Bellarmine football must forfeit 6 wins after CCS ineligibility ruling

San Francisco Chronicle · Mitch Stephens · 2026-11-04 16:59 UTC

San Jose’s Bellarmine was informed it would have to forfeit all six of its wins for using an ineligible player, a crushing blow to a rebounding program.

One of the high school football season’s feel-good stories took a bad twist this week when San Jose’s Bellarmine was informed it would have to forfeit all six of its wins for using an ineligible player.

As first reported by the Mercury News, the Central Coast Section ruled the Bells (6-3, 3-3 West Catholic Athletic League) have used an ineligible player and thus hold a record of 0-9 and 0-6.

The ruling dashed their hopes for making a first CCS playoff appearance since 2022. The school cannot appeal the decision through the section but said it would pursue “legal avenues” in an attempt to overturn the forfeits, according to Bellarmine Principal Rod Jemison.

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