iStockphoto / Argyle Independent School District
Banned stamp over football players at Argyle High School in Texas
There isn’t a single state that takes high school football more seriously than Texas, which produces plenty of drama both on and off the field each season. Now, we’ve been treated to our latest dose due to the controversy surrounding a district’s decision to ban a quarterback at a high-profile program that was seemingly on its way to the playoffs thanks in no small part to his play.
It’s hard to truly appreciate just how much people in Texas are invested in high school football unless you’ve resided in one of the places where many people essentially live and die with their local team.
That includes the town of Argyle, where the Friday night lights glow very brightly at the $27 million stadium where the town’s high school football team, the Eagles, plays its game in front of a crowd that can reach upwards of 7,500 spectators.
Argyle previously won two state championships in 2013 and 2020, and the team has been on the hunt for a third this season as one of the top-ranked teams in Class 5A Division II.
Eagles quarterback Hayes Hackney has been a major key to their success, but it would appear they’ll be without his talents for the rest of the season after he was unexpectedly banned with the playoffs on the horizon.
Argyle High School QB Hayes Hackney was hit with a controversial mid-season ban over residency issues
According to The Dallas Morning News, Hackney transferred from Prosper Walnut Grove High School (located around an hour’s drive from Argyle) ahead of the current season. He’s led the Eagles to a 7-1 record, and no Class 5A team in the Dallas area has more passing yards than the 2,574 the junior has through eight games (he also has the second-most touchdowns with 32).
He was approved to play for Argyle in May at a hearing where his eligibility was confirmed in a 4-2 vote by the district’s executive committee, but it would appear that new information came to light concerning a dual-residency concern that led to another vote being held at a meeting that unfolded on Tuesday.
San Angelo Live reports Hackney, who has scholarship offers from UTSA and Stephen F. Austin, was ruled ineligible in a unanimous 6-0 vote over violations linked to Section 442 of the University Interscholastic League Constitution.
It would appear they are linked to the house his family still owns in Prosper, which was subjected to scrutiny over a private real estate listing and claims that gatherings were still being held in a home they were required to vacate entirely in order for Hackney to play in Argyle.
The Eagles still have two games left in the regular season, and while they won’t forfeit any of their previous contests, they’ll face a tougher path to the playoffs if they don’t have Hackney at their disposal.
His father, Mark, says they plan to appeal the ruling, but as the Morning News notes, less than 7% of the 75 challenges that were heard by the UIL’s state committee last year were overturned.