Mater Dei forfeits season-opening win

Mater Dei forfeited its football win over Bishop Amat last week because it used an ineligible player in that game.

Mater Dei reported the violation to the CIF Southern Section on Wednesday morning.

According to a press release from Mater Dei: “The player in question was admitted to MDHS as a result of academic official transcripts which indicated that this fall season would be his seventh semester of high school enrollment. However, in the process of reviewing this student-athlete’s NCAA eligibility requirements, Mater Dei High School discovered additional academic transcripts from his native country (not the United States).

“These new transcripts indicate that this is actually the student’s ninth semester of high school enrollment, which makes him ineligible to participate in CIF athletic competition.”

Mater Dei declined to reveal the player’s identity or his class year, but the school’s statement shows that the player originated from another country and likely is a senior.

Mater Dei president Pat Murphy indicated that Mater Dei perhaps had been deceived.

“They were not the right transcripts,” said Murphy of the player’s first set of transcripts that were submitted to Mater Dei.

CIF high school athletes are allowed eight consecutive semesters of athletic eligibility.