- January 14, 2026
First Baptist Christian Academy’s girls basketball team has forfeited its 11 victories this season due to using ineligible players. Coach Anthony Wagner, who is also FBCA’s elementary principal, is no longer the team’s head coach.
The boys basketball team also forfeited its three victories because of ineligible players, the Palm Coast school confirmed.
Dr. Max Fernandez, FBCA’s head of school, and athletic director Caleb Young said the issues involved eligibility documentation that was not fully compliant with Florida High School Athletic Association requirements.
They said once the errors were discovered, the school self-reported to the FHSAA and forfeited the wins that involved ineligible players. The girls team was undefeated at 11-0 through Dec. 29 before the ineligibilities were reported. The three leading scorers at that time are no longer on the team. The Crusaders have lost all four of their games since the forfeits.
As of Jan. 13, the FHSAA has not responded to an email from the Observer requesting the nature of the ineligibilities.
Fernandez and Young would not say what the issues were leading to the players being declared ineligible.
“Out of respect for student privacy and in compliance with FHSAA guidelines, we are not able to discuss individual students or specific documentation,” Fernandez said in an email. “What we can confirm is that the issue involved eligibility documentation that was not fully compliant with FHSAA requirements at the time of competition. Once identified, the matter was self-reported, the affected contests were forfeited, the student-athletes were removed from participation and corrective steps were taken to ensure full compliance moving forward.”
Wagner’s removal as head coach was not in response to the discovery of the players being ineligible, Fernandez said. He said it had already been agreed upon that he would step down due to his expanding duties as the school’s elementary principal.
When the semester was coming to a close and our internal review identified eligibility documentation issues, Mr. Wagner voluntarily stepped aside from coaching, so that he could continue focusing on his expanded administrative and operational roles.
— DR. MAX FERNANDEZ, FBCA head of school
“Mr. Wagner and I met at the beginning of the school year to discuss his workload and responsibilities. At that time, he shared that he was unsure whether he could fully commit to the basketball program due to the rollout of four new elementary electives — 4-H, Robotics, Game Strategy, and Journalism — for grades 5–6, along with the assumption of increased operational responsibilities at FBCA.” Fernandez said. “…. When the semester was coming to a close and our internal review identified eligibility documentation issues, Mr. Wagner voluntarily stepped aside from coaching, so that he could continue focusing on his expanded administrative and operational roles. This was not a disciplinary action and should not be characterized as a removal.”
But Wagner said he continues to be involved with the program. He is just no longer on the bench during games and is no longer the head coach.
“Well before the season, before the school year even, there were already things that were going on this time of year where I was not going to be able to be on the bench,” Wagner said. “I’m still involved, I attend practices, still talk to the families. It’s just not fair for the players if I'm not going to be able to be present at the times that they need me [to have] the distinction of head coach, that's all.”
Wagner’s last game as head coach, he said, was Dec. 30.
A year ago, on Jan. 29, 2025, Wagner accepted a settlement agreement with the Education Practices Commission of the State of Florida stemming from allegations when he was a history teacher at Buddy Taylor Middle School and the head girls basketball coach at Flagler Palm Coast High School.
The allegations included twice using inappropriate comments as a teacher at BTMS and on an overnight basketball trip permitting an adult female, a girlfriend of an assistant coach, to stay in the same hotel room as a high school male student manager.
According to the final order of the EPC, “the respondent neither admits nor denies, but elects not to contest the allegations set forth in petitioner’s [the commissioner of education] administrative complaint.”
Wagner retained his educator’s certificate and agreed to accept a letter of reprimand and a probation period during two employment years.
Wagner was not retained as a teacher at BTMS and as FPC's head coach after the 2022-23 school year. He was the Bulldogs' head coach for two seasons.
