North Carolina high school to forfeit wins across eight varsity teams
Reidsville High School Faces Mass Forfeits Over Athletic Eligibility Violations
Eight Reidsville High School varsity sports teams face forfeitures after the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) discovered multiple athletes competed without proper medical documentation.
A Cascade of Consequences
The NCHSAA revealed that athletes in varsity volleyball, men's and women's tennis, women's basketball, men's wrestling, men's swimming, and men's and women's track and field participated in contests despite lacking updated physicals and medical participation forms.
This means a total of 45 matches will be forfeited across the affected teams. The women's basketball team loses four matches, while men's tennis forfeits two. Women's tennis sees four match forfeitures and volleyball five. The swimming team must forfeit its results in three events: the 200-meter freestyle, 200-meter medley, and 400-meter freestyle relay during regionals.
Internal Review Exposes Lax Oversight
According to a Facebook post by Rockingham Update, the ineligible athlete numbers vary across sports. There are four in women's basketball, three in men's wrestling and swimming, six in men's tennis, two in women's tennis, two in men's track and field, seven in women's track and field, and five in volleyball.
Rockingham County Schools (RCS) brought in retired Guilford County Athletics Administrator Leigh Hebbard to conduct a comprehensive review of participation records. His findings confirmed athletes participated in contests despite expired or missing physicals, with documentation missing in some cases.
Resignations and Probation
Athletic director Joe Walker resigned from his position after initially being placed on probation. Head coaches of the affected teams will also be on probation for the 2025-26 season and won't coach the first game of their respective seasons.
Junior varsity baseball, football, men's and women's basketball teams are also affected by forfeitures, losing between four to twelve games each.