Undefeated Maryland High School Football Powerhouse Forced to Forfeit Four Wins Before Playoffs

A residency violation drops six-time state champion Wise from 8-0 to 4-4, sending the Pumas from the No. 1 seed to No. 4 and reshaping the Class 4A playoff bracket.

Wise forfeits its first four wins, dropping the previously undefeated top-seeded team to No. 4 in the 4A South standings. | John Bowers

One of Maryland's most successful high school football programs has been forced to forfeit four victories just as the state playoffs are getting underway.

Wise, a perennial Class 4A state championship contender from Prince George's County, has forfeited its first four wins of the season because of a student-athlete residency violation, according to the school's athletic director.

The ruling drops the Pumas from 8-0 to 4-4 in the official standings and sends them tumbling from the No. 1 seed to No. 4 in the Class 4A South Region.

The consequences extend well beyond Wise's record.

Flowers, which lost to Wise during the regular season, moves into the region's top seed. Suitland rises to No. 2, followed by Parkdale at No. 3.

The revised standings put Wise and Flowers, the only Prince George's County public school teams represented in the Maryland Media High School Football State Poll, on a potential collision course in the region semifinals.

If both advance, one will be eliminated before reaching the state quarterfinals.

Residency Violation Leads to Four Forfeits

Wise athletic director Jason Gordon explained the circumstances surrounding the ruling in an email to the school's football community.

“On the eve of our Week 6 game, we were notified of a potential residency violation involving a student-athlete,” Gordon wrote. “We appealed the finding to both the Infraction Panel and the MPSSAA, maintaining that the student-athlete was not in violation of residency requirements. Unfortunately, both appeals were denied, and the original finding and penalties were upheld.”

The ruling resulted in forfeits of four games Wise had won on the field:

• Wise 53, Laurel 6
• Wise 25, Flowers 22 (overtime)
• Wise 51, Bowie 0
• Wise 71, DuVal 6

The official Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association points standings were updated Saturday morning to reflect the forfeits.

Wise closed its regular season Friday with a 77-0 victory over Northwestern-PG.

Maryland Class 4A South Playoff Bracket Reshaped

Before the forfeits, Wise had been positioned to enter the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the Class 4A South Region.

Flowers, which finished 7-1, was second after losing to Wise, while Suitland (7-2) was third following losses to both programs.

The forfeits dramatically altered that order.

Flowers now holds the No. 1 seed and receives a first-round bye into the region semifinals. Suitland moves to No. 2, Parkdale to No. 3 and Wise falls to No. 4.

That creates the possibility of a Wise-Flowers rematch in the region semifinals rather than later in the postseason.

The two programs already met in one of the region's closest regular-season games, with Wise earning a 25-22 overtime victory that has since been forfeited.

The new bracket also gives Suitland a more favorable route toward the state quarterfinals.

Other Maryland Playoff Regions Affected

The ruling has consequences outside the Class 4A South Region because the forfeited games also affect Wise's opponents.

Laurel moves from No. 4 to No. 3 in the Class 4A North Region.

Bowie rises to the No. 4 seed in the Class 4A East Region, giving it a home playoff game against Meade rather than having to travel for the matchup.

Those changes illustrate how four forfeited results can alter playoff positioning across multiple regions.

Wise Has Been a Maryland Football Powerhouse for Nearly Two Decades

The ruling is particularly significant given Wise's recent dominance.

Since Steve Rapp took over the program from DaLawn Parrish in 2024, the Pumas have lost only four games on the field — the same number of victories they have now been required to forfeit.

Wise reached the Class 4A state championship game in each of the past two seasons, finishing as runner-up to Quince Orchard both times.

The program has appeared in 11 state championship games since 2009, winning six titles.

Despite the forfeits, Wise remains a dangerous postseason opponent.

The Pumas have continued winning on the field, including Friday's 77-0 victory over Northwestern-PG, and now enter the playoffs with a much more difficult path to another state championship appearance.

Instead of beginning the postseason as the region's top seed, Wise must navigate the bracket from the No. 4 position.

And if the Pumas and Flowers both advance through their opening matchups, one of Prince George's County's top programs will see its season end in the region semifinals.