An appeal is coming Thursday from the side of Chaparral quarterback Andrew Loudenback, who has been ruled ineligible for the first five games of the regular season for violating the high school transfer rule.
Loudenback, who transferred from Ponderosa before the 2009-10 school year, will present a five-part hardship waiver at the Continental League’s meeting this week.
Chaparral athletic director Gary Thompson will then present the league’s recommendation to the Colorado High School Activities Association, where it will be ruled on by commissioner Paul Angelico.
“They’re punishing a kid who loves to play the game, who’s great at it and who’s just sick over the way adults are behaving in this situation,” said Loundenback’s father, Rick.
Loundenback family attorney Shane Edington said he expected the appeal to be passed by a majority of the Continental League members.
Reached by phone Monday morning, Angelico said “there’s really nothing to appeal” in Loudenback’s case. “We all agree with what the definition of a bona fide move is. This doesn’t meet that.”
Loudenback transferred from Ponderosa because of “all sorts of issues,” Edington said. There were problems with coaches, teachers and other students. Edington said Loudenback felt threatened and harassed at the school.
“He couldn’t sleep,” Edington said.
Because of those issues, and because of what Rick Loudenback called a “serious family medical issue,” the family decided a transfer to Chaparral — a school 20 minutes north of Ponderosa — was best.
The Loudenbacks had made offers on properties within Chaparral’s boundaries, but they were contingent on selling the family’s original residence, which, at the time, was in Ponderosa’s district.
The original house didn’t sell, so they moved to the rental property outside of Chaparral’s boundaries. (They also rented out the original home.)
The Loudenbacks then filed for open enrollment to Chaparral, which was accepted in January 2009, and Andrew enrolled in August.
The fact that they hadn’t sold the original residence “wasn’t a problem when we talked to the school,” Rick Loudenback said. “It was up for sale when we moved, and that would satisfy the rules. That’s what we were told.”
Failing an acceptance of the hardship waiver, the family is prepared to take its battle to arbitration, or to a trial court.
Ryan Casey: 303-954-1983 or rcasey@denverpost.com
