Wildcats drop three wins as WIAA rules transfer player ineligible

Archbishop Murphy High School football will lose three victories and be placed on one-year probation following a WIAA Executive Board decision issued Friday. The state athletic body confirmed the forfeitures after an appeal hearing held on October 29. The ruling drops the Wildcats from 6-1 to 3-4 overall.

The penalty stems from a player who transferred to Archbishop Murphy from Woodinville over the offseason. WIAA rules dictate that a transferring student is limited to sub-varsity play for one year if they participated in a non-school athletic team with coaches from their new school. The board found that involvement in a local 7-on-7 football program triggered this eligibility rule.

The ineligible player competed in four games for the Wildcats. Those contests included wins against Bellingham, Sehome, and Burlington-Edison. The program also lost to Anacortes during that span, a result that remains a loss on the record. The forfeitures remove the three victories from the Wildcats' season total.

In addition to the game adjustments, the WIAA Executive Board placed the athletic department on probation through October 29, 2027. The school's athletic director must complete further compliance training approved by the WIAA before the current school year ends. The board cited Handbook 28.2.5 for the probationary measures.

The initial investigation alleged that members of the football coaching staff encouraged players to enroll at the school to join the program. Both the player and the coaching staff were involved in a 7-on-7 team called the Wipe Me Down Boyz. The state board determined that this dual involvement was sufficient to apply the transfer ineligibility rule.

The decision arrived hours after the Wildcats defeated Lynden 35-14 on Thursday. The loss of three points changes the team's standing in the Northwest Conference 2A. Archbishop Murphy now sits at 2-4 in league play, moving them to sixth place in the standings.

The Wildcats have not played since October 8, when they beat Lynden Christian 24-17 in a non-league game. Sultan and Lakewood opted out of scheduled games on October 16 and 23 because the Wildcats could not find replacement opponents. Current conference rules allow bottom-ranked teams to avoid playing top teams.

Archbishop Murphy representatives could not be reached for comment before publication. The team currently sits one spot outside the postseason picture. If the program receives forfeit wins from the two opt-outs, it would move back into the playoff contention.