Marshall Academy has been hit with major sanctions after refusing to play during the second half of a recent MAIS playoff football game, a controversy that has drawn headlines and prompted swift league action for what officials called “flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct”
According to an official committee report, Marshall Academy repeatedly refused to run a play throughout the entire second half after a safety was awarded to Washington, despite multiple warnings from officials to resume normal play. The officials ultimately declared a forfeit in the fourth quarter, citing Rule 9-9 of the National Federation of High School Football Rules Book regarding unfair acts. League sources said this was deemed a travesty of the game and a clear violation of the MAIS Sportsmanship Creed.
The Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) then imposed several penalties. Marshall Academy was fined $7,500, payable to Washington, and barred from hosting a football playoff game during the 2025 season. Head football coach Dunny Bunio received a postseason suspension and is indefinitely banned from coaching any MAIS sport until further review. Bunio was also fined $1,000 and prohibited from all contact with the team during the football playoffs.
The story, first reported by the Delta Democrat-Times and detailed in “Simply bad sportsmanship,” described the night as a “dark chapter for sportsmanship” in Mississippi prep football and noted that reactions have been nearly unanimous in condemning Marshall’s actions. The committee’s motion passed unanimously, with all seven members voting in favor of the sanctions.
