It felt like a punch in the face. We were being called liars.
Nine players lost eligibility after a graduation cigar photo, forcing the undefeated team to forfeit its Division 4 state semifinal against Cohasset High School. Players claim the cigars were tobacco-free homemade versions and presented evidence to administrators, but eligibility was reversed hours before the game.
- Nine players ruled ineligible after graduation cigar photo
- Undefeated Ipswich High School forfeited Division 4 state semifinal against Cohasset
- Players claim cigars were tobacco-free; presented evidence to administrators
- Initial clearance reversed approximately four hours before game time
Ipswich High School's undefeated lacrosse team forfeited its state semifinal after nine players were ruled ineligible for a graduation photo with tobacco-free cigars, sparking debate over enforcement fairness.
Ipswich High School's undefeated lacrosse team was supposed to play in the state semifinal on Tuesday evening. Instead, the team forfeited, unable to field enough players after nine of them were ruled ineligible. The decision wiped out a season's worth of work and a genuine shot at a Division 4 championship.
The ineligibility stemmed from a graduation celebration the Sunday before. Senior Christian Gianakakis and several teammates participated in what he described as a tradition: smoking cigars to mark the occasion. The cigars were homemade, rolled by Gianakakis's father after the fake cigars they'd ordered online failed to arrive in time. Gianakakis was clear about one detail: the cigars contained no tobacco.
Someone photographed the moment and reported it to school officials, who interpreted what they saw as a violation of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's tobacco policy. The players found themselves facing potential ineligibility under rules that strip athletes of the right to compete in the next 25 percent of their sport's season when a principal determines they've violated alcohol, tobacco, or controlled substance policies.
What happened next became the source of real frustration. Gianakakis and his teammates recovered one of the cigars and brought it to school administrators as physical evidence that it contained no tobacco. Principal Jonathan Mitchell initially told Gianakakis and his father that the players would be cleared to compete in Tuesday's semifinal. Then, roughly four hours before game time, the decision reversed. The eligibility ruling stood. Nine players were out. "It felt like a punch in the face," Gianakakis told Boston.com. "It was like we were being called liars."
The school's official statement acknowledged the forfeit but offered little explanation of the reasoning. Ipswich High School said the team and coaching staff decided to forfeit because there weren't enough eligible players available to field a competitive roster. The statement congratulated the players and coaches on a strong season and their advancement to the Final Four, but the words felt hollow against the reality of what had just happened.
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, the governing body for high school athletics in the state, said it had been made aware of the situation but played no role in the eligibility determination. Executive Director Bob Baldwin told WEEI that the decision was entirely local—a matter for the school to handle. The MIAA's role was limited to knowing about it after the fact. Baldwin pointed to the handbook rules but made clear the organization wasn't involved in applying them to Ipswich's players.
Who actually made the final call remains somewhat murky. Gianakakis believed it was Superintendent Brian Blake. The school did not clarify. Fox News Digital reached out to Blake, Principal Mitchell, and Athletic Director Tom Gallagher for comment but did not receive responses. The lack of transparency about who decided what, and when, only deepened the sense that something had gone wrong in the process—not necessarily in the rule itself, but in how it was enforced and communicated. Nine students lost their chance to play for a state championship, and the reasoning behind the reversal of the initial clearance remains unexplained.
Citas Notables
It felt like a punch in the face. It was like we were being called liars.— Christian Gianakakis, senior player
We did not rule in that. We were just made aware of it. It's a local decision; we did not get involved at all in that decision.— Bob Baldwin, MIAA Executive Director
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
So the cigars actually had no tobacco in them?
That's what the players say, and they brought one to administrators as proof. But by then the decision had already shifted.
Why would the principal clear them and then reverse course four hours later?
That's the question nobody's answered. The superintendent may have overruled him, but the school hasn't said.
Does the MIAA care about how local schools enforce the rules?
Not really. They set the rules, but they stay out of the application. It's all on the principal and superintendent.
So nine kids lose their state semifinal because of a photo and a miscommunication?
Essentially. And they never got a clear explanation for why the initial clearance was reversed.
What happens to them now?
They're ineligible for the rest of the season. The team forfeited. The championship opportunity is gone.