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Florida High School Football Team Forfeits Season, Faces Two-Year Playoff Ban

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby:Lawrence Fernandez•11/02/24•

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First Academy - Florida High School Football
Cason Cherry of First Academy runs the ball during the game against Space Coast Friday, October 25, 2024. (Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK)

Orlando Sentinel’s Buddy Collings first reported that the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) found The First Academy (TFA) guilty of multiple rule violations. As a result, the Royals will be on restrictive probation until Dec. 20, 2025. That decision means forfeiting all their wins during this year’s Florida high school football season and embracing playoff bans in 2024 and 2025.

According to the FHSAA’s supporting report, TFA was guilty of reaching out to players unenrolled in their school, allowing unenrolled players to compete for them during summer tournaments, and offering ride-hailing services to players not yet enrolled.

In addition to these violations, The First Academy must pay $36,000 in fines and banned assistant coach Steven Moffett from coaching until Oct. 31, 2025. Earlier in the year, Moffett gave free lunches to four players and booked a ride-hailing service for an athlete.

TFA successfully appealed the sanctions for the incidents involving Moffett, resulting in lighter penalties. As for the forfeited season and the two-year playoff ban, the school is expected to appeal within ten days after the decision is finalized.

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The Royals won six consecutive games to start the 2024 Florida high school football season. However, they suffered a setback against Rabun Gap-Nacoochee before winning three more games. Based on Massey Ratings, they are ranked 49th in the Florida On3 State Rankings as of Nov. 2.

Their most impressive victories are their 42-7 demolition of Treasure Coast and a 48-3 road victory against Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy. Likewise, their 9-1 record is an improvement from their 6-4 mark from last season, which was coach Jeff Conaway’s first year with the squad.

Notable players on The First Academy roster include edge rusher Julian Anderson, a University of Pittsburgh commit, and interior offensive lineman Chancellor Barclay. They also have defensive lineman Alex Willis, linebacker Blaze Jones, and wide receiver Isaac Obrokta.