Questions continue to be raised over the scheduling of the game and the existence of the school, two days after the Ohio-based high school football team faced off against IMG Academy in a pre-football mismatch.
Paragon and ESPN both claimed they didn't know that Bishop Sycamore had played a Friday night game and that it didn't have as many highly-recruited prospects when the game was set.
IMG won the game by 58 to 0. ESPN broadcasters immediately noticed the mismatch and made comments about it throughout the game. They cited player safety. They said that they became suspicious of the team and its players when it was difficult to find information, including rosters.
ESPN released the following statement: "We regret this happened and have talked with Paragon. Paragon secured the matchup, and handles most of our high school event planning. They assured us that they would take all steps to avoid this type of situation in the future.
Awful Announcing was told by Rashid Ghazi, Paragon president, that he would have cancelled the Sunday match against IMG if he knew Bishop Sycamore had played on Friday.
Paragon spokesmen told The Columbus Dispatch that a roster received a month before the game was different from the one it received for Sunday's match. A Paragon spokesperson stated that it will likely need to inspect rosters more closely in the days before a game. According to the Dispatch, the company is currently looking at coaches and cross-checking rosters with ranking recruiting lists. It also looks at the schedules for the current season and the previous.
Roy Johnson, coach of Bishop Sycamore, stated that about 15 people participated in both games. However, he claimed that most players only played a small amount.
Bishop Sycamore lost six of its six games last season. Since 2020, it has been outscored by 342-49. According to the Dispatch, the school will play several national prep powerhouses in this year's season, including DeMatha Catholic of Maryland (Maryland), St. Edward (Ohio), and Duncanville (Texas).
The physical address of the school is listed as a Columbus recreation center. The Dispatch reports that the Ohio Department of Education does not list a charter school with the name Bishop Sycamore. However, it did last year as a non-chartered, tax-supported school.
Johnson spoke with the Dispatch in an interview, stating that his program is still young and growing and that he wants to do better.
