Marietta's football team must forfeit all eight of its victories from 2017 after the GHSA found that two starting players attended the high school under false pretenses, the Marietta Daily Journal reported Monday evening, citing GHSA documents obtained via an open records request.
The GHSA began an investigation in May after complaints of recruiting, which has not been not proven, and ineligible players, which resulted in the forfeits, the newspaper reported.
The two players claimed to have parents who worked at the high school, which would’ve made them eligible to attend the school and play on the team under school district rules. The GHSA deemed neither transfer to be legitimate and that Marietta ‘’misrepresented the facts’’ on the transfer eligibility forms submitted to the GHSA. The school was fined a total of $1,500, and Marietta athletics director Paul Hall resigned in the aftermath, the MDJ reported.
Marietta reached the Class AAAAAAA quarterfinals last season, its deepest run since 1994.
The finish came in the second season under coach Richard Morgan, who was hired from nationally prominent Oscar Smith High in Virginia. Morgan’s career record is 175-32 with two state titles in Virginia. Since Morgan’s hiring, several players have transferred to Marietta.
The Blue Devils this season are expected to be a top contender. The team is led by Harrison Bailey, the consensus No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the country among juniors. He’s one of six Marietta juniors with four-star ratings. Marietta was ranked No. 15 nationally in a recent preseason poll released by MaxPreps.
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