An Alabama high school football team will forfeit two games after the Alabama High School Athletic Association determined it used an ineligible player.
Maplesville, the defending Class 1A state champion, saw its 18-game winning streak come to an end, which had been the longest active streak in Alabama before the ruling. The AHSAA announced Wednesday, Sept. 16, that the Red Devils were fined and placed on probation for violating its eligibility rules. The news was first reported by AL.com.
Maplesville had started the season 3-0, but the AHSAA ruling strips the Red Devils of their victories against Isabella and McKenzie. The forfeitures move Maplesville to 1-2 on the season.
The eligibility issue was discovered by Maplesville on Sept. 6, according
to coach Brent Hubbert, who said the player had initially been listed as eligible in DragonFly, the AHSAA's data management system.
Hubbert said he noticed the player's status while making a separate roster change in the system. The school had not been notified that the player's eligibility status had changed, according to a Facebook post from Hubbert.
Once the issue was discovered, Maplesville reported it to the AHSAA. The association confirmed the violation was self-reported.
“We feel like our school acted in good faith and were up front about everything,” Hubbert told AL.com. “We understand all of it, but we do think there are some issues that need working on, and we are going to try to approach those in the best way we can.”
Hubbert is inching towards 250 career victories, adding three state championships to his resume. The AHSAA Hall of Famer is in his second stint as Maplesville's head coach after previously coaching at Jemison and T.R. Miller.
The ruling also changes the state's active winning-streak picture. Macon-East Montgomery of the Alabama Independent School Association now holds the longest active streak at 17 games, while Thompson, the reigning Class 7A state champion, has won nine straight with Alabama commit Trent Seaborn leading the offense.
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow USA TODAY High School Sports on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alabama high school football team forfeits games, ending state's longest win streak
