Derech Etz Chaim handily won their last two regular season games against All the Kings Men 13-0 and 27- 6 to finish with a team all time best record 12-1-1 and 25 points and the #1 rank in the league.
After the game team officials reversed the results and granted DEC a forfeit, the reasons why are still unclear but here is what we do know.
During the game the officials approached the DEC team captain questioning the eligibility of a DEC player. The team Captain, Pinchas Shwartzbaum told the official that the player in question, began the year playing two games for another team and was removed from their roster. He also told the official that the player in question also played a game on another team without being on that teams roster, but that DEC understood that being as he was not rostered they could add him to the DEC roster as they did. The referee allowed the games to continue without requiring DEC to remove the player.
Following the game the league decided to reverse the decision, declare the player ineligible and grant DEC two forfeits moving them down the standings to the 9th seed.
Team reaction was obviously one of shock having been accused of deceiving the league when the captain felt he had been up front with the knowledge he possessed.
The feeling around the league is that the teams that are being punished are essentially those who now have to play DEC with the new seedings, essentially taking teams that succeeded in a achieving higher seedings and forcing them to face the highest ranked team in the league, DEC, while rewarding the lower seeds (Canaan Bar-Am) by now giving them a weaker opponent.
Derech Etz Chaim is presently getting ready for their first second round game where they will face Neve Tziyon, an opponent they have defeated each of the past two years on their way to the playoffs.
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