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According to findings from a five-month investigation led by the school district, Skaneateles staff tried to illegally recruit at least nine players from other schools over the past two years. The investigation claims a Skaneateles coach, which the report did not identify, tried to recruit two players from other teams during the Tim Green Skaneateles Football Camp, and offered to put another player up in an apartment with a flat-screen TV and video game console, in order to establish residency in the town.

Green was hired to take over the Skaneateles team in 2010 after the squad finished 1-7 in each of the previous two seasons. The Lakers went 3-5 in Green's first year before taking off in 2011, led by Green's son, Troy, at quarterback. Skaneateles outscored its regular-season opponents 390-121.

Although no action was taken until recently, a cloud of uncertainty has hung over the Skaneateles program all season. On Sept. 2, a report in the Syracuse Post-Standard claimed three students transferred to the school to play for Green in their senior seasons. Additionally, according to the newspaper, Section III Executive Director John Rathbun and Section III Football Chairman Bob Campese have fielded complaints from coaches accusing Skaneateles of recruiting players for more than two years.

Two days after the investigation's findings were released, Section III decided to suspend the team's season, one day before the top-seeded Lakers were set to play a second-round playoff game against Notre Dame High School of Utica, N.Y. However, State Supreme Court Justice Brian DeJoseph granted the school a temporary restraining order, allowing the team to play the game, which it won.

The following week, however, Green and his team appeared before the same judge, who ruled that the suspension would stand and the Skaneateles football season would end immediately. DeJoseph decided that "delaying the suspension, and letting the team finish its season, would render the penalty and the school district's admission of wrongdoing meaningless," wrote the Post-Standard.

Hours after the judge's decision, Green submitted his resignation to the school district in hopes that Section III would reconsider allowing his players to play the championship game.

"I hereby resign my position as Head Coach of the Skaneateles High School football team," Green wrote in his resignation letter. "I offer this resignation knowing that the School Board will vigorously pursue an appeal of the decision rendered by the Court and because my primary concern has and always will be the best interests of my players and fellow coaches.

"It is my hope that Section III will regard my resignation as a resolution of this entire matter and will allow the forty players who, indisputably, had no role in this matter whatsoever, and who have unquestionably earned their right to be on the playing field this Saturday to participate in this weekend's game," he continued.

Green's wishes were not granted, however, and Notre Dame took Skaneateles's place in the sectional championship game against Herkimer (N.Y.) High School. Herkimer went on to win the controversial game, but not before another appeal that nearly went in Skaneateles's favor. Just two days before the championship was to be played, Appellate Division Justice John Centra nearly ruled in favor of the school, according to school district lawyer Dennis O'Hara.

"He said it was a close question," O'Hara told the Post-Standard. "He said that either way, kids were going to be hurt and that made it difficult for him."

In the end, although the season was suspended, none of the Skaneateles players were deemed ineligible. Section III also decided the team would not have to forfeit the playoff game it won after it was suspended for coaches' recruiting violations, and the team's final record would stand at 9-0.

"There's no joy in this," John McGowan, a lawyer for Section III athletics, told the Post-Standard. "Nobody wants to take kids off the field. These are young athletes who've done their very best. It's what the rules are. It's a matter of holding up the integrity of the system."

Mike Phelps is an Assistant Editor at Athletic Management.