CLEVELAND, Ohio — Glenville High School’s football team will remain in the Ohio High School Athletic Association playoffs after a Cuyahoga County judge ruled on Tuesday, November 3, that the association acted arbitrarily when it removed the Tarblooders before its eligibility investigation was complete, according to reporting by The Repository. Judge Andrew J. Santoli of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas granted a preliminary injunction sought by Glenville athletes after back-to-back hearings, The Repository reported.
“Plaintiffs have proven by clear and convincing evidence that this decision was arbitrary because it was made before the investigation was completed and shall remain in the playoffs at this time,” Santoli’s order read, according to The Repository. The judge also denied the OHSAA’s motion arguing that the complaint filed on behalf of two Glenville athletes lacked standing, and rejected its Franklin County venue claim, The Repository reported.
Glenville finished 8-2 and is the No. 5 seed in Division III, Region 9 after winning the Division IV state championship a year ago, according to The Repository and the OHSAA’s November 1 pairings. Its first-round opponent, Hunting Valley University School, is the No. 12 seed at 6-4. The winner plays at No. 4 seed Salem (8-2) on Friday, November 6, at 7 p.m. Salem had a first-round bye and still does not know its opponent.
The dispute began on Thursday, October 29, when the OHSAA removed Glenville from the playoffs as part of an investigation into the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and what the association described as the inaccurate assignment of student participation opportunities to Glenville, The Repository reported. The case centers on students at Ginn Academy, a non-member magnet school that does not offer sports. Under the rules described by The Repository, its student-athletes may participate only at the Cleveland district school closest to their residence.
“Recently we discovered several irregularities with students going to Ginn Academy and playing football at Glenville, which led us to conduct an audit,” OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute said in an October 29 statement reported by The Repository. USA TODAY reported the OHSAA’s November 1 summary said the district had not provided documentation to verify where 10 players live, and that the association believes 63 of the 64 players on Glenville’s roster do not attend the school — a claim the court process has not resolved.
USA TODAY also reported, however, that Santoli noted the OHSAA’s report was incomplete, both sides agreed more documentation was needed, and no finding had declared any Glenville player ineligible before the ban. If the investigation later finds ineligible players were used, the OHSAA may take corrective action, USA TODAY reported.
On October 30, Santoli granted a temporary restraining order allowing Glenville to play University School, The Repository reported. Attorneys Michael L. Nelson Sr., Stanley Jackson and James L. Hardiman had filed the motion October 29 for two Glenville players, arguing, in its words as reported by The Repository, that without immediate relief “the entire football team will suffer permanent and irreparable harm.” University School then refused to play. According to reporting from The News-Herald cited by The Repository, University head coach Ben Malbasa confirmed his team decided not to show for the October 30 game at Glenville and would not play that weekend.
In an October 30 statement reported by The Repository, University School said: “We will not compete in the now rescheduled contest” and would prepare for Salem on November 6 if that was the resolution. At a November 2 hearing, Santoli said, according to a video posted by WKYC and reported by The Repository: “It’s incredibly frustrating this game didn’t take place on Saturday.” Glenville attorney Stanley Jackson told the court, as reported by The Repository, that “the game cannot be scheduled until OHSAA does their part,” while OHSAA attorney Joseph A. Fraley responded, according to The Repository, that the association had complied and the dispute began because the district did not provide the proper information.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on. Confirmed: Glenville is back in the Division III, Region 9 playoffs by court order, the October 29 ban cannot stand while the investigation remains unfinished, and that investigation is not over. Still unknown: whether Glenville and University School will ever play their first-round game, whether University School will be declared to have forfeited the October 31 contest, and which team Salem will host Friday night. The Repository reported Santoli left that decision to the OHSAA, which can reschedule the game, declare a forfeit, or find another solution.
In a November 3 news release reported by The Repository, the OHSAA said it agreed with the ruling and quoted the court’s own limit on its authority: “The Court emphasizes that it is not asked, nor permitted, to determine who is entitled to play in the Playoffs.” The association told The Repository it would challenge additional findings in appellate court in Cleveland on Wednesday morning, November 4, and that more information about Salem’s opponent would be released Wednesday.
This is not Glenville’s first eligibility clash with the OHSAA: USA TODAY reported the program was removed from the 2018 playoffs, fined $5,000 and placed on probation for three years in an earlier case. What happens next comes quickly — the appellate filing, the OHSAA’s decision on the Glenville-University School result, and Friday’s 7 p.m. regional quarterfinal at Salem, where one sideline still does not know its opponent.