(10-11-26) The boys Division I and II statewide soccer tournament draws will not take place Sunday, Oct. 11, as scheduled — the OHSAA is delaying them while it fights a court battle over one school.
Related: OHSAA asking appeals court to keep St. Charles soccer in Division II
St. Charles of Columbus won an injunction Oct. 6 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court to play in the Division I postseason. The school admitted it missed the deadline to file its opt-up form — a paperwork slip that left the Cardinals assigned to Division II instead of the Division I level where they’ve competed since 1992.
The OHSAA is filing an emergency appeal in the 10th District Court of Appeals to overturn that judgment and keep St. Charles in D-II. The association notified affected schools in an Oct. 8 memo, confirmed by media relations director Tim Stried. A hearing could come as soon as Oct. 13 or 14.
Only the boys D-I and D-II draws are delayed statewide. The Oct. 11 draw goes on as planned for boys Divisions III, IV and V and all five girls divisions.
The Cardinals aren’t asking to drop down — they want to move up. State runners-up in 2024, state semifinalists in 2025, all in Division I. With the injunction, they’d join a 26-team D-I Central District field.
Why the judge granted the injunction
According to The Columbus Dispatch, Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey M. Brown cited several factors:
Student-athletes should not be punished for adults’ errors.
The team faced irreparable harm if it lost its opportunity to compete in Division I that season.
Moving St. Charles would not displace any of the other 25 teams in the Division I field.
St. Charles had finished as the Division I state runner-up in 2024 and reached the state semifinals in 2025.
