THE BIG STORY Oft-controversial help shape 2014 high

school season
Dozens of high school players change schools every
year. Rarely do they have an impact like this.
By EJ Holland TexasFootball.com
The 2014 high school football season is more than halfway over. Some
players are enjoying banner seasons while others are trying to simply do
their part to help the team reach the playoffs.
Earlier this month, Kiki Hill was willing do anything. He just wanted the
opportunity to suit up.
At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds with 4.5 speed, Hill is one of the most versatile
athletes in the state. As a junior at Aransas Pass last season, Hill recorded
25 receptions for 651 yards, rushed for 140 yards, scored eight total
touchdowns, intercepted three passes and blocked two kicks.
Naturally, Hill was expected to have a monster senior season for the
Panthers and pick up some FBS offers along the way. The former is no
longer possible and the latter appears to be in serious jeopardy.
It all started this August when Hills father, Green, was hired as an
assistant at Goliad. Hill followed his father to the new school, but in order to
participate in football he had to meet the athletic transfer requirements set
forth by the UIL.
Those rules state:
An individual is presumed to have changed schools for athletic purposes if
he or she participated with his or her former school in any League athletic

contest or practice in grades eight through twelve during any previous

school year until:
1. The students parents change their residence to the new school or
attendance zone.
2. The superintendent (or designated administrator) and principal and/or
coach of the previous school sign a Previous Athletic Participation form
stating that the student was not recruited to the new school and did not
change schools or attendance zones for athletic purposes.
3. The superintendent (or designated administrator) of the new school
signs a PAPF stating that the student was not recruited and is not changing
schools for athletic purposes.
4. The parents sign a PAPF either in front of the new schools administrator
or a notary public that they reside in the new school district or attendance
zone and the change was not made for their childs athletic purposes.
5. The district executive committee approves the completed PAPF.
In laymans terms, Hill needed quite a few people to sign his PAPF,
including officials from Aransas Pass. Simple enough, but things didnt
exactly go according to plan.
Aransas Pass refused to sign Kiki Hills previous athletic participation form.
The District 15-3A, Division I Executive Committee, then ruled him
ineligible to participate in varsity athletics at Goliad.
Goliad appealed the decision to the UILs State Executive Committee,
which approved Goliads appeal. But there was also the matter of
establishing residence. Hill had been practicing with Goliad since August,
but some of his family was reportedly still living in Aransas Pass.
So Goliad had to determine if Hill met the requirements of the UILs parent
residency waiver, which was originally rejected.

It would be up to the school to verify that the family had moved and they
were in compliance with the residence rules, Kate Hector, media
coordinator for the UIL, told the Victoria Advocate. If they feel comfortable
that he is in compliance with the rule, the school can determine he is
eligible.
Goliad ruled Hill eligible last Friday and allowed him to play against
Hallettsville, where he scored three touchdown in a victory. But that could
have some major repercussions down the line.
What happened was just weird, said Mike Forman, who covers high
schools for the Victoria Advocate. The district executive committee met
twice. The first time SA Brooks wasnt there and it was 3-0. Then SA
Brooks showed up and Mathis changed its vote to make it 3-1. That in itself
was bizarre.
Goliad is taking a big risk. They better make sure they have their stuff
down. I wouldnt be surprised if someone challenges their decision right
away. And that would mean they would be playing with an ineligible player.
A similar situation happened down in the Rio Grande Valley when
Harlingen South running
Taylor Harlingen was denied eligibility to play football in 2014 by two
different District Executive Committees as well as one at the UIL state
level. Following his final appeal, Taylor and his family moved to Tennessee.
Taylor eventually made his way back to the Valley after playing in one
game in Tennessee and enrolled in Lyford. The District 16-3A DI Executive
Committee confirmed his eligibility by a unanimous 5-0 vote.
Each case is different, said Mark Cousins, Director of Athletics for the
UIL. It comes down to each individual school district and the policies that

are in place. Our rules require that transfers are not eligible until they fill out
the necessary paperwork. The district executive committees then make
their decisions. We generally dont get involved.
That is unless a situation like Hills of Taylors occurs. But usually transfers,
even if they do raise eyebrows, dont run into too many issues. This year, it
seems like there have been more high profile private or public to public
school transfers than ever before.
In June, Dallas ISD fired 15 coaches, administrators and other employees
involved in a basketball recruiting scandal. But lets not pretend this is
simply an isolated incident. The fact of the matter is kids transfer to
different high schools for athletic purposes all the time.
With more than 1,000 schools in the state, its just difficult for the UIL to
regulate. On the other hand, a lot of kids do have legitimate reasons for
transferring such as parents getting a new job in a different town or an
opportunity for a better education.
And some teams just get lucky those students end up at their schools.
Take Blake Lynch the do-it-all athlete who is currently committed to
Baylor transferred from Troup to Gilmer and instantly made the Buckeyes
the favorite to win the 4A Division II state title.
Blakes is a very personal and private matter that he really doesnt want
discussed. It was a situation with his family so everyone is different, said
Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor. Blake did not move for athletic reasons or
Coach (Dennis) Alexander would not have signed the form that he did not
move for athletic reasons. So I think they are all different and I dont know
about the rest of them, I just know about Blakes situation.
Traylor added:
Blake is one of many good players we have here. Hes a bright kid, high

character, hes very humble, multi-talented. Hes big, fast, strong, he can
catch he can run, he can block, he can tackle. Theres not much that Blake
cant do. The most thing about Blake is his commitment to being a good
person and being a Christian role model for our kids and hes just a
different kind of person.
Houston Lamar head coach Tom Nolen hit the jackpot when the Texans
received transfers from FB Marshall quarterback JW Ketchum and Bellaire
Epsicopal running back Tyreik Gray two of the top recruits in the state.
Theyve both added another skillset to our offense, Nolen said. We
already have Ronnie Wesley, hes a starter and an excellent back, so it
gives us a lot more weapons. I was excited about both of them when they
came over.
But what about the schools that lose these stud players?
Hallettsville entered the year ranked No. 1 in 3A DI but took a huge hit
when it lost quarterback Nate Kowalik, who transferred to none other than
district foe Goliad, where his father, Russell, was named principal.
Kowalik helped Goliad get off to a hot start while Hallettsville opened the
year with two losses before rattling off four straight victories.
It was a little bit of disbelief, said Hallettsville coach Tommy Psencik. I
have never had that happen in 26 years of coaching where a senior that
had success left the team here in Hallettsville, so that shocked me a little
bit.
We really didnt have a choice, we had to move on and get another
quarterback ready. And luckily we found Brent Motal, and he transferred in
when he was in eighth grade from Sweet Home, Texas, which is one of the
neighboring districts to us. We got very fortunate to find a good
replacement behind Nate.

Whether its legitimate or not, transferring has become all the rage at the
high school level in the Lone Star State. And its a trend that doesnt
appear to be going away anytime soon.

Ten More Impact Transfers

LB Anthony Hines: Episcopal School of Dallas to Plano East
ATH Christian Wallace: Sealy to Katy Tompkins
ATH Ladarryl Blair: Dallas Kimball to S. Oak Cliff
QB Devin Williams: FW Southwest to Mansfield Timberview
WR James Proche: Prime Prep to DeSoto
QB Jalen Williams: Houston Bellaire to La Marque
OL Hanner Shipley: Marble Falls Faith to Marble Falls
WR Brenndan Johnson: Waco Reicher to Hewitt Midway
QB Dillon Sterling-Cole: West Orange-Stark to Spring Westfield
DB Jaylon Lane: San Angelo Central to Nacogdoches