Blue Ridge Football Banned From Playoffs Over Ineligible Players

Blue Ridge High School's football team has been disqualified from the University Interscholastic League playoffs. This decision stems from the discovery that the team utilized multiple ineligible players during the season. A district executive committee member confirmed the ban to the Star-Telegram.

As a consequence, none of Blue Ridge's district games will be counted in the 7-3A Division II standings. This means that for the other teams in the district, games against Blue Ridge will be considered non-district contests. The Blue Ridge Independent School District addressed the issue by placing head coach and athletic director Jason Russell on administrative leave on October 5, following the initial discovery of eligibility problems.

Colton Croley has taken over as the interim head football coach, and Joel Zuniga is serving as the interim athletic director. The Star-Telegram sought comment from the school district regarding these forfeitures but did not receive a response. Previously, Blue Ridge ISD had stated they would provide further information as it became available. Without these forfeitures, the team would have held a 2-2 district record and remained in contention for a playoff spot in Class 3A Division II with two regular-season games remaining.