After the CIF Southern Section denied the transfer requests by three Nogales football players making them ineligible, the Nobles took the next step and forfeited the three games that two of the players participated in, a source confirmed for the Southern California News Group on Tuesday.
Nogales informed Sierra Vista, Wilson and Pomona on Tuesday that it would be forfeiting the games — all wins by the Nobles — against those teams. Nogales’ overall record is now 1-5.
Quarterback Sebastian Lopez, a transfer from Adelanto, and Kelvin Shepard, a transfer from New York, had their transfer requests denied Monday by the CIF-SS, making them ineligible for the rest of the season.
The CIF-SS did not give a reason for denying the transfer requests.
Shepard did not participate in the Nobles’ first game, but was cleared in the transfer portal for a valid change of address prior to the team’s game against Sierra Vista. He was still listed as cleared for the Nobles’ next two games, against Wilson and Pomona.
Shepard was then placed in “under review” status prior to Nogales’ game against Rowland on Sept. 22. He did not play in that game and did not play in last week’s loss to Hoover.
Lopez was never cleared and did not participate in any games.
Nogales came under fire for how it handled a third transfer player, Camryn Higgins, a senior from St. Pius X-St. Matthias.
Higgins did not play in the Nobles’ first game while he waited for his transfer request to be approved. Higgins was granted a valid change of address transfer by the CIF-SS before the Nobles’ second game, against Sierra Vista. He played in that game and the following week against Wilson.
However, Higgins was placed in “under review” status prior to Nogales’ game against Pomona on Sept. 14, but the school allowed him to play anyway, and the Nobles won the contest 51-13.
Nogales coach Gus Martinez said he had support from the school’s principal, Scott Cavanias, and the athletic department when he allowed Higgins to play although his transfer was listed as “under review.”
Martinez said the “under review” status is “very vague” but many other coaches and athletic administrators told SCNG the rule is clear. Being “under review” made him ineligible to play.
A week later, just hours before Nogales’ game against Rowland on Sept. 22, Higgins’ transfer request was denied.