HS Football Team Forced to Forfeit Entire Season Over Ineligible Player

A high school football team in Georgia has been forced to forfeit all nine of its victories due to the use of an ineligible player. 

According to SI.com, the Stockbridge Tigers were recently crowned as the Region 2-AAAA champions under first-year head coach Kendrick Callier. The Tigers lost the state championship to Perry High School. 

The Tigers have now been forced by the Georgia High School Association to forfeit all of its wins over the self-reported use of an ineligible player. The Tigers appealed the association's decision but lost the plea. 

The situation centered around a player whose residence didn't meet GHSA's bona fide move requirements, which is a frequent cause of forfeits in high school sports. GHSA executive director Tim Scott said Stockbridge cooperated fully. 

Callier had already been wrapped up in a previous eligibility dispute with a former player at Cedar Grove, Bo Walker. Walker, a standout at Cedar Grove and a University of Georgia commit, was denied eligibility at Stockbridge this fall after attempting to transfer. 

GHSA rules state that student-athletes who transfer to follow a former coach must sit out for one academic year. Tuesday’s decision did not have to do with Walker, who has since transferred to Rabun Gap, a boarding school in North Georgia that is not affiliated with the GHSA.