Among the decisions reached by the TSSAA Board of Control during this week’s summer meeting in Mt. Juliet was a denial of Central High School’s request that its football team have its playoff eligibility for the coming season reinstated.
The Purple Pounders opted to forfeit their game against Giles County in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs last year due to a rash of injuries that left Central’s roster with a lack of healthy players, prompting administrators for the school in Harrison to cite “safety concerns” as well as the cost (close to $5,000) for the 150-mile-plus road trip.
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Under TSSAA regulations, by choosing to forfeit a playoff game, Central was ruled ineligible for the postseason this year as well. The Board of Control upheld that ruling Tuesday, the first of two days for the summer meeting and when the most notable development was the vote to implement a 35-second shot clock for high school basketball games in a process that begins next season.
Central made the playoffs last football season despite going 1-9 overall and 0-3 in Region 3-3A. The Purple Pounders received a postseason berth because their region had only four teams. Under TSSAA rules, the top four teams from each region in each of the six classifications for Division I (public schools) automatically qualify for the playoffs.