Bishop Sycamore, the infamous “high school” football team that made waves across the nation after getting destroyed by IMG on national television in 2021, is supposedly set to make its return to the gridiron next month. It comes less than four months after HBO dropped a documentary about the entire saga, appropriately named ‘BS High.’
As seen in the film, former Bishop Sycamore coach Roy Johnson is accused of running a nonexistent high school. He managed to scheme his way onto ESPN and his team lost to one of the best programs in the country 58-0. Multiple players were injured in the contest, and many of them had to share helmets.
It was such a beatdown that even the announcers openly questioned if the program was legit.
The Ohio Department of Education ultimately opened an investigation and determined that it was not. A deeper look at the school and its football team discovered a laundry list of issues, including a history of bounced checks, eligibility issues and a lack of academic structure, among other things.
Ohio’s DOE concluded in its final report that “the facts suggest that Bishop Sycamore High School was, and is, in fact, a scam.” Enough said!
Outside of the documentary, Bishop Sycamore has been dormant. Publicly, at least.
The team has not posted on social media since 2022. A post from Sept. 3, 2022 is pinned to the top of its profile on X. It says:
Since there was a public crucifixion, there must be a public resurrection.
Despite all of the controversy around the program, it is apparently set to play its first game in two years.
Bishop Sycamore is back! Maybe.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Life Christian Academy football coach David Fitzgerald says his team is scheduled to play the Centurions on Nov. 9 at Virginia State University. Life Christian, located near Petersburg and Richmond, is a very small preK-12 school that “provides a high quality Christian education combining academic excellence and spiritual principles in a safe and positive learning environment.”
It enrolls approximately 250 students, per its website.
Fitzgerald said that the new staff at Bishop Sycamore is trying to revive its reputation.
Bishop Sycamore, they’re in a rebuilding process, and they basically have worked with a very reputable company that matches high school football games up.
They’re looking to rebound and possibly enter into a league we play in. We needed to fill a game, and we were presented with the opportunity. We spoke with their coaching staff and felt comfortable that they were legitimately moving forward in the right direction.
— David Fitzgerald, via the Richmond Times-Dispatch
The head coach was not immediately able to provide the name of the “reputable company” that scheduled the game. He said that the Centurions are trying to join the same high school football league as Life Christian, called East Coast Power Prep, and added that it is the Christian thing to do to play.
We’re a Christian school, we believe in second chances, and we wanted to make this happen.
— David Fitzgerald, via the Richmond Times-Dispatch
As of right now, the date remains flexible. Both teams initially looked at Nov. 10, they have since tentatively moved the game to Nov. 9.
Bishop Sycamore did not respond to request for comment upon first contact.