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FHSAA cites Riverhills Chr. for use of ineligible players

By SCOTT PURKS

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 21, 2001

TAMPA -- Riverhills Christian must forfeit its lone victory this season and could suffer serious penalties for using 10 players who attend the charter school Pepin Academy, the Florida High School Activities Association said Wednesday.

Riverhills Christian athletic director Conrad Foss said the FHSAA ruling will be appealed because of a discrepancy in the reading of the rules.

"We understood that students from a charter school that doesn't have sports could participate in sports at another school," said Foss, who took over as Riverhills' athletic director one month ago. "That's the way we interpreted the (FHSAA) bylaws."

FHSAA associate commissioner Dan Boyd said playing students who attend another school was a "plain and simple violation of the FHSAA bylaws. You simply can't be a student at school Y and then go play at school X."

Boyd focused on FHSAA bylaw 11.1.1, which states: "In order to represent a school in any branch of athletics, a student must be a bona fide student of that school -- bona fide meaning one who is regularly enrolled and in regular attendance -- who meets, in addition, the requirements as set forth in other sections of this Article. In order to practice with a school in any branch of athletics, a player must be a bona fide student of that school."

When Riverhills received the FHSAA's ruling, the school faxed an immediate appeal to the FHSAA. A school board panel will make its final ruling Oct. 4 in Bartow.

"If the ruling is overturned then it would be unprecedented in the history of the FHSAA," Boyd said. "At the very least, (Riverhills) is going to have to forfeit any games they won, and they will have to write a letter of apology to all schools they played against with ineligible players.

"There also is the potential of a reprimand, potential of a fine and potential of probation from the FHSAA."

Former Riverhills athletic director Nick Stansberry, who works at Pepin Academy, could not be reached for comment.

Wednesday's ruling comes in the wake of Riverhills suspending two players, Julius Smith and Adrian Evans, who are home schooled but have been under an academic eligibility investigation by Riverhills.

Home-schooled students are allowed to play at public schools in their district or at private schools of their choosing.

Foss said his investigation has determined Smith is academically ineligible, while Evans' case remains open to questions.

Foss said Smith, who failed to reach the required 2.0 grade point average in Hillsborough County public schools, switched to a home-school program last year. But Smith also failed to meet the requirements of the home-school program.

Foss said Evans failed to meet the 2.0 GPA last spring at Chamberlain. But during the summer, Evans entered a home-school program where he might have raised his GPA enough to make him eligible this fall.

"But I'm checking and rechecking those rules," Foss said.

Another home-schooled student who plays football at Riverhills, Albert Daniels, came under scrutiny last spring while attending Riverview, where he failed to meet academic eligibility requirements.

But Foss said Daniels transferred to King for summer school classes where he raised his GPA to passable levels.

Foss did confirm that Daniels played basketball games for Riverhills last winter while still enrolled at Riverview High.

Daniels could not be reached for comment.

Riverhills Christian principal Warren Baucom said the school discontinued its baseball team last spring after he discovered it had players enrolled in public schools. Daniels' violation, however, wasn't discovered until this fall.

"Was there some abuse done by some adults at Riverhills in regards to sports? Yes there was," Foss said.

"Was there some abuse done by some students? Yes. Are we going to correct all those things? Yes we are.

"Some people seem to have the perception that Riverhills is a haven for ineligible athletes. Well that simply isn't the case. Nothing, in fact, could be farther from the truth.

"We're working to do everything according to the rules, and we are definitely going to get all of this straightened out."

Baucom said he's backing his new athletic director 100 percent.

"We're doing everything we can to make sure every student who plays here is legal," Baucom said. "We're doing a better job this year."

RIVERHILLS CHRISTIAN

WHAT: A private school with an enrollment around 100 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, including 35 in grades 9-12.

WHERE: 6310 Sligh Ave. E.

ATHLETICS: The school works with home-based school associations to fill out its varsity programs, which include football, girls and boys basketball, volleyball, cheerleading and track. Approximately half of the 30 players on last year's football team were home-schooled.

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