Barton to Forfeit Conference Opener Against Fordyce After Player Suspensions

Barton High School will forfeit its Sept. 26 conference opener against Fordyce after the Arkansas Activities Association handed down player suspensions stemming from an incident in last week’s game against Marianna.

The AAA announced Tuesday that 10 Barton players were suspended following a review of game film from the third quarter of the Bears’ 42-0 victory over the Trojans. The sanctions left Barton with too few available players to safely compete against undefeated Fordyce.

Barton Superintendent Bruce Guthrie confirmed the forfeit Monday, calling it a difficult but necessary decision.

“We regret that the incident occurred in a game where we should have been focused on celebrating Homecoming and a victory,” Guthrie said in a statement. “While we do not agree with all of the decisions made by the AAA, even if we challenged the suspensions that we deem questionable, we would still not have the players necessary to not be risking the safety of the remaining players, and their safety was paramount in this difficult decision.”

The forfeit drops Barton to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play. The Bears are off Sept. 19 before resuming their schedule Oct. 3 on the road at Palestine-Wheatley.

Fordyce, currently unbeaten, will be awarded the conference victory.