Carol City High football team gets postseason ban, suspensions after brawl

Miami Carol City football had been sweeping through a laundry list of local rivals this year — 58-0 over Edison, 42-0 over Booker T. Washington and 43-0 over Norland.

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But players’ participation in a brawl following a close loss 670 miles away in Georgia last weekend has dashed their hopes of postseason play back at home.

The Florida High School Athletic Association informed the administration at Carol City Senior High on Wednesday that the program is now banned from postseason play, 15 players are suspended for various lengths of time, the school owes a $1,500 penalty and it must also hold a compliance workshop.

“ After reviewing the available video evidence and the report submitted by Carol City, the FHSAA has determined that violations occurred and is imposing the following sanctions,” FHSAA Executive Director Craig Damon wrote in the letter to Carol City principal Dr. Bridget McKinney.

The fight occurred after between members of the Carol City team and players for Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia. The brawl began when the players were shaking hands, just after Grayson defeated Carol City 10-9.

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Several players from both teams can be seen attempting to strike each other and pulling at their jerseys in a video shared on social media.

Even though Carol City’s overall record is 3-3, all of its losses are to high-level Georgia teams. According to MaxPreps, Carol City is the best public high school football team in the Miami metro area and ranks fourth overall.

The Miami Gardens school has a strong history of churning out college and professional players such as retired wide receiver Santana Moss. Its current roster features multiple high-profile prospects, including University of Miami commit Nick Lennear, a five-star recruit who is ranked as one of the best wide receivers in the country. In the video of the event posted to social media, Lennear did not appear to be involved in the scuffle.

Spokespeople for Miami-Dade County Public Schools did not immediately respond to questions about whether or not the school plans to appeal any of the sanctions, or if Lennear was among those suspended.

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Carol City plays Miami Northwestern at Traz Powell Stadium on Friday.

This story was originally published October 8, 2026 at 3:03 PM.