UIL Ruling Turns Amarillo High’s Winning Season Upside Down

We love ourselves some drama here in Amarillo, and my goodness did we get it this past week. Furthermore, it was football drama, and you know that sent it to completely different heights.

The drama revolved around Amarillo High School, and it was drama that had the potential to severely damage what had been a pretty successful season for the Sandies. Well, that drama did indeed materialize, and it did hurt their season...but not kill it.

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What Happened With The Amarillo High Football Team

Everything was wrapped around a potential ineligible player who had been playing on the varsity team this season. The player in question did not do anything wrong personally, and more than likely wasn't even aware there was a lingering issue.

There is paperwork that comes along with all that, and a clerical error was made at the beginning of the season. According to a statement from Amarillo ISD:

"The UIL has denied our waiver, which means that the Amarillo High varsity football team has been playing with an ineligible player most of the season. Unfortunately, the final steps in filing the appropriate UIL administrative documentation were not completed on behalf of the student-athlete before the start of the season. While this comes down to an unintentional, but ultimately consequential clerical oversight, we genuinely regret its impact on our student-athletes. We take UIL rules and regulations seriously. Going forward, we will work diligently to fortify our records procedures to ensure a mistake like this doesn’t happen again."

What Was The Final Outcome, & What Did It Cost AHS

After the UIL did some digging into the situation, they came to the conclusion that Amarillo High was indeed playing with an ineligible player during the season, and that six wins would have to be vacated. They did get to hang on to their win against Caprock as the player didn't play in that game. However, it took their record from 4-1 in district to 1-4.

Their game against Tascosa should've determined who was the #2 seed in the playoffs. Instead, it left them in a situation now where they needed to win just to stay alive for the playoffs. Fortunately, they won the game and made themselves eligible. However, there was still more drama.

A three-team coin flip had to take place due to a tiebreaker situation now, so even with the win, the Sandies weren't guaranteed a playoff spot. The coin flip between Amarillo High, Lubbock High, and Caprock took place at a Toot'n Totum in Plainview, and the Sandies came out on top, earning the fourth seed.