Sumter County girls’ soccer team forced to forfeit their match against Westover

Published 5:59 pm Wednesday, February 16, 2022

AMERICUS – At approximately 4:50 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, February 16, Sumter County boys’ head soccer coach Michael Pepito, who is temporarily serving as the interim girls’ coach as well, told the Americus Times-Recorder that the Sumter County girls’ match against Westover, a game in which the Lady Panthers won on the pitch by the score of 12-6 yesterday, had to be forfeited because he was told that unbeknownst to him, approximately four SCHS players who participated in that match were ineligible to play.

Pepito told the ATR that unbeknownst to him, those four girls had been checked out of school when they shouldn’t have been. Pepito is currently serving as the girls’ interim head coach in place of head coach Rusty Oliver, who is recovering from an automobile accident. Pepito went on to say that he is checking over the roster to see who is eligible and who is not before the Lady Panthers head to Cordele on Friday, February 18 for their Region 2-AAA match against Crisp County.

Sumter County Athletic Director Coleman Price told the ATR that he will be checking in with the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) to see what exactly happened and how the situation can be rectified. Stay tuned to the Americus Times-Recorder for further updates.