NM Football Team Forfeits Game Over Ineligible Player, AD Resigns

If the Capital High football team is to rise back to a position of relevance, it will have to do so by clearing an additional hurdle.

On the heals of a thrilling season-opening win over Socorro this past Friday night, it was discovered early this week that the Jaguars had used an ineligible player during the contest, resulting in a Capital forfeit.

Santa Fe Public Schools athletic director Kim Loomis accepted blame for the incident and resigned from her post Thursday afternoon.

"A student-athlete was permitted to play in the game Friday night at Capital, and I had no knowledge he was a transfer student," said Loomis, who was hired in August of 2011 to oversee eight schools, including both Santa Fe and Capital high schools.

"And when I reviewed the case Tuesday morning, I found that he was not academically eligible and wasn't cleared by the (New Mexico Activities Association) and therefore we had to self-report. ... I then let my boss and the administration know that at no point did I know we had a transfer student - or that he was declared a transfer student.

"But this is nothing new, the buck stops with me and I am ultimately accountable."

SFPS spokeswoman Latifah Phillips declined comment on Loomis' resignation, citing that it was a personnel matter.

Phillips did say that a search for a new athletic director will begin immediately, and Capital football coach Bill Moon will assume some of Loomis' responsibilities until a permanent director is hired.

Moon told his team of the forfeit during a team meeting earlier this week.

"They took the news as well as one might expect - you've been hit in the gut by Mike Tyson," he said. "But this team has had so much bad news the past four years that they eat it for breakfast.

"... They took it. They're tough kids, and nothing will erase the character they showed Friday night, and nothing will the heart they showed. That's all behind us now."

Moon said the student-athlete in question can become eligible after a nine-week period, but declined further comment.

None of the district or school officials would identify the transfer player for publication, but his absence from the squad will become obvious at the Jaguars' next game Sept. 12 at Albuquerque Valley High.

NMAA spokesperson Dusty Young confirmed that Capital's win will be vacated, resulting in a 1-0 victory for Socorro. Young also declined further comment, citing the privacy of the student-athlete.

Loomis is a native of St. Louis. She is the former AD at University City High School (St. Louis), and has an administrative education degree from of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, a secondary educationdegree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and physical education and athletic training degrees from Southwest Missouri State University.