Marshall Academy will pay a hefty fine and miss out on hosting a playoff game in football after tanking a matchup.
In a bizarre outing, the Patriots repeatedly did not run plays during the second half at Washington School on Friday night. Additionally, the team is said to have refused to kick the ball to its opponent after a safety was awarded to Washington. Officials finally declared the contest a forfeit in the fourth quarter.
A source told SuperTalk Mississippi News that the Patriots purposely tanked the contest to secure a lower seeding in the upcoming playoffs.
Due to the actions, which were deemed unsportsmanlike by the MisSouth Association of Independent Schools’ affairs committee, Marshall Academy has been handed a $7,500 forfeiture fee, which will be paid to Washington School. In addition to the Patriots being barred from hosting a playoff game this year, head coach Duny Bunio has received a postseason suspension and is prohibited from coaching any MAIS sport until further review.
Bunio was also fined $1,000 and is banned from having any contact with his team during the postseason. The seven-member affairs committee imposed these sanctions unanimously.
“The Affairs Committee received multiple reports concerning Marshall Academy’s refusal to honor the MAIS Sportsmanship Creed by refusing to play. It is noted that they refused to run a play the entire second half,” a portion of the sanctions from the MAIS’ affairs committee reads. “They also refused multiple times to kick off after a safety had been awarded by the officials.”
Marshall Academy finished the regular season with an 8-2 record and won two of its three MAIS 3A District 1 games. The team is scheduled to play at Central Hinds in an opening-round playoff matchup on Friday at 7 p.m.
