(10-31-26) The Ohio High School football playoffs are facing a Halloween Nightmare.
Chaos most commonly refers to a state of extreme confusion, disorder, or a complete lack of organization.
HUNTING VALLEY — The Glenville playoff saga took another turn Friday night: the team Glenville was supposed to play says it won’t play them at all.
University School, the No. 12 seed in Division III, Region 9, refused to take the field for Friday night’s scheduled first-round playoff game at Glenville, and the school says it will not play the Tarblooders in the rescheduled game this weekend either.
The decision follows a dizzying 48 hours. The OHSAA removed Cleveland Glenville, the No. 5 seed at 8-2, from the playoffs on Thursday, Oct. 29, amid an investigation into the Cleveland Metropolitan School District inaccurately assigning student participation opportunities to Glenville. On Friday, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Andrew Santoli granted a temporary restraining order requiring the Glenville–University School game to be played.
The OHSAA said Friday evening it stands by its removal ruling but will comply with the court order, and was working with the two schools to reschedule the game for sometime this weekend — the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 31, according to University School’s statement.
University School did not show for the 7 p.m. Friday game, head coach Ben Malbasa confirmed to The News-Herald, and the school announced it will not compete in the rescheduled contest either.
University School says it won’t play Glenville in playoffs despite reversal of Tarblooders’ ban
University School said in its statement Oct. 30
“We were disappointed to learn of the initial cancellation of the contest on Thursday, Oct. 29, and then surprised to learn of the temporary restraining order leading the OHSAA to reschedule the game for the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 31. We will not compete in the now rescheduled contest, respect the court’s prudence in deciding the ultimate outcome of the legal dispute, and will prepare to compete with Salem on (Nov. 6) if that is the resolution.”
In other words, University School is proceeding as if the OHSAA’s original ruling — which advanced the Preppers to a second-round game at No. 4 seed Salem on Friday, Nov. 6 — will ultimately stand.
The underlying dispute is unchanged. The OHSAA’s investigation centers on students who attend Ginn Academy, a non-member magnet school that does not offer sports and is under the control of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Under OHSAA rules, Ginn Academy students can only participate in athletics at the Cleveland Metro school closest to their residence, and the association’s audit found many Glenville football players should have been playing at other schools this season.
The OHSAA said it first requested student residential information from the district on Sept. 28, received an initial batch on Oct. 22, and that in a meeting Thursday, Glenville did not object to the findings of the audit. Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Dr. Warren Morgan, in a letter to the OHSAA, raised concerns about the timing and process of the removal decision, arguing it came so close to the scheduled playoff game that the district had little opportunity to appeal or take other action.
A hearing in the case is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 2, according to the OHSAA. Until then, the Region 9 bracket — and who plays Salem on Nov. 6 — remains unresolved.
Story assisted by Muse AI
