November 5, 2026 — Cleveland, Ohio
The Eighth District Court of Appeals granted the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s emergency stay on Thursday, pausing Judge Andrew Santoli’s order reinstating Cleveland Glenville into the football playoffs, according to reporting from WKYC cited by the Canton Repository.

Related– Court of Appeals Issues Decision to Preserve OHSAA’s Ruling  

That decision means the OHSAA’s original sanction on Glenville is back in effect — for now. Glenville, the No. 5 seed in Division III, Region 9 at 8-2, is out of the playoffs again, and No. 4 seed Salem (8-2) will host No. 12 seed Hunting Valley University School (6-4) in the regional quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. at Salem, according to the Repository’s account of the OHSAA bracket.

The stay is a pause while the OHSAA’s appeal is heard, not a final ruling on the merits of Santoli’s decision. The appeal itself remains pending.

The turn comes two days after Santoli ruled Tuesday afternoon that the OHSAA had acted arbitrarily in removing Glenville on Oct. 29, before completing its investigation, and granted a preliminary injunction sought by Glenville players Emiere Lemons and LaNeil Watson, ordering Glenville to remain in the playoffs while directing the OHSAA to determine Salem’s opponent “forthwith” — by rescheduling the Glenville–University School first-round game, declaring University School to have forfeited the rescheduled Oct. 31 game, or by another appropriate remedy.

The OHSAA filed its appeal and emergency motion on Wednesday, Nov. 4, asking the appeals court to rule by noon Thursday, saying Salem is scheduled to play Friday, Nov. 6, and the tournament could move forward before the appeal is heard. The OHSAA had said Wednesday morning it would challenge additional findings from Santoli’s order in the appeals court.

The first-round game has already been through a dizzying series of turns. The OHSAA removed Glenville on Thursday, Oct. 29, amid an investigation into the Cleveland Metropolitan School District inaccurately assigning Ginn Academy students’ participation opportunities to Glenville. On Friday, Oct. 30, Santoli granted a temporary restraining order requiring the Glenville–University School game to proceed that night. University School (6-4) did not show and declined the Saturday reschedule, saying it would prepare for Salem on Nov. 6 if that was the resolution.

The underlying 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 participate in athletics at the Cleveland school closest to their residence, and the OHSAA’s audit found many Glenville football players should have been assigned to other schools. Glenville was previously fined $5,000 and placed on probation through 2021 for the same type of violation in 2018.

Muse AI assisted