SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Boys Varsity Soccer Eligibility

I have seen Arroyo in action before and I will agree that he is a very good player. In this light, I wonder why he hasn't signed with a college already. He easily has the skills to play in college. If we go on the premise that his grades are not good enough to get him in college and that he wants to play soccer in college, then his focus should be on getting his grades up and forgetting about high school soccer. I understand the love of high school soccer for a player but to be realistic, high school soccer is not one's best chance at playing soccer in college. He would be better off by getting on a showcase team or the like that actually plays in front of college coaches. CESA's College Showcase program comes to mind here. High school soccer, although enjoyable, will give him the least chance of getting seen so that he can get to the next level.

And since we are talking about grades and GPA here, if his grades are so low that he cannot get into a college to play soccer, how is he playing soccer in high school? From my experience, there are requirements to play high school sports.

requirements to play high school athletics and to be accepted by certain universities differ. Case in point: Brian Przybyla. He graduated last May, but did not enroll at USC until this spring. I believe it was because of SATs. I BELIEVE most universities now use some type of slide scale where the higher the GPA, the lower your SAT can be and the lower the GPA, the higher your SAT has to be.

NCAA has minimum SAT requirements. I think it's an 850.

Thereis also a minimum GPA for the NCAA Clearing House to declare you eligible to play college soccer. College coaches most of the time will not even pay attention to a student who is not cleared by the clearing house.

Hes a great soccer player and im sure that if he puts in some study time and does well on the SAT he will be able to play soccer in college. Although it seems to me that he would not be happy playing for anything but a well known Div.1 school. If anyone knows would he be satisfied with perhaps a Div.2 School after this incident?

Folks,

First off, WHO is RCates? And what hell are you talking about with the Girls team or whatever.
I have no idea where you are going with your crap!
You make no sense and have no idea of the issue.

Ok, whether anyone should think he should be aloud or not, the skinny is just as Lower state stated!

Nathan had the availability to go to a private school entering his 9th grade. I am not sure where the REPORTER got that he went there to better his grades. He was doing fine and how hard is 8th grade anyways.
The issue was the Private school and the workload, difference in class study and overall dynamics of the situation. He did not do very well with his studies and therefore could not and was not eligible for sports.
He then went back to public school and repeated his 9th grade and played soccer.
His grades are fine; he has a 3.25 GPA since being at NW. He is battling a 1.14 from the experience at the private school.

WHAT the ISSUE is that he had a chance at a private school (which is not influenced or govern by the state athletics board) and just did not fair to well which is NOW penalizing him to be able to play a 4th year of soccer.
He is 18, not 19 not 25.... There is no U-19 team local here that he could get onto last year.

He is just looking to play 4 years of HS soccer.

I agree, it’s a no brainer that Club soccer is where the coaches go, but if they know about him from last year and want to see him this year, and there isn't a club team to play for, the high school team is the next best thing.

Besides, do not insult me with any of your comments about not being a big deal unless you were in his shoes, his life, and have his goals at stake...
There ARE 3 D1 coaches interested in seeing him play this year. They did not get a chance last year and this is a very good time to follow him...

Hey, it’s easy to forecast and pass your judgment; everyone’s a pro on this board in doing so...

When it’s you, or you’re in the shoes it’s a little different...

has he been in 8 consecutive semesters of HS? If so then he can't play....if not then play on. That's the rule. WHICH part don't you get. It does not matter where or what school he attend if he has been in HS(9th) grade for more thatn 8 CONSECUTIVE semesters then he is not able to play.

If a kids fails at Greenville High his freshman year he can't play his senior year. period. same case here.

I understand that richard weed!

[ February 16, 2006, 09:57 AM: Message edited by: Kyle Heise ]

You know..at first.. I was feeling sorry for Arroyo.. I was sympathizing with this situation. Then I started thinking back..and I remembered when I played we definitely had a guy declared ineligible due to his age. That was that.

And yeah.. I'm certain Nathan is a much more skilled player than this kid was. But..this "hardship" stuff.. has got to go. I've read your explanation with an openmind. But..this kid that didn't get to play his senior year.. left his family to get out of Mexico (living with cousins)..to get an education..and maybe get to play the game he loves too.

He didn't play his freshmen year..failed sophomore..played the year he repeated.. played his "junior" year..and couldn't play his senior year. No motions were filed..no ranting and raving.

It's unfortunate for Nathan..really..but you as his gaurdian (or whatever relation you are to him) should realize that these trials are what make us stronger and more determined.

Life is a b*tch..suck it up. Ya know?

In today's Rock Hill Herald, on the Opinion Page, the paper goes to bat for Nathan Arroyo.


Let Arroyo play soccer

Prep school athletes and their coaches must abide by league rules regarding eligibility. But a good case could be made for allowing Northwestern High School soccer player Nathan Arroyo to participate during his senior year.
According to rules established by the South Carolina High School League, high school athletes in the state are allowed eight straight semesters of eligibility once they reach the ninth grade. It's a sensible rule; without it, coaches might be tempted to coax star athletes to delay graduation and play another season.

But Arroyo's problem stems from a year he spent at a private school in Atlanta where he did not participate in athletics. Northwestern athletics director Jimmy Wallace said that, because of a clerical error, Arroyo's history as a transfer student went unnoticed until recently.

Arroyo started ninth grade at a private church school in Atlanta. After a year there, he returned to the public school system and repeated the ninth grade, where he played soccer in the spring. He moved to Rock Hill from Atlanta last year and played on Northwestern's football team as a punter in the fall and on the soccer team last spring.

Arroyo excelled at soccer. He was named Class AAAA Player of the Year last season, after scoring 46 goals and amassing 122 points. The Trojans finished 25-2 and were ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA all but one week during the regular season, and were ranked No. 1 nationally for four weeks by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Tuesday, the SCHSL ruled that Arroyo has completed his eligibility and will not be allowed to play soccer this season. Furthermore, Northwestern will forfeit the four football games it won last fall when Arroyo took over for injured starting punter Bart Blanchard.

Technically, that ruling fits the facts. Nevertheless, we think Northwestern is justified in appealing the decision and hope the league will reverse its decision.

During the year that Arroyo attended private school, he didn't play sports. There is no evidence that he intentionally flouted eligibility rules. His parents say they made him repeat the ninth grade because they weren't satisfied with the academic progress he had shown in private school.

We don't think the league should make an exception for Arroyo because he is an outstanding athlete. The rule he violated was intended to prevent teams gaining an unfair advantage by, in effect, red-shirting players. That does not appear to have been the case here.

Banning Nathan Arroyo from playing his entire final season seems an overly harsh punishment to us.

IN SUMMARY
Because local soccer standout didn't play sports at private school, we hope league will reconsider ruling.