A report recently surfaced that the Appling County High School football team has been forced by the GHSA to forfeit its entire win total and region title from the 2024 season. The Appling County School System issued a statement to ITG Next that provides insight into the events that led to the GHSA’s decision, which involved a total of three athletes and their eligibility status.
Dr. Janet Goodman, the Appling County Schools superintendent, gave this statement on behalf of the Appling County School System: “The Appling County School System respects the decision by the Georgia High School Association (GHSA), but it is very disappointed for all the students involved in the football program.
“GHSA initially approved three students for enrollment prior to their involvement in athletics at Appling County High School.
“After the football season was completed, GHSA reversed itself and made a decision, based on allegations made by neighboring coaches and individuals connected with those coaches, to suspend the athletic eligibility of these three Appling County students.
“As part of that initial decision, GHSA fined Appling County High School and mandated forfeiture of all games in which the ineligible players participated.
Appling County High School appealed GHSA’s initial decision and, reversing itself again, GHSA rightfully restored the eligibility of two of the students.”
Despite a reversal on two of the three players’ eligibility in the favor of Mullis and Appling County, the third student’s eligibility was not restored, which turned out to be the deciding factor in the football team’s forfeiture of the 10 wins and region championship from the 2024 season.
When asked for a comment on the situation, Appling County head football coach Jordan Mullis directed all questions to Goodman.
Mullis was promoted to the position of head football coach in 2021 after serving as Appling County’s defensive coordinator for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
He led the Pirates to a 12-2 season and the Class 3A semifinals in his first year as head coach in 2021. In 2022 he led Appling County to an 11-2 season, including a region championship and a trip to the Class 2A semifinals, followed by a 9-3 record in 2023, during which they reached the second round of the Class 2A playoffs.
Last season he led the Pirates to a region championship and their third semifinals appearance in his four seasons as head coach. Appling County lost in the semifinals to eventual state champion Carver-Columbus. The wins and region championship from last season will now be vacated, however, with Pierce County now being crowned region champ for the 2024 season.
ITG Next will continue to provide details on this story as they become available.
