A group of Huntsville high school students is being put to the test, but this one doesn’t require a pen or pencil.
It’s all about standing strong in their faith.
WAFF learned the Oakwood Adventist Academy High School Varsity Boys Basketball Team is planning to forfeit a playoff game Saturday, giving up a chance for a state championship. That’s because the game falls on the Sabbath for Seventh-Day Adventists.
The team advanced to the sweet sixteen playoff round after winning a game Tuesday. When they learned they were given a 4:30 p.m. game time, they asked the Alabama High School Athletic Association and other teams in the regional tournament if they would switch them to the 7:30 p.m. game. WAFF is told the AHSAA denied that request.
“When God created the earth, On the seventh day he rested, he calls us to rest on that day and give that day to him. I’m not going to play on that day no matter what, because it’s bigger than basketball,” senior team captain Raynon Andrews said.
Andrews says it’s a very hard reality for his team who has poured so much into this season, making it further in the playoffs than any other boys basketball team in the school’s history.
“People want us to play, they say, ‘just play on Saturday,’ but I got to stick to my faith and stand up for what’s right and believe God will make a way for us to play,” Andrews said.
Athletic Director for Oakwood Adventist Academy, Calvin Morton says it’s a simple switch.
“We’re not asking to change a venue, we’re not asking to change a date,” Morton said. “We’re just simply asking to change a 4:30 time to a 7:30 time to accommodate our religion and our faith. We’re just pleading on our behalf to make a reasonable accommodation for a simple time switch.”
Morton said the Alabama High School Athletic Association has denied that request twice over email, making the likelihood of a forfeit in this team’s future very high.
“This is bigger than basketball, these guys know that and staying disciplined in their faith, that’s the most important thing,” Morton said.
If the AHSAA sticks with its answer, the team will not play. As difficult as the situation is, an associate pastor and parent of a player says it’s a defining moment in these students’ lives.
“We have allow our young men to say, there are going to be moments when you’re going to be tested, and do you really believe what you believe, are you going to stand on the bible,” Pastor Toussaint Williams said.
WAFF reached out to AHSAA for a statement. It reads, “All games at each regional are expected to be played as scheduled. This is the AHSAA’s only statement.”
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