The AHSAA

MONTGOMERY – Cedar Bluff High School’s varsity baseball program has been fined and placed on probation for playing an ineligible student in violation of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Enrollment Rule and Transfer Rule. Cedar Bluff Principal Torey McDaniel said he personally reported the violation to the AHSAA.

As a result, Cedar Bluff’s varsity baseball team must forfeit games in which the ineligible player participated. The ineligible student is assessed restitution for the contests he participated in while ineligible.

McDaniel said a total of four games were forfeited, but only one was an area contest against Sand Rock on March 3. Another forfeited game was in the first round of the Cherokee County Tournament on March 6, also against Sand Rock.

“We thought by Rule 1 of the Eligibility Rule the player was eligible, but he wasn’t because of the Exception 4 Home Rule several pages over (in the AHSAA handbook),” McDaniel said. “We self-reported because we wanted to do things right. We hope to finish the season strong and make the playoffs.”

Rule 1, Section 2 on page 24 of the 2024-25 AHSAA Handbook states in order to be eligible, a student (traditional or non-traditional) must be enrolled at the beginning of the semester as a regular student in the school that serves the area where parents reside and where the student will participate. The student becomes eligible immediately at the member school
that serves the area in which the student’s parents reside if all other requirements are met.

However, on pages 36-37 under the Exception 4 Home Rule, it states if a student attends a member school that does not serve the area where the student’s parents reside, the student
may return to his/her home school and be eligible following the last day of the school year or first day of school if all other requirements are met. If the change of schools is made after the school year has started, the student will not be eligible until the beginning of the next school year.

With the forfeits, Cedar Bluff’s record is now 9-7 overall and 3-2 in Class 2A, Area 13. The Tigers were scheduled to play a game at Weaver on Saturday, but that has been postponed due to the threat of severe weather in the forecast. A makeup date has not been finalized.

Cedar’s Bluff’s next area game is scheduled for Tuesday at home against Donoho at 4:30 p.m.

WEIS Sports Director Shannon Fagan also contributed to this report.