Alumni, scoreboard cause team to lose in wild ruling

Kansas high school team loses game in unthinkable fashion

Levi Payton | Jan 5, 2025

The Sedgwick (Kan.) boys' basketball team was forced to forfeit an upcoming game after a crazy turn of events. / Raj Mehta-Imagn Images

A recent decision by the Kansas State High School Activities Association has left people scratching their heads at one of the wildest outcomes in state history.

Sedgwick High School's boys' basketball team has reportedly been notified it has lost a game it never got to play (kind of) by forfeit due to a rarely heard-of technical violation (literally).

Their crime? Keeping score and using a scoreboard during an alumni scrimmage during holiday break.

According to KSHSAA's ruling, the violation goes back to Rule 30, Article 6, Section A of the Kansas activities rulebook which states, in part, "During a scrimmage there can be no score kept and no clock. Use of officials is permitted.

The rule continued, "Should one or more game elements (score or time) be involved, it would no longer be a scrimmage, but must count toward the number of contests allowed during the season. Intrasquad scrimmages, games among teammates, even with score, time and/or officials used would not be considered a game."

KSHSAA ruled that the keeping of score and use of the scoreboard during the alumni contest during the holiday break should count as a game, thus causing the team to forfeit its upcoming game Jan. 7 against Berean Academy.

Once official, the loss will drop Sedgwick to 1-5 overall. Berean Academy will improve to 4-1-1.