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Long Beach Poly will miss out on the high school football playoffs for just the second time since 1979. The Jackrabbits pulled out of the postseason amid a statewide crackdown on transfers in California.
This latest ruling, which is not singular, comes with extremely unfortunate timing.
A whistleblower likely sat on this information until the conclusion of the high school football regular season to ensure one of the top programs in the state would not be able to compete. The same exact thing happened with Norco earlier this week and now San Juan Hills as well.
As we have seen over the last few months, the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIFSS) is no longer turning a blind eye to illegal transfers. It recently started using new technological tools to verify information as complaints regarding some of the most prominent programs increase.
“We’ve had a real influx of fraudulent paperwork,” said CIFSS commissioner Mike West. “It’s been significant and very disheartening.”
A large number of these violations stem from Bylaws 202 and 510. Bylaw 202 refers to falsified documentation, which often involves a change of address that either does not meet the required guidelines for approval or simply did not happen. Bylaw 510 refers to undue influence, which typically involves the use of inducement during an illegal recruiting process.
Long Beach Millikan, Compton, Bellflower, Victor Valley and Orange Lutheran are some of the schools found to have ineligible players this season. Bishop Montgomery was hit the hardest, being forced to cancel the entire varsity season after 24 players were declared ineligible.
Norco High School was forced out of the playoffs earlier this week by a salty parent who snitched on her own son’s team. San Juan Hills was required to forfeit nine regular season games on late Friday night and will likely miss out on the postseason.
A nearby powerhouse received similar news at the same time.
Long Beach Poly is out of the playoffs.
The Jackrabbits have not missed the playoffs in more than four decades. They consistently rank one of the top teams in the state and in the country.
However, Long Beach Poly had six players retroactively ruled ineligible due to a falsified address change and chose to withdraw from the postseason on its own accord.
“Long Beach Polytechnic High School acknowledges the recent CIF ruling related to violations of CIF Bylaw 202 within its football program. In accordance with that ruling, and as part of an ongoing internal investigation, Poly will withdraw from postseason play. The school is fully cooperating with CIF and the District, as a thorough review of our processes and systems is conducted to ensure full compliance with CIF rules and District policy. While student and employee matters are confidential, our commitment remains to support our students while upholding the integrity of our athletic programs.”
The Jackrabbits were in second place prior to this ruling. Now they are out.