SAN MARCOS, Texas — Playoff dreams were dashed for the San Marcos High School football team after learning of a two-year ban issued by the District 27-6A District Executive Committee.

According to a San Marcos Daily Record report, John Walsh, San Marcos athletic director and head football coach, said the ban was due to “ineligible transfers.” Several players violated the rules and are unqualified for transfer for athletic reasons. The district has plans to appeal the DEC’s ruling to the University Interscholastic League, which overlooks statewide high school athletics.

“There’s an appeals process, we’re gonna go through the appeal process,” Walsh said to the news source, “and I trust the process… I told our kids we can [only] control what we can control and let’s make dang sure that if the ruling gets overturned we’re in there [and] that we’ve qualified ourselves for the playoff to get into it.” 

In the report, Walsh also said that the players subjected to this violation played on the same youth football team in middle school.

The ban would go into effect this season and end after the 2023 season, so even if the appeal is approved, San Marcos would still be out of the 2022 running for state champion.

San Marcos CISD Superintendent Michael Cardona provided the following statement in response to the matter:

“This message is on behalf of the SMCISD Athletics Department. Yesterday, August 24, the 27-6A District Executive Committee (DEC) made a recommendation to issue a two-year postseason ban on our SMHS football program,” Cardona said. “The DEC also recommended that multiple student-athletes be ruled ineligible for the 2022-2023 season with a second recommendation to ban the ineligible student-athletes for an additional two years due to allegations of recruiting. At no point did any SMCISD coach or staff member recruit any of the student-athletes that were ruled ineligible.”