Canyon head coach Rich Gutierrez reviewed game tape and discovered the ineligible student in one play against Saugus in October.

The Canyon Cowboys football team suffered another blow Tuesday when it was discovered the same ineligible player who played in the Golden Valley game Thursday also played in the Saugus game Oct. 14.

By CIF rule, the Cowboys would forfeit their win over Saugus but keep their win over Golden Valley. Canyon has lost its share of the Foothill League title, and Golden Valley has lost its first league win.

Head coach Rich Gutierrez said an internal investigation by the Cowboys coaching staff reviewing every single game played this season revealed the additional infraction in the Saugus game. Gutierrez and Canyon’s administration went straight to the league and to the CIF to reveal the second infraction.

“The situation has been extremely difficult,” Gutierrez said. “We went back and reviewed the film to make certain we were doing the right thing all the way around. I’d rather be honest, and finding that young man in that one play (against Saugus), I knew it was the right thing (to come forward and tell the league and CIF).”

With the loss, Canyon (8-2, 3-2) will drop to third place. The CIF left it to the league to determine seedings and if changes needed to be made to the brackets.

By all rights, Saugus could have hosted Palmdale Friday night as the Centurions are now the No. 2 team out of the Foothill League. But according to Gutierrez, the Centurions preferred keeping their road game against Highland. So the decision was made by the league to keep things as they are.

“Having character and integrity and following through and believing in honesty… it teaches lessons across football,” Gutierrez said. “It’s more of a life lesson. And going to our administrators and reporting it and going on to CIF, it’s played out in the positive.”