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The Pike Liberal Arts School football team is forfeiting all of its 2024 wins due to playing an ineligible player in those games.

According to PLAS Headmaster Eric Burkett, the school received notification from the AHSAA about the decision on Monday.

“The AHSAA notified us yesterday that they had deemed one of our student-athletes ineligible for failing to complete a bona fide move,” Burkett said. “We are forced to forfeit any game in which he played, including a region win over Zion Chapel. That unfortunately knocks us out of the playoffs. We are disappointed in the outcome of the investigation, as our players and coaches have worked very hard this year. All six of the wins we must forfeit were won on the field, so our seniors will always have that.”

The AHSAA defines a bona fide move as “a student whose parents make a bona fide move completely out of one school zone into another.” The AHSAA rules also state that if a change of school precedes the bona fide move on the part of the parents, the student is ineligible until the parents make a bona fide move.

The AHSAA also takes a number of factors into the bona fide move rule. Those factors include, the household furniture of the family must be moved into an unoccupied house or apartment; all principal members of the family must reside in the new place of residence; the original residence should be closed, rented or disposed of and not used by the family; and nine months at the new residence is required to make a move bona fide.

The AHSAA’s bona fide move rule can be seen in full here.

As a result of the forfeits, Zion Chapel will move to fourth place in Class 2A, Region 3. Zion Chapel is currently tied with Calhoun with a 2-4 region record, but the Rebels hold the head-to-head tie breaker over Calhoun. Calhoun plays Highland Home – the No. 1 seed in the region – this week and Zion Chapel plays 1-7 Barbour County. If Zion Chapel wins, they will clinch the No. 4 seed on the playoffs.