MASSILLON, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court on Thursday, November 5, dismissed an Ohio High School Athletic Association complaint over the eligibility of Massillon football players Brayton and Brydon Feister, effectively assuring the brothers can play for the rest of the 2026 season, The Repository in Canton reported. The dismissal leaves in place an October appeals court order that restored their eligibility, on the eve of Massillon’s postseason opener.
With the complaint dismissed, the October 16 order from the 5th District Court of Appeals stands, Q92 Sports also reported on November 5. “We are pleased that the Ohio Supreme Court recognized the importance of student athletes to continue to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Canton attorney Lee Plakas, who represents the Feisters, told The Repository. OHSAA attorney Joseph Fraley told The Repository, “We knew it was a bit of a procedural longshot.”
Brayton Feister is a senior linebacker who also plays running back and is committed to the University of Oregon, according to The Repository. Brydon Feister, a junior defensive end, is also a two-time state wrestling champion, The Repository reported. Q92 Sports reported that in the seven regular-season games they were eligible to play, Massillon allowed an average of just 67 rushing yards a game.
The dispute began after the brothers transferred to Massillon from Akron Archbishop Hoban following their family’s move from Green to Massillon. Under OHSAA rules described by The Repository, transfers are generally eligible only for the first half of a season unless an exception applies, and the Feisters sought the bona fide residence change exception. On September 28, the OHSAA ruled them ineligible, finding, according to The Repository, that the family moved so the brothers could transfer — while the exception applies only when a move creates the need to transfer. Plakas told The Repository the move was bona fide and should have qualified them all along.
On October 9, a Stark County Common Pleas ruling sided with the OHSAA, and the brothers sat out that night as Massillon lost 35-21 to Cornerstone Christian of San Antonio, Texas — still the Tigers’ only loss, according to Q92 Sports. A week later, a three-judge 5th District panel made the Feisters eligible for the rest of the season, The Repository reported, and they returned that night in a 49-16 win over Warren Harding. The OHSAA then filed its Supreme Court complaint against the appeals judges on October 23, according to The Repository.
Thursday’s dismissal rejected that effort, though Fraley pointed to a concurring opinion from Justice Jennifer Brunner, who wrote that the appeals court had jurisdiction but questioned why it granted an injunction without explaining itself, The Repository reported. Fraley also told The Repository, “We will continue to pursue the case.”
What happens next is football. Massillon, 9-1 and the No. 3 seed in Division II, Region 7, hosts No. 6 Columbus St. Francis DeSales, 8-3, in a regional quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Friday, November 6, at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, according to the OHSAA’s official pairings announced November 1. The Tigers are coming off a first-round bye, and the winner advances to a regional semifinal on Friday, November 13.
Photo: Sean P Bender, CC BY-SA