Carol City football will have to forfeit two games after using ineligible players
The Florida High School Activities Association (FHSAA) did something nobody else has been able to do to the Carol City football team all season: Beat them.
Viewed widely as not only one of the best teams in South Florida but the entire state of Florida, the Chiefs got word from the FHSAA on Tuesday that their perfect 8-0 record heading into Friday night’s mega-showdown with Central at Traz Powell was no longer perfect.
A month-long investigation came to a conclusion when the state announced that, due to two ineligible players who played, the Chiefs would have to forfeit their first two games of the season — a 34-16 season-opening win over Plantation American Heritage on Aug. 24 and a 35-0 shutout over Columbus on Sept. 7.
According to a report released to the Miami Herald on Wednesday, the two players, whose names were redacted, were not cleared to play in pursuant to FHSAA Policy 17.3, which involves registration procedures for exchange and international students.
In addition to forfeiting the two games, Carol City will also have to pay a $200 fine to the FHSAA and will receive an official reprimand. According to the report, Carol City athletic director Xavier McCray self-reported the violation to the FHSAA.
Neither McCray nor head coach Benedict Hyppolite returned requests for comment by the Herald on Wednesday.
The only good news for the Chiefs is that both games were non-district contests so have no bearing on this Friday night’s district showdown with Central as the Chiefs will still capture District 16-6A with a win. But where it could have an impact is their overall seeding.
Heading into this week’s action, Carol City was one full point ahead of Palm Bay Heritage (41.88 to 40.88) for the overall No. 1 seed in Region 4. But the two losses, now leaving them 6-2, could drop them down. That won’t be known until next week when the new numbers come out following this weekend’s action which will include the Central game.
This story was originally published October 24, 2018 at 10:53 AM.