Howard forfeits win over Red Bank for ineligible player

Howard’s high school football program has been notified by the TSSAA that it must forfeit its Region 3-3A victory over Red Bank on Sept. 2 for playing an ineligible player.

The Hustlin’ Tigers self-reported the incident last week and received word from the state’s high school sports governing body Monday that they would have to forfeit the win and pay a $250 fine.

“It’s one of those things I have to accept responsibility for,” said Howard first-year coach John Starr. “I preach to the kids all the time about attention to detail, and this was something that I didn’t pay close enough attention to the details on and it cost us. I feel terrible.”

The player in question is a junior who had transferred to Howard from another school, and the credits from one of the classes he had taken at his previous school did not transfer, making him academically ineligible for sports.

Starr said he didn’t realize the mistake until weeks after the game, and he immediately notified the Howard administration and the TSSAA. According to executive director Bernard Childress, the TSSAA now considers the matter closed.

The forfeited game, a 28-13 Howard win, actually has little impact on the playoff scenarios for both teams. Red Bank, which now stands at 6-3 overall and 4-0 in 3-3A, hosts Notre Dame (also 6-3 overall, 4-0 in the league) this Friday with the region championship on the line. It also means that Red Bank’s only losses now are to stateranked teams Alcoa, Baylor and McCallie.

Meanwhile Howard is now 3-6 and 1-3 and travels Friday to Signal Mountain (2-7, 1-3) with the winner of that game claiming the fourth and final playoff berth. The loser is eliminated from the postseason.

“From that perspective, nothing really changes as far as what’s on the line in both games,” said Starr, whose team has won three of its last four games. “We knew the winner of our game is in, the loser is out, and the other game was for the region championship. I just hate that this mistake cost us a win on our record.

“I told the kids the goal of making the playoffs is still there. In life sometimes bad things happen, and sometimes it’s because of a mistake you make yourself. You have to move forward. It’s a life lesson for all of us.”