Dougherty High School fined by GHSA

ALBANY — Dougherty High School has been fined $750 by the Georgia High School Association and will have to forfeit 16 boys basketball games due to the enrollment of a migrant student who did not meet residency requirements, the Albany Herald learned Monday.

According to Dougherty Assistant Superintendent for Support Services Jack Willis, the player’s family allegedly used a false address to gain admission to Dougherty High School.

“The kid was out of zone and was not eligible,” Willis said. “The reason we were there to begin with is because the kid’s mother didn’t tell the truth. When she filled out the transfer application, her response to a question that asked if the student participated in athletics, she marked no.”

All games the player participated in prior to Jan. 13, the date the allegation was discovered by Dougherty County School System administrators, had to be forfeited. The player in question did not play in games after Jan. 13.

“It’s a big blow for our program,” Dougherty High School athletic director Harley Calhoun said. “But we have to pick ourselves up and keep moving forward.”

Willis said he wasn’t surprised that the GHSA made Dougherty forfeit 16 games, however, he was surprised that the fine was so steep.

“We knew up front we were going to have to forfeit some games, that’s just a given regardless of the excuses or reasons,” he said. “The fine is stiff. The school system didn’t have a liability based on the application from the student’s mother.”

With two weeks left in the regular season, the Trojans face a a tougher battle to make the state basketball tournament. Because of the team’s forfeits, the Trojans will be a lower seed and will have to fight their way through the region tournament play-in games.

Following the recent misconduct involving the Westover boys basketball team, Willis said he’s concerned about the school system’s boys basketball programs.

“The school system has had enough,” he said.