East/WOI gets its title shot back but will be shorthanded

The door is open for the East High/World of Inquiry football team to play in the Section V Class B championship game Friday, after a ruling by state athletic association and Section V officials to reinstate the Eagles into the tournament.East High/World of Inquiry won a semifinal game at Monroe, 14-6, last Saturday. But seconds after a tackle on the final play of the elimination game Nov. 7, players from both teams began fighting on the field, including those who were on the sidelines. Officials at both schools said they were notified later that day each team was disqualified from the tournament. The decision was made this week and announced Nov. 11 to allow East/World of Inquiry to play Honeoye Falls-Lima, 3 p..m. Nov. 14 at Saint John Fisher University. Rochester City School District superintendent (Dr.) Eric Rosser said in a statement earlier this week he "along with District leadership, have been personally engaged in ongoing discussions with leaders from Section V and the New York State Public Athletic Association to address the disqualification of our student-athletes and advocate for those who were not involved in the incident."The Eagles are likely to play without members of their starting lineups on Saturday. East High athletic director Eric Robinson said he and others connected to the team reviewed footage of the incident and sent a list of Eagles players to suspend for the championship game. James Johnson, who grew up in the city of Rochester and is a graduate of Edison Tech in the Rochester City School District, has worked as a full-time journalist covering high school sports for the Democrat and Chronicle since 1996. Follow him @jjDandC on X (Twitter). You can also contact him at JAMESJ@Gannett.com.This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: East/WOI gets its title shot back but will be shorthanded