Topsail High athletic director resigns

HAMPSTEAD, NC (WWAY) — Topsail High School Athletic Director Barry West has stepped down from his role with the school.

Pirate Baseball Coach Aaron Rimer confirms that West announced his decision last night at an end of the year banquet for the Topsail Lacrosse team.

The announcement comes in the wake of an investigation into the school following the forfeiture of wins due to an ineligible player on the Topsail Baseball team that ultimately left the Pirates out of the NCHSAA playoffs.

Parents of the baseball team said West and Topsail Principal Berry Simmons failed the students when they did not recognize the player was ineligible at the beginning of the season. It is the sole responsibility of the athletic director to check if a player is ineligible.

The player, Alex Postma, suffers from severe anxiety and was ineligible due to an academic concern from the 2017 Fall semester according to his mother.

An investigation is still underway from Pender County Schools into the Topsail Administration.