NC high school coach punished after soccer players practiced without physicals
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Holly Springs High let JV soccer players try out without required physicals.
- Wake County flagged the violation; NCHSAA issued disciplinary action.
- Officials also addressed safety concerns about missing shin guards at scrimmages.
A Holly Springs High School coach has been punished for allowing students to try out for the boys’ junior varsity soccer team without completing medical requirements, according to the Wake County school system.
State policy requires students to complete a pre-participation physical evaluation (PPE) and provide medical eligibility documentation to the school in order to be eligible for practices or interscholastic athletic contests.
But Wake County says two student-athletes participated in recent Holly Springs High boys’ JV soccer tryouts without the required physical examination documentation. Wake says the error was promptly flagged by the school’s athletic trainer, and the students were immediately removed from tryouts pending proper documentation.
“The infraction was reported to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA), which has taken disciplinary action against the appropriate school personnel,” Wake said in a statement.
Wake said the coach of the JV soccer team was suspended by the N.C. High School Athletic Association from attending practice on Aug. 26 and Sept. 1. The coach did not immediately return an email Friday from The News and Observer requesting comment.
Similar violations have occurred in other North Carolina high schools.
In August, some coaches at Reidsville High School in Rockingham County were reprimanded, placed on probation and suspended by the NCHSAA for violations from last school year that included allowing students to play without having the required medical participation forms, WFMY News reported.
Did school not require soccer players to wear shin guards?
The NCHSAA doesn’t publicly comment on rules violations at individual schools. But the organization pointed out that the pre-participation physical evaluation is part of State Board of Education policy and is endorsed by a number of medical organizations as well as the National Federation of State High School Associations,
“A PPE is critical because it allows for a licensed healthcare provider (in North Carolina, this includes MDs, DOs, NPs or PA-Cs) to review an athlete’s health history (specifically looking for ‘red flags’ that an athlete might be more at risk for sudden death), perform a physical exam, and then deem an athlete medically eligible to participate,” Janna Fonseca, NCHSAA director of Health, Safety and Wellness and Student Services, said in a statement.
In addition to the PPE issue, Holly Springs school administrators received complaints that boys’ soccer players weren’t required to wear shin guards during scrimmages.
“If protective equipment was not used at any point during the scrimmage, it was an oversight that will be addressed to ensure alignment with safety protocols,” Wake said in the statement. “Wake County Public School System remains committed to student safety, sportsmanship, and compliance with all athletic guidelines.”
This story was originally published September 5, 2025 at 1:37 PM with the headline "NC high school coach punished after soccer players practiced without physicals."
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story did not specify that the coach was sanctioned for letting a student try out for soccer before getting a physical examination.
