He knew he could do this because of yet another loophole in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) rulebook. The ruling says that if a graduate student with eligibility left transfers to a school and enrolls in a graduate program that the previous university does not provide, that student-athlete does not need to sit out a year before becoming eligible again. However, an undergraduate student–athlete that transfers does have to sit out one year.

The NCAA originally denied Masoli of eligibility immediately, forcing him to sit out a year. Ole Miss decided to appeal and somehow won that appeal so Masoli is now eligible for this season. That rule is obviously intended for athletes who are transferring strictly for academic purposes.

Now, let’s take a step back and look at this logically. Jeremiah Masoli, one of the top quarterbacks in the country, gets in trouble with the law and is kicked off of his team. So he decides to transfer to Ole Miss, where he enrolls in the school’s Parks and Recreation Management program.

Yeah, Jeremiah Masoli, a top player in the country and thug, loses a year of eligibility, so he transfers to a school to enroll in its Parks and Recreation program. Honestly, how will Jeremiah Masoli ever use a degree in Parks and Recreation Management? Wouldn’t you feel safe at a park knowing that the Park Ranger smokes weed and steals from “friends”?

I cannot get over the absurdity of this ruling. Players who do all the right things, get good grades and stay out of trouble transfer and must sit out a year. But a felon who transfers is allowed to play immediately. There is something wrong with that.

High school athletes who break NCAA rules, and don’t always necessarily even know it, help soil the reputation of college athletic programs along with possibly losing eligibility themselves and soiling their own reputation (like one, Reggie Bush). These athletes, who are immature and don’t know the NCAA’s recruiting rules, are punished more severely than a student-athlete who breaks the law.

When High school athletes go to parties or do whatever, they don’t think, “I wonder if this is going to break an NCAA rule.” I sure hope that when Masoli buys drugs and steals laptops, he is aware that he is breaking a rule.

As an academic institution, Ole Miss should be embarrassed of that appeal because it sends the message that they are more concerned with the state of their athletics than anything else. Like, oh I don’t know………. academics or even morals.

The NCAA should not act so innocent either, like they were just obeying the rule. They should open their eyes and realize that this situation is much bigger than what the stupid rulebook says. This is an issue of ethics and morality, which at the end of the day are much more important than academics and athletics.

“The feedback has been overwhelming.  People seem genuinely surprised that a first year festival could deliver such a complete event.  There are things we could have done better, and we’ll continue to ask for feedback, but year one feels like it was a big success,” Cohen said.

“I think LouFest year one could not have gone better.  It was a massive undertaking, with countless moving parts, but we pulled it off.  Our goal was to exceed expectations and I think we did that.  We’ll definitely be back next year,” Cohen concluded.

And for all of you who missed LouFest, here is some footage that is sure to make you buy a ticket for next year’s festival.

Follow this link to see the full presentation: http://www.rockwood.k12.mo.us/superintendent/Pages/default.aspx.

The season kicked off on Aug. 30 away at Pattonville High School, with the Lancers besting the Pirates 2-0.

The highlight of the week, however, was the Aug. 31 match versus Cape Notre Dame.

The team drove nearly two hours to Cape Notre Dame High School in Cape Girardeau to face the Bulldogs, but it wasn’t for nothing.

“The game went back and fourth, but I thought we had the better of the play,” junior Jean-Luc Panchot said. “In the early parts of the game we should have had a few goals, but weren’t able to finish our chances.”

With no score after two intense halves, the game went into double overtime, and eventually had to be settled in penalty kicks. Panchot was one of the four Lafayette players to take the penalty shots

“All four of our kickers, Lucas Hake, Blake Hoover, Zac Walters and myself, made our kicks while the Bulldogs missed two, giving us the win. Overall a very exciting match. It felt good to have the win on the two hour drive back home,” he said.

With a record of 2-0, the team is currently ranked fourth in the Suburban West Conference and are scheduled to play Fort Zumwalt South at 6 p.m. on Sept. 9.

The annual field hockey tournament consists of 48 high schools from across the Midwest and beyond competing in four-team pools with an overall champion to be named in each group. This year the Lady Lancers will have games against St. Louis’ own Ursuline Academy, Ballard (Louisville, KY) and defending Texas State champion Trinity Valley.

“I think we’ll do really well. We have a really good team and hope to go far in the playoffs and State tournament,” Head Coach Kate O’Connell said.

The Classic will run during  Labor Day weekend with games starting on Sept. 3 at the Anheuser Busch Soccer Park in Fenton. The Lancers will begin with an 8 p.m. matchup against Ballard.