The crowning of Skyline High School as the 1993 5A state champion in football is a mockery of high-school athletics and ignores any sense of fair play. Skyline played that game with a team of "all-stars" whose residences stretch from one end of the valley to the other.
Skyline has taken advantage of its low enrollment and has intentionally "recruited" talented athletes throughout the Salt Lake area. It is no surprise that they won the state crown this year . . . nor will it be next year . . . or the year after that.The Utah High School Activities Association has stated that it's "not concerned at all." Well, it had better be concerned, pull its head out of the sand and stop depriving all other 5A football programs of fair competition.
The UHSAA Official Handbook specifically states in Article I, Section 8: "The use of undue influence by any person connected or not connected with the school to secure or to retain a student or the parents of a student shall cause the student to be ineligible and shall jeopardize the standing of the school in the Association."
Perhaps it is impossible to prove that Skyline recruits, but the UHSAA must see that this situation is critical and needs attention. There is no end to this cycle unless drastic steps are taken. Skyline cannot be given this tremendous advantage just because of its low enrollment or because of the UHSAA's ignorance. Some kind of limit must be placed on "out-of-boundary" players.
Mike Murry
Salt Lake City