St. Francis Back McAlister Eligible to Play Saturday Against Loyola

The Southern Section on Thursday confirmed the eligibility of St. Francis High’s Chris McAlister, clearing the sophomore running back to play this weekend.

McAlister, who sat out the Golden Knights’ game against Mary Star last week while the section reviewed his eligibility, is expected to start Saturday night when St. Francis plays Loyola at Glendale High. McAlister (5-foot-10, 170 pounds) played in St. Francis’ opening-game victory over Burroughs and rushed for a team-high 92 yards.

“All along I knew this would happen,” Coach Andy Boynton said of the section’s decision. “It was just a matter of getting it together.”

The Southern Section ruled that McAlister had properly changed residences during the past 12 months. McAlister played freshman football at Muir High in Pasadena last fall and then transferred last winter from Muir to Marshall Fundamental, where he played basketball and ran track. During the summer, he transferred to St. Francis.

Southern Section rules state that a transfer student must change residence or obtain a hardship waiver to be immediately eligible for varsity competition in the sports in which he or she competed at the previous school.

Because he did not move after the basketball and track seasons, McAlister is ineligible to compete in those sports this year at the varsity level at St. Francis.