CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Three Independence High football players have been declared ineligible, and two more have been suspended, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced Thursday.

All five will not play in Saturday's state championship game against New Bern.

The athletes were former junior varsity players promoted to the varsity team. CMS says schools traditionally promote such players for playoff games, and the players were declared ineligible or removed from the team after an internal investigation.

The players join two others from Independence – Ranzell Watkins and Dominique Walker – declared ineligible in recent weeks as a result of a sweeping CMS investigation into high school athletic eligibility.

Most of the eligibility questions have centered on players’ addresses, and whether they met residency requirements to play in their districts. The investigation started after our news partners at The Charlotte Observer began questioning player eligibility.

The South Meck football team had to forfeit its entire season after its quarterback was declared ineligible just hours before their first playoff game. West Charlotte’s senior wide receiver Nicholas Mata was also declared ineligible, and now the school’s athletic director and two football coaches have been suspended with pay pending an investigation.

CMS says it has reported the violations to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, and according to the NCHSAA, the violations won’t affect the team’s record this season.

WCNC’s Michelle Boudin was at today’s press conference and will have the latest on WCNC News at 6 p.m.