Foothill High School’s football team opened the season with seven wins in seven games—but after a CIF ruling, none of those victories remain on its record.
The California Interscholastic Federation determined that the Bakersfield-area school used two ineligible players, forcing the team to forfeit all seven games and lose its undefeated status.
Mike Biezard, Foothill’s athletic director, said the CIF had initially approved both players for competition. The school later received a letter from the governing body reversing that decision and declaring the players ineligible.
Biezard told ABC News that schools do not verify the addresses submitted by students; that responsibility belongs to the CIF.
He said the school still does not know precisely why the federation began investigating the players. It also remains unclear which eligibility rules the players and team were found to have violated.
Foothill kicker Rolando Correa criticized the decision, saying the punishment does little to help the students or the program.
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“I feel like it’s not right just to go to high schools and ruin their seasons. I feel like they should just let kids play ball,” he told the news outlet.
The ruling came after a similar case involving another Bakersfield school. Earlier this month, Garces Memorial High School was ordered to forfeit four of its five victories.
The CIF had previously cleared brothers Carter and Bryce Hanson Garces, who transferred from rival Liberty High School during the offseason, before later reversing that decision.
On Aug. 17, the CIF initially granted both brothers full eligibility, classifying their transfers from Liberty as a “valid change of residency.”
The federation later changed their eligibility designation from “valid change of residency” to “denied,” barring both players from competing for the rest of the football season.
Although the Rams had won five consecutive games on the field, the ruling reduced their official record to 1-5.
