Football: VHSL on Gar-Field Disqualification from Playoffs

(Nov. 18, 2011) - The VHSL office was notified Thursday by the Gar-Field High School administration that they had discovered a possible eligibility violation. Late Friday morning it was confirmed that a player had participated in three of the school's regular season football games, each of which would be forfeited. After recalculating the ratings, it was determined that Gar-Field would not have been eligible for post-season play.


Gar-Field appealed the forfeiture penalty, and a sub-committee of the VHSL Executive Committee heard the appeal by conference call. After reviewing all written materials related to the case and oral comments by school administrators, the committee voted 4-0 to deny the appeal.

VHSL By-Laws specify that "if a district representative is determined to be ineligible for regional competition after the completion of one or more contests in which the team is victorious, the most recent win will be forfeited to the losing team and that team will then proceed to the next round of competition."

Due to the circumstances surrounding the three forfeitures, and the By-Law provision, Gar-Field will not play C. D. Hylton tonight as originally scheduled. Osbourn High School will replace Gar-Field in the Northwest Region Division 6 Semifinal game and will play C. D. Hylton at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 21, at C. D. Hylton.

"This was an extremely difficult case to hear, especially considering the timing and the consequences of any decision resulting from the appeal," said VHSL Executive Director Ken Tilley. "It's important to note that Gar-Field immediately reported this violation to the League and cooperated fully to resolve the matter. Even though there were some extenuating circumstances that the school presented and that were considered by the committee, the ultimate ruling was based on the need to uphold the integrity of the rules requiring verification of a student's eligibility before he/she participates."