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Chatfield football forfeits three games due to use of ineligible transfer

October 5, 2023

Chatfield football forfeited its first three games of the season, two of which were wins, due to the use of an ineligible transfer.

A senior receiver and transfer from a high school in Colorado Springs played in the Chargers’ first five games despite being ineligible.

The player sat in the Chargers’ win over Arvada West last Friday. He can’t play the next two games but can return for Weeks 9 and 10. The receiver, who is not Chatfield’s only high-profile transfer this season, is also now ineligible for the playoffs.

The receiver was ruled an athletically motivated transfer by CHSAA because he followed coaches from his prominent local 7-on-7 club, Team Full Gorilla, to Chatfield. Team Full Gorilla coach Joey Montez is affiliated with the Chargers even though he’s not officially listed as a coach in the program; Gregory Thomas, Chatfield’s pass-game coordinator and receivers/return specialists coach, is the head coach of Team Full Gorilla and is in his first year on Kris Rosholt’s staff.

Rosholt, Chatfield principal John Thanos and athletic director Darren Withey did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.

“It goes without saying that this negatively impacts our football team’s record and standing,” Thanos wrote in a letter to the community on Tuesday.

“Upon learning of the potential eligibility issue, we took immediate action, partnered with Jeffco Public Schools Athletics and CHSAA, and proactively self-reported the situation to CHSAA. Our quick and transparent approach played a significant role in lessening the disciplinary measures that were imposed.”

That likely factors into why Chatfield didn’t have to forfeit all five games in which the receiver’s played so far, and why the senior will be eligible again to play in the final two games of the regular season. According to CHSAA Bylaw 1800.4, any transfer deemed athletically motivated, including “following or fleeing a coach,” must sit out from varsity action for 365 days.

There is a sub-bylaw on “restricted eligibility” for transfers. Bylaw 1800.47 states CHSAA may grant “restricted eligibility” for seniors, which is what happened in this case, though the bylaw also explicitly notes “any transfer deemed to be motivated by athletic reasons (Bylaw 1800.4) will not be eligible for restricted varsity eligibility.”

On Monday, Montez voiced his disagreement with the receiver’s punishment, tweeting that the player is “a D1 level talent, who had the second half of his senior season taken away by CHSAA, due to no fault of his own.”

In the end, the discipline handed down by CHSAA indicates there was likely an internal discussion within the association, one weighing the cost of the punishment for the program and the individual athlete. A five-game forfeit, as called for by the letter of the bylaws, might have sunk Chatfield’s entire season.

The decision, and fine print of the bylaws, also indicates there’s some gray area in the issue.

Bylaw 1800.54 says that any games in which players “participated based on incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete or false information or fraudulent practices regarding eligibility status may be forfeited.” Bylaw 2400.2 is more definitive, saying “a student who does not meet all eligibility requirements is an ineligible participant and any game in which an ineligible participant participates shall be forfeited.” But there’s also verbiage in the bylaws allowing for appeals and modifications to forfeiture penalties.

In a statement to The Post, CHSAA commissioner Michael Krueger said “based on the information provided, the consequences were determined in accordance with our membership’s bylaws.”

As a junior last fall in Colorado Springs, the player in question had more than 1,200 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s has been one of the Chargers’ top players this year, and in his last game against Dakota Ridge on Sept. 22, he posted a 100-yard game. He’ll miss the Chargers’ next two games against Pomona and Lakewood, who are a combined 0-12.

Dakota Ridge head coach Ron Woitalewicz said he “doesn’t understand the ruling.”

“All I know is, it hurts us right now with our seeding index. We were at 11 and we’re sitting 16 now, because instead of losing to a five-win 5A team, I’ve lost to a three-win 5A team,” Woitalewicz said. “That has implications across the board. … And I’m for giving kids (second chances), but now this player is going to come back for two important games at the end of the season where there will likely be a league-championship at stake.”

As Woitalewicz noted, the Chargers’ forfeits will have ripple effects on the Class 5A RPI past the halfway point of the regular season. It dropped Chatfield to 19th in the RPI, while also elevating the RPI of Cherokee Trail (Chatfield’s vacated in-state win) and impacting the RPI of teams that played both programs.

And the two added losses by forfeit will likely make for a much tougher postseason road for the Chargers, who still have to face powerhouses Ralston Valley and Columbine in the final two weeks of the regular season. Unless Chatfield upsets both those programs, the Chargers could be looking at a first-round road playoff matchup against a top-10 team.

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Chatfield football forfeits three games due to use of ineligible transfer

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