The Wills Point athletic department was placed on two years of probation, and two freshmen student-athletes, Sacred Barnett and Ja’Karion Wilson, were ruled ineligible for varsity competition for two school years by the UIL State Executive Committee on Monday morning, September 28, 2026. The committee concluded that the student-athletes moved to Wills Point for athletic purposes.
Barnett and Wilson, who previously attended Themer Middle School in Forney ISD, were initially declared ineligible for varsity competition this year because they do not live in the Wills Point ISD attendance zone. The UIL State Executive Committee then unanimously approved a recommendation from the District 7-4A Division II Executive Committee, adding an extra year of suspension, which makes both athletes ineligible for varsity play at Wills Point until their junior year.
Both Barnett and Wilson train at OST Sports Performance and Fitness in Forney. This facility is owned by Kris Briggs, a former Carthage standout, who was hired by Wills Point in October 2025. Briggs serves as the running backs coach for the Tigers, coaches track and field, and teaches financial math at Wills Point. Kade Briggs, Kris Briggs’ son, also played at Themer Middle School with Barnett and Wilson and has enrolled at Wills Point for the current school year.
During the hearings on Monday, multiple references were made to Instagram commitment graphics posted in June by Barnett, Wilson, and Kade Briggs. These graphics indicated their intention to play high school football at Wills Point. UIL State Executive Committee Chair Mike Motheral commented on the situation, stating, “It smells bad.”
Following the ruling, Motheral made a motion, which was approved, for Wills Point athletic director James Boxley to implement a training process for his coaches, specifically including Coach Briggs, regarding the OST training facility and similar situations involving the transfer of student-athletes. Motheral explained the implications of the probation to Boxley, stating, “What probation means, Coach, is very simply that you are going to be under scrutiny, so we need to make sure that we get things correct.”
James Boxley has served as the head football coach and athletic director at Wills Point since 2023. Prior to this role, he was the head baseball coach at Tyler Legacy for more than six seasons. Under Boxley's leadership, the Wills Point Tigers’ varsity football team has compiled a record of 13-23. The team is currently 0-5 this season and has been outscored 281-28. The Tigers are off this week before hosting Quinlan Ford for their district opener on October 9.
