New SC charter school’s football coach facing 2-game suspension. Here’s why

One of the state’s newest schools is facing sanctions from the South Carolina High School League in the weeks before they begin their first fall sports season.

The SCHSL executive committee voted 10-5 Wednesday in favor of upholding penalties against Mountain View Prep’s football program for a rules violation that happened during a “dead week” this summer. A handful of MVP’s athletes took part — along with an assistant coach — in volunteering as helpers in a local youth sports camp, according to testimony Wednesday.

Mountain View is a new charter school that will open this fall in Spartanburg County. They can appeal Wednesday’s ruling and have their case heard again before the league’s appellate panel.

The penalty for the violation is a $500 fine, the loss of one day of practice and the loss of a preseason scrimmage. Head football coach Gray Ramsey is suspended for the first two games along with assistant coach Ronald Goodwine.

The SCHSL has two times periods known as dead weeks in the summer calendar where essentially no athletic activities are allowed, and coaches and players are not supposed to work together in any capacity.

“Dead week is a dead week. I think that’s been clearly communicated by the High School League,” SCHSL executive committee member Andy Rogers said. “You’re not allowed to participate in any activities.”

Goodwine ran a youth camp for 5- to 7-year-olds, and four Mountain View Prep players showed up to help in the camp during a July dead period, according to Wednesday’s testimony.

“What made it a violation is that the coach and the players were there together,” SCHSL commissioner Jerome Singleton said. “If it was just the kids and no coach, there would be no violation.”

Mountain View principal Matt Talley and Ramsey argued that players were helping out — not participating — in the camp was a way to give back to the community.

“We’ve never heard community service is not allowed,” the principal said.

Talley and Ramsey both said they had no knowledge of the camp or the players’ involvement until Goodwine posted pictures of the event on social media.

Mountain View plays Atlantic Collegiate and Southside Christian in the first two weeks of the season.