Ridge View football might have to forfeit all its wins over player eligibility ruling
Ridge View High School’s football season is in jeopardy.
The South Carolina High School League’s Executive Committee voted 9-4 on Friday to uphold sanctions levied against the Blazers’ football team.
Ridge View — which has an 8-1 overall record — could be forced to forfeit those eight wins because an investigation showed the Blazers played this season with three ineligible players. A final decision is pending another appeal by the Blazers.
Friday’s meeting revealed that Richland 2, which is Ridge View’s school district, submitted their own findings to the SCHSL on Wednesday that said the Blazers had played with ineligible players. That move prompted the sanctions and Friday’s first appeal. The three players were not named.
“We had three students that were ineligible that participated, and by rule there is a ($500) fine for that and forfeit for games they participated in,” SCHSL commissioner Jerome Singleton said.
The league announced that an investigation showed the three ineligible players did not have an official change of address to be eligible to play for the Richland 2 school.
“Ridge View claimed the bona fide change of address did occur,” Singleton said.
John Alphin of Strom Law Firm, the attorney for the Ridge View players on Friday, told reporters that another appeal will be made to the SCHSL appellate panel. A final ruling will come from that appellate panel meeting that’s set for 10 a.m. Monday.
A temporary injunction was going to be filed so that the three players could play Friday night, Alphin said.
“Ridge View High School remains confident that these players are eligible and will make sure we we do anything to take any appellate action to make sure they are found eligible,” Alphin said. “They will continue to play as they are found to be eligible.”
A Richland 2 spokesperson declined to comment on the matter until after Monday’s appeal is heard.
Friday’s decision and the pending second appeal will have a big impact on Class 4A’s postseason and the S.C. playoff brackets that are set to be finalized Saturday. The playoffs begin next week.
Ridge View has to win Monday’s final appeal in order to be eligible for the postseason, per S.C. rules regarding forfeited games.
“We knew there was a sense of urgency because we have games and wanted to address it,” Singleton said.
The meeting happened in the hours before Ridge View’s biggest game of the season. The Blazers play A.C. Flora at 7:30 p.m. Friday in what was supposed to be for the Region 5-4A championship.
Ridge View is ranked No. 6 in the statewide media poll for Class 4A and No. 4 overall in The State’s latest Power Rankings of local teams.
This story was originally published October 28, 2022 at 2:16 PM.
