A high school girls’ volleyball team from California made the difficult decision to forfeit a state playoff game—and ultimately their season—due to a trans-identifying male player on the opposing team.
The school, Stone Ridge Christian, located in Merced, a couple of hours east of San Jose, described the situation as “heartbreaking.”
On Friday, Stone Ridge Christian, a Christian school committed to its values, announced its decision to forgo Saturday’s game against San Francisco Waldorf.
“Unfortunately, we were just informed that our opponent, San Francisco Waldorf, has a male athlete playing for their team,” Stone Ridge Christian administrator Julie Fagundes wrote in a message to families.
The opposing team’s star player and captain, Henry Hanlon, identifies as female but is biologically male. Hanlon has reportedly been a dominant force for San Francisco Waldorf, contributing to at least a third of the team’s points during a series of games in January.
“At SRC, we believe God’s Word is authoritative and infallible. It is Truth. And as Genesis makes clear, God wonderfully and immutably created each person as male or female. We do not believe sex is changeable and we do not intend to participate in events that send a different message,” Stone Ridge Christian wrote.
“So after consulting with our students, coaches, and staff, we have made the difficult decision to forfeit Saturday’s game,” the school said. “Standing for Biblical truth means more than the outcome of a game.”
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which oversees high school sports in the state, has allowed athletes to compete based on their gender identity since adopting its “Gender Identity Participation” rules in 2013.
This policy has sparked ongoing debate, particularly among parents, educators, and students who are concerned about maintaining fairness in women’s sports.
Stone Ridge Christian’s decision underscores a growing tension between adherence to traditional values and navigating modern policies in competitive sports.
“This is a heartbreaking end to our season, but I hope you will join me in congratulating these outstanding student-athletes. SRC is proud of them,” Stone Ridge Christian said.
