Central California Football Team Forfeits Victories Due to CIF Violations

Two Garces Memorial football players who were initially deemed eligible to start the season were later deemed ineligible due to falsified paperwork (Bylaw 202).

Garces Memorial High had to forfeit four of its five wins due to CIF violations. | David Dennis

Last week is was Yorba Linda High in Southern California. This week, its Garces Memorial High that will have to forfeit football wins after violating CIF bylaws.

Garces Memorial has forfeited four of its five wins this season after the CIF Central Section retroactively denied the eligibility of two standout football players who transferred to the school during the offseason, according to a first report from KGET in Bakersfield.

The Central Section updated the eligibility status of brothers Bryce and Carter Hanson on Monday, changing their status from “valid change of residency” to “denied” for the remainder of the 2026 football season.

The two players transferred to Garces Memorial from Liberty High during the offseason and were initially granted full eligibility by the Central Section on Aug. 17. Both played in the Rams’ first five games of the season.

What Was The Infraction?

The Central Section cited CIF Bylaw 202 in its decision.

The bylaw states that information provided regarding a student’s eligibility must be “true, correct, accurate, complete and/or not false or inaccurate.”

It also states that if it is determined that a parent, guardian, caregiver or student provided incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete or false information regarding eligibility, the student can be declared immediately ineligible for CIF competition for up to 24 calendar months.

KGET reporter Trevor Horn reported Garces confirmed Friday that neither player would be eligible to play against Bakersfield High. Following the Central Section’s ruling, the Rams were forced to vacate their four previous non-league victories over Tehachapi, Wasco, Fresno-San Joaquin Memorial and North.

Garces defeated Bakersfield 20-16 on Friday, but the Rams’ official record now stands at 1-5.

The Rams had originally won five consecutive games after opening the season with a loss to Santa Maria-St. Joseph.

Two Good Players

Carter Hanson, a junior running back, rushed for 400 yards and five touchdowns in five games for Garces. He holds 14 NCAA Division I offers and is listed by 247Sports among the top 20 running backs in California in the Class of 2028.

Bryce Hanson, a senior defensive back, recorded eight tackles and two interceptions this season. He is verbally committed to Southern Utah.

Garces is scheduled to return to action Thursday night against Centennial.

What Happened To Yorba Linda?

Yorba Linda was 4-1 heading into October, but the discovery of CIF violations now has the Mustangs 0-6 after this past week's loss to San Clemente. Here's why:

High School On SI confirmed the forfeitures with a spokesperson from the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.

"On September 29, 2026, the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS) determined that the Yorba Linda High School football program was in violation of CIF Bylaws 503.B(1) and 510," the spokesperson wrote via email.

"The substantiated violations involve more than one student and more than one incident. The investigation documented deficiencies over time in eligibility verification, communication between coaches and athletic administration, and participation clearance. These findings support the District’s conclusion that institutional failures occurred in the oversight of the athletic department and football coaching staff."

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