A top-ranked high school football program in the state of California is fueling an ongoing transfer controversy. Orange Lutheran has forfeited two games due to the use of an ineligible player.
An anonymous tip sparked an investigation. The findings turned up rule breaking.
Orange Lutheran competes at Division 1 level in the California Southern Section. It is currently regarded as a Top 10 school in the area.
It came a game away from a state championship appearance last season after a 20-17 loss to St. John Bosco.
The Lancers hope to make a playoff return in 2025. With two games left in the regular season, however, a controversy has been sparked.
Orange Lutheran High School football was under investigation.
The Lancers had a player transfer into the school prior to the start of the year. Paperwork was properly submitted regarding a change of residence.
After being cleared to play, an anonymous tip forced a residence re-check. A two-week investigation determined the change had not been completed.
“We were made aware through CIF who presented to us that they received an anonymous tip that we think it is possible that one of (our) athletes is in violation of VCR (valid change of residence) paperwork. And we discovered through our investigative process some concerns.”
-Head of school Dr. Jack Preus
That probe came after the player was allowed to play in the regular season. The Lancers won their first two contests of the regular season. They will now count as losses.
Orange Lutheran will forfeit wins over Northwestern in Florida and Rancho Cucamonga. It is now 2-6 on the season.
Could it have playoff implications? The Orange County Register says the forfeitures will not impact the team’s ranking, only it’s record.
The forfeitures do not affect Orange Lutheran’s rating at HSratings.com, the website that provides ratings that the CIF Southern Section uses to place teams into playoff divisions and to seed them in those divisions.
On Tuesday afternoon, Orange Lutheran was No. 7 in the HSratings.com rankings of CIF-SS teams.
The top three finishers in a six-team league like the Trinity League are automatic qualifiers for the CIF-SS football playoffs. The other three teams can qualify as at-large teams if there are berths in their playoff divisions that have not been filled by automatic qualifiers.
It is believed that the Lancers will still compete in the postseason given strength of schedule.
California football programs continue to break transfer rules.
A number of issues have been discovered in recent years. Many have led to suspensions and forfeitures, with some more significant than others.
The most notable situation thus far came at Bishop Montgomery. The team was forced to end its season after upwards of 20 players had eligibility questioned.
A rogue booster was accused of guiding players to the school with impermissible benefits. The head coach was eventually fired as a result.
Bishop Montgomery is not the lone example.
More than 40 students this fall have been given penalties of two years without being able to play for violating CIF rule 202, which involves providing false information. In September, the Southern Section disqualified 19 players from the Bishop Montgomery football program for a total of 24. The school canceled its varsity season.
Players at Long Beach Millikan, Long Beach Poly, Compton, Victor Valley and Bellflower have also been hit with two-year penalties.
Two-year bans have been seen in past instances, though those involved falsified transfer paperwork. The Orange Lutheran High School football player will receive a one-year punishment as paperwork was correctly submitted. The change of residence simply wasn’t executed.
“As we are reanalyzing our internal process, do we have the ability to increase home visits, do we have the ability to have them come in and download documents firsthand, do we have the ability to have further interviews and conversations related to that?” said athletic director Karen Kekipi in hopes of preventing these situations in the future.
“Those are the steps we are going to take.”
The California high school transfer crackdown continues. Orange Lutheran was made the latest example.
The post Anonymous Tip Uncovers California Transfer Controversy At High School Football Playoff Contender appeared first on BroBible.
Anonymous Tip Uncovers California Transfer Controversy At High School Football Playoff Contender
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