Amid forfeit of 11 games, Coyotes win on the field in emotional night over Golden Valley; Hart wins Foothill League, ripples sent down the standings.
Going into Tuesday’s matchup against the Golden Valley Grizzlies, the Castaic Coyotes were one win away from clinching this season’s flag football Foothill League title.
That was until Castaic head coach William Jones learned that the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section ruled that the program had to forfeit up to 11 games due to fielding an ineligible player.
When asked about the CIF’s decision, Jones told The Signal that the ruling was disappointing and that it left him and the team devastated.
“Our team, school, and community are absolutely devastated with CIF’s decision,” Jones said regarding the ruling.
According to the CIF’s transfer database, which is a public resource to access a school’s student-athletes’ transfer application, junior quarterback Hailey Hornberger was deemed ineligible with the Southern Section ruling on it Oct. 14. The exact reason for her ineligibility was not released.
Thom Simmons, who’s the Southern Section’s assistant commissioner, declined to comment further on the ruling as the decision involved “student privacy issues” and referred to the school for more information on the matter.
In a statement sent to The Signal, Castaic High School Principal Ben Wobrock spoke on the CIF’s decision and stated he and the program are already looking forward to next season.
“As every school in our district does, we take CIF rules compliance seriously,” the statement from Wobrock reads. “We are saddened for our team and community, as they have worked extremely hard this year, and the outcome does not diminish that. We look forward to next season and the future of our flag football program.”
Hornberger, who played for the West Ranch High School flag football program last season, transferred to Castaic High School for the 2026 season and did not play until Sept. 10, due to the CIF’s sit-out-period transfer rule.
The sit-out period, which generally applies to a student’s first transfer in high school, must include a mandatory waiting period for high school student-athletes who transfer schools without a valid change of residence or hardship waiver.
With the violation, the Castaic flag football program falls to a 6-14-1 record in overall play. And in Foothill League play, the Coyotes, who were one win away from clinching the program’s first-ever Foothill League title, fell to 3-8 and sixth in the standings.
With a below .500 overall record, and sixth in the Foothill League standings, the Coyotes remain out of contention for an automatic playoff berth.
As the Coyotes left Golden Valley High School on Tuesday with an 18-0 win, Jones instead chose to focus on the hard work his team displayed over the course of the season.
“The girls have had a long and emotional day,” Jones said. “They stepped up on defense with a ton of picks and were very opportunistic.”
After Tuesday’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Hart 18, Canyon 6: Following Castaic’s transfer violation, the Hart Hawks (16-9, 10-2) ended this season as the flag football Foothill League champions.
For the third-consecutive season, the Hawks are flag football Foothill League champions and won the title outright for the second time in their program’s history.
As for Canyon (9-6, 6-6), the Cowboys ended the season 6-6 in Foothill League play but remain three games above .500 in overall play with a 9-6 record and in contention for an at-large playoff bid.
Valencia 28, West Ranch 0: Following a shutout win over West Ranch (7-9, 6-5), the Valencia Vikings (12-10-3, 9-3) ended the season second in the Foothill League standings.
After Castaic’s forfeits, the Vikings remained in the top four of the standings for an automatic berth into the postseason. As for West Ranch, the Wildcats jumped to third in the standings and in line for an automatic berth.
Saugus: Although Saugus’ season ended last week on Thursday, the Centurions (10-8, 6-6) found themselves going from believing their season was over to having a guaranteed playoff berth following Castaic’s transfer violation.
Prior to CIF’s ruling, the Centurions were fifth in the Foothill League standings with a 4-8 record and below .500 in overall play. But with Castaic’s forfeits, the Centurions are 10-8 overall and 6-6 in Foothill League play and end the season with an automatic playoff berth.
Photos below from Castaic’s win over Golden Valley on Tuesday:
