New Bern to vacate 2022 football state title after reporting academically ineligible players
New Bern High School will have to forfeit its 4A football state championship it won last fall after reporting the participation of academically ineligible players to the N.C. High School Athletic Association.
Craven County Schools announced the decision from the NCHSAA on Monday afternoon.
In addition to forfeiting the state championship win, New Bern will have to forfeit all contests in which the ineligible players dressed to participate, and the program has been placed on probation for the 2023 season.
"We are deeply saddened by this news and know that members of our community are as well. We also recognize that this will have ramifications for many years to come," the school district said in a statement. "It is extremely important for our families and community to be aware that going forward we have put processes in place to monitor and confirm eligibility for our student-athletes so something of this magnitude never happens again."
Craven County Schools said people may have questions that cannot be answered due to personnel and student privacy laws.
The NCHSAA said it would not comment on the situation.
New Bern defeated Grimsley 40-28 in the state championship game at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill. The Bears rushed for 396 yards in the win, becoming the first team since Tarboro in 2017 to win a state championship without completing a single pass.
The championship would have been New Bern's fourth in school history, and the first since 2014.
According to NCHSAA rules, the state championship will be vacated. Grimsley will not be named the state championship retroactively, instead there will not be a 4A state champion for the 2022 season.
On its road to the 4A state title, New Bern dominated Sanderson in the first round 56-14, shutout Hoggard 21-0 in the second round, then survived a scare from Jordan in the third round with a 38-33 win. New Bern beat Rolesville in the fourth round 70-34, t hen beat Millbrook in the 4A eastern regional championship 35-27 to advance to the state championship game.
New Bern posted a 16-0 record in 2022, outscoring its opponents 721-192. The Bears finished No. 1 in the final HighSchoolOT Top 25 rankings.
