Wow, lots of high school scandals recently. Harsh punishments were doled out for a couple of schools who deserved a punch in the face for being complete douchbags in order to win a few more games a year, and one school that I’d say got completely screwed.

Hoover High School

Anyone who watched at least one episode of MTV’s Two-a-Days could probably tell that Hoover High and head coach Rush Propst had at least a few things going on behind closed doors to help keep their program going. Turns out it was more than a few.

There’s a more intriguing script - the 68-page report about academic and athletic improprieties at Hoover (Ala.) High.

It mentions grade changes for star athletes without a teacher’s consent, a football coach with a second family and even spying.

Not only that, the report says that coach Propst has a secret second family he supports with his $92,000+ annual income. If you ask me, they nixed this show way too early; this stuff is way better than the writers of Friday Night Lights could ever try to make up.

I kind of, sort of feel bad for the kids in this one, but there is no convincing me that the kids and parents on the team didn’t know about most of what was going on. Even so, there’s going to be some sacrifices made by undeserving students and that’s all on Prospt’s head.

• Report finds troubles in Hoover (Ala.) program (AOL)

Franklin High School

This one is not quite as good as the last, but just as serious. Franklin HS in Stockton, CA was getting kids from American Somoa to come play for them. If that’s not screwed up enough, after they got caught and were told that the players were intelligible, they went ahead and played them anyway.

The California Interscholastic Federation Sac-Joaquin Section’s board of managers handed out the harshest sanctions ever against a school after Franklin administrators and coaches allowed three ineligible football players from American Samoa to play in a game Friday against Tracy High.

“We have never had a situation where players have been declared ineligible and then a school decided to play them anyway,” said Rick Spears, president of the section board and principal at Colfax High.

Wow, how New England Patriots of them: be told it’s illegal and do it anyway. How much attention do ya think Belichick would pay to the rules if they canceled the ‘09 season for the Pats? I guess it’s a good thing that HS administrators have more balls when it comes to punishment than the NFL, but the Juniors on that team got royally screwed, and I hope they are allowed to transfer.

• Stockton’s Franklin High loses two football seasons (Sacramento Bee)

Archbishop Murphy High School

The last one is the one that is definitely not black and white. In my opinion, although I know why the rule is in place, and why the rule is important, a lot of kids got royally screwed sideways on this one. I think some other punishment could have been figured out on this one like probation and voluntary reporting back to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.

In a conference phone call Friday, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Executive Board upheld the decision of the WIAA District Directors Appeals Board, WIAA Northwest District Board and the Cascade Conference that required Archbishop Murphy to forfeit regular-season games as well as their Cascade Conference championship. The school’s administration self-reported that a player participated in varsity football competitions without having the proper physical examination required by WIAA rules.

Again, it’s an important rule… but are you serious? The team loses their perfect season and shot at the state title because one kid did not get his pre-season physical? That one’s on the Athletic Director of the school and it’s being taken out on the entire team. This is total crap in my opinion and I would have just reported on my disgust for this ruling but I think when you put it in the light of the things happening around the country, the ruling looks ridiculous.

Really, I think that some of these rulings have to shed some light on the whole team sport punishment process when they have ineligible players. Let’s say that Reggie Bush took money. Now his entire team gives up their National Championship, Pac-10 championship, and wins because they had one douchebag teammate only thinking of himself? Furthermore, this was the kid’s parent. So now you are telling me that if a superstar’s parents are selfish enough to take money, the entire team loses out?

That’s bullshit in my opinion, and in my opinion the WIAA also owes each and every student-athlete on that Archbishop Murphy team a face-to-face explanation about why their season is now suddenly over after going undefeated; explain face-to-face that one student’s lack of a physical exam means that the entire team loses out; explain face-to-face why one or two adult’s mistakes are then taken out on kids.

I mean really, in all of these situations, who are the adults and who are the kids?… and why are the kids being punished for the adults’ mistakes?

A better way has to be out there. It just has to.

• Prep Football | Ineligible player forces Archbishop Murphy out of playoffs (Seattle Times)