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Class 7A-8 shakeup: Gaither's Jason Stokes resigns; Sickles forfeits games

 
After county and state investigations, Jason Stokes resigns as a Gaither coach and teacher.
After county and state investigations, Jason Stokes resigns as a Gaither coach and teacher.
Published Oct. 22, 2016

Two teams, one district, multiple forfeits, one coach resignation. Class 7A, District 8 just got a lot more interesting.

On Friday, the Florida High School Athletic Association ruled that Sickles (4-3, 3-2) used an ineligible player and had to forfeit six games, including all four wins — two of them district — this season.

This comes on the heels of a Sept. 29 ruling that saw Gaither, another 7A-8 team, have to forfeit three games because of two ineligible players. Jason Stokes had been suspended from teaching and coaching at Gaither while the school district's Office of Professional Standards reviewed the case.

On Friday, district spokesperson Tanya Arja said Stokes had resigned his position with Hillsborough County Schools. Stokes had been Gaither's head coach since 2011, and he guided the Cowboys to the playoffs in his first three years.

"I have decided to resign for personal reasons. I'm not going to get into details, but I wish things would have worked out differently," Stokes said.

"It's the hardest decision I have ever had to make. Really going to miss my players and Gaither. My heart will always be with them and I wish them nothing but the best."

Both cases involved players falsifying addresses. And both FHSAA decisions impact the playoffs.

Entering Friday's games, the Gryphons are now winless and dropped from second place — and a possible playoff berth as a runnerup — to the bottom of the standings. Gaither actually gained a win (it had lost 28-14 to Sickles) to move to 3-1 in the district. Wiregrass Ranch, which had last made the playoffs in 2010, gained a district win (30-29 overtime loss to Sickles) to move to 4-0 and tied with Plant for the top seed. (See tampabay.com/hometeam for the outcome of Friday's games and the playoff implications.)

In the FHSAA letter obtained by the Tampa Bay Times, Sickles self-reported the incident after administrators discovered a football player's grandmother had moved out and was staying with the owners of the home.

The student and his grandmother did not notify the school of his change in living arrangements. Hillsborough County school district officials visited the player's home and verified that he was no longer living with his grandmother. FHSAA rules state that a student-athlete must live with a parent or legal guardian.

The FHSAA ruled the student ineligible until Oct. 9 of 2017 and fined Sickles $600 ($100 for each game the student participated in while he was ineligible). A letter of reprimand also was sent to the school.

In early September, Gaither self reported to the FHSAA the address falsification of two players. As a result, the Cowboys were forced to forfeit their season opening-win over Steinbrenner. They used the two players against Bloomingdale and Hillsborough, but those games were losses.