Ipswich boys’ lacrosse players, parents say cigars were tobacco-free, dispute discipline that led to semifinal forfeit
Players and parents are challenging the decision that left the Ipswich High School boys lacrosse team unable to compete in Tuesday’s state semifinal, saying the cigars at the center of the controversy contained no tobacco and that school officials have refused to explain how they decided on the discipline.
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The Ipswich boys’ lacrosse team forfeited Tuesday’s Division 4 semifinal against Cohasset after a group of players were ruled ineligible following a graduation-day incident involving cigars. The chemical health policy prohibits student athletes from using tobacco, alcohol, and certain other substances during their season.
But students and parents contend the cigars were homemade and filled with tea leaves rather than tobacco.
“We knew we couldn’t obviously smoke the tobacco in [a real} cigar,” said Christian Gianakakis, 18, a senior on the team.
“We still all wanted photos with the cigars,” he said. “It’s tradition.”
Christian’s father, John Gianakakis, said he created the cigars himself so Christian and his friends could take part in a graduation tradition without using tobacco. He said the cigars were made using chamomile tea and other non-tobacco materials wrapped in emptied cigar wrappers.
“I just wanted the kids to have their time,” John Gianakakis said. “They were excited about it.”
MIAA officials said the investigation and disciplinary decision were handled by local school administrators. On Wednesday, MIAA Executive Director Bob Baldwin said the association did not make the decision that ultimately left Ipswich without enough eligible players to compete.
In an interview on WEEI, Baldwin said the MIAA became aware of a picture showing what appeared to be students smoking cigars, but he said the investigation and any resulting discipline were handled by the school district.
“We did not get involved at all in that decision,” he told the radio station.
Christian Gianakakis said several seniors gathered at Pavilion Beach after Sunday’s graduation ceremony and posed for photographs with the homemade cigars prepared by his father.
The next morning, after learning school officials were investigating a photograph that had circulated on social media, John Gianakakis said he went to Ipswich High School and met with Principal Jonathan Mitchell.
Gianakakis said he explained how the cigars were made and that he sought advice from a cigar shop in how to make non-tobacco cigars after being unable to find novelty cigars in time for graduation.
According to Gianakakis, Mitchell called the cigar shop during their meeting and spoke with an employee who confirmed receiving a call about making tobacco-free cigars.
After the call, Gianakakis said, Mitchell appeared satisfied.
“He looked at me and said, ‘The boys are cleared to play,’” Gianakakis recalled. (Gianakakis’s account could not be independently verified.)
Gianakakis said he later recovered one of the discarded cigars from the beach and provided it to school officials.
Gianakakis said six lacrosse players who appeared in the picture were suspended from playing. He said three additional players were later ruled ineligible after school officials reviewed separate social media posts.
The final decision came roughly four hours before the semifinal match Tuesday, according to players and parents.
“We were about to get on the bus … Everyone thought the game was happening,” Christian Gianakakis said.
Instead, their season was suddenly over, leaving Cohasset to advance to the state championship game following the forfeiture.
“It was just a mix of emotions: mad, sad, confused,” Gianakakis said. “We spent all this time playing throughout the years, and it came down to our biggest year ever, senior year, and it just came to an end.”
The fourth-seeded Tigers finished 14-4 and advanced to the Final Four with tournament victories over Tyngsborough, Lunenburg, and Winthrop.
Cindy Cedrone, whose son is a sophomore on the team, said many parents remain confused about how the investigation was conducted and whether the evidence presented to school officials was fully considered, which some parents cite as the latest in a series of frustrations with school administrators.
“There was no true investigation,” she said in a phone interview Wednesday.
Cedrone and Drew Wile, who also has a son on the team, described the lacrosse community in Ipswich as tight-knit, with many members of the high school team having played together since they were young children.
Wile said many of the seniors believed this year’s team was capable of winning a state title.
“This was their year,” he said.
Cedrone said players regularly volunteer with younger athletes and help run youth lacrosse programs in the community.
“These kids are very civic-minded,” she said. “They’re truly the kind of kids you want to have.”
Superintendent Brian Blake declined Wednesday to answer questions about who made the eligibility determination, whether administrators concluded the cigars contained tobacco, or whether evidence presented by parents was considered.
Blake responded to those questions by referring to a previously released statement on the school’s website.
“Ipswich High School was very excited to have its boys lacrosse team advance to the Division 4 State Semifinals that was scheduled for Tuesday evening at 6 p.m.,” the statement said. “The team and coaching staff decided that due to the shortage of available players that it was in the best interest of the team to forfeit the game.”
Mitchell did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment seeking his account of the investigation, the conversation described by John Gianakakis, or his role in the eligibility decision.
Messages were also left with the school’s athletic director and members of the school committee seeking comment.
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