision was stunningly reversed by the Acting Education Commissioner.
Wayne Hills' postseason fate is still in limbo — and for that matter, so is the whole bracket.
The next step in a complex and unprecedented case will take place Tuesday at 10 a.m. when the NJSIAA holds an eligibility hearing at its Robbinsville headquarters to determine whether or not the three players in question did or did not violate the organization's transfer rule.
If the players are found to be ineligible, the NJSIAA said that it will act upon the violations.
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"Pending the outcome of this hearing, tournament seeding and schedules may once again be modified," NJSIAA Executive Director Steve Timko said in a statement Friday. "All schools seeded in the group tournament have been notified about the potential for schedule changes.
"While these ongoing revisions to the tournament schedule are unfortunate, the NJSIAA has been obliged to act, based on the initial information shared by the school district," Timko continued.
Put another way, the NJSIAA may still reinstate the tournament disqualification and nix Wayne Hills' pursuit of a ninth state title.
The hearing and the wholesale restructuring of the North 1, Group 4 bracket come after the powerhouse football program was stunningly granted a stay by Acting Education Commissioner Kimberly Harrington late Thursday in response to an emergency appeal that challenged the NJSIAA's decision to disqualify the team from the playoffs.
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The stay was put in place to give the three players in question — brothers Hunter, Tyler and Jaaron Hayek — "due process" to prove their residency situation.
Darren Del Sardo, an attorney representing the Hayek family, said this week “the NJSIAA ignored its own constitution and bylaws” by ruling his clients ineligible more than a year after their transfers from St. Joseph (Mont.) to Wayne Hills in October of 2015.
“These kids are eligible,” Del Sardo said. “They actually have the eligibility forms that were submitted back in 2015. There’s never been any question until the eve of a playoff game. There’s nothing to substantiate any of it. They’re residents in Wayne these kids.”
After Thursday’s ruling, according to the NJSIAA, Wayne Hills was placed back into the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 playoff at its original seed, atop the bracket, creating upheaval for the other teams in the section. Wayne Hills will face the winner of Monday’s play-in game between Roxbury and Northern Highlands.
On Friday, NJSIAA spokesperson Michael Cherenson clarified the seeding possibilities — including one important distinction — the game between Roxbury and Northern Highlands is not a play-in game, and its outcome is, essentially, meaningless to the playoff bracket.
If Wayne Hills is allowed to compete in the tournament, it will be the top seed and Roxbury will be the eighth seed. However, if Wayne Hills is ineligible, all seeds will bump up and Roxbury will be seven and Northern Highlands will be the eight.
“The coaches are all in agreement and everything was done mutual consent and approval," Cherenson said. "Everybody is on the same page.”
“We’re in unchartered territory here for sure,” said Roxbury athletic director Stuart Mason. “We weren’t happy to be in a play-in game because our team earned the right to be in. The latest decision was created with empathy on all sides. It’s the best solution right now.”
All first round games in the section will be played next weekend and the semifinals have been moved to the weekend after Thanksgiving.
Tuesday's hearing will now determine — perhaps once and for all — how the North 1, Group 4 section will unfold.
"The NJSIAA has notified attorneys for the Wayne Township Public Schools and the family of those players whose eligibility is in question that the association will convene a hearing ... consisting of five members of the NJSIAA Executive Committee," Timko said in the statement Friday. "The committee will determine eligibility status providing due process as required by the acting commissioner. Parties are entitled to be represented by counsel, all witnesses will be sworn, and the right of cross-examination will be provided."
Patrick Lanni may be reached at planni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatLanniHS. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
