NCT Appeals Suspensions, Team's Fate

Nature Coast Technical High School's football defense did not sit idle Thursday.

Not the players under former NCT Defensive Coordinator turned interim Head Coach Charles Liggett, but the groundswell of support for suspended Head Coach Jamie Joyner and offensive lineman Brad Lucier.

Joyner was suspended by the Florida High School Athletic Association for six weeks for Friday night's involvement in a melee at Groveland-South Lake High School.

On Wednesday, NCT and South Lake received a memo from the FHSAA office indicating that both team's final regular season games would not be played.

To that extent, "In accordance with Bylaw 9.4, when schools must forfeit contest to opponents, this requires member schools to satisfy the financial ramifications to their opponents for the forfeit contest."

In other words, NCT will pay reparations to Central for forfeiting the game.

A report from a Pinellas County newspaper indicated that Joyner was suspended by the Hernando County School Board.

Hernando County School Superintendent Dr. Wayne Alexander said on Thursday that Joyner has been "taken out of the classroom" and assigned to alternative duties with pay.

Making an appeal

Most importantly, NCT would like to see the suspension rescinded against its fifth-year mentor Joyner. To that end, NCT drafted an appeal to the FHSAA's senior director of athletic operations, Denarvise Thornton, who was in Orlando attending the FHSAA Swimming and Diving Finals.

After completing its investigation, NCT's administration, led by sixth-year Principal Tizzy Schoelles, drafted its appeal and personally delivered it Thursday.

In Coach Joyner's defense, Schoelles wrote, "I am appealing the decision of the Florida High School Athletic Association in regards to Head Coach Jamie Joyner and player No. 79 (Brad Lucier). In my investigation I have interviewed every player, coach, staff member and administrator at the game and have found no first-person accounts that points to Coach Joyner or Lucier throwing a punch. Due to the limited visibility on the field, it is almost impossible to get a clear representation of what occurred on the night of Nov. 7."

Schoelles continues, "Both Coach Joyner and Lucier vehemently deny ever throwing a punch during the altercation. Per our plan set in place after the Central football incident (in 2007), the players were told to retreat to the fence line if players from the opposing team were charging at them. The coaching staff did an outstanding job of trying to diffuse the situation and instruct players back to the fence in total darkness. Please accept this letter as my official appeal to the Unsportsmanlike Conduct suspensions the FHSAA has levied on our school."

In parting, Schoelles also requests "assistance in securing the first-hand account of the allegations against Coach Joyner from the official, who actually witnessed this alleged event."

What about NCT's future?

Is the Nov. 21 FHSAA first-round playoff game at Shark Tank Stadium against visiting Williston High in jeopardy?

The FHSAA's Director of Media Relations Cristina Alvarez said Thursday, "The Association has communicated with both school district superintendents via conference call. All parties involved have expressed similar sentiments of the importance of sportsmanship, a core issue of the Association."

In NCT's findings, Schoelles said that "South Lake High School was clearly the aggressor. I understand one young man from South Lake sustained some serious injuries as did player No. 3 from Nature Coast. I can offer no logical explanation to the injuries sustained by the South Lake player, but the possibility exists that he was trampled by his own players as they charged across the field."

Schoelles pointed out that with 3:45 left in the game and NCT ahead 40-24, the lights went out.

Continuing with the findings, "Tape review indicates nothing unusual, but a hard fought game. The principal at South Lake, who was present, shared with me that if the lights went out during a dead ball, it (Friday's incident) probably never would have happened. Our staff concurs."

What ignited the melee?

According to Schoelles, "If there was a spark, it may be the South Lake response to our linebacker (Tadd Govedich) tackling their quarterback at the end of the play and as the lights went out. Their two linemen (No. 65, No. 72) hit No. 3 as he walked toward our sideline and began hitting and kicking him about 10 feet from the NCTHS sideline."

Schoelles, who was not present, indicated that two NCT administrators (Joy Greene and Tom "Bubba" Varn) were present.

She added, "That after the Central incident last year, we (NCT) put in a retreat plan of action in place. On Friday, the South Lake team charged across the entire field to engage with our students. Please see attached diagram. The entire episode lasted for approximately two minutes. Yet the South Lake students continued to linger by our bench area, which prohibited our students from going to the bus without additional incident. The location of the field house on the visitor's side created this issue.

"In this circumstance," added Schoelles, "South Lake High School was clearly the aggressor. Upon reviewing 61 student reports, our students heard their coaches yelling to go to the fence and take a knee, which was our plan. Our student incident reports indicated that 90 percent of them did just that, and at least five student's statements reflect learning that from last year's experience."