The Long County Blue Tide were forced to forfeit their season-opening win over the McIntosh County Academy Buccaneers, after it was discovered the Blue Tide had an ineligible player.

The Blue Tide reported playing the ineligible player to the Georgia High School Association, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was not submitted for eligibility to the GHSA prior to the game but will be eligible for the remainder of the season.

Long County won the game, which was delayed from its 9 p.m. start by storms, 30-13, with the game ending early Sunday morning from its Saturday night kickoff in the Erk Russell Classic. The loss dropped Long County to 0-1. The Blue Tide were off last week. MCA improved to 1-1.

Though the game was a nonregion matchup, it could weigh in for qualifying for the playoffs under the GHSA’s new rankings system.

The Blue Tide travel to Sylvania this Friday night to take on the Screven County Gamecocks, who are 1-1. Screven fell 17-14 to South Effingham in its opener but thumped Jenkins County 27-0 last week.

Senior running back Abram Hilton, who ran for 1,602 yards and 18 touchdowns last year, had 161 yards on 16 carries for the Gamecocks last week. He has committed to South Florida.