Dallas Covenant will find themselves facing a new opponent in the semifinals of the TAPPS state basketball tournament on Friday.
The Beren Academy (23-5) boys basketball team has forfeited their spot in the tournament due to their religious beliefs, according to a report by The Houston Chronicle.
The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) on Monday denied a request by Beren Academy, an Orthodox Jewish day school in Houston, to move the start time of their scheduled game from 9:00pm on Friday night.
The start time of the game conflicts with the schools observation of the Jewish Sabbath.
"It's disappointing. I've been here 10 years and I've always known where our priorities lie," Beren head coach and athletic director Chris Cole told the Houston Chronicle. "We were hopeful and optimistic going in that we could be able to do both — adhere to the religious beliefs here and play basketball."
Dallas Covenant will now face Kerrville Our Lady of the Hills, who was defeated by Beren Academy 69-42 last week.
"We were hopeful that they would be able to work with us, but we respect their decision," Cole told the paper. "It's never happened where we've played during Shabbat, and it will never happen. The kids know that, and the kids are fantastic at understanding."
The observation of the Jewish Sabbath keeps Beren from playing games from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday.
TAPPS is an organization that governs the the play private schools in the state of Texas and membership into the association is voluntary.
