PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) rejected a temporary restraining order Friday after the seeding of Mt. Hope High School's football team under its new playoff ranking system sparked controversy. The Bristol-Warren Regional School District (BWRSD) filed a complaint in Providence Superior Court Wednesday, accusing the RIIL of improperly classifying the Stafford/Somers/East Windsor (SSEW) football team from Connecticut, which affected Mt. Hope's playoff seeding. In the complaint, BWRSD sought a declaratory judgment and injunctive relief, arguing that the RIIL should follow its guidelines for evaluating games against out-of-state teams within the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) system. What's the RPI system? The Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) calculates team strength based on three factors: win percentage, strength of schedule, and opponents' win percentage. This system, widely used by organizations like the NCAA and NAIA, helps determine playoff eligibility and seeding. To kick off the Fall 2024 season, the RIIL transitioned to a new RPI system, which now essentially factors in the schedule strength of opponent member schools and is defined as: RPI = (.60 × Modified Win Percentage) + (.40 × Opponent Win Percentage) The RIIL said a major advantage of this system is not only the accuracy but also its transparency. On its "RPI FAQ" page, the league said the "components of the formula are known, and its results can be easily replicated." Regarding out-of-state opponents, the RIIL said they would be placed into a default division based on the following enrollment breakdown: 0-500 students = RIIL D4 school 501-1,000 students = RIIL D3 school 1,001-1,500 students = RIIL D2 school 1,501 students or more = RIIL D1 school Read RIIL's full RPI FAQ sheet below. The story continues below the PDF. RIIL-RPI-FAQsDownload ALSO READ: Westerly advances to girls D2 soccer final with win over Ponaganset Background of the complaint According to the complaint, Mt. Hope’s Oct. 18 game against the SSEW team — formed from three Connecticut schools with an estimated combined enrollment of 1,039 — required proper classification. BWRSD asserts that its Athletic Director, Christina Houghton Belisle, was unaware of the need to submit an "Out-of-State Opponent Sanctioning Form" by Aug. 1. On Sept. 23, Belisle allegedly called Tom Marcello, the RIIL Assistant Executive Director, who said the form could be filed late and still accepted. Belisle filed the form on Sept. 23, listing SSEW as a Division 2 opponent, per RIIL guidelines. Belisle later confirmed with Marcello that SSEW would indeed default to Division 2. However, Mt. Hope's RPI reflected SSEW as a Division 4 — not a Division 2 team — following their 20-17 victory over SSEW. The day after the game, Mt. Hope football coach Shane Parker emailed Marcello to ask if the RPI would be corrected or if SSEW would be reclassified as Division 4. Marcello responded, saying, "The RPI will be corrected." Despite these assurances, BWRSD claimed Mt. Hope's RPI remained unchanged. As a result, the teams' seeding in the RIIL Division 3 playoffs was directly affected, leaving them as the fifth seed. If the correction had been made to accurately represent SSEW's Division 2 ranking, Mt. Hope would be the first seed, according to the complaint. "This default designation of SSEW as a D4 school is contrary to the RIIL FAQs and its own assurances to the District. At no time has the RIIL pointed to any rule or regulation that would support D4 designation for SSEW," the complaint stated. Decision and appeal On Nov. 2, the RIIL informed BWRSD that the current RPI calculation was correct. BWRSD appealed this decision on Nov. 5, and after a hearing, the RIIL Principals Committee on Athletics denied the appeal in a 9-0 vote with four abstentions. "The RIIL's failure and refusal to comply with its own RPI provisions harmed Mt. Hope in that it negatively impacted its RPI and ultimately negatively impacted its seeding in the RIIL Division 3 football playoffs," the complaint stated. "The players and staff of the Mt. Hope football team committed themselves to each other and should be appropriately rewarded for its successful season if only through the full and fair application of the RIIL's RPI provisions." BWRSD sought a court order to designate SSEW as a Division 2 team, adjust Mt. Hope’s RPI, and reseed the Division 3 playoffs, arguing that the RIIL’s handling of the situation has unfairly impacted Mt. Hope’s successful season. These requests were rejected by the RIIL late Friday afternoon. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 12 Sports this Week SIGN UP NOW