Central QB Jarrad Hayes Ruled Eligible

Jarrad Hayes, a senior transfer student at Central High, said Wednesday that faith and prayer do work.  His dream of playing for Central, which had appeared shattered, will be realized after all.  For the Wildcat team, the addition of Hayes, a star athlete, is a major breakthrough.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s Executive Committee Wednesday unanimously reversed a previous decision and ruled that Hayes will be eligible to play for Central this fall.  LHSAA executive director Kenny Henderson had ruled that Hayes did not meet residency requirements.  But Henderson said the Hayes family has since corrected the three deficiencies that Henderson had found.

In an interview Wednesday, Jarrad’s parents, Lionel and Tiffany Hayes, said it had been agony to see their son go through so much the past two months. “But Jarrad is a very strong young man,” Tiffany said.  “While he could have gone back and played at McKinley, that was never an option.  We live in Central!” she said.