For the fifth time in four years, Dollarway High School has had to forfeit at least one win in its athletic program.
Dollarway self reported an infraction from a Jan. 17 home basketball game against DeWitt when Tracy Smith was inserted into the game as an ineligible player. Smith was ineligible due to grades, but the infraction was not discovered until after the game was played.
Dollarway’s run at a perfect 8-4A Conference record comes to an end. The Cardinals were 13-0 with one game remaining in the regular season. Their record now stands at 21-5 overall and 12-1 in the league.
Dollarway Superintendent Dr. Bettye Dunn-Wright said she has developed a program to prevent further infractions at the school. She said the infraction was simply a mistake and not intentional.
“We have an instrument in place to take care of this, to catch kids that are ineligible,” Dunn-Wright said. “We look to the leadership at the school to follow this plan.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
This is the third time since the 2008-09 season that the basketball team has been forced to forfeit games. Since then, the Cardinals were slapped with a five-game penalty in 2010-11. In addition to the basketball program, the football team has also been victim, forfeiting four conference games in 2008 and four games overall in 2011.
Dunn-Wright, who took over as superintendent in July, said her program, if used correctly, could help subside further infractions.
“It’s a foolproof plan,” she said. “We just can’t make these mistakes.”
All previous infractions have been confined to the boys athletic programs.
“It’s a breakdown in communication,” Dollarway boys basketball coach Ellis Berry said of the latest episode. “And I can’t say where it is. I don’t deal with those things.”
Dollarway athletic director Fuller Cherry noted the school handbook cites the head coach of any given team as being the responsible party and that Dunn-Wright’s program may have leaks.
“It must not be a foolproof plan if it fell through the cracks,” Cherry said.
He added that he would like to see the infractions stopped.
“I want to be part of the solution,” he said. “I don’t want this to happen again.”
Berry said his players were unaware of the forfeiture as the Cardinals prepare for postseason play.
“I didn’t say anything to the players,” Berry noted. “We are still going to win the conference outright and be the No. 1 seed. I just didn’t want (the players) to lose focus.”
Dunn-Wright has filed the necessary paperwork with the Arkansas Athletic Association and is waiting for a response before taking further action. She did not expect further disciplinary action from AAA though Dollarway’s repeat-offender status could catch up with the school.