Cook to appeal forfeits; GHSA plans to fight court ruling

Cook High will make a final appeal today before the Geor- gia High School Association’s board of trustees to overturn five forfeits assessed to its football team.

The forfeits, announced Oct. 20, were temporarily restored to victories Friday by a Georgia superior court, which issued a restraining order. GHSA executive director Robin Hines said Monday the GHSA planned to appeal the court’s ruling unless the trustees move in favor of Cook today. Hines had no further comment.

The GHSA this month determined that Cook used an ineligible player, who was identified in court docu- ments as Kyree Fuller.

Fuller transferred from Lowndes High in January. One of Cook’s assistant coaches was on Lowndes’ staff for the 2022 season. GHSA bylaw 1.72 requires that a transfer student sit out a year he follows a coach to his new school.

The GHSA had approved Fuller’s transfer in August but later declared him ineligible when a rival school, Fitzgerald, notified the GHSA of Fuller’s connec- tion to the former Lown- des coach.

In issuing the restrain- ing order, Alapaha Circuit

Judge Clayton A. Tomlinson stated Friday the GHSA had no provision in its bylaws to punish an athlete or a team retroactively once the GHSA declares the ath- lete eligible.

With five forfeits, Cook needed to win its final three games — including an upset of defending region cham- pion Fitzgerald last week —

salvage its playoff streak that dates to 2000.

Cook is 2-0 since the forfeits were announced, includ- ing a 14-7 victory over Fitz- gerald.

If the forfeits remain victo- ries, Cook will win the Region 1-2A title with an 8-2 overall record and 6-0 in region play. If the forfeits are restored, Cook would need to beat Worth County (5-4, 3-2) on Friday and possibly wait out standings tiebreakers to be among the four playoff qual- ifiers.

“The situation in our program over the past weeks has brought us closer as a staff and as a team,’’ Cook coach Byron Slack said. Slack would not comment on specifics of the case. “I don’t know the actual process and what comes next,’’ he said. “I have turned the situation over to our administrative staff, and they will let me know the next steps to be taken. As a coach, I have to focus on getting our kids ready to play our next game.”