Gulf Shores football coach Mark Hudspeth said he is “100 percent confident” no one in his school has done anything inappropriate in wake of a possible Alabama High School Athletic Association investigation.

Hudspeth’s Dolphins are 9-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 5A headed into this week’s regular-season finale at home against B.C. Rain.

In a story last week, WKRG in Mobile cited documents obtained by their station alleging that a Gulf Shores-based fitness company (Gulf Coast Athletics) paid rent for multiple Gulf Shores High school student-athletes, including several current or former football players, and their families at a local apartment complex over the last few years.

Hudspeth was interviewed by WNSP-FM 105.5 following his team’s victory on Vigor last Friday.

“A lot of people are sometimes pulling against you, and that is what happens when you win,” he said. “Not a lot of people like when you win. We are 100 percent confident that there is no one within our school, that is a part of the Gulf Shores City School system, that has done anything inappropriate. The investigation is not even about our personnel and our coaches and our administration, but we still feel somewhat attacked, and we’ve used that to pull this team together. This community has really bonded and taken it as a personal attack.”

Gulf Shores superintendent Matt Akin expressed similar sentiments in a statement to AL.com on Friday.

“Gulf Shores City Schools has a detailed enrollment process to ensure compliance with AHSAA rules and regulations as it pertains to any transfer student athletes,” he said. “Gulf Shores City Schools has and will continue to fully and completely comply with the AHSAA’s investigative efforts into this matter until it reaches its conclusion. Further, we maintain that Gulf Shores City Board of Education and its employees have complied with all AHSAA rules and regulations.”

Akin also sent AL.com a signed affidavit from Jason Barnett, owner and operator of Gulf Coast Athletics, in which Barnett said he had never paid any rental or utility fees or charges on behalf of any Gulf Shores student athlete or their families.

He said in the affidavit the same issues were addressed through an AHSAA investigation in or around May 2021. “My understanding is the issue was resolved and a final ruling issued by the AHSAA at that time,” he said.

Hudspeth told WNSP the off-the-field news has brought his team closer together.

“That’s what happens a lot of times when you have adversity,” he said. “You can pull together or you can pull apart. When you pull together, something special can happen. … We have some great children, some great kids who work hard. We have some great administrators who do the right things in our school. There is a reason why Gulf Shores is the only school in Mobile and Baldwin County that was rated an ‘A’ school academically. We’ve got the right people in the right places who are working hard and doing the right things.

“Some people can match your work ethic to try to pull their programs up to your level or they can tear you down to their level and, unfortunately, there are people who are trying to do that.”

Hudspeth reiterated in the interview that he is “very confident” and “100 percent positive” that no one inside Gulf Shores City Schools has done anything inappropriate.

Reports have indicated that the AHSAA will be in Gulf Shores on Tuesday to investigate. The playoffs are scheduled to start Nov. 10. The official brackets will be released by the AHSAA on Saturday.

B.C. Rain (7-2, 5-2), Faith Academy (6-3, 5-2), UMS-Wright (5-4, 4-3) and Vigor (6-3, 5-3) are fighting for three remaining playoff spots behind Gulf Shores in the Region 1 standings. The standings were impacted earlier this year when Vigor forfeited its win over UMS-Wright for a violation of AHSAA eligibility rules.