Mar 13, 2013 2 min read

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Attorneys for two high school football players accused of raping a 16-year-old girl after an alcohol-fueled party said hours before Wednesday’s trial that they expected the alleged victim to testify in the case, which has drawn international attention over allegations that more students should have been charged.

The case being heard in Jefferson County juvenile court in Steubenville has led to questions about the influence of the local football team, a source of a pride in a community that suffered massive job losses with the collapse of the steel industry.

Attorneys for Ma’Lik Richmond, 16, and Trent Mays, 17, deny the charges.

They sought to have the case dismissed after a judge in West Virginia rejected requests that the girl and two other juveniles from that state be called to testify at the trial in eastern Ohio. The judge reversed that ruling late Tuesday, the attorneys said.

It wasn’t clear why, and a copy of the ruling wasn’t immediately available from the court. A message was left for the judge’s office.

The juveniles’ testimony was expected to bolster the players’ defense against the charges.

Each teen is charged with assaulting the West Virginia girl, first in the back seat of a moving car after a party Aug. 11, and then in the basement of a house. Mays also is charged with illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material.

Witnesses said the girl was so drunk she threw up at least twice and had trouble walking and speaking. She was also photographed being carried by the two young men.

In an excerpt of a videotaped interview with ABC’s “20/20,” Richmond said the photo was a joke, and the girl was awake and was a willing participant.

If convicted, Mays and Richmond could be held in a juvenile jail until they turn 21. They have denied any wrongdoing.