WA High Schools Forfeit Games Because Opponent ‘Too Good’

On the heels of the Bellevue High school football cheating controversy, we thought we'd heard it all-until now.

After over a decade of committing dozens of infractions, ranging from fake player addresses, illegal payments to coaches, illegal recruiting middle school players, and using a diploma factory to prop up players grades, Bellevue was placed on probation and banned from the 3A state playoffs for two seasons. The biggest story in h.s. football in years.

But now from Northwestern Washington state comes a story about schools forfeiting to a common opponent because they're 'too big, too talented, and too good.'

Archbishop Murphy High School in Everett has been a perennial football power, and usually find it's way into the playoffs, even winning a few titles. This year, they're one of the leading 2A contenders. They went 12-3 in 2015, and were ranked 3rd in the early state polls. Only Prosser and Tumwater were ahead of them in the Seattle Times.

Now, the school has had three opponents forfeit their games to them, citing what Northwest Cable News called 'safety' concerns. The other schools, Granite Falls, South Whidbey and Sultan, cancelled their games saying the private religious school of about 500 students is too good. One of the schools said their lack of size prompted them to cancel, worried some players would be hurt.

WIAA officials say it's up to the Cascade Conference, where they play, to ultimately resolve the issue.

But opponents do bring up a valid point, which has been made in the past about other private schools. Because Archbishop isn't confined to a geographical district, like Kennewick, Kamiakin, Richland, Pasco etc, they're legally allowed to draw from a much wider area. Opponents say because of that, their roster is much bigger, has much more size, talent and skill., which many public schools cannot match. Under WIAA and Mid Columbia Conference rules here, if an athlete transfers for athletic reasons only (didn't geographically move, or academic issues) they have to sit out one full season in their sport.

The same arguments have been made over the years about O'Dea High School in Seattle, and Gonzaga Prep in Spokane. Both are private Catholic schools.  In some years, nearly half of Prep's roster was from nearby powerhouse Coeur D' Alene. The Bullpups are the defending Washington state 4A football champs. O'Dea is also a perennial power. Both schools, over the years, have been accused of recruiting kids who would have gone elsewhere.

A friend of mine I played football with at Whitworth University in Spokane grew up in California. He told me they faced the same problem there a number of years ago. Eventually the CIAA, California's equivalent of our WIAA, placed ALL the private schools in their own leagues, and they now have their own separate schedules, playoffs and championships. Not sure it would work here, because there's far fewer big private schools.

But realistically, the Archbishop opponents have a point. It's just too bad forfeits are being made. That hurts both sides. But then again, there's no fun in being waxed 60-0 either. Murphy has outscored the three teams they have played 170-0. Wow.