A 19-year-old who played for the Montclair High School football team this month was arrested this week on suspicion of submitting a falsified document to the school that allowed him to play for the team, the Chaffey Joint Union High School District said in a statement released Friday afternoon.
According to police records, Elijah Nathaniel Frisco was arrested Thursday by the Montclair Police Department and booked at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on charges of falsifying his birth certificate.
Frisco, who allegedly used the name Eihly Cheung to enroll at Montclair and play football, had already graduated high school, according to Chaffey Joint Union High School District Superintendent Mathew Holton.
After the Montclair football team defeated Pomona 32-20 on Sept. 2, there were reports on social media that Montclair might have used a player who had already graduated. The school immediately started an investigation.
Holton released a statement Friday saying that the 19-year-old was arrested for allegedly misrepresenting himself when he enrolled at the school.
“Montclair High School administration was notified late Friday, September 2, 2022, that a player on the Montclair High School football team was allegedly a 19-year-old who already completed high school,” Holton wrote. “School officials contacted the parents of the individual to seek information regarding the allegations.
“Following correspondence with the parents, the District notified Montclair Police Department, and law enforcement personnel began an investigation. Montclair Police determined that the individual misrepresented himself in the enrollment process for the purpose of playing football, and he was arrested for submitting falsified documents to the school.
“School officials will continue to cooperate with law enforcement and we will work with the California Interscholastic Federation to determine any possible implications to the program as a result of the ineligible player.”
According to sources familiar with the situation, the player enrolled at Montclair last year and was with the football team for parts of the 2021 season. As a result, sources say, Montclair will forfeit five football games from 2021, and one against Pomona this season.
Montclair will forfeit games in 2021 to Workman, Wilson, West Valley, San Gabriel and South Pasadena, making its 2021 record go from 9-5 to 4-10.
“Montclair High School and the Chaffey Joint Union High School District self-reported a violation of CIF Bylaws and have taken corrective action,” CIF-SS assistant commissioner Thom Simmons said.
Following Montclair’s victory over Pomona, there were several social media reports that accused Montclair of using an over-age player who allegedly played at Pomona High School as a senior in 2020.
Montclair football coach Martin Bacon responded to the social media reports when the accusations surfaced, saying his school would look into the situation. He denied accusations that he had any part in the wrong doing.
“First off this, is the first I’m hearing this and to think that myself as a coach and Montclair as a program would do something like that is crazy,” Bacon responded via his Twitter account. “Second as a school we will get to the bottom of this cause that’s the right thing to do. That’s what I say.”
Pomona had a player on its football roster in 2020 named Elijah Frisco, who was listed as a senior, but the season was canceled in the fall of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 fall season was played during a shortened spring season in 2021. Pomona officials have not commented on whether Elijah Frisco was with the team still in the spring of 2021.
Pomona’s quarterback is junior Noahsaiah Frisco, who sources say is Elijah Frisco’s younger brother.
Pomona football coach Leonard Hudson would not comment on the situation.
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