UHSAA votes to make forfeitures mandatory

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Cottonwood Heights • The Utah High School Activities Association has taken the penultimate step toward altering its by-laws in hopes of avoiding the confusion and outrage that arose last fall after two high school football teams received different sanctions for playing ineligible players.

"The idea here is if you play an ineligible player, you are going to forfeit the contest," UHSAA assistant director Bart Thompson said.

The UHSAA's Board of Trustees voted Thursday in favor of eliminating exceptions and making forfeiture mandatory. The issue now will go to the association's member schools for a final vote. Fifty percent of the schools must approve the changes for them to take effect next fall.

Timpview High School was forced to forfeit all games in which it had used an illegible player last season. East High, meanwhile, was ordered to forfeit six out of seven of its wins with ineligible players in the lineup.

UHSAA trustees also voted Thursday to remove a step from the association's appeals process. Appeals no longer first would be heard by regional managers. Appeals instead would go straight to the Executive Committee.

- Aaron Falk —