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A high school football program in the state of California learned its postseason fate on Sunday. San Juan Hills will participate in the 2025 playoffs.
That decision is somewhat controversial given how the season played out. The Stallions were forced to forfeit nine games.
San Juan Hills competes in the CIF Southern Section as members of the Bravo League. The team has been viewed as one of the best in the state over the last few seasons.
The Stallions went 21-4 over the last two years. They won eight games on the field in 2025. Seven have since been overturned.
San Juan Hills had an ineligible high school football player.
An investigation was launched into California transfers. It was determined that an ineligible player participated in the first nine games of the year.
The Stallions won seven of those matchups, including four in league play. They had been in a first-place tie atop the Bravo League standings.
Now, they’ve fallen to 1-4 in the league, and into fourth place. That position holds major playoff implications.
The top three finishers in the Bravo League receive an automatic bid. The Stallions lost that opportunity when having their schedule adjusted from 8-2 to 1-9.
San Juan Hills’ eligibility issue was self-reported. The school cooperated after being tipped off to the infraction.
This week, the administration at San Juan Hills High School received information alleging potential CIF violations related to athletic transfers into our football program. Following a preliminary internal investigation, we identified possible violations of CIF Southern Section bylaws. Prior to this investigation, the SJHHS administration was unaware of any infractions; however, the evidence presented was significant…
SJHHS formally self-reported the matter… As a result of the violations to CIF rules, the school will forfeit nine varsity football games from the current 2025 season.
It’s one of many eligibility controversies to be seen in California this year. Earlier in the season, Bishop Montgomery was forced to cancel its season after a mass suspension of incoming players.
A few months later, Long Beach Poly pulled out of the playoffs after falsified transfer paperwork was uncovered. Norco High School saw the same fate.
Illegal transfers have been a point of emphasis this season. In San Juan Hills’ case, it did not bar them from the postseason.
The Stallions WILL make the playoffs!
San Juan Hills was removed from auto-bid contention following the forfeits. It was, however, still eligible for an at-large bid.
The CIF Southern Section uses a high school football ratings system to select postseason participants. That system does not penalize teams for forfeits.
There were four likely contenders competing for three at-large spots. Los Alamitos (8-2) and Vista Murrieta (7-3) got the first two bids. JSerra, a 3-7 team that had just fired its head coach, was the other potential playoff team.
JSerra was left out. San Juan Hills got the final spot due to their superior rating despite the 1-9 record.
Now, the Stallions will play Downey in the postseason.