Status of Grizzly standout unclear

GV head coach positive that CIF will clear transfer

The arrival of USCcommit DeGabriel Floyd boosted the already high hopes of Golden Valley football entering the 2017 season.

It’s still unclear, though, whether the Hawkins High of Los Angeles transfer will take the field for the Grizzlies this fall.

Floyd is ineligible for 18 months in all CIF sections after being ruled in violation of one of the “transfer rules” when he played at Hawkins, CIF Los Angeles City Section Commissioner John Aguirre told The Signal on Friday.

Aguirre said the violation of state bylaw 202 – which states that all information about a student’s eligibility must be accurate and complete – was self-reported last spring by Hawkins and the Los Angeles Unified School District after the district investigated Hawkins.

According to stories in the Los Angeles Times, an LAUSD investigation found that Hawkins fielded ineligible players during the 2016 season.

Hawkins was forced to forfeit wins from 2016

and was placed on two years probation.

Floyd, who transferred to Golden Valley for this his junior season, is currently ineligible in the Southern Section because he is ineligible in the City Section, according to Thom Simmons, the Southern Section’s assistant commissioner.

“If an athlete is ineligible in any section, that (decision) is honored by every section in the state,” Aguirre said.

The City Section ruled on Floyd’s status in late May, and Floyd missed the 15-day window to appeal, according to Aguirre, who added that information pertaining to the decision had originally been sent to Floyd’s address of record with Hawkins, and then was sent to a Canyon Country address.

Aguirre said the next step would be for Floyd to provide the City Section with an explanation for missing the deadline. Could an appeal then be filed? “I can’t say yes, I can’t say no,” Aguirre said. “It depends on the info the Floyd family brings.”

Contacted Friday, Golden Valley football coach Dan Kelley said that the appeal was being written and he was positive Floyd would be cleared to play football for the Grizzlies in 2017.

“It’s a time game,” Kelley said Thursday after a scrimmage at Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth. “… We’re not going to play him in a real game until he’s cleared. We’re not going to jeopardize that. We’re just waiting on word. They’re doing their job, and we’re being patient.”

Golden Valley opens its regular season Aug. 25 against Highland of Palmdale. The game is at Canyon High.