Forfeits Put Antelope Valley Out of Playoffs

ANTELOPE VALLEY — Antelope Valley High forfeited three games and was removed from the Southern Section Division I football playoffs Wednesday for using an academically ineligible player.

Antelope Valley, ranked 13th in the state, will be replaced in the playoffs by Ridgecrest Burroughs, which finished fourth in Golden League play.

The Antelopes (8-2, 4-1 in league play) forfeited league victories over Highland, Littlerock and Ridgecrest Burroughs to finish 5-5 and last in league play at 1-4. Before the forfeits, Antelope Valley was second in the league and lost only to Bakersfield and Quartz Hill, teams currently ranked seventh or higher in the state.

Antelope Valley Coach Brent Newcomb told his team of the forfeitures Tuesday night.

“We have a saying, ‘Nobody loves a crybaby. Nobody,’ ” Newcomb said. “But when I had to tell the kids what happened, even the head coach started crying.”

Players were stunned.

“Shocked and depressed,” said Jermaine Lewis, a sophomore tailback. “It’s a real letdown for our team. I really feel for the seniors because they’re a great bunch of guys.”

Newcomb said the ineligible student, a reserve who played only in the three forfeited games, transferred from Washington state in September.

Newcomb said he received “written verification” from Antelope Valley administrators that the player was cleared to compete. As it turned out, the school determined this week that the player did not pass the requisite number of course credits at his former school.

Simply put, the player’s transcripts and paperwork somehow fell though the bureaucratic cracks, Newcomb said.

“Our kids took it real hard,” Newcomb said. “This was an adult thing and it was hard to explain to them what happened. . . . This was one of the best all-time teams I’ve ever coached.”

The Southern Section was notified of the ineligibility Wednesday by league representatives, section administrator Denice Thoman said.

Burroughs will take Antelope Valley’s place in the playoff bracket and will visit Fontana on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Quartz Hill will play host to San Clemente as planned and Palmdale will visit second-seeded Eisenhower on Friday.

Technically, Palmdale finished second in the league, Burroughs was placed in Antelope Valley’s berth in the bracket to eliminate last-minute adjustments for other Division I teams, Thoman said.

Golden League Standings

How Antelope Valley’s forfeits affected the final standings:

School League Overall Quartz Hill 5-0 10-0 Palmdale 3-2 4-6 Ridge. Burroughs **3-2 6-4 Littlerock 2-3 4-6 Highland 1-4 1-8-1 Antelope Valley *1-4 5-5

* Forfeited three league wins for using an ineligible player.

** Replaces Antelope Valley in Division I playoffs.