This one comes to us from @markwebbclfs, an Arkansas expert who knew I’d be all over this story of how things operate in Hog country. Mark knew that I’d be fascinated by the thought of a high school football player getting eligible as a transfer by using a rarely used rule — in Arkansas you can transfer high schools to play football and be eligible if you’re married.
Not joking.
I’ll let KATV explain a little more about what’s going down at Mountain Pine High School:
After a winless season last year, Mountain Pine opened this season with a 35-0 loss to Jessieville. But the next week the Red Devils won. Then in week three, the team won again. Mountain Pine is now 7-1 and heading for the playoffs.
So, what changed between week one and week two? A star player became eligible.
Mountain Pine has several good players, but this player has rushed for over 100 yards in every game. He has scored 16 touchdowns in those seven victories.He was a transfer student initially ruled ineligible by the Arkansas Activities Association.
He gained eligibility thanks to a little-known and seldom-used exception: He got married to a student in the district and moved in with her parents.
The station isn’t naming names because the married couple are both 17.
I thought I’d heard it all with high school football until this came along. I’ve seen 400-pound running backs. We’ve seen wild endings. I’ve never heard of a kid getting married to get eligible. Never. Ever.
Doing a little i-Team work, I learned that this marriage rule is available in Michigan. Atlanta high schools seem to have a similar rule.
Look, I can’t knock the hustle these high schoolers and their families put into eligibility and like 45 games of a high school career. There’s nothing wrong with bending a couple rules here and there. One player at Mountain Pine shouldn’t make this much difference.
The haters need to stop the married guy. DBAP.