WPIAL rules Birch brothers ineligible for football at Gateway after transfer from Jeannette
Updated 1:38 AM; Today 1:32 AM
Jeannette's Brett Birch runs against Steel High in their PIAA 1A football championship game at Hersheypark Stadium. November 27, 2020 Sean Simmers |ssimmers@pennlive.com
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By Tribune News Service
It’s a high school sports eligibility case that will most certainly continue to play out in the future. But for now, brothers Brad and Brett Birch are ineligible to play football at Gateway High School next season after transferring from Jeannette.
The WPIAL board of directors ruled the brothers ineligible Wednesday after reviewing paperwork of the transfer. The Birch brothers, who helped Jeannette win the WPIAL Class 1A championship last season, are ineligible for one year after date of transfer. They started taking classes at Gateway on April 5.
Don Holl, football coach and athletic director at Gateway, said the school will appeal the WPIAL’s ruling, which means the league will then have a hearing with the Birch family and officials from Gateway and Jeannette.
“We’re definitely going to appeal,” Holl said, “because we believe their transfer was not for athletic intent. We believe there’s some misinformation out there and we look forward to having an opportunity to present our case.”
WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman said the ineligibility ruling was made because Jeannette administrators did not sign off on the transfer. If Jeannette signed off on the transfer, it’s very likely the brothers would’ve been ruled eligible because they moved into the Gateway district recently.
“The sending principal (Jeannette’s Joseph Baker) indicated that the transfer may have been in part, or whole, for athletic purposes,” Scheuneman said.
Transferring for athletic reasons is against WPIAL and PIAA rules. Bob Birch, father of the two players, said last week that the transfer was for family reasons because he and his wife are divorced, and his wife moved to Monroeville, part of the Gateway district.
The transfers of the brothers was notable because they are talented players. Brad Birch was only a freshman but threw for 1,676 yards and 28 touchdowns before his season ended with an ankle injury in the WPIAL championship. He was recently offered a scholarship by the University of Oregon.
Brett Birch, a junior, was his brother’s favorite target. Brett, a receiver-defensive back, led Jeannette in receptions with 46 for 669 yards.
