California High School Football Team Forfeits 7-0 Season After Ineligible Players Ruled
The CIF reversed its initial decision, stripping Foothill High School of its undefeated status.
Foothill High School's football team has had its perfect 7-0 record stripped by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) after it was determined the team fielded two ineligible players. The decision forces the Bakersfield-area school to forfeit all seven of its victories.
According to Mike Biezard, the school's athletic director, the CIF had initially cleared the players to compete. However, the governing body later reversed course, declaring the students ineligible. Biezard stated that schools do not verify student addresses, and the responsibility for eligibility verification falls to the CIF. The specific reasons for the CIF's probe into the players and the exact eligibility rules violated remain unclear.
Rolando Correa, the team's kicker, expressed his dismay, telling ABC News that the CIF's actions were detrimental to the students and that "they should just let kids play ball."
This incident echoes a similar situation earlier in October, when Garces Memorial High School in Bakersfield was also required to forfeit four of its five wins due to ineligible players. The CIF had initially approved the transfer of two brothers from Liberty High School to Garces, citing a "valid change of residency." However, the federation later reversed this decision, deeming the players ineligible for the remainder of the football season. This ruling changed Garces' official record from 5-1 to 1-5.
