California high school football team forced to vacate wins over star players’ eligibility

A California high school football powerhouse has been hit with a stunning setback after two star players were ruled ineligible, forcing the team to forfeit four victories and turning its once-promising season upside down.

Garces Memorial High School in Bakersfield was stripped of four of its five wins after the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Central Section reversed its previous decision to grant eligibility to brothers Carter and Bryce Hanson, who transferred from rival Liberty High School during the offseason, according to KGET.

The bombshell ruling has left the high school team the Rams with a dismal 1–5 record, despite the team winning five straight games on the field.

At the center of the controversy is junior running back Carter Hanson, a highly touted college football prospect who has attracted offers from more than a dozen NCAA Division I programs — including UCLA, Arizona, Oregon and Texas Tech.

Hanson, considered one of California’s top 20 running backs in the Class of 2028 by 247Sports, rushed for 400 yards and five touchdowns in five games for Garces this season.

His older brother Bryce, a senior defensive back who has verbally committed to Southern Utah, recorded eight tackles and two interceptions during the same stretch.

But their impressive performances have now been overshadowed by an eligibility nightmare.

The CIF initially cleared both brothers to compete on Aug. 17, granting them full eligibility based on what was classified as a “valid change of residency” following their transfers from Liberty.

That approval was abruptly reversed Monday morning, when the Central Section changed both players’ eligibility status from “valid change of residency” to “denied” for the remainder of the football season.

The decision triggered a devastating chain reaction for Garces.

Under CIF Bylaw 202, the Rams were forced to surrender their victories over Tehachapi, Wasco, Fresno-San Joaquin Memorial and North high schools, converting all four wins into forfeited losses.

The brothers had participated in all five of the team’s non-league games.

Garces administrators had confirmed Friday to KGET that neither player would be allowed to take the field for that night’s home showdown against Bakersfield High School.

Despite the turmoil, the Rams managed to pull off a 20–16 victory without the brothers, securing their lone official win of the season.

The team’s only on-field defeat came against Santa Maria-St. Joseph in its August season opener.

The controversy centers on the CIF’s strict transfer eligibility requirements, which govern when student athletes can compete after switching schools.

Under Bylaw 202, all information submitted regarding a student’s eligibility must be “true, correct, accurate, complete and/or not false or inaccurate.”

The rules also warn of serious consequences for providing misleading or incomplete information.

“If it is discovered that any parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver or student has provided incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete or false information,” the student could face up to 24 months of athletic ineligibility, according to the bylaw.

California’s transfer regulations generally require students who change schools without a qualifying family relocation to sit out varsity competition in sports they previously played, although some athletes may qualify for a shorter sit-out period.

The CIF requires families and schools to submit documentation establishing eligibility, including information about residency and the circumstances surrounding a transfer.

However, officials have not publicly detailed what specific information prompted the reversal in the Hanson brothers’ case.

For Garces, the fallout is immediate — four hard-fought victories wiped from the record books and two standout athletes sidelined as the Rams prepare to face Centennial on Thursday night.

And while the team can still compete for wins on the field, its season has already taken a crushing hit off it.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters