Two Maryland high school football games scheduled for Friday will be played, but their outcomes are already determined.North Point and Westlake, two recent Southern Maryland Athletic Conference football powers, will forfeit their season-opening contests due to what was determined to be out-of-season violations, according to both teams’ head coaches.North Point coach Bill Condo informed the North Point community of the penalty in an email earlier this week. Westlake coach DaLawn Parrish had already informed his team. A third Charles County school was initially ordered to forfeit its Week 1 game, but its coach confirmed to High School On SI that the school successfully appealed the penalty and will play without a forfeit.Despite the forfeits, North Point will visit McDonough on Friday, while Westlake will travel to Patuxent.Charles County supervisor of athletics Rich Pauole confirmed the forfeits but would not disclose any details when contacted by phone on Thursday, saying, "It was the business of the school." A phone message left Wednesday with the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association seeking confirmation and clarification was returned Thursday, deferring comment to the county on such matters.According to Condo’s email to the North Point community, the violation involved “participation in a non-school team setting that exceeded the allowable 80% threshold of returning players under the supervision of contracted coaches during a restricted period outside of the defined sports season.”North Point, Westlake Must Play Despite ForfeitsIn effect, the rule limits how many returning players can participate together in an offseason setting while being supervised by members of the school's coaching staff.Condo and Parrish said their teams are required to play Friday despite the forfeits. If either team wins, the game will officially be recorded as a forfeit loss. If either team loses, the on-field result will stand because the forfeit already has been assessed.Forfeits Could Affect Playoff SeedingNorth Point is one of the state’s top-ranked public-school programs and is expected to contend for the Class 3A-4A state championship. Westlake, which reached the state semifinals in 2024, is expected to compete for a Class 2A state playoff berth.Because every MPSSAA school qualifies for the postseason, a Week 1 forfeit will not prevent either team from reaching the playoffs. The loss, however, could affect postseason seeding.North Point Faced Similar Penalty Last SeasonNorth Point faced a similar situation last season, although for a different violation. The school was forced to forfeit seven regular-season victories, turning what had been an undefeated season on the field into an official 2-7 record. North Point still reached the state quarterfinals but entered as the lowest seed and lost to Sherwood, which went on to finish as the state runner-up.North Point would have been a heavy favorite against McDonough. North Point defeated McDonough 34-0 last season before the victory was later forfeited.The Westlake-Patuxent matchup was a more intriguing Week 1 game. Westlake was coming off a season in which it lost to league rival and eventual Class 2A state runner-up Northern-Calvert in the regional playoffs. Patuxent, meanwhile, won the Class 1A state championship last season and is among the favorites to repeat. Patuxent won last year's Week 1 meeting with Westlake 34-27.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow