JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – West Nassau has to forfeit its state-record upping 15th competitive cheerleading championship after using an athlete who didn’t meet the minimum requirements for the postseason during playoff competition last January.
The Warriors self-reported their use of an ineligible athlete on Feb. 6, and the Florida High School Athletic Association finished its investigation last week.
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The Warriors went on to win the medium non-tumbling division with 88.5 points to beat Baldwin (87.1), boosting its state-record haul to 12 consecutive and 15 total championships. As is the case in postseason brackets, the championship will be vacated and the following finishers do not move up a spot as a result.
According to the Warriors’ self-report, the student in question was a replacement for one of the team’s original members who suffered a season-ending injury last December. The school said it interpreted the replacement athlete was eligible because the required criteria for eligibility were met, and the team met the required number of minimum competitions to qualify for state. The athlete had been on the team in two previous seasons.
While the student did meet eligibility criteria to play sports, the athlete didn’t meet the minimum threshold to be on a team for the postseason roster. Minimum eligibility requirements to be on a postseason roster are four contests in competitive cheerleading.
West Nassau said it competed in a match on Dec. 20 with only 12 athletes instead of the required 13 on the mat due to an injury to one of its members occurring a day earlier. The replacement athlete took the place of the injured athlete in a Dec. 29 competition, just standing on the mat to fulfill the 13-athlete requirement and not competing in the routine. West Nassau turned in its final postseason roster on Jan. 6 which had the ineligible athlete on it.
Head cheer coach Samantha Beazley and athletic director Richard Knott communicated with FHSAA administrator of athletics Danielle Hogle on Jan. 23, the day of the state semis and final. In an email, Hogle said that since the ineligible athlete competed in regionals, “they are technically not eligible to participate here at State,” and any such awards or placements would be revoked.
West Nassau asked if it would be able to request a waiver for an athlete who was replacing an injured teammate. Hogle said a waiver like that wouldn’t typically be granted, and it would’ve needed to be filed before the regional competition. In an email on Jan. 23, Hogle said any such appeal for the situation would have to occur after the state championship meet. The Warriors went on to compete and won their 12th straight championship.
West Nassau has the right to appeal the decision. In addition to vacating its championship, the school was also fined $100.