The Hayfield Hawks - who have spent the entire 2024 football season ranked No. 1 in the VirginiaPreps.com Class 6 Top Ten Rankings - will see their campaign end at 10-1 overall before the regional semifinals.
Principal Darin Thompson shared with parents of the football program his decision to withdraw the team from the postseason effective immediately, on Monday, November 25th, one day before its scheduled regional semifinal matchup against visiting Fairfax.
"Several text messages came to light last week that brought new concern to the initial investigation, have raised significant questions in my mind, and are not in alignment with our values and commitment when it comes to student-athlete transfers," Thompson indicated in his letter, which you can read in its entirety below.
Initially given a two-year postseason ban by the Virginia High School League, the Hawks were reinstated to the playoffs after an appeal was filed in the Circuit Court of the County of Fairfax by Hayfield High School parents with a judge granting them a temporary injunction.
The Hawks won their Occoquan Region 6C quarterfinal over Thomas Edison by a count of 75-7, scoring all of their points before half-time. On the season, Darryl Overton's squad outscored its opponents 668-75 - an average of nearly 61 to 7 per contest - with seven shutouts. Their lone loss on the field in 2024 came on October 25th against Riverdale Baptist of Maryland by a score of 55-30.
Fairfax, the No. 4 seed in Occoquan Region 6C, receives a bye to the title game of the regionals on Saturday, November 30th. The Lions will play against the winner of Tuesday's regional semifinal between No. 3 West Springfield and No. 2 seed Lake Braddock.
Letter from Hayfield Principal:
Dear Hayfield Hawks Community,
Please see the message below that was just shared with our football team community.
Dear Hayfield Hawks Football Team Parents,
In case you are not able to join us this evening, I am writing today to share news that I know will be disappointing to you and your student athlete. I have made the decision that our team will be withdrawing from the remainder of postseason play. This decision has not been made lightly, but is necessary to uphold the integrity of our athletic program.
Several text messages came to light last week that brought new concern to the initial investigation, have raised significant questions in my mind, and are not in alignment with our values and commitment when it comes to student-athlete transfers.
Your student athletes are talented and committed and that this decision is not a reflection on their hard work.
I shared with the students that this is really difficult, and I am feeling it too. This is hard, but I feel strongly that this is the right thing to do. I also shared that counseling is available for any student who would like to speak with someone for additional support.
Our Division leadership has developed a plan to ensure we are never in this situation again. As shared in an email yesterday, this will include “a comprehensive external, independent review of FCPS’ student-athlete transfer and eligibility practices across all sports and all high schools in the Division. There will also be a working group of FCPS coaches, principals, and key staff who are involved in the transfer process. This group will evaluate and review current practices related to transfer requests and verification of student residency. The external review findings will inform and guide the internal review.”
I know this is not the way that we wanted to end our season, but this is about more than a trophy or a state championship. Building character and sportsmanship is critical to education-based athletic programs.
I am proud of our team, and I am thankful to our Hayfield community for supporting our students in all their activities - from academics to fine arts to sports. We are stronger together and together, we will move forward in a direction that brings our focus and energy back to student success.
Thank you for being a part of our Hawk Family.
Sincerely, Darin Thompson
Principal Hayfield Secondary School
