http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/022807dnspohpwrestle.39f60bc.html#
HP to forfeit state wrestling title
School reports ineligible athlete competed; 3 others also noted
02:47 AM CST on Wednesday, February 28, 2007
By KEITH WHITMIRE / The Dallas Morning News
Highland Park will have to forfeit its co-state championship in boys wrestling after discovering an ineligible wrestler competed in last weekend's UIL state tournament.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the Highland Park school district said it has self-reported the wrestler, a boys soccer player, a girls soccer player and an academic decathlon participant who competed while ineligible last weekend. None of the students were identified.
Highland Park athletic director Randy Allen said the athletes were ineligible as of 3:30 p.m. Friday, the end of a six-week grading period, because of incompletes given in courses.
Allen said last Friday's victories by the soccer teams will be forfeited in addition to the points accumulated by the ineligible wrestler at the state meet. Highland Park tied Katy Cinco Ranch for the boys wrestling title with 78.5 points.
Wrestling coach Tim Marzuola said he was upset when he learned of the oversight Monday. Although he could have allowed the ineligible wrestler to compete in Friday's preliminary rounds, Marzuola said he regrets that an alternate wrestler from another school did not get the chance to compete at state instead.
"The bottom line is I'm the guy who's responsible for making sure that my kids are eligible before they compete," Marzuola said.